Dec 9, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Sam Hubbard (94) stands on the field before a game against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium.

nfl

Sam Hubbard Retirement – Why is Bengals DE Sam Hubbard retiring at age 29?

Sam Hubbard calls it quits at just 29 years!

Dec 9, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Sam Hubbard (94) stands on the field before a game against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium.

One of the more unexpected news to break from the NFL is the surprising retirement announcement of former defensive end Sam Hubbard, who was just 29 years old. Normally, players are in their prime years of their career, making this all the more shocking. Hubbard started his professional footballing journey in 2018 when the Cincinnati Bengals drafted him in round 3 with pick number 77.

Hubbard spent all 7 seasons of his career with the Bengals and holds the city close to his heart. Born and brought up in Cincinnati itself, Hubbard’s entire life has revolved around the city as he played his high school football at Archbishop Moeller, and his college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes. Truth be told, Hubbard has been a Bengals supporter all his life and it means the world to him to have been able to wear just this one uniform as he mentioned on his social media post.

Hubbard’s Achievements In The Bengals’ Uniform

At the time of his retirement announcement, Hubbard was the longest tenured player on the Bengals team. He was with Cincinnati even before head coach Zac Taylor took over. Hubbard has had his fair share of disappointments along the way, but winning an AFC Championship, reaching the Super Bowl, and winning the AFC North two years in a row are some of the achievements he is truly proud of.

Bengals DE Sam Hubbard announces retirement from the NFL after a 7-year career. pic.twitter.com/LvUAMGbmHw
— NFL (@NFL) March 5, 2025

On the field, Hubbard played a total of 104 regular season games, starting 88 of them throughout his seven-year career. He finished with 398 total tackles, 55 tackles for loss, 38.5 sacks, 6 forced fumbles, 5 fumble recoveries, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception.

Hubbard’s fame to claim came in the 2023 Wild Card round game against the Bengals when he recovered a fumble and returned it 98 yards for a touchdown, helping Cincinnati to eventually win the game 24-17. That play is famously called the “Fumble in the Jungle”.

Why Did Hubbard Retire In The Prime Of His Career?

In his somewhat long retirement post on social media, Hubbard mentioned that while this is the end of his football playing career, he is looking at this as an opportunity to start something new. He is embarking on a new journey that will allow him to explore new business opportunities, take his ‘The Sam Hubbard Foundation’ to greater heights, and to focus on his health and family.

pic.twitter.com/sXKKCsNksG
— Sam Hubbard (@Sam_Hubbard_) March 5, 2025

Although retiring from this grueling sport at an early age is not something new in the NFL, Hubbard could have easily continued for a few more years. However, as he was heading into the final year of his contract, there might have been the risk of him being traded, and perhaps this was also a reason for him hanging up his boots while he was still a Bengal for life.

Also Read: Bears Prioritizing Offensive Line Issues With Trade For Jonah Jackson

Cincinnati Bengals

NFL

sam hubbard

Devavrat Kulkarni

nfl

I am a content writer for the NFL team, and joined The Playoffs after working with Sportskeeda and NFL Analysis as an NFL writer. After starting my professional career as a French-to-English translator, working as a content writer is a new adventure for me. I started out in the sports media field for two main reasons: my love for sports in general, especially the NFL, NBA, and Tennis, as well as my passion for writing. The best part of this job is that I get to write a variety of pieces with the freedom to explore content from various angles. It also enables me to stay up to date with the sporting world, which otherwise can be difficult to do in the day-to-day grind. In a world full of chaos, sports unite and entertain like nothing else!