C.J. Uzomah is hanging up his cleats after 10 seasons in the NFL, and he chose Cincinnati as the place to make it official.
The veteran tight end announced his retirement on social media as a Bengal, closing the book on a career that started with the team that drafted him in the fifth round in 2015 out of Auburn. In his message, Uzomah called Cincinnati the place that gave him his chance and said it would always hold a special place for him and his family.
“History has a way of repeating itself and there’s no place I’d want to formally announce my retirement, than the place that started it all for me and gave me my chance. The place I will always think of as my second home and will always hold a special place in me and my family’s heart.
The place where we won a playoff game for the first time since before I was born, and went on an odds defying run to the Super Bowl. A place I’ve met people who have become like brothers to me.
Cincinnati, thank you for everything.
Who Dey Forever”
Uzomah, 33, played out the final season of his four-year rookie deal before landing a three-year, $18 million contract with the Bengals in 2019. He later hit the open market as an unrestricted free agent and signed a three-year, $24 million deal with the Jets.
His time in New York ended when the Jets released him in 2024. After that, he joined Philadelphia on a one-year deal and moved between the practice squad and active roster.
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