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Tampa Bay Buccaneers center Ryan Jensen called it a career on Friday after he missed almost all of the past two seasons.
Jensen injured his knee in 2022 during training camp, and he didn’t play until the Wild Card game against the Dallas Cowboys. In 2023, Jensen looked set to return after treatment, but he missed the season due to ongoing knee issues.
“With every chapter in the book of life, there is always an ending,” Jensen wrote on Instagram on Friday. “The NFL chapter of my life is coming to a close. As this chapter closes and I reflect on every aspect of my career, it makes me proud. In the hard times and good, there is always something special to learn.”
“Retiring from the game you have loved from a very young age is always hard. I’m excited for this next chapter and the new opportunities and challenges it will bring,” Jensen added.
Jensen recounted when the Baltimore Ravens drafted him in 2013 as a sixth-round pick that year out of Division II Colorado State-Pueblo. He played five seasons for the Ravens before he joined the Buccaneers in 2018 as a free agent.
“A dream come true, and an opportunity that I knew was going to take blood, sweat, and tears,” Jensen wrote on Instagram. “I want to thank the Baltimore Ravens for building my foundation for the player that I wanted to become.”
Jensen made the Pro Bowl once and won a Super Bowl with the Buccaneers in 2020. He started 90 career games and played in seven playoff games.
“When I signed with Tampa in 2018, I was welcomed with open arms,” Jensen wrote on Instagram. “I fell in love with the organization, the team, the city. I gained friendships, bonds, and memories that will last a lifetime.”
Ryan Jensen: ‘I Have No Regrets’
After his injury, Jensen tried a non-traditional form of treatment that involved stem cells from umbilical cords from birth mothers to heal his knee. It didn’t work in the end as the Buccaneers had to put him on injured reserve for 2023.
“When I look back on my career, I have no regrets,” Jensen wrote. “Opportunity is a gift. A gift to attack with a tenacity unknown to mankind. I have given that tenacity for the last 11 years, with the unwavering support of my wife, my kids, my friends and my family. I thank you all for that. Without you, I would not have been able to achieve what I have done in my professional career and life.”
Ryan Jensen Gives Extra Shout Out for Buccaneers Fans
In a final note of thanks, Jensen gave an extra shout out to the Buccaneers fans.
“Thank you to the [Baltimore] Ravens and the Buccaneers for taking a chance on a small town Colorado kid, and to the Krewe for always raising the flags,” Jensen wrote. “Fire the cannons! Football is fun.”
Sentiments aside, Jensen’s contract will cost the Buccaneers in the retirement process. The team has a salary cap hit of $16.6 million, but the Buccaneers could split up that burden by releasing him on June 1, which will make it $4.8 million for 2024 and $11.8 million in 2025.
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