Longtime Bengals DE Sam Hubbard retires from NFL

Matt Hanifan / NFL / March 5, 2025

Longtime Bengals DE Sam Hubbard retires from NFL

Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Sam Hubbard announced Wednesday that he is retiring from the NFL after seven seasons.

“In my heart, I know that I gave this game, this team, and this city everything that I had. that is why today, with great pride, I am announcing that I am moving on from my playing career in the NFL and entering the next chapter of my life,” Hubbard wrote in a social media statement.

“I want to send a sincere thank you to my teammates, coaches, trainers, support staff, Bengals ownership, and the NFL for everything you all have done for me. I could not have done any of this alone. To the fans — Who Dey Nation — I thank you the most; you inspired me. From the years of struggle and adversity to Super Bowl LVI, you never stopped believing. I hope I made you proud.“

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— Sam Hubbard (@Sam_Hubbard_) March 5, 2025

The Cincinnati, Ohio, native spent his entire career in the place where he called home growing home. The Ohio State alum was a third-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, recording 38.5 career sacks, 55 tackles-for-loss, 16 pass deflections, six forced fumbles and five fumble recoveries.

The four-time Bengals captain never made a pro-bowl or All-Pro team, but was consistently one of their staples on the outside. He had at least six sacks in five of his seven seasons, including 8.5 sacks in 2018–his second NFL season–with a career-high 76 tackles and 10 tackles-for-loss.

In 14 games with the Bengals last season, he totaled a career-low 41 tackles (including 25 solo) with two pass breakups, his only career interception and three tackles-for-loss. He tore his PCL in mid-December, which ended his season prematurely.

“Sam always has been and always will be a wonderful part of the Bengals organization and the entire Cincinnati community,” Mike Brown, Bengals president, said, according to NFL.com. “Sam epitomizes what you want in a player — he’s a great teammate, a talented athlete and a passionate community member. He helped us win a lot of football games, and he had a number of very memorable plays over the years. His 98-yard fumble recovery return in the Wild Card win over Baltimore is one of the most iconic touchdowns in team history. It has been my honor to watch him play his entire NFL career for his hometown team. We thank him for the memories he created as ‘Cincinnati’s Own.'”