Buccaneers’ Pro Bowl guard Ali Marpet announces his retirement at the age of 28

Ali Marpet, the Buccaneers’ Pro Bowl left guard, announced his retirement on Instagram.

Marpet, who is only 28 years old, just completed his first Pro Bowl season. He’s regarded as one of the Buccaneers’ best offensive linemen, if not the best.

Marpet made the decision, according to a source, because he was concerned about his overall health.

“After seven formidable years with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, I’ve come to the decision to retire from the game that has given me so much,” he wrote in his post. “This organization and the people surrounding it have helped not only fulfill a dream, but also helped build me into the person I am today. I’ve made Tampa Bay my home and I look forward to serving this community in the coming years. To the coaches and teammates, family and friends, an Instagram post simply can’t express the profound impact you’ve had on me. I’m eternally grateful. Thank you Tampa Bay.”

Marpet was the highest-drafted player in Division III history (61st overall) after being selected in the second round of the 2015 draught out of Hobart College. He was also the first Division III player to be drafted in the top 100 since 1990.

“It has been one of my greatest professional thrills to see his rapid ascension from a small college standout into one [of] the NFL’s best all around offensive linemen,” Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht said in a statement.

The Buccaneers are already dealing with the difficult task of replacing future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady. Another major problem will be filling the vacuum left by Marpet, who missed only 12 games in seven seasons.

In 2022, Marpet was expected to make $10 million.

Marpet has served on the Bucs’ social justice advisory board, and on the team’s visit to the White House this summer, he met with Vice President Kamala Harris to discuss voting rights.

Marpet provided “the vision and passion that was crucial” to the Buccaneers’ social justice advisory board’s “launch and ongoing work,” according to Licht.

According to Information research, Marpet had a 93.7 percent pass block victory rate from 2018 to 2021, which placed seventh in the NBA among guards. He joined Quenton Nelson, Zack Martin, Joel Bitonio, Brandon Scherff, and Andrew Norwell as the only players at guard to have a pass block victory rate of 92 percent or greater in each of the past four seasons.

The most memorable play of Marpet’s career was undoubtedly pulling to the outside on Leonard Fournette’s 27-yard touchdown run in Super Bowl LV, which the Bucs won 31-9 over the Kansas City Chiefs.

In addition to Brady and Marpet, Jensen, a Pro Bowler, and right guard Alex Cappa, a Pro Bowl alternate, will be unrestricted free agents next month.