Ravens DT Michael Pierce announces retirement after 9 seasons

On Wednesday morning while appearing on the Sports Spectrum podcast, Ravens defensive tackle Michael Pierce announced that he is retiring from the NFL after nine seasons.

The former undrafted free agent out of Wofford in 2016 spent seven seasons altogether (2016-2019, 2022-204) with the Ravens sandwiched around two seasons with the Vikings (2020-2021). As a member of the Ravens, Pierce had career totals of 218 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, six pass breakups, two forced fumbles, six fumble recoveries, and one outstanding interception he recorded this past season.

In Pierce’s lone season with the Vikings (he opted out of 2020 for COVID reasons), he recorded 20 tackles, a single-season high three sacks, three tackles for loss, and a forced fumble.

While many wouldn’t consider Pierce to have been a “star” in the NFL, he was a fan favorite no matter where he played, made the locker room a better place, and will surely be missed by every single one of his teammates that had the chance to play with him these past nine seasons.

According to Russell Street Report’s Brian McFarland, the Ravens have to make a decision on Pierce’s process for retirement with regard to his contract.

“If they process Pierce’s retirement before 6/1, there will be a Cap savings of $666k with dead money of $2.001 million remaining on the Cap (nothing on 2026 Cap),” McFarland wrote. “If they wait until after 6/1, it will be a savings of $2 million in 2025 with dead money of $667k in 2025 and $1.334 million in 2026.”