Patriots Long-Time Captain and Safety Devin McCourty Announces Retirement

Patriots safety Devin McCourty officially announced his retirement from the NFL on Friday afternoon.

Alongside his brother Jason, Devin McCourty announced his retirement in an Instagram post:

“I am officially retiring from the NFL. It has been a great ride. I got the opportunity to talk to Mr. Kraft, to talk to Bill, a lot of the guys on the defensive staff. Unbelievable ride, man… Ultimately I think this is the best decision for me, my family, my career – is to now be able to look back on my 13 years and just enjoy it.”

McCourty said himself that he had been mulling retirement this offseason, telling the Boston Globe’s Chris Price that he had “gone back and forth.”

He finishes his career as a 3X Super Bowl Champion, a 3x All-Pro, a Pro Bowler at TWO positions (cornerback and safety), and was a captain of the Patriots for 12 of his 13 seasons in Foxboro. He also tallied 907 tackles and 35 interceptions during his record 12,506 defensive snaps since 2010.

Here’s what Patriots coach Bill Belichick had to say about McCourty’s retirement (via Patriots PR):

“It is a rare group of players who win games at a historic rate, exude team culture, lead, win awards, and win championships, and then there is Devin McCourty. Devin did all of those things as a player and more. But, what I think of first when I think of Devin is the type of man he is, his character, his values and how high he raised the bar for spreading goodness and justice in the community. For 13 years, Devin made everyone in our organization feel better and be better because of who he is – a pillar of professionalism, unselfishness, work ethic, preparation, intelligence and performance.  I am excited to see him bring those same traits to his next chapter and brighten the lives of even more people.”

Patiots owner Robert Kraft had a similar sentiment:

“As a Patriots fan, it’s always bittersweet to see such an iconic player announce his retirement, but I couldn’t be happier for Devin, Michelle, and the McCourty family or more thankful to his mother, Phyllis. Through his individual performance and overall leadership, Devin has been such an important part of the success we have enjoyed over the past 13 seasons, including each of our last three Super Bowl championships. As great as his contributions were on the field, he made an even greater impact in the community, taking a leadership role in his advocacy for finding a cure for sickle cell anemia, effecting legislative change for criminal justice reform, and championing countless other educational and economical advancement initiatives. We couldn’t have asked for a better leader and ambassador, both on and off the field.”

When asked if his final game in Foxboro would indeed be his last at the end of the season, McCourty said, “to come out here, if this was the last one, I think to be able to leave Gillette with a win… I’ve had a lot of fun.”

Well – it was the last one, and it sure was a lot of fun.

The Patriots will host a press conference with McCourty at the Patriots Hall of Fame on Tuesday, March 14th. We’ll have you covered on-site at Gillette Stadium for CLNS Media.

Make sure to follow Mike on Twitter @mikekadlick, and follow @PatriotsCLNS for the latest up-to-date Patriots news!

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