Giants.com Tight end Matt LaCosse played for the New York Giants from 2015-2017.
Former New York Giants tight end Matt LaCosse has announced his retirement from the NFL at the age of 29.
LaCosse, who spent the past three seasons with the New England Patriots, announced his retirement on social media on Wednesday.
ALL the latest Giants news straight to your inbox! Subscribe to the Heavy on Giants newsletter here!
In his caption on Instagram, LaCosse gave thanks to everyone who helped make his NFL dream a reality, including the Giants organization.
LaCosse wrote, in part:
Thank you to all my teammates for the fun times, bad times, constant support and competition. This s–t isn’t easy, but you guys brought out the best in me. I am happy to call many of you my lifelong friends.
Thank you to all my coaches for pushing me to my limits and guiding me to be the best player that I could be…
Thank you to the [New York Giants,] [Denver Broncos] and [New England Patriots] for taking a chance on me and giving me the opportunities to continue my dream.
Since I was a kid I always dreamed of being a professional athlete. It started off with me just wanting to be like my Dad and it turned into something I wanted to dedicate my life to. There were countless up and downs, but the people above were always there to help me. I truly got to live out my dream.
LaCosse got his start in the NFL when the Giants signed him as an undrafted free agent out of Illinois in 2015. He played sparingly for the Giants, catching just three passes for 22 yards before the Denver Broncos signed him off New York’s practice squad in 2017.
Here’s a clip of LaCosse making a nice catch at Giants training camp back in 2017, via James Kratch on Twitter:
Matt LaCosse with a nifty leaping grab. #Giants
LaCosse had his most productive NFL season with the Broncos in 2018, when he caught a career-high 24 passes for 250 yards and a touchdown. The next season, he joined the Patriots and recorded 13 catches for 131 yards and a touchdown (while making a career-high eight starts in just 11 games played).
After the 2019 season, LaCosse never caught another NFL pass. He appeared in just one game over the past two seasons with the Patriots.
Giants QB Davis Webb Reacts to Matt LaCosse’s Retirement
Several NFL players commented on Matt LaCosse’s Instagram post announcing his retirement, but most of them were Patriots players. One Giants player who left a comment was backup quarterback Davis Webb, who was drafted when LaCosse was still on the team (2017).
Webb simply dropped a goat emoji in the comment section.
Other notable players who commented on LaCosse’s post include running back James White, linebacker Dont’a Hightower, tight end Jonnu Smith, running back Rex Burkhead and quarterback Mac Jones (all current or former Patriots).
Giants’ Current Tight End Situation is Uncertain
It’s not like bringing back Matt LaCosse would have shored up the Giants’ current tight end situation, but it’s difficult to tell how the position will shake out in 2022.
Fourth-round rookie Daniel Bellinger may be in line to start right away. The only other players competing for the starting job are veterans Ricky Seals-Jones and Jordan Akins, both of whom were signed in free agency after producing less than 300 receiving yards last season.