Michael Pierce Announces Retirement

Michael Pierce has announced his retirement from NFL after playing 9 seasons in his career. He had earned a reputation for being one of the best defensive linemen of the Baltimore Ravens. The 32-year-old American football player appeared on the Sports Spectrum podcast to make his decision public on March 12, 2025. Michael Pierce had a strong season last year with the Baltimore Ravens by helping his team rank first in the league in run defense with 80.1 yards per game.

His consistent performance for the Baltimore Ravens has been integral to winning matches in the NFL. Michael Pierce thanked several people for backing his game on the football field including his father, former NFL coaches, Ozzie Newsome, and Eric DeCosta, for their guidance.

He was signed by the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2016. Michael Pierce went on to earn more than $27 million throughout his career in the NFL. He has managed to play an important role for his team, proving to be a resilient player in the nose tackle position for multiple years. The Baltimore Ravens lifted his status from an undrafted NFL player to becoming a vital defensive guard within a decade.

The combination of skill, strategy, and luck has driven Michael Pierce to have an exceptional run in the NFL. The trend of risks and rewards seen in NFL games has touched various other forms of entertainment, such as crypto casinos. Many people play Plinko and other games for its unpredictability, elevating the experience of online gaming for sports fans. 

Michael Pierce has played 99 games in the NFL

Born in Daphne, Alabama, Michael Pierce started playing football in his college years. He attended Tulane University and Samford University before joining the Baltimore Ravens. Michael Pierce has played for the Baltimore Ravens and Minnesota Vikings in the past. He has appeared in a total of 99 NFL matches between 2016 – 2024 with an average of 238 tackles, 9.5 sacks, and an interception.

On his first Annual Player Selection Meeting in the NFL, Michael Pierce completed the 40-yard dash in 5.01 seconds. He was also the fastest player to run the 10-yard split, finishing it in 1.67 seconds on Pro Day. These impressive numbers led to the Baltimore Ravens taking notice of Michael Pierce as an undrafted free agent and offering him a contract. In his rookie year for the Baltimore Ravens, Michael Pierce had played all of the 16 games for his team.       

He spent 4 seasons playing the nose tackle position for the Baltimore Ravens. Established in 1996, Baltimore Ravens became a celebrated NFL team that has won 2 Super Bowl championship titles. Legends like Joe Flacco and Terrell Suggs have played NFL matches together with Michael Pierce to make the tournament memorable for Baltimore Ravens fans across the United States.

In 2020, Michael Pierce signed a 3-year contract with the Minnesota Vikings. He played 8 games for the Minnesota Vikings as their defensive tackle. Pierce suffered several injuries while playing for the Minnesota Vikings. He regularly trained with his teammates at the U.S. Bank Stadium to improve his tactics as a defense lineman on the football field.

Michael Pierce made his way back to the Baltimore Ravens by 2022. He agreed to sign a 3-year contract worth $16.5 million with his former NFL team. The defense tackle player appeared in over 30 games for the Baltimore Ravens since leaving the Minnesota Vikings.

In 2024, Pierce secured his first interception with the Baltimore Ravens in the NFL in a game against the Cleveland Browns. And then this offseason, he announced his retirement as a professional NFL player to focus on other activities in his life. He is 6 feet tall and weighs more than 350 pounds, making it hard to maintain his fitness.    

Eric DeCosta was pivotal in shaping Pierce’s career

GM Eric DeCosta played a pivotal role in shaping Michael Pierce’s performance for his team. As one of the original members of the Baltimore Ravens, Eric DeCosta has groomed Michael Pierce and other NFL players with a lot of care over the years. Many players in the NFL who have trained with Eric DeCosta were featured in Michael Lewis’ ground-breaking book, The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game. It was also turned into a movie for Hollywood fans to watch the story of professional athletes growing into successful NFL players.  

Steve Bisciotti, the owner of Baltimore Ravens, referred to Eric DeCosta in 2011 as the successor of Ozzie Newsome. Eric DeCosta was appointed as the Executive Vice President and general manager of the NFL team in 2019. He has maintained his leadership position for the last 5 years, taking an active role in signing new players and releasing older athletes from their contracts. Following the retirement of Michael Pierce, the current roster of the Baltimore Ravens consists of Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry, Zay Flowers, and Kyle Hamilton, among other sports stars.

In 2020, Eric DeCosta was named as the NFL Executive of the Year by the online publication, Sporting News. He is constantly looking at collegiate talent to be drafted into the NFL team for a stronger roster in 2025.