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Former UVA Safety Rodney McLeod Jr. Retires After 13 NFL Seasons

Matt Newton

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Former Virginia safety Rodney McLeod Jr. retired from the National Football League after 13 seasons, playing his final game of professional football on Sunday for the Cleveland Browns. McLeod indicated before this season began that this would be his final year playing football and confirmed this week that he would be hanging up the cleats after Sunday's game.

In his 13th and final season in the NFL, McLeod played in all 17 games and made five starts, recording 39 tackles, five passes defended, and two tackles for loss. He also scored two touchdowns this season - returning a fumble recovery and a blocked field goal for a touchdown - and was actually Cleveland's second-leading touchdown scorer as of week 6 this season, which is both an impressive stat for McLeod and a depressing one for the Browns.

But don't worry, McLeod also experienced the pinnacle of success in his NFL career, winning Super Bowl LII with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2018 along with fellow former Wahoo Chris Long. McLeod also joined another Virginia football alum for his final season, lining up in Cleveland's defensive backfield with former UVA safety Juan Thornhill.

McLeod played at Virginia from 2008 to 2011, finishing his collegiate career with 190 tackles, 116 solo stops, 17 passes defended, six interceptions, three forced fumbles, and a sack in 43 games played. He is tied for the UVA program lead for most interceptions in a single game, picking off three passes in Virginia's 31-13 victory over Maryland in 2011. McLeod finished that season and his career at UVA as an All-ACC honorable mention.

After an accomplished four-year career at Virginia, McLeod signed as an undrafted free agent in 2012 with the St. Louis Rams, where he spent the first four seasons of his professional career and proved himself as a starting-caliber safety. McLeod then joined the Eagles for the next six seasons, winning a ring in 2018, before signing with the Indianapolis Colts in 2022, a season which saw him record career-highs with eight tackles for loss and eight pass deflections and finish third on the team with 96 tackles. 

McLeod signed with the Browns in 2023 and had his season cut short due to injury, but he bounced back this season, appearing in all 17 games to conclude his NFL career. His final career numbers are pretty impressive: 13 seasons, 183 games, 148 starts, 757 tackles, 536 solo tackles, 66 passes defended, 27 tackles for loss, 18 interceptions, 11 forced fumbles, and 10 fumble recoveries.

Congratulations to Rodney McLeod Jr. on a remarkable NFL career and a well-deserved retirement.

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Matt Newton
MATT NEWTON

Matt launched Virginia Cavaliers On SI in August of 2021 and has since served as the site's publisher and managing editor, covering all 23 NCAA Division I sports teams at the University of Virginia. He is from Downingtown, Pennsylvania and graduated from UVA in May of 2021.