A veteran NFL linebacker is moving on from the league. On Friday, Josh Bynes, who spent the majority of his career with the Baltimore Ravens, announced his retirement from the NFL. He will retire as a Raven and will be honored when the team takes on the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.
“The thing I’m most proud of is perseverance,” Bynes said during the press conference. “I’ve been released, cut. I’ve been told I wasn’t good enough, not fast enough to play in the league, wouldn’t be in the league long at all even if I had the opportunity to play. I can show my peers that regardless of what anybody says, you can do anything. You just go out there and prove it every single day. I feel like I proved that for my entire 12 years.”
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Bynes, 34, joined the Ravens in 2011 as an undrafted free agent. He was cut by the team before the start of the 2011 season but returned in November to be part of the practice squad after Ray Lewis and Dannell Ellerbe suffered injuries. Byrnes remained on the team through the rest of the 2011 and 2012 seasons and helped the team win the Super Bowl in his second year. He was with the Ravens until Sept. 2014 when the Detroit Lions signed him off the practice squad. Bynes would be with the Lions in 2015 and 2016 and would play in 29 games during that span.
In Aug. 2017, Bynes signed a one-year contract with the Arizona Cardinals. He signed a three-year deal with the team in March 2018 but was released a year later. Bynes returned to Baltimore in Oct. 2019 and played in 12 games. He joined the Cincinnati Bengals in 2020 before joining the Ravens again in 2021 and 2022. In his career, Bynes played in 138 games and recorded 582 tackles, 8.5 sacks, five interceptions, three forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries.
“What stands out to me is what an achiever Josh Bynes has been,” Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said. “I think he is an example that when you work hard, and do the right things, and treat people right, and show up every day and do your best, a lot of great things can happen and you can surpass expectations. He’s become a legendary player in our organization because he came back so many times.”
