The longest-tenured player on the Baltimore Ravens is hanging up his cleats.
Punter Sam Koch announced his retirement on Thursday after 16 seasons in the NFL. The Ravens officially placed Koch on the reserve/retired list, per the league transaction wire.
Koch, 39, played his entire career in Baltimore after being selected in the sixth round of the 2006 NFL Draft out of the University of Nebraska. Earning a Pro Bowl nod in 2015, Koch's 1,168 career punts came out to an average of 45.3 yards per punt. Koch also served as the team's primary holder on field goal attempts and was the kickoff specialist leading up to the Ravens' championship-winning run to Super Bowl XLVII.
Playing in 256 career games for the Ravens, Koch retires as the franchise's all-time leader in games played.
"You never really go into it thinking that one of your best draft picks ever is going to be a punter, but in this case it's true," Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said of Koch. "It's a special day, a celebration of one of the very best Ravens you'll ever see, and I'm just proud to have watched him all these years."
A contingency plan had already been in place ahead of Koch's retirement as the Ravens picked Penn State's Jordan Stout in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Roster moves
- The Cincinnati Bengals announced the signing of fifth-round safety Tycen Anderson.
- The Miami Dolphins waiver quarterback Chris Streveler.
- The New York Giants signed defensive back Michael Jacquet and waived defensive tackle Antonio Valentino. They also announced the official signing of third-round pick cornerback Cor'Dale Flott.
- The Philadelphia Eagles announced the official signing of cornerback James Bradberry. News of Bradberry's signing was initially reported Wednesday.
- The Tennessee Titans agreed to terms with third-rounder offensive tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere, the team announced Thursday.
- The Washington Commanders signed first-round wide receiver Jahan Dotson to a four-year, $15,048,356 rookie contract, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported, per a source.
Visits
- The Seattle Seahawks hosted veteran safety George Iloka for a workout on Thursday with the thought of him serving as a cover linebacker, NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reported. Iloka hasn't played since tearing his ACL midway through the 2020 season, but the 32-year-old's hard work toward an NFL comeback could be happening soon, Garafolo added.
Front office news
- Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles announced several staff promotions among the front office and scouting staff. Mike Santarelli, former director of football systems, was promoted to executive director of football technology, while James Cosh was promoted to manager of football administration/pro scout. Ashton Washington was promoted to player personnel coordinator and Charles Love was promoted to a pro scout position. Other scouting promotions include, Breck Ackerly (assistant director of college scouting), Chris White (assistant director of pro scouting), Sam Summerville (senior national scout) and Francis Saint Paul (senior national scout). Poles hired area scouts Tom Bradway (Northeast) from the Raiders and Ryan Cavanaugh (Midwest) from the Texans while Ryan Weese was named a scouting assistant.
- The Pittsburgh Steelers announced Thursday that they had completed a second-round interview with Steelers pro scouting coordinator Brandon Hunt for their open general manager position.