Five-time Pro Bowl linebacker C.J. Mosley announced his retirement from the NFL on Thursday.
The former Baltimore Ravens and New York Jets player said in a video posted to his Instagram and X accounts: “Once upon a time, a kid from Mobile, Ala., had a dream to do great things on the football field. I followed you my whole life not knowing where you would take me .. To envision myself as a Ray Lewis or a Brian Urlacher was just the first step of this 11-year journey. You opened doors that I once only dreamed of. You gave me passion. You gave me strength, self endurance, pain and most importantly, the DNA to trust and lead men .. Today, it is time to wake up from my childhood dream and share it with the next generation. I spent my whole life and career building my legacy. Now it’s time to start a new chapter with new dreams. It won’t be easy, but I’m here to tell you every sacrifice is worth it. When you wake up, what will your legacy look like?”
Mosley, 33, entered the league as the No. 17 overall pick by the Ravens in the 2014 NFL Draft, finishing the season No. 2 in AP defensive rookie of the year voting. He was also selected to his first Pro Bowl and was a second-team All-Pro.
He played his first five seasons with the Ravens before signing a five-year, $85 million deal with the Jets in 2019. The linebacker, who sat out in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, totaled 1,083 combined tackles, including 687 solo takedowns, as well as 12 interceptions, 12 sacks, 10 forced fumbles, nine fumble recoveries and three touchdowns over 133 career appearances. In 2024, Mosley was limited to just four games with three starts due to a neck injury.
Mosley received Pro Football Focus’ 15th-best defensive rating in 2022, when he earned second-team All-Pro honors for the fifth time of his career. In 2023, he received their third-best defensive rating among linebackers who were in for at least 80% of 1,170 snaps — the most by any linebacker.
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