Buccaneers star offensive lineman calls it a career

Ali Marpet of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will reportedly be announcing his retirement in what is a huge loss for the Buccaneers.

As reported by Jenna Laine, Ali Marpet will be announcing his retirement from football. Coming off of his best-ever season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, this will be a MASSIVE loss for the team. Now, the offensive line has become a top priority for the Buccaneers.

Alex Cappa and Ryan Jensen are set to be free agents, and now with the news of Marpet, the offensive line could potentially look drastically different in 2022.

Marpet did things the hard way. A product of division three Hobart, Marpet worked his way into becoming one of the better guards in the NFL. His career was able to have something of a storybook ending, as his final season ended with his first and only Pro Bowl nod. Marpet spent all seven seasons of his career in Tampa Bay, and any time a Bucs-lifer hands up the cleats it’s a bizarre feeling. The decision for Marpet to call it a career at the age of 28 certainly comes as a surprise, but sometimes living life in the trenches causes these kind of tough decisions. It is being reported that the decision was made based on “overall health”.

We of course wish Marpet nothing but the best in his future endeavors, but selfishly are wishing this wasn’t the case. With Marpet’s exit, suddenly guard becomes almost as big of a need for the Buccaneers as the quarterback position, if not just as big of a need. There are some young players already in house the Bucs could potentially plug and play, however it’ll be interesting to see what Jason Licht and company decide to do.

For now, though, we can celebrate Ali Marpet and reflect on a Buccaneers career that has come to an end far too soon, before looking into the future.