According to the NFL Players Association, the average NFL career lasts approximately 3.3 years – meaning 13 seasons is beyond extraordinary.
That’s how long former New York Giants defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins played before announcing his retirement on Thursday.
The Giants selected Hankins with a 2nd-round pick (No. 49 overall) in the 2013 NFL Draft.
“Veteran DT Johnathan Hankins tells me he is retiring from the NFL after 12 seasons,” NFL insider Jordan Schultz wrote on his official X account on Thursday. “An outstanding career for the former 2nd-round pick out of Ohio State, who was drafted by the Giants and also played for the Colts, Raiders, Cowboys, and Seahawks. Hankins appeared in 169 career games and was among the league’s premier run-stuffing interior defensive linemen.”
Hankins was a full-time starter for the Giants for 3 seasons, from 2014 to 2016, and started all 16 regular-season games in 2014 and 2016. He also played for the Indianapolis Colts, Las Vegas Raiders, Dallas Cowboys, and Seattle Seahawks.
Hankins missed the entire 2025 season with the Seahawks following an offseason back injury. The Seahawks released him on December 3 — just 2 months before Seattle won the Super Bowl. He finished his career with 142 starts in 169 career games.
“Guys like Hankins never got the flashiest stat lines, but ask any linebacker or defensive coordinator having a guy who ate up double teams for 169 games is invaluable,” Jess Hoops wrote on their official X account. “Hell of a career for the Ohio State product!”
Hankins Only Played 3 Seasons of College Football
Hankins, 6-foot-3 and 335 pounds, played 3 seasons at Ohio State and left school early to enter the NFL Draft after he earned All-Big Ten and All-American honors in 2012.
He seemed on the verge of becoming a star in his 2nd season when he started all 16 games and finished with a career-high 7.0 sacks and was named to the Pro Football Focus NFL All-Pro Team. In 2015, Hankins only played 9 games after he suffered a season-ending torn pectoral muscle.
“Hankins recorded 433 total tackles, 239 solo, 44 TFL, 18.5 sacks, 3 FF, 3 FR, 13 PBUs, and 1 INT in 169 career games and 142 starts,” Football Forever wrote on its official X account.
In 13 seasons, Hankins finishes with approximately $36.9 million in career earnings.
Young Giants DT Predicted for ‘Breakout Season’
As Hankins’ career ends, the Giants are looking to a young defensive tackle to put the interior defensive line on his back in Darius Alexander after trading NFL All-Pro Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals in exchange for their 2026 1st-round pick.
NFL.com’s Bucky Brooks thinks that’s in the cards, and put Alexander and Giants edge rusher Abdul Carter on his “All-Breakout Team” headed into 2026.
The plan to make up for Lawrence’s plus-sized absence took a huge blow when interior defensive lineman Roy Robertson-Harris, a 17-game starter in 2025, tore his Achilles tendon during the offseason.
That means the opportunity of a lifetime for Alexander, who can establish himself as 1 of the centerpieces on a young defense for the Giants after the 6-foot-4, 310-pound former Toledo star flashed his potential as a rookie in 2025.
In 16 games with 2 starts, Alexander had 20 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 4 TFL, 6 QB hits and 1 pass deflection. The Giants selected Alexander in the 3rd round (No. 65 overall) of the 2025 NFL Draft after he was a 2-time All-MAC selection.
Former New York Giants Starter Retires After 13 Seasons