Super Bowl Champion Safety Announces Retirement From NFL
An NFL safety who won a Super Bowl with the New England Patriots is moving on from the league. On Friday, Jason McCourty went to Instagram to announce his retirement from the NFL following a 13-season career. Along with the Patriots, McCourty played for the Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns and Miami Dolphins.
"These past 13 seasons have been one hell of a journey," McCourty said in the video posted to Instagram, per NFL.com. "And as I reflect and look back at my career, I have far surpassed any and every expectation I set forth for myself back in 2009. And that's what I'm most proud of when I look back at my career."
McCourty, who played college football at Rutgers, was selected in the sixth round of the 2009 NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans. He spent eight seasons with the team, and his best season was in 2012 when he recorded 92 tackles, four interceptions and 15 passes defended. In 2017, McCourty signed with the Browns after being released by the Dolphins and posted 54 tackles, three interceptions and 14 passes defended. He was traded to the Patriots in 2018 and helped the team win the Super Bowl that season. In the game against the Los Angeles Rams, McCourty made a memorable play when he broke up a pass in the end zone to Rams wide receiver Brandin Cooks which would have given the Rams the lead in the third quarter.
"I saw Brandin wide open, and really wasn't sure if I was going to get there in time, but I was able to get the ball out of there and live to see another play," McCourty told reporters after the game, per Boston.com. "That was huge for us." By 2020, McCourty was named team Captian along with his twin brother Devin who is still with the Patriots today. Last year, McCourty signed with the Miami Dolphins but played in only seven games due to an injury. In June, McCourty shared his thoughts on how the Dolphins can win a Super Bowl.
"Well, the defense was rolling last year," McCourty said, per Dolphins Wire. "The thing now is the offense has to come to play starting off with that offensive line and being able to run the ball. Once they're able to do that – like you said, they brought (Terron) Armstead in, they brought in Connor Williams, they brought in a lot of guys to get that done. And then second, big plays, big plays. Tua (Tagovailoa) getting the ball to Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, (Raheem) Mostert's in the backfield, two of the fastest guys with the ball in their hands in the NFL the last few years."