Ravens D-Lineman Announces Retirement After Nine NFL Seasons
Ravens defensive tackle Michael Pierce announced Wednesday afternoon that he is retiring from the NFL after nine seasons. Pierce was not an award winner during his time with the Vikings or his two stints with the Ravens, but he was a valuable rotational piece to their front sevens when he was healthy. In 99 career games, Pierce posted 136 solo tackles, 102 assisted tackles, 10 sacks, and three forced fumbles. Undeniably, the most memorable moment of his career was achieved just this past January when he secured his first career interception late in the fourth quarter blowout of the Cleveland Browns, thrown by Bailey Zappe, making him the heaviest player since 2000 to record an interception at 355 pounds.
Despite not being invited to the NFL Combine and becoming undrafted in 2016, the Tulane and Samford product immediately made an impact for the Ravens, recovering a fumble in his first home game forced by Terrell Suggs. He finished his rookie season with 35 combined tackles, five tackles for loss, and a single pass defended, rewarding him with a second-round tender in the offseason and a contract that kept him in Baltimore until after the 2019 season. After signing a three-year deal with Minnesota, he opted out of the 2020 season with the Vikings due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, he recorded a career high in sacks with three before being released that offseason as a cap casualty. Two days later, the Baltimore Ravens signed him to a brand new three-year deal, welcoming Pierce back for his second stint in Baltimore.
The undrafted defensive lineman played in three games before suffering a torn biceps, ending his 2022 season. The Ravens extended Pierce through the 2025 season, making it known that they wanted him to be the starting nose tackle for the future. In 2023, Pierce almost achieved his career high in combined tackles with 42 while playing in all 17 games. In what would be his last NFL season, Pierce suffered a calf injury, costing him six games, but he returned after their bye for the Week 15 blowout win versus the New York Giants.
Saving the best for last, also mentioned above, Pierce’s most memorable achievement in his entire career was his first career interception in the last game of his career. With 2:27 left in the fourth quarter versus the Cleveland Browns, the Ravens had already locked up the win and secured the AFC North. In a perfect instance of right place, right time, Pierce faked his normal nose tackle rush before playing a middle zone coverage and had a badly thrown, shallow cross sent right to his chest. Although John Harbaugh wanted to see a big man pick six, Pierce said in a postgame interview, “There’s a long history of turning big guy interceptions… into memes, so at the risk of ruining a career play like that for myself, it’s time to go home… The bus was out of gas.” Although Pierce was not an All-Pro or did not have a single Pro Bowl selection, his rotational role in the Ravens front seven will always be remembered, and he will always cherish the nine years in the NFL and, most importantly, his first career interception in his last career game.
