Maurkice, Mike Pouncey retire from NFL

Posted by Mike Florio on February 12, 2021, 9:17 AM EST
Getty Images

They entered the world together. They’re leaving the football world together, too.

Long-time NFL centers Maurkice and Mike Pouncey, twin brothers born on July 24, 1989, are retiring from the NFL.

Maurkice was a first-round pick of the Steelers in 2010. He’s a three-time first-team All-Pro and a nine-time Pro Bowler. The Dolphins made Mike Pouncey a first-round pick in 2011. He spent seven years in Miami and three with the Chargers, making it to the Pro Bowl four times.

Maurkice’s departure leaves a huge hole in the middle of the offensive line for the Steelers. It also could be a factor in whether quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who has indicated a desire to play for the Steelers again in 2021, actually does.

 

Permalink 27 Comments Feed for comments Back to top

27 responses to “Maurkice, Mike Pouncey retire from NFL”

  1. Thank you Maurkice. You provided the toughness, smarts and professionalism that spread all across the Steelers OL during you tenure. Go have fun in retirement. Congrats to Mike too.

    P.S. You first order of business in retirement should be to get the ball rolling on a 30 for 30 on those Florida teams you guys played on! Got to have some of the craziest stories ever!

  3. Does this mean Ben retires? Roethlisberger and Pouncey have long been connected as a center and quarterback, and both said they would play as long as the other was still going strong.

  5. Roethlisberger, a great player and a Hall of Fame lock, looked rickety in his playoff loss to the Browns, old beyond his years. With one year left on his contract, nothing to prove and with an unlikely chance to win another Super Bowl, he should seriously consider retirement. For his health’s sake.

  6. Hats off to these guys for not following their best friend Aaron Hernandez down a dark road. Congrats on successful careers.

  7. This has to be the first time twin brothers retired at the exact same time, right? Sort of useless stat but still interesting. Good for them.

  12. Ben is not going to retire unless he can’t come to an agreement with his contract. He knew Pouncey was going to retire and was upset that he could not bring a championship before he retired. Pouncey is yet another legend at Center for the Steelers. See you at the Steelers wing at Canton in 5 years.

  13. mikethevike11 says:
    February 12, 2021 at 9:52 am
    This has to be the first time twin brothers retired at the exact same time, right? Sort of useless stat but still interesting. Good for them.

    ———-

    Daniel and Henrik Sedin. Vancouver Canucks.

  14. Maurkice was a terrific player, but he also enjoyed the classic “rote” award benefits often handed to Offensive Linemen who establish themselves quickly in the NFL. It used to be joked that a guy who make a few quick Pro Bowls could expect to keep making the PB every year, and that has basically been the case for Pouncey for some time now. To be clear, he was legit and hit the ground running from the start, but he was always a little overrated and then when he became a legacy award winner he became very very overrated. If his career is accurately evaluated beyond PBs and APs, he wouldn’t and shouldn’t be a HOFer, not that there’s anything wrong with that. Very good, not great. Either way, he hasn’t been good or even average for a few years now, so this isn’t as big a loss for PIT as it looks.

  15. Great player, but I don’t know about the “leaving a huge hole” part. He wasn’t the player he used to be the last couple of seasons. But he was amazing for a long time.

  18. The Steelers are screwed. They have a do-nothing coach who squandered all those years with Super Bowl talent and now those guys are getting old or retiring. That OL was already a big problem and it just got a whole lot bigger.

  19. Roethlisberger should have retired three years ago. He’s holding that franchise hostage, and a lot of their fans won’t even admit it.

  20. Corey Linsley, FA All-Pro center, is available. Packers can’t afford him.

    Might end up being a Steeler.

  21. Thank you Maurkice for showing class by not holding the team hostage, while trying to cash in on another year where you know your not helping the team win. Talk to your boy BB – his selfish (me-first) agenda always seems to take precedence over the teams best interest. Please take #7 with you!

  24. The Steelers are screwed. They have a do-nothing coach who squandered all those years with Super Bowl talent and now those guys are getting old or retiring. That OL was already a big problem and it just got a whole lot bigger.

    Tomlins record is second only to Belicheat since he started…..you do nothing statement shows you need to use facts not emotions or prejudices.
    We will miss Pouncy a lot but time marches on and Ben is next.

  26. Not often both twins get drafted in the first round
    and then go on to play at a level worthy of their selections
    like the Pouncey twins have. Rare athletes and competitors.
    Congrats on your terrific careers fellas.

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to leave a comment. Not a member? Register now!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.