Ali Marpet is officially hanging up the cleats after a successful career. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers Pro Bowl guard is coming off the best season of his career. Which is why this retirement was a bit of a shock. Especially because he is still just 28 years old right now and in his seventh season.
He announced this decision on his Instagram page with a long caption thanking the Buccaneers fan base, the organization and all the amazing teammates that he has had the pleasure of working with along the way.
Ali Marpet Was One of a Kind
Marpet was a second-round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft by the Buccaneers. He was the first player drafted from Hobart College since the year 1937! Not to mention the fact that he was also the highest drafted Division III prospect in history. Marpet was able to play both center and guard on the offensive line. He also didn’t like missing time, as he was ruled out of just 12 games while appearing in 101.
He won the Super Bowl in 2020 with Tom Brady and the rest of the Buccaneers. Now that the team isn’t going to repeat as champions and Brady has left, now could be a perfect opportunity to step away at the top of your game.
Marpet stepping away frees up approximately $10 million in cap space for the Buccaneers for the upcoming season. However, the value that he brought to the offensive line isn’t worth the money that was freed up.
To dive deeper into how great he has been lately, Pro Football Focus had him rated at an 84.1 this last year. That was the sixth best grade among all guards in the NFL with over 500 offensive snaps. Tampa Bay also allowed the fewest sacks of any team in the league this past season. Despite dropping back a league high 762 times. The Buccaneers will desperately be searching for a replacement at the position now as we head into the offseason.
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