Gerald Hodges is calling it a career. The veteran linebacker announced on Twitter that he’s decided to retire.
Hodges had a standout collegiate career at Penn State, earning both first-team (2011) and second-team (2012) All-Big Ten honors. While he was expected to be selected in the second or third round of the 2013 draft, he ended up falling to the Vikings in the fourth round. After being drafted, the linebacker subsequently inked a four-year, $2.52MM deal. Hodges ended up playing two-plus seasons with the Vikings, including a 2014 campaign where he compiled 66 tackles in 14 games (seven starts).
The linebacker was traded to the 49ers during the 2015 season, and his first full season with San Francisco proved to be a career year. Hodges finished the 2016 season with career-highs in tackles (83) and sacks (three) in 15 games (12 starts). He spent the 2017 campaign with the Saints before moving on to the Cardinals in 2018. The 28-year-old had a productive season with Arizona, finishing with 55 tackles.
Despite putting up solid numbers last season, Hodges apparently wasn’t able to generate a whole lot of interest in free agency. The 28-year-old retires having earned more than $5MM throughout his career (via Spotrac).
I really never understood why Hodges moved around so much. He played pretty solid ball wherever he went.
Linebacker is one of those positions like running back where unless you are an elite player teams think they can always get younger and better thru the draft.