Carl Nassib, a linebacker and defensive end who spent two years with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2019 and 2020, has announced his retirement from the NFL after seven seasons.
A third-round pick in 2016 out of Penn State by the Cleveland Browns, Nassib spent his first two years in Cleveland before joining the Tampa Bay Buccaneers where he experienced his best individual success with 63 total tackles and 12.5 sacks in two years.
Nassib would then join the Raiders where he totaled 49 tackles, eight tackles for loss, 13 QB hits, one forced fumble and one interception. He would return to Tampa Bay last season before choosing to call it quits now, which he revealed in an Instagram post via Tyler Greenawalt of Yahoo Sports:
“I can truly hang up my helmet for the last time knowing I gave it everything I had,” Nassib wrote. “Growing up I loved how fun football was. I loved the pursuit of perfection. I loved the small window where every player has to chase their dreams. It makes it all the more exciting if you get there. It was always my dream to play in the NFL, even as a walk-on, and I really feel like the luckiest guy on the planet.”
In addition to his play on the field, Nassib also made waves as the first openly gay player in NFL history, choosing to come out in 2021. In his post, Nassib thanked his agent as well as a number of coaches and trainers from his time with the Raiders, Browns and Buccaneers. Nassib also said that he wanted to work with the NFL on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in the future.
Chandler Jones blasts Raiders in now-deleted social media posts
While a former pass rusher is walking away from football, a current Raiders pass rusher voiced his frustrations with the franchise on social media. Veteran Chandler Jones blasted the Raiders on Instagram in posts that have since been deleted.
Jones shared screenshots of text messages that appeared to be between himself and head coach Josh McDaniels in which he claims the team barred him from the training facility and forced him to workout at a local gym and also contacted the mother of his child despite there not being a current relationship between the two.
Jones ended the string of posts by claiming he didn’t want to play for head coach Josh McDaniels or GM Dave Ziegler. But the fact that the posts are deleted would seem to imply that the two sides are looking to mend the fences.
