FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – New England Patriots fullback James Develin announced his retirement today.

PATRIOTS HEAD COACH BILL BELICHICK ON JAMES DEVELIN:

"To some people, James Develin may be 'unsung' in terms of publicity and fame, but to his coaches and teammates he is one of the most appreciated and respected players we have ever had. In football, there are a lot of tough, unselfish and dependable people who bring positive leadership on a daily basis, but the name James Develin represents those qualities at an elite level. A tribute to the impact James had on our success, of the five seasons in which he appeared in every game, we won three championships. Any team would be fortunate to have a James Devlin-'type' on its roster but the reality is he is a rarity and we are very fortunate he was a Patriot."

Develin, 31, is a three-time Super Bowl Champion with the New England Patriots and in 2017, became the first Patriots fullback since Sam Cunningham in 1978 to earn Pro Bowl honors. The 6-foot-3, 255-pounder played his entire college career at Brown as a defensive lineman before converting to offense, beginning his professional career in the Arena Football League and the United Football League. He entered the NFL with the Cincinnati Bengals practice squad on Nov. 30, 2010, where he spent the remainder of that season and all of 2011. In 2012, Develin went to training camp with Cincinnati and spent the majority of the season on the New England Patriots practice squad. He was signed to the Patriots 53-man roster on Sept. 6, 2013, and went on to play 83 regular-season games with 31 starts over seven seasons with New England and totaled 15 rushing attempts for 26 yards and five touchdowns and caught 31 passes for 222 yards. He also played in 14 postseason contests with six starts and posted three rushing attempts for 5 yards and five receptions for 29 yards and one touchdown. Develin spent the 2015 season on injured reserve and started two games in 2019 before suffering a season-ending injury.