Alex Mack reportedly plans to retire

Alex Mack, who starred at center for the Cleveland Browns for seven seasons, is reportedly retiring from the NFL after a 13-year career.

While Mack has yet to make an official announcement, several media reports have him ready to close a career that included seven selections to the Pro Bowl and a spot on the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s All-2010s Team.

The Browns selected Mack in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft in what was possibly the only bright spot in the tenure of former head coach Eric Mangini.

A starter from Week 1 of his rookie season, Mack went on to start 101 games for the Browns and 196 games overall during his career. He earned the first three of his Pro Bowl selections (2010, 2013 and 2015) during his seven years with the Browns.

The low point of Mack’s time in Cleveland came in 2014 when he suffered a season-ending broken leg against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 5 of a 31-10 beatdown of the Steelers. While the Browns would eventually reach first place in the AFC North that year, a series of unfortunate events, including starting quarterback Johnny Manziel and the reinstatement of disinterested wide receiver Josh Gordon, helped lead to a five-game losing streak to end the season.

By the time free agency rolled around after the 2015 season, Mack had snapped the ball to at least 13 different quarterbacks in Cleveland and had already made up his mind that he needed a change, leading him to sign a five-year contract with the Atlanta Falcons.

With Mack anchoring the offensive line, the Falcons made the Super Bowl in 2016 and returned to the playoffs the following year. Along the way, Mack picked up three more selections to the Pro Bowl.

Mack spent the 2021 season with the San Francisco 49ers after signing with the team as a free agent. He started all 17 games, as well as every snap in three playoff games, as the 49ers advanced to the NFC Championship Game and Mack picked up his seventh Pro Bowl selection.