Getty Safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, formerly of the Green Bay Packers, looks on during a game against Washington at FedExField on September 23, 2018 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
A former Green Bay Packers heavy hitter announced his retirement from the NFL on Friday, though not before re-signing with the team that drafted him in the first place.
Safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix signed a one-day deal with Green Bay on Thursday, December 29, retiring from professional football the following day. Ari Meirov of Pro Football Focus reported the news online.
Former #Packers safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix is signing a one-day contract with the team and will officially announce his retirement from the NFL.
“Former #Packers safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix is signing a one-day contract with the team and will officially announce his retirement from the NFL,” Meirov tweeted Thursday afternoon.
Clinton-Dix Had Strong Career With Packers, Fell Short of Initial Potential
GettySafety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, formerly of the Green Bay Packers, jogs off the field after being defeated by the Atlanta Falcons 34-23 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on September 17, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Clinton-Dix got off to a strong start in Green Bay, though it can be argued that the former first-round pick never lived up to the potential many saw in him as his professional career began.
The Packers selected Clinton-Dix out of the University of Alabama with the 21st overall pick in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft, assigning him significant value as a prospect. Dix was something of an ironman during his four and a half seasons in Green Bay, appearing in all 71 regular season games he played for the team and starting 65 of those. He also appeared in and started all seven playoff games in which the Packers played, notching 39 tackles, 11 defensed passes and three interceptions, per the team’s official website.
The safety amassed 419 tackles, 38 passes defensed and three forced fumbles over the course of his tenure in Green Bay. Clinton-Dix also picked off 14 passes to lead the Packers in that category during his time with the franchise.
Clinton-Dix was an All-American during his last season with Crimson Tide and was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team as a member of the Packers in 2014. He earned one trip to a Pro Bowl in 2016, the same year he was honored as a second-team All-Pro.
Clinton-Dix Hopped Around NFL but Never Found Real Home After Green Bay
GettySafety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, formerly of the Chicago Bears, looks on following an NFL game against the then Oakland Raiders, now Las Vegas Raiders, at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on October 6, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Jack Thomas/Getty Images)
Green Bay traded Clinton-Dix to the franchise now known as the Washington Commanders approximately halfway through the 2018 campaign. He started all nine of his games with that team before signing with the Chicago Bears the following year, where he was also a full-time starter who never missed a game.
In 2020, the safety caught on with the Dallas Cowboys, though he did not appear in any regular season games. Clinton-Dix played in two games for the Las Vegas Raiders in 2021 but produced no defensive counting statistics. He also spent time with the San Francisco 49ers and Denver Broncos franchises last year, though he never saw the field.
Clinton-Dix was unable to find a home anywhere in the NFL in 2022 before officially deciding to hang up his cleats for good on Friday.