Patriots linebacker retires after a decade in New England

New England Patriots linebacker Dont'a Hightower, the man who stopped Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch at the 1-yard line late in Super Bowl XLIX, announced his retirement in a Players' Tribune essay on Tuesday.

"People always ask what makes the Patriots' culture so different," he wrote. "Easy answer: it was about professionalism, period. You knew that you had to show up every single day—not just physically, but more so mentally.  

"We had a saying, 'If you do it right, you do it light.' Being good was expected. Being great might even get you a thumbs up from Bill. Luckily, I knew a thing or two about that from my time at Alabama under Coach Saban."

The 33-year-old linebacker played in 117 games and started in 114 since he was drafted with the 25th-overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft. He combined for 64 tackles, four quarterback hits, one tackle for loss and one pass deflection in 15 starts during the 2021 season. According to Pro Football Reference, he ranks third all-time for the Patriots in quarterback hits with 67 on top of 43 total tackles for loss.

He may not share the same accolades as safety Devin McCourty, who announced his retirement from the NFL on Instagram earlier this month, but it's not every day a Patriots defender is honored with the title of "Mr. February" by head coach Bill Belichick for their ability to make clutch plays in the Super Bowl. 

If it hasn't arrived already, a new era of New England's defense has officially taken form. The Patriots may never be able to replicate the defenses led by Hightower and McCourty. With the help of a "competitive rebuild," as the Minnesota Vikings are attempting to execute, the Patriots may be able to compete with the AFC East and beyond sooner than the rest of the league can expect.