A.J. Hawk Retires from NFL: Latest Comments and Reaction

After 11 NFL seasons, linebacker A.J. Hawk officially announced his retirement Thursday, according to D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Albert Breer of The MMQB reported Tuesday that Hawk revealed on The MMQB podcast he would file his retirement papers and step away from football.

The 32-year-old former Ohio State standout spent the first nine years of his career with the Green Bay Packers after they selected him with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2006 NFL draft. Hawk then played for the Cincinnati Bengals in 2015.

Cincinnati released Hawk in April after he registered just 24 tackles in 16 games (11 starts) last season. Despite Hawk's lack of production, Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis had nothing but positive things to say about the Kettering, Ohio, native upon his departure, according to ESPN.com's Coley Harvey: "A.J. was a big part of us last season, as we won the division championship, and I appreciate his efforts. We're going a different direction at this point, but I've always been a fan of A.J. It has been a pleasure having him as part of our team and getting to know him and his family better."

While Hawk's time with the Bengals was short-lived, he appreciated the opportunity to play in his home state:

Following his release, Hawk went unsigned during the offseason, but he eventually caught on with the Atlanta Falcons in October.

Hawk appeared in just one game for Atlanta before his release, however, which marked the end of his NFL career.

During his tenure with the Packers, Hawk was among the NFL's most reliable linebackers. He racked up 100 or more tackles in a season on five occasions, and he never had less than 84 prior to his campaign in Cincinnati.

Sure-handed tackling was among Hawk's biggest hallmarks, as was his durability. He missed just two out of a possible 161 career NFL regular-season games, making him one of the league's true iron men during his career.

Hawk retires as the all-time leading tackler in the Packers' illustrious history with 1,118, and he is also a former Super Bowl champion, having won in 2011 at Super Bowl XLV.

Although he didn't receive many individual accolades as an NFL player and was never named to a Pro Bowl, Hawk left an indelible mark on the Packers franchise as a stalwart defensive player.

It was clear over the past couple of seasons he had lost a step or two and was no longer the same player who routinely made 100 stops per season with the Pack, so it is easy to respect his decision to hang up his cleats while his legacy remains intact.

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