12-year NFL veteran Elvis Dumervil announced his retirement on Thursday. The defensive end tweeted out his farewell message:
On to the next chapter. Thank you for all of the support✊ pic.twitter.com/rA121JJNRf
— Elvis Dumervil (@EKD92) August 30, 2018
Dumervil spent the majority of his NFL career with the Denver Broncos after a dominant college career at Louisville. While he was the best defensive player in the country in his senior season, the Broncos didn’t take Dumervil until the fourth round in the 2006 NFL Draft due to concerns about his size.
Dumervil quieted those doubts relatively quickly. He recorded 8.5 sacks in his rookie season and went on to become one of the more feared pass rushers in the league. He led the NFL in sacks with 17.0 in 2009 and earned first-team All-Pro honors that year, though unfortunately he missed the entire 2010 season with a torn pectoral muscle.
Dumervil ultimately went to three Pro Bowls with Denver, but he moved on to the defending Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens in 2013 after a contract snafu with the Broncos that resulted in the firing of his agent. Paperwork on a contract restructuring with Denver had been sent in too late, leading to his release and a new deal with Baltimore.
Dumervil enjoyed success with the Ravens as well. He went to two more Pro Bowls and made it on the All-Pro first team again in 2014 when he tied his career high with 17.0 sacks.
Baltimore released Dumervil after a 2016 season in which he played just eight games and recorded 3.0 sacks. The San Francisco 49ers picked him up for the 2017 season, and he recorded 6.5 sacks in 16 games in what would be his final NFL season.
While Dumervil feels he still has something left in the tank, he’s turning his attention to his family and real estate business on a full-time basis after his successful football career.
