A veteran NFL offensive lineman who was named to the Pro Bowl four times is calling it a career. On Friday, Richie Incognito announced that he is retiring from the NFL after spending 15 years in the league. He said that he would retire as a member of the Las Vegas Raiders, a team that he played for the last three seasons.
“Since I played my first snap at 12 years old, nothing in my life was more important than football,” Incognito, 39, said in a statement. “The game always came first. Football has taught me a strong work ethic, a willing to get better every day and a desire to continue growing. It has taught me that while what you get is important, who you become is more important. All of these lessons I’ll take with me into the next chapter. Because today, I’m officially retiring from the NFL.”
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Incognito, who played college football at Nebraska, was selected by the St. Louis Rams (now Los Angeles Rams ) in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He spent nearly four seasons with the team before being released by the team during the 2009 season. Incognito then joined the Buffalo Bills that same year and played three games for the team.
In 2010, Incognito signed a one-year contract with the Miami Dolphins. He re-signed with the team in 2011 and was suspended in November 2013 by the Dolphins for misconduct related to teammate Jonathan Martin. His suspension was lifted in February 2014 but did not play the entire 2014 season. Incognito re-joined the Bills in 2015 and would spend three seasons there before retiring in 2018. He came back in 2019 to join the Raiders where he would play that season and in 2020 before being placed on injured reserve last year. Incognito played in 164 career games and was named to the Pro Bowl in 2012, 2015, 2016 and 2017.
“My love of the game has always been what drives me,” Incognito said. “I know I’ll miss being in the locker room. I love being with the guys, I love grinding, I love training camp, I love practicing during the season, I love just the competitive nature of it. I love that you have to be at your best every day and especially on Sundays. It’s our guys, our team, our scheme, our fan base versus everybody. Being in that locker room is special, looking guys in the eyes as you’re getting ready to go compete. But I’m excited for this new view of the game – sit back and let the younger guys go.
