Breaking: Alabama’s great alumnus announces his retirement from the NFL
NFL teams kicked off the 2024 preseason schedule this week, but he wasn’t on any roster. However, this isn’t the first time the Alabama alumnus has faced such a situation and still managed to secure a long-snapping role during the season.
This time, though, Tinker announced his retirement from the NFL on Sunday via social media.
“Eleven years ago, one of my favorite coaches encouraged me to commit to an ‘impossible’ goal,” Tinker shared. “Through all the wins, losses, injuries, championships, rejections, and opportunities only God could create, I achieved my impossible goal of playing 10 seasons in the NFL. Today, with a full heart, I officially call it a career.
“Thank you to Annie and Hootie for following me across the country, to my teammates who inspired me to be my best, to my coaches who taught me invaluable lessons, and to the fans, trainers, equipment staff, turf crew, janitors, and everyone I’ve met along the way—thank you. I hope to express my gratitude in person.
“Thank you, football. I gave this game everything I had, and it gave my family and me more than we ever imagined.”
Last season, Tinker took over long-snapping duties for the Los Angeles Rams in their final four regular-season games and a playoff matchup after regular snapper Alex Ward suffered a stinger during the Rams’ 37-31 overtime loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Dec. 10.
This brought Tinker’s career totals to 99 regular-season games and two playoff appearances.