Patriots Safety Devin McCourty Announces His Retirement

Dec 12, 2022; Glendale, Arizona, USA; New England Patriots safety Devin McCourty (32) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Three-time Super Bowl champion safety Devin McCourty is retiring, he announced on his Instagram page.

"I will always only look good in a Pats uniform," he said, "but I will no longer look good in a Pats uniform going forward. I'm officially retiring from the NFL. It has been a great ride.

"This whole offseason has been so much back and forth mentally. Ultimately I think this is the best decision for me, my family, my career."

In his 13 seasons with the New England Patriots, he made three All-Pro teams and was a Pro Bowl player at two positions (cornerback and safety). He was runner-up (to Ndamukong Suh) for Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2010.

"It is a rare group of players who win games at a historic rate, exude team culture, lead, win awards, and win championships," said Patriots head coach Bill Belichick in a statement. "And then there is Devin McCourty. Devin did all of those things as a player and more. But, what I think of first when I think of Devin is the type of man he is, his character, his values and how high he raised the bar for spreading goodness and justice in the community."

He was part of Super Bowl championship teams in 2015, 2017 and 2019.

"Through his individual performance and overall leadership, Devin has been such an important part of the success we have enjoyed over the past 13 seasons, including each of our last three Super Bowl championships," Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft said in a statement.

He finishes his career with 971 tackles (740 solo) and 35 interceptions, two of which he returned for touchdowns.