Defensive end Chase Winovich is stepping away from the game of football. The former Michigan standout announced his retirement from the NFL on Tuesday night.
Winnovich uploaded a heartfelt post on Instagram to break the news. The 28-year-old thanked everyone who was a part of his football journey. He also included a gallery of photos representing different moments in his rise from a scrawny kid with a bowl cut and face paint to a bona fide NFL edge rusher.
“It has been a wild 21 years playing football!!! The time has come for me to serve the universe in other ways. … To quote my friend Matthew Slater, ‘We all owe football something’ and that I certainly do,” said Winovich in his post, referencing the Patriots special teams legend, Slater.
The former Wolverines star was selected 77th overall by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft. He played 45 games for the Patriots across three seasons.
Winovich had his best NFL campaign in 2020 when he started in 9 of 16 games and led the Patriots with 5.5 sacks for the year. He was also known for his flowing blonde hair, which once generated a viral moment with Tom Brady.
Winovich spent most of his time this season on the Miami Dolphins’ practice squad. He was elevated to the game-day roster thrice before being released due to injuries earlier this month.
Winovich tallied 107 combined tackles and 12.0 sacks across five seasons in the NFL. He had 166 tackles and 18.5 sacks during his college career at Michigan, which spanned from 2015-2018. He was a two-time first-team All-Big Ten honoree.
