Former Browns DE and first active openly gay player Carl Nassib announces his retirement

The trailblazer and former Browns defensive end has announced his retirement.

A former member of the Cleveland Browns has announced his retirement from football after seven seasons in the NFL. A member of their 2016 NFL draft class, defensive end Carl Nassib has decided to hang up his cleats after spending time with the Browns, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Las Vegas Raiders.

Nassib, of course, will be remembered as a trailblazer as he became the first openly gay player to appear in the regular season in NFL history in 2021.

Browns fans will remember Nassib for his brilliance on HBO’s Hard Knocks in 2018 when the Browns were featured on the show. He can be seen giving the Browns’ defensive linemen a lecture on compounding interest and the importance of putting money back into a high-yield savings account. He was also famously cut by former head coach Hue Jackson in the last episode of the season.

Nassib then went on to rack up back-to-back six-sack seasons with the Buccaneers, starting 17 games for them in that two-year span. This allowed for Nassib to cash in on a sizeable contract in free agency with the Raiders, signing a three-year deal worth about $8.5 million per year (with $16.75 million of that guaranteed).

After two seasons in Vegas, Nassib returned to Tampa for one final season last year.

Best of luck in retirement, Carl!

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]