Getty Zak DeOssie #51 of the New York Giants takes the field
Zak DeOssie, who has spent the past 13 seasons as the long-snapper of the New York Giants, including nine as Big Blue’s special teams captain, has announced his retirement from the NFL.
The 36-year-old DeOssie, a fifth-round selection from the Giants’ 2007 NFL Draft class out of Brown University, took to Twitter on Friday to make his retirement official, a decision that DeOssie notes he had made months ago.
The two-time Super Bowl champion thanked a slew of people in his farewell statement, from family, friends, the Giants organization and what he describes as “the best fans in the league”, AKA Giants Nation.
The soon-to-be Goldman Sachs employee couldn’t sign off without first taking a note out of his former quarterback’s playbook, proclaiming “Eli said it best: Once a Giant, Always a Giant, Only a Giant. What an honor.”
Thank you @Giants, friends, family, and fans for the privilege of the last 13 years. What a ride! Excited for the next chapter at @GoldmanSachs. #onlyagiant
DeOssie no longer appeared to be in the Giants’ future plans upon his retirement announcement, as he remained unsigned as an unrestricted free agent after finishing 2019 on injured reserve.
To replace DeOssie, the Giants went out and inked former Denver Broncos long snapper, Casey Kreiter, to a contract this offseason. The 6-foot-1-inch, 250-pound Kreiter earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2018 with Denver “after flawlessly delivering 146 snaps” on the season.
As previously touched on above, the Ivy League alum will now embark on a second career as a private wealth manager at Goldman Sachs. DeOssie has worked with the company for the past two-plus years during the NFL offseason.
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Giants Bid Farewell to a Franchise Great
DeOssie entered the NFL in 2007, after becoming the first player in the history of the Brown University football program to be invited to the NFL Combine. The college linebacker didn’t disappoint, posting the eighth-fastest 40-yard dash time at the event amongst players at his position.
However, it was special teams where DeOssie would go on to make a living in the pros. DeOssie took over as the team’s long snapper midway through his rookie campaign, after an injury to the then-starter, Ryan Kuehl, and never looked back. DeOssie would go on that season to help lead New York to their first Super Bowl victory in 17 years.
All-in-all, DeOssie appeared in 199 of his 208 possible games over his Giants career, ranking him fifth in franchise history for all-time games played behind only Eli Manning, Michael Strahan, Howard Cross and George Martin. Over that span, DeOssie would capture a total of two Lombardi Trophies (2007, 2011) and earn two Pro Bowl berths (2008, 2010) along the way.
DeOssie hangs up his cleats playing the entirety of his impressive 13-year career with one organization, the New York Giants.
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Giants’ 2x-Super Bowl Champion Announces NFL Retirement