A.J. Hawk retires with Green Bay Packers

After eleven seasons in the NFL, linebacker A.J. Hawk is ending his career where it all started, retiring with the Green Bay Packers.

There comes a time in every professional athlete’s career where they hit a crossroad, decisions must be made. Should they continue to put their body through the grit and grind of another season or should they call it quits?

Former Green Bay Packers linebacker A.J. Hawk has decided to call it a career after eleven seasons in the NFL. After being selected by the Packers with the fifth-overall pick in the 2006 NFL Draft, Hawk didn’t disappoint. Finishing his career as the team’s all-time leader in tackles with 1,118 in nine seasons with the storied franchise.

The Packers released a statement regarding Hawk’s retirement with the team, which included a heartfelt quote from head coach Mike McCarthy:

"“We were fortunate to make A.J. my first pick as head coach in 2006, and he spent the next nine years giving everything he had to the Green Bay community and the Packers,” Head Coach Mike McCarthy said. “His leadership and toughness were instrumental in all of our success, and we thank him for all that he did for the organization and the community. We wish A.J., Laura and the rest of the Hawk family all the best, and I am confident that whatever the future holds, he will be successful.”"

It’s clear that Hawk left a mark on the Packers’ organization from his former teammates to his former head coach. While his career didn’t end on a high note, that’s just the way things go in the NFL at times.

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Hawk certainly dealt with ups and downs throughout his career. Yet he was able to retire where it all started in Green Bay. He’ll always be remembered as one of the team’s greatest defensive players of all-time and his legacy will live on forever among cheeseheads.