Former Patriots RB and two-time Super Bowl champ Sony Michel retires from football
Michel, who opened up training camp with the Rams, informed his team Saturday of his decision.
A Patriots Super Bowl champion is hanging up the cleats.
Sony Michel has decided to retire from playing football. The running back opened up training camp with the Los Angeles Rams, but informed the team of his decision to step away from the game on Saturday. Rams coach Sean McVay relayed Michel’s message to the media later that day.
Michel spent most of his five-year NFL career in New England. The Patriots selected him in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft, selecting 31st overall, just eight picks after they picked his Georgia teammate Isaiah Wynn.
The 2018 season ended up being Michel’s best campaign of his NFL career. As a rookie, Michel rushed for 931 yards on 4.5 yards per carry during the regular season. He established himself as the Patriots’ lead back when healthy, rushing for 100-plus yards in four games and added six touchdowns during the year.
Michel stepped up his play in the postseason. He opened up the Patriots’ 2018 playoff run with a 129-yard, three-touchdown performance against the Chargers in the Divisional Round. A week later, the Patriots used Michel early and often as he had 29 total carries for 113 yards and two touchdowns in the dramatic overtime win over the Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game.
Two weeks later, Michel capped off a memorable postseason run by scoring the lone touchdown in Super Bowl LIII, helping the Patriots defeat the Rams, 13-3. He rushed for 94 yards in that game as well, giving him 336 on 4.7 yards per carry for the postseason.
Michel wasn’t able to reach the same peak performance for the rest of his career. While he rushed for 912 yards and seven touchdowns in 2019, he only ran for 3.7 yards per carry. He was efficient in 2019, rushing for 5.7 yards per carry. But he was injured for much of the year and finished with 449 rushing yards plus a touchdown over nine games.
The Patriots traded him to the Rams ahead of the 2021 season as they had a logjam in their backfield. Michel ended up playing a key role there, rushing for 845 yards and four touchdowns during the regular season before helping the Rams win the Super Bowl in the playoffs.
Michel went to Miami after that, but the Dolphins cut him ahead of the 2022 season. He latched on with the Chargers, but had a very limited role.
As he re-signed with the Rams this offseason, it appeared Michel could have been the team’s top backup running back for the 2023 season. The 28-year-old opted not to pursue that though, and McVay has all the respect for him.
“It’s a bummer, but his body is feeling like it’s talking to him, and I have nothing but respect and appreciation for the competitor that he is,” McVay said. “I love Sony and we’ll continue to stay in touch, but we’ll look to add somebody in that running back room.”
McVay also had a tremendous amount of respect for Michel’s career.
“What a great career this guy has had,” McVay said. “The epitome of a pro, a great competitor, and his next chapter is going to be exciting. He’s got so many gifts that he can offer to people, and so we’ll wish him the best.”
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