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NFL free agency: Patriots LB Dont'a Hightower retires after 9 seasons

Dont'a Hightower made two Pro Bowls and won three Super Bowls with the Patriots. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Dont'a Hightower made two Pro Bowls and won three Super Bowls with the Patriots. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

Longtime New England Patriots linebacker Dont'a Hightower officially called it a career Tuesday after nine seasons in the NFL. Hightower made the announcement in an article for The Player's Tribune, a moment the veteran linebacker called "bittersweet."

"... I can’t think of a better story than the one I wrote in New England," Hightower wrote. "A decade, three Super Bowls, two Pro Bowls, and the birth of my son — all playing for one franchise. How many guys have a story like that?"

Hightower, the No. 25 pick by the Patriots in 2012, finished his career with 353 combined tackles, 27 sacks and two forced fumbles in 117 regular season games. He also added 81 combined tackles and three sacks in 17 playoff games. Hightower opted out of the 2020 season because of the COVID-19 pandemic and didn't play in 2022.

"Dont'a Hightower is a champion. He won at every level he ever played and always excelled in championship games," Patriots owner Bob Kraft said in a statement. "... We are honored to call Dont'a a Patriot and will always celebrate him as a champion."

Dubbed "Mr. February" by head coach Bill Belichick for his postseason performances, Hightower, 33, is one of the heroes of two Patriots Super Bowls and also played a big role in New England's 13-3 win over the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LII with two sacks on quarterback Jared Goff.

He stopped Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch at the 1-yard line in Super Bowl XLIX to prevent him from scoring what would have been the game-winning touchdown. That play inadvertently led to the Seahawks' now-infamous decision to attempt a pass at the 1-yard line which resulted in a game-sealing interception by Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler.

Hightower is perhaps most known, though, for when he strip-sacked Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan in Super Bowl LI. That play gave the ball back to the Patriots with 8:31 left in the game when they were down 28-12 and helped ignite a 25-point comeback win in overtime — which still stands as the largest comeback win in Super Bowl history.

"Every Super Bowl I won, there’s a little memory like that attached to it," Hightower wrote. "Sometimes it’s still unreal to think about…. I am a three-time Super Bowl champion. Pretty good for a kid from Lewisburg, Tennessee."

Hightower wasn't the only Patriots veteran to retire this offseason. Safety Devin McCourty officially walked away from the game after 13 seasons in New England. McCourty also won all three of his Super Bowls with Hightower.