Former Browns DT Malik Jackson retires after 10 seasons

Malik Jackson, who spent the 2021 season with the Cleveland Browns, announced his retirement on Friday from the NFL.

The Browns signed Jackson to a one-year contract in 2021 in an attempt to bring the much-ballyhooed “veteran presence” to the defensive line. It sounded good on paper to place on the inside of a line that featured defensive ends Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney, but it did not work out as planned.

While Jackson played in all 16 games that season and totaled his highest number of defensive snaps since 2017, he finished with just 25 tackles and a half-sack while earning an overall defensive grade of just 44.4 from Pro Football Focus.

The Browns moved on from Jackson after the season and he did not find a team in 2022.

Jackson was in the news earlier this week when he expressed the opinion that Garrett was not the type of team leader that Jackson prefers.

Originally a fifth-round selection in 2012 by the Denver Broncos, Jackson spent four seasons with the Broncos and was part of a defense that carried the Broncos to a victory in Super Bowl 50. He then moved on to the Jacksonville Jaguars as a high-priced free agent, picked up a Pro Bowl selection in 2017 after registering a career-best eight sacks, and spent three seasons with the Jaguars.

Jackson was released following the 2018 season and signed with the Philadelphia Eagles. A foot injury limited him to just one game in 2019, however, but he came back the following season to play in 15 games before hitting free agency again and signing with the Browns for what turned out to be the final season of his career.

All told Jackson played in 142 career games, making 89 starts, with 292 tackles, 35.5 sacks, 63 tackles for loss, 106 quarterback hits, six forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries.