Huge Former Viking Calls It Quits
He finished his career on a relatively high note late in the 2024 campaign and officially called it quits on Wednesday.
Huge Former Viking Calls It Quits
He’s former Minnesota Vikings nose tackle Michael Pierce, retiring after nine seasons in the NFL.
NFL.com tweeted, “DT Michael Pierce is retiring after 9 years in the NFL. He gave us one of the greatest big men INTs of all-time.”
Here’s the official tweet and big-man pick.
Pierce said Wednesday on the Sports Spectrum Podcast, “After nine seasons, after much prayer, talking to my family, just going through the grind, man, and just being satisfied where I am, looking forward to doing other things in life, I just decided to call it a career.”
“So, it’s been a beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, nine years. I’ve had so many people help me along the way.”
Pierce played 231 defensive snaps in 2024, one of the lowest amounts of his career, evidence to support that the end was nigh. The veteran defender joined the Vikings via free agency in 2020, the club’s splash move of that offseason. Then, he sat out all season due to the COVID-19 pandemic and later suited up in 2021. Pierce’s departure from Minnesota after the 2021 season was bittersweet because the man was terrific on the field when he played.
On the whole, however, Pierce only played in 24% of games after signing his deal with the Vikings.
Pierce tallied three sacks and twenty combined tackles — in eight games with the Vikings. He rejoined the team that drafted him, the Ravens, during 2022 free agency and has remained since. A year ago, Baltimore extended Pierce’s contract, inking him to a two-year, $7.5 million extension.
The Ravens scooped Pierce from the undrafted free agent wire in 2016, and he spent four seasons in Baltimore before commanding a larger contract elsewhere. That elsewhere was the Vikings.
Fellow defensive tackle Travis Jones, a 3rd-Rounder from the 2022 NFL Draft, took over nose tackle responsibilities for the Ravens when Pierce missed time in 2024 due to injury, and truth be told, he had already overtaken Pierce per defensive snap count. He’s on deck to become the Ravens’ full-time nose tackle.
The Ravens’ defense ranked 11th per EPA/Play in 2024. Pierce logged 19 tackles, 4 quarterback hits, and 2 sacks this season, along with an 80.6 Pro Football Focus grade.
Pierce will turn 33 this fall.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His MIN obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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