A veteran NFL linebacker has announced his retirement. Chase Winovich, who played five seasons in the league, went to Instagram to reveal his playing career is over. Winovich, 28, played for the New England Patriots, Cleveland Browns, Houston Texans and Miami Dolphins in his five NFL seasons.
“I consider myself beyond blessed and deeply grateful to have had the opportunity to play the game I love in front of so many and on some of the world’s biggest stages,” Winovich said in the Instagram post. “To quote my friend Matthew Slater ‘we all owe football something’ and that I certainly do.”
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Winovich was selected by the Patriots in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft after having a strong career with the Michigan Wolverines football Team. He was with the Patriots for three seasons before he was traded to the Browns in March 2022. Winovich played for the Browns for one season and recorded 20 tackles in eight games. In March 2023, Winovich signed a one-year contract with the Texans but was released from the team before the 2023 season began. Winovich signed with the Dolphins in late August and played in three games for the team before the team released him last week.
“He brings a lot of energy on the field. He brought it in the meeting room before he was out there,” Patriots linebackers coach Steve Belichick said about Winovich in 2021, per ESPN. “He’s been working hard and taking mental reps prior to being out on the field. … He plays very hard, that’s always consistent, so now it’s just knocking the rust off, the technique, and keep pushing forward.”
“I’ve had so many blessings come into my life, and so many people express to me so much love, this has truly been a transformative experience, me going through it,” Winovich said in 2021. “There are so many areas of my life, before I became a Patriot, I never even considered I could grow in or things that matter. To be a Patriot, I always say, either one or two things is possible — either coach [Bill] Belichick is one of the greatest coaches of all time by accident, or there is a reason or method behind everything we do. I have bought in, and I’m committed to whatever they ask me to do.”
