According to Michael Rothstein of ESPN, veteran LB Brandon Copeland is announcing his retirement from the NFL.
“It’s time,” Copeland said, via ESPN. “One of the pieces of advice I got from my granddad, going into my rookie year in the NFL, we sat down and did an interview and somebody said — because he was a Baltimore Colt and I was a Baltimore Raven — they asked what advice would you give to your grandson as he enters the NFL? And he said, ‘If I could tell him anything if I could do anything different, it would be don’t play as long.'”
Copeland, 32, signed with the Ravens as an undrafted free agent out of Pennsylvania back in 2013. He lasted just a few months with the team before he was waived and later caught on with the Titans during his rookie season.
After a year in Tennessee, Copeland signed a one-year contract with the Lions and returned to Detroit on a one-year, $615,000 exclusive rights contract the following year. The Jets signed Copeland to a contract in 2018 and he returned to New York in 2019 on a one-year deal worth up to $3 million.
The Patriots signed Copeland to a one-year contract and the following offseason he signed a one-year, $1 million contract with Atlanta. He most recently played in three games for the Ravens in 2022 and says he realized it was likely time to retire at that point.
During his career, Copeland played for six teams and appeared in 85 career games with 21 starts, making 163 tackles with eight sacks, two forced fumbles, and six passes defended.
We wish Copeland the best in his retirement from football and continued success in his future endeavors.
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