Veteran center J.C. Tretter to retire from NFL

The 31-year-old was a fourth-round pick of the Packers in 2013. Over that time, he grew into a starting role, leading him to Cleveland in free agency. For the past five seasons, he had been a model of consistency in the middle of the team’s offensive line, missing just one game over that span and logging over 1,000 snaps every year.

In a cost-cutting move at the start of free agency, though, the Browns released the Cornell alum, freeing up more than $8M in cap space. He was expected to generate a relatively significant market for himself given the lack of more established options in free agency, along with injuries suffered by the likes of Ryan Jensen. Instead, not much traction was gained from outside teams, and the Browns were prepared to give the starting role to Nick Harris. 

Even after Harris suffered a season-ending injury, a reunion with Cleveland was deemed unlikely. Tretter’s status as president of the NFLPA reportedly caused tension between himself and the organization and was thought to be chief among the reasons he was unable to land on a roster throughout the summer. CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones tweets that Tretter will stay on as president of the union.

With Tretter off the table as a fill-in for Harris, the Browns will move forward with veteran Ethan Pocic at the pivot. Other veterans still available include Matt Paradis, Trey Hopkins and Billy Price; they could start to see offers (from Cleveland or elsewhere) given Tretter’s decision to join fellow veteran center Alex Mack in retirement.

Tretter will end his career with more than $44.5M in total earnings, an impressive sum for a player who never made a Pro Bowl appearance. His attention can now turn exclusively to working with the NFLPA, which he has headed since 2020.