Patriots offensive lineman James Ferentz announced his retirement on Instagram on Monday, concluding an eight-year NFL career with his last five seasons spent with the Patriots. Ferentz started 10 career games for the Patriots with appearances in 40 total.
An undrafted rookie in 2014 out of Iowa, Ferentz spent his first training camp with the Texans but was cut at the end of the summer and spent the fall on Houston's practice squad. He signed a futures contract later that winter, catching on with the Broncos in 2015 after again being cut by Houston out of training camp. He had appearances in 21 games over 2015 and 2016 in Denver, before finding his way to the Patriots' practice squad for the 2017 season.
Ferentz started 2018 on the Pats practice squad, but was elevated in early November and would remain on the 53-man roster through the playoffs as New England clinched their sixth Super Bowl title.
Ferentz emerged as one of the team's most valuable backups over the last five seasons, earning his first career start against Cleveland in 2019. He continued to spend much of his time on the practice squad, but the league's new rules played into his favor in recent seasons, as the veteran made the most of his opportunities and was promoted in each of the last four years.
Ferentz's most active season came in 2022 when started three out of four games near the middle of the season, three of which resulted in Patriots victories. This past year Ferentz was only active against Denver, playing four offensive snaps as he appeared to be transitioning to more of a coaching role on the team.
A member of one of Iowa's most famous football families, it's a good bet that Ferentz will continue to follow in the path of his father and brother into the coaching ranks.
