That might be a wrap for an eight-year NFL career.
Popular Former Vikings Player Could Retire
Former Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Michael Pierce, currently a member of the Baltimore Ravens, could retire this offseason.
Freelancer reporter Kyle Phoenix tweeted Monday, one day after the Ravens lost in the playoffs to the Buffalo Bills: “Teammates taking turns signing DT Michael Pierce’s helmet at locker room cleanout.”
Here’s footage:
The working theory suggests that Pierce’s teammates probably wouldn’t sign his helmet entering a typical offseason, meaning the signatures could serve as a retirement momento. Pierce will turn 33 next fall.
The ex-Viking made headlines two weeks ago when he intercepted a pass, and most of the world wondered, “Who’s that ginormous human?”
Pierce played 231 defensive snaps in 2024, one of the lowest amounts of his career, another piece of evidence to support that the end is nigh.
The veteran nose tackle 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, though Pierce never fully took off in Minnesota.
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 might become the Ravens’ full-time nose tackle.
If Pierce does not retire, he’s under contract in Baltimore for one more season.
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.
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 Vikings 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.