Bengals' Star Sam Hubbard Retires After Seven Seasons
Longtime Cincinnati Bengals player, Sam Hubbard, retired from the NFL on Wednesday following a seven-season career. In a heartfelt message shared on social media, Hubbard expressed his gratitude: “A sincere thank you to my teammates, coaches, trainers, support staff, Bengals ownership, and the NFL for their invaluable contributions. Completing this journey alone would have been impossible. To the fans of Who Dey Nation, your unwavering support through trials, triumphs, and Super Bowl LVI meant everything. I hope I’ve made you proud.”
He continued, “Playing my entire career in one uniform holds immense significance to me. I’ll always be a Bengal at heart and a lifelong member of this team.”
Hubbard, a Cincinnati native, was not only the oldest player on the Bengals’ squad but also the sole athlete who joined before head coach Zac Taylor’s tenure, which began in 2019.
His 2024 season came to an early end in December due to a torn PCL injury sustained against the Tennessee Titans during his first career reception—a memorable 2-yard touchdown in a 37-27 win. Even prior to this, Hubbard was battling a severe Grade 3 hamstring injury before the regular season commenced. Despite these setbacks and other injuries faced by the team’s defensive line, Hubbard chose to soldier on and ended the season with two sacks across 14 games.
His retirement coincides with the Bengals preparing to trim veteran contracts ahead of the upcoming free agency next week.
At 29, Hubbard was poised to carry an $11.5 million salary cap hit in 2025, and opting to release him would have allowed the Bengals to reclaim $9.5 million in cap space.
Integral to transforming the Bengals from NFL’s weakest team to Super Bowl contenders, Hubbard logged 2,679 defensive snaps between 2021 and 2023—ranking second among defensive linemen during that time frame, as per ESPN Research.
Selected by the Bengals in the third round of the 2018 draft, Hubbard accumulated 38.5 sacks in 104 games and added four more sacks during seven playoff appearances. His leadership was continuously acknowledged as he was voted a team captain for four consecutive seasons.
“Sam has always been, and will always remain, a treasured individual within the Bengals family and the entire Cincinnati community,” shared Bengals president, Mike Brown. “From his early days as a top youth athlete in local sports to becoming a stellar football player at Ohio State, we were fortunate to draft him in 2018, recognizing immediately what an exceptional player and person we had added.”
Brown praised Hubbard: “Not only was he an outstanding athlete, but also a phenomenal teammate and active community advocate. He helped us secure numerous victories, delivering some unforgettable moments—his 98-yard fumble recovery touchdown during the Wild Card clash against Baltimore marks one of the most iconic plays in club history. Witnessing his whole career play out here in Cincinnati, it’s been an honor. Thank you, Sam, for all the cherished memories as ‘Cincinnati’s Own.’“