Ferentz has been with New England since 2017.
New England Patriots offensive lineman James Ferentz announced his retirement on Instagram Monday afternoon, which concludes an eight-year NFL career that featured two Super Bowl championships.
Ferentz originally entered the NFL in 2014 as an undrafted free agent. After starting his career with the Houston Texans and Denver Broncos, he then joined the Patriots practice squad in 2017.
It was there in Foxboro that he’s spent the last seven years of his career on-and-off New England’s practice squad and active roster. He appeared in a combined 40 regular season and playoff games for the Patriots, including being apart of New England’s 2018 Super Bowl squad.
Ferentz spent the majority of his time as a backup option at the center and guard positions. Last season, the 34-year old drew just one start but served as a valuable veteran in the offensive line room. That included Ferentz being on the sideline for game days even while being a member of the practice squad.
“He’s been inactive for all the games, so his role on the sideline is to help us with his experience, interaction with his teammates and the experience that he has as a player,” Bill Belichick said about Ferentz back in October. “And, knowing our system, you know, things that happen on the field that players see sometimes that coaches don’t see.”
A similar role moving forward in the coaching world would be no surprise for Ferentz. His father, Kirk, has been a longtime coach at the University of Iowa while his brother, Brian, has been coaching since 2008.
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