Phil Dawson to Sign Contract with Browns, Retire from NFL After 20 Seasons

Phil Dawson's NFL career will come to an end back where it started with the Cleveland Browns.

In a statement on the Browns' official website, Dawson announced he will sign a contract with the team before officially retiring. 

"To have the opportunity to come back home and retire with the organization and the city that I love is incredibly meaningful to me," he said. "It only seems right to have the opportunity to do this with the fans that have been so good to me and my family."

An undrafted free agent out of Texas in 1998, Dawson spent his first year out of college looking for a job in the NFL. He spent time on the practice squads for the Oakland Raiders and New England Patriots.

It wasn't until 1999 when the Browns signed Dawson that his professional career kicked into gear. The Florida native spent 14 seasons with the organization and was part of their last playoff appearance in 2007.

Dawson also spent four seasons with the San Francisco 49ers and the last two seasons with the Arizona Cardinals. The 44-year-old leaves the NFL as the league's 11th-leading scorer with 1,847 career points. His 441 field goals made ranks eighth all-time.