Throughout Alabama football’s Nick Saban era, many players have led exceptional careers and found spots in the National Football League they can excel at. Unfortunately, this is not the case for every player including former Tide quarterback Blake Sims.
Sims announced on Friday, August 19, that he was retiring, via Twitter Spaces while speaking with Paul Finebaum. Following his team, the Frisco Fighters‘ loss in the Indoor Football League playoffs this season Sims decided to hang up the helmet and pads for good.
“I retired. I retired about two weeks ago. I was playing in the IFL. We fell one game short of the championship,” Sims told Finebaum.
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Sims Attempt to Play Professional Football
While at the University of Alabama, Sims gained experience with the team every year until he was finally rewarded with the starting role at quarterback as a senior in 2014. During the season he recorded 252 completions for 3,487 yards, and 28 touchdowns, working alongside former receiver Amari Cooper.
Not only did he have a solid year, but Sims also helped lead Alabama to its first College Football Playoff appearance against the Ohio State Buckeyes which they would fall to 42-35 in the Sugar Bowl.
Following college, Sims would try his hand at earning a spot on an NFL roster. After attending rookie minicamps held by the Green Bay Packers and the Washington Redskins in May of 2015 he was not offered a contract.
This wouldn’t stop Sims from chasing his dreams of playing professional football, this time in the Canadian Football League. Later in 2015, he would try out for the Toronto Argonauts but was released nine days into training camp. Sims then moved on to the Saskatchewan Roughriders practice squad only to be released again. Although he was picked up again by the Roughriders by the end of the season he failed to earn playing time and was cut again.
In 2016, Sims moved to a new country again attempting to play in the newly formed National Gridiron League in Australia for the Wollongong Devils. Again he would find no luck as the league never made it. Because the popularity of Rugby in Australia is so high, it is safe to say that was one of the contributing factors.
These failures led Sims back to the United States where he once again tried to break into the NFL. Here he played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons practice squads, even being tried out as a running back for Tampa Bay in 2017. He still faced the same fate as he was released before the 2017 season was underway.
Sims Returns to Football in the State of Alabama
Then in 2019, as the Alliance of American Football league tried to start up as a spring league in America, Sims joined the Birmingham Iron. The league, although it started interesting, fell flat on its face before the regular season could finish up as it folded during week eight.
This forced Sims to join the Spokane Shock of the IFL heading into the 2020 season. The season would not be played due to the Coronavirus Pandemic. In 2021, Sims finally got his chance to shine playing in five games. While with the Shock, Sims was a dynamic commodity, scoring two passing touchdowns and six rushing touchdowns.
In 2022, Sims would sign with Frisco’s team in the IFL where he played in 16 games throwing for 1,140 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions. On the ground, Sims picked up 281 yards and 10 touchdowns. He would even catch a pass for a touchdown during the season.
Even though things may not have always worked out the way Sims wanted them to, he never gave up and showed what it meant to be built by Bama. Sims will forever be remembered as a great Alabama quarterback as he broke the single-season record for total offensive and passing yards respectively in 2014.
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Former Alabama QB Announces Retirement