Malik Jackson, former Tennessee DL, announces retirement after decade in NFL
By Keith Farner
Published:
Malik Jackson, a former Tennessee defensive lineman, has announced his retirement after a decade in the NFL with the Broncos, Jaguars, Eagles and Browns.
Jackson didn’t play in 2022, but announced on “Good Morning Football” on the NFL Network on Friday that he would not make a comeback.
“That was the goal. 10 to 12 years was my goal,” Jackson said. “I was able to get to a point where I was doing OK. I was doing pretty well for myself. I did enough. I have a daughter, and I need to go home and be with her and start living life.”
A fifth-round pick out of Tennessee in 2012, Jackson spent 4 years with the Broncos, and won Super Bowl 50. Jackson then signed a 6-year, $85.5 million contract with the Jaguars, and he later made the only Pro Bowl of his career in 2017 after a career-high 8 sacks as a defensive tackle.
He played 3 seasons in Jacksonville, and then signed with the Eagles for the 2019 season, and suffered a foot injury, but managed 2.5 sacks in 2020. He started 16 games for the Browns in 2021.
In his final season at Tennessee, Jackson started all 12 games at defensive tackle with 56 tackles in 2011. He led the team in tackles for a loss with 11, with 2.5 sacks and 10 QB hurries.
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
