A.J. Hawk announced his retirement three months ago, but now he’s doing so with the team that brought him into the league.
Hawk and the Packers have announced jointly that he’s retiring as a Packer. He played in Green Bay from 2006 to 2014 and then played one year in Cincinnati in 2015 and one game in Atlanta in 2016.
“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,” Packers coach Mike McCarthy said in the team’s announcement. “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.”
Hawk was a first-round pick out of Ohio State who was a starter for all nine of his seasons with the Packers. He ranks first in franchise history with 1,118 tackles.