Buccaneers lineman makes shocking decision to retire at 28
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are going to look a lot different offensively in 2022 with the retirement of offensive lineman Ali Marpet.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have already had to make plans for life after Tom Brady in the 2022 NFL offseason. They have a ton of impending free agents, including many on offense, but one player they did not expect to lose in 2022 was offensive guard Ali Marpet.
A former Division-III star from Hobart, Marpet blew everyone away at the Senior Bowl back in the 2015 offseason. He turned his college tape and a big opportunity in Mobile into a second-round draft status.
The Buccaneers took a shot with the 61st overall pick on Marpet, and he did not disappoint. He started for them for seven seasons and helped win a Super Bowl. He was selected to the Pro Bowl after the 2021 season.
Now, Marpet has decided it’s time to move on, and he’s retiring at the age of 28.
Ali Marpet announces shocking retirement from Buccaneers
Congrats to Super Bowl champ and Pro Bowler Ali Marpet on a great NFL career. Also props to former Reese’s Senior Bowl exec Phil Savage for having the keen scouting eye and guts to invite a D-III prospect from Hobart College to compete against the best of the best in Mobile. pic.twitter.com/TWW7Q0WP8Y
— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_SB) February 27, 2022
Marpet played 101 regular season games for the Buccaneers. He accomplished pretty much everything there is to accomplish as an NFL player, so it’s hard to really fault him for this choice.
He was a second-round draft pick. He helped his team win a Super Bowl. He became one of the best in the league at his position, earning a second contract (worth over $50 million) and made it to the Pro Bowl.
Marpet, before the age of 30, has done it all.
It’s not overly clear at this time what the primary reasons are for his retirement, but this news has to be jarring for the Buccaneers and their fans.
The term “decade-long starter” is thrown around loosely with young prospects and players at times, but there’s no doubt that the Bucs viewed this guy as at least a decade-long starter for them, if not more.
Marpet has proven to be a very valuable player for the Bucs, being named a team captain and obviously helping fortify a line that was one of the league’s best over the past couple of seasons.
With only one sack allowed in the last two seasons combined, Marpet’s presence will be sorely missed for the Buccaneers. Not only that, but with Tampa Bay’s salary cap situation, who knows if they will be able to re-sign center Ryan Jensen?
There could be some massive changes coming for the Buccaneers, beyond just the retirement of Tom Brady.