Former Georgia star LB Lorenzo Carter announces retirement from NFL
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Former Georgia All-SEC defensive force Lorenzo Carter informed the Tennessee Titans of his plans to retire from football at age 29.
With the first training camp practice on Wednesday, the veteran edge rusher wanted to make a decision about his future beforehand, so he notified the team on Monday of his decision to call it quits, according to Tennessee general manager Mike Borgonzi.
“We wish him well,” said Borgonzi.
Carter played at Georgia from 2014-17 and was a 2nd-team All-SEC selection during his final season in Athens in 2017. There was a lot of speculation that Carter would leave Athens early and declare for the 2017 NFL Draft. But he chose to stay, and both he and the Bulldogs benefitted.
In 54 games at Georgia, which included 26 starts, Carter recorded 166 total tackles, 14 sacks, 6 forced fumbles, 6 fumble recoveries and 1 defensive touchdown. His standout career in the SEC made Carter a hot commodity in the 2018 draft, where he was a 3rd-round pick (66th overall) of the New York Giants.
Carter spent 4 seasons with the Giants before returning to the state where he starred in high school in Norcross, Ga., and in college. He signed with the Atlanta Falcons, where he spent 3 seasons from 2022-24.
In March, the 6-foot-5, 265-pound Carter was on the move again, signing with the Titans. But before he could even play an NFL game in his native state — Carter was born in Memphis — Carter announced he was all done with playing the game.
Carter will be put on the league’s Reserve/Retired list.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
