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A former Cleveland Browns great decided on Thursday that it was time to hang ’em up after an impressive 13-year career likely to land him in the Hall of Fame when it is all said and done.
Center Alex Mack announced on June 2 he had played his last NFL game. The Browns selected Mack out of the University of California with the 21st pick in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He spent the next seven seasons as a starter on Cleveland’s offensive line, playing alongside six-time All-Pro Joe Thomas.
Mack was no slouch on those Browns offensive fronts, earning trips to three Pro Bowls in his seven years donning orange and brown, earning a second-team All-Pro selection in 2013. Mack was something of an iron man during his time in Cleveland, as well, starting in all 16 regular season games in six of his seven campaigns. He suffered a broken fibula in 2014, which forced him to miss 11 games — the only absences of his Browns career.
Despite the durability and talent of both Mack and Thomas during their time together from 2009-15, the Browns never won more than seven games and failed each year to make the playoffs.
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Mack Found More Success After Departing Cleveland
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GettyCenter Alex Mack, formerly of the Cleveland Browns, snaps the ball from center against the Cincinnati Bengals during a game at Paul Brown Stadium on September 16, 2012 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
Mack, who left Cleveland following the 2015 season, spent his final year in the league blocking for quarterbacks Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance of the San Francisco 49ers.
Before that, Mack spent five seasons protecting Matt Ryan while with the Atlanta Falcons. The center found more team success down south, helping the team earn a trip to the Super Bowl in 2016 before ultimately losing to the New England Patriots in overtime. The Falcons also won the division the following year with a record of 10-6 but lost in the Divisional Round of the NFC Playoffs.
Mack joined the Niners in 2021, a team that went on a surprise run all the way to the NFC Championship Game before losing to the Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams.
The offensive lineman missed only 14 games across his entire 13-year career in the NFL, appearing in and starting 196 games. He was honored as a second-team All Pro center on three occasions and was successful from start to finish, earning two of his seven Pro Bowl berths in his second year in the league (2010), as well as his final (2021).
Mack Was Renegotiating Contract When He Announced Retirement
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Getty Center Alex Mack of the San Francisco 49ers prepares to snap the ball in the first quarter against the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship Game at SoFi Stadium on January 30, 2022 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Mack’s retirement came abruptly and as something of a surprise on Wednesday.
Field Yates of ESPN reported via Twitter earlier in the day that Mack had agreed to a pay reduction on his contract over the next two season.
“49ers C Alex Mack — who is contemplating his football future — agreed to a reworked deal in which his base salary drops from $5M to $1.12M this year and $3.35M to $1.165M next year,” Yates wrote. “The Niners add over $4M in cap space for now, though perhaps may need to find another C soon.”
As it turns out, Mack decided instead of a pay reduction to simply call it a career after 13 successful season.
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