One-Time Titans Running Back Retires

LeGarrette Blount got his start with Tennessee but played 132 games with five other franchises.

LeGarrette Blount played for five different NFL teams, rushed for 1,000 yards twice, led the league in rushing touchdowns once and won a combined three Super Bowls with two of them.

He got his start with the Tennessee Titans, though, and he never forgot that fact.

Saturday, on his 34th birthday, Blount announced his retirement in an Instagram post.

“Jeff Fisher and the Titans gave me my (first) chance and I’ll forever be grateful for that,” he wrote, in part.

Tennessee signed Blount as an undrafted free agent in 2010 following a college career in which he was kicked off the team during his senior season at the University of Oregon for on-field misconduct. He was the Titans’ second-leading rusher that preseason with 118 yards and two touchdowns on 31 attempts and offered the potential to fit into the power running attack Fisher preferred.

Initially on the 53-man roster at the end of the preseason, he was released to make room for a couple waiver claims. The Titans already were set at the position with Chris Johnson and Javon Ringer, and franchise officials hoped to get him on the practice squad.

Tampa Bay claimed him, and that was the last Tennessee saw of the 6-foot, 247-pound rugged runner, except for the two times he played for the opponent. He rushed for 103 yards on 20 carries in those contests.

Ultimately, he played 132 games over nine seasons and rushed for 6,306 yards and 56 touchdowns. He rushed for 1,007 yards as a rookie with the Buccaneers in 2010. His only other 1,000-yard season was 2016, when he had 1,161 yards and a league-best 18 touchdowns with New England.

He also played for Pittsburgh (2014), Philadelphia (2017) and Detroit (2018). He won two Super Bowls with the Patriots and one with the Eagles.

“I just want to inform y’all that I’m officially retiring,” he wrote. “I have thought long and hard about this decision, and I’ve talked to my closest family members and friends about this. We collectively agreed on this decision. It is in the best interest of me and my family.

“… All in all, I loved being a part of these organization and the people involved in them. I’m excited to move on to the next phase in my life!”