This story has been updated with more details, quotes.
BEREA — The Browns linebacking corps just got a lot less experienced.
Veteran linebacker Jordan Hicks announced his retirement after 10 years in the NFL on Instagram on July 25. Hicks, 33, had not been at the first two days of Browns training camp for reasons that had been listed as “personal.”
“After 23 years of playing football, I’m officially retiring from the NFL,” Hicks said on Instagram. “Football has given me more than I could have ever imagined. Purpose, discipline, brotherhood, and a platform to impact others. But most importantly it showed me who I am outside the game.
“I leave this chapter with deep gratitude for every lesson, challenge, and victory. I’m proud of what I accomplished on the field, but even more proud of the man I’ve become because of it. To my teammates, coaches, fans, and most importantly my family.. thank you for your unwavering support throughout this journey. I’m looking forward to this next season of life and all that it brings.”I walk away with peace knowing I gave football all I had, and that the best is yet to come. Forever Grateful,Jordan Hicks”
The West Chester, Ohio, native who played at Lakota West High School and the University of Texas was originally selected in the third round of the 2015 draft by the Philadelphia Eagles. The Browns, with whom he signed a two-year deal in 2024, were his fourth team, along with the Eagles (2015-18), Arizona Cardinals (2019-21) and Minnesota Vikings (2022-23).
Hicks played in 134 regular-season games with 131 starts, making 952 career tackles, including 614 solo stops and 51 tackles for loss. He had 16.5 sacks, 13 interceptions, six forced fumbles and 11 fumble recoveries.
“Obviously a player, a person, that I have an amazing amount of respect for,” coach Kevin Stefanski said prior to the Browns’ third training camp practice July 25. “Jordan played really, really good football for us, played at an extremely high level. He was even better off the field in what he was able to give to this football team. So an amazing career, one that needs to be celebrated, and I just want you to know that we support him, obviously, in his decision. We’ll miss him, but he’s somebody that I have a ton of respect for.”
Stefanski declined to say if Hicks’ announcement was a surprise to him. He did say the two spoke earlier in the week.
Hicks’ retirement, coupled with Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah being ruled out for the season because of a neck injury he suffered last season, leaves the Browns’ linebacking room extremely thin in experience. In March, they signed Cleveland native and eight-year pro Jerome Baker, who joins seven-year pro Devin Bush as the only linebackers on the roster with more than two seasons of experience.
“We’re really just pushing each other,” Baker said July 25. “Me just being the older guy, I’m trying to bring the young guys along as far as experience, and the younger guys, they got something to prove and they want to make a name for themselves. So it’s that perfect balance that we’re all just pushing each other, and that’s what the main focus is. We’re trying to get better every day, and it’s going to work out for us.”
The most experienced linebacker after Baker and Bush is third-year pro Mohamoud Diabate. The Browns drafted UCLA linebacker Carson Schwesinger with the first pick of the second round in April’s draft, and it’s clear they have high expectations for what he’s capable of doing both from a play-making and leadership role at the position.
It’s been Diabate, Bush and Schwesinger lined up as the first three linebackers when the Browns have been in their base defense.
“Oftentimes happens in football, when you lose a player due to injury or retirement or whatever, there’s opportunities that come up for younger players,” Stefanski said. “In this day and age, young players play early at these positions. So they may be counted on and that’s why we’re working so hard. That’s why we’re trying to be efficient with everything we do to maximize every rep and minute that we have with these young men to get them ready to play.”
Hicks’ one season playing for Cleveland was a frustrating one at times because of injuries. However, in the 12 games in which he did play, he was clearly one of the defense’s top playmakers and leaders, finishing third on the team in tackles with 78, along with two sacks and four tackles for loss.
The veteran linebacker missed four games in a five-game stretch over the first half of the 2024 season with rib, triceps and elbow injuries. That also included a two-day stay in the hospital with a infection in his elbow involving the bursa when he checked himself in after a Week 3 game against the New York Giants he left with a broken rib.
“Frustrating,” Hicks described the injuries last Nov. 13. “Trying to just let my body heal, but also mentally being engaged and constantly wanting to be out there. It’s probably, to me, in my 10 years, injury’s always been the hardest part of this game, overcoming it and staying positive through it. So anytime you get dealt those cards, it just sucks.”
Hicks was actually back on the field the next game, at the Las Vegas Raiders, after the hospital stay. However, he left after five plays with a strained triceps, which forced him to miss games against the Washington Commanders and the Eagles.
One more comeback try, in Week 7 against the Cincinnati Bengals, also resulted in him leaving the game. That return lasted just 33 snaps before he was again sidelined for the remainder of that game, plus two more heading into a Week 10 bye week.
Hicks didn’t miss any more time, playing the final eight games. He talked about his health during OTAs the spring.
“Yeah, coming off offseasons of being able to just stack those workouts and everything together is huge,” Hicks said June 4. “I turn 33 in less than a month, right? It’s exciting to be out here with the young guys and still be able to make plays and have fun. You don’t take these moments for granted. So it feels good to be healthy, obviously, at my age for sure.”
Although the start of Hicks’ career had been marred by injuries — he missed 21 out of a possible 64 regular-season games in his first four seasons in Philadelphia — he had overcome most of those concerns over between his first season in Arizona in 2019 and his final season in Minnesota in 2023. The only time he missed in that span was four games in 2023 when he underwent emergency surgery for compartment syndrome in his shin.
Compartment syndrome, according to Cleveland Clinic, occurs when there’s too much pressure built up around the muscle, which leads to a restriction of blood, oxygen and nutrients to your muscles and nerves. The issue stemmed from a Week 10 contusion suffered in a game against the Saints.
Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns LB, West Chester, Ohio, native Jordan Hicks retires after 10 NFL seasons
Reporting by Chris Easterling, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
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