Former Buffalo Bills linebacker A.J. Klein announced his retirement on Tuesday, his 33rd birthday.
Klein played 11 NFL seasons with the Carolina Panthers (2013-16), New Orleans Saints (2017-19), Chicago Bears (2022), Baltimore Ravens (2022) and Bills (2020-21, 2022-23), with whom his contract expired in January.
He started 82 of 146 games and totaled 465 tackles, 15.5 sacks, 45 tackles for loss, 27 quarterback hits and four interceptions — one returned for a touchdown.
The Panthers selected him in the fifth round of the 2013 NFL Draft out of Iowa State.
“Today is the first birthday I’ve celebrated not at a training camp in 15 years and it only seemed fitting to celebrate two milestones on this day,” Klein, a native of Appleton, Wis., posted on his Instagram account. “Today, I’m proud to announce that I’m officially retiring from the NFL after 11 seasons.”
–Field Level Media