Fullback James Develin Announces Retirement After 8-Year Career With Patriots
BOSTON (CBS) -- Following an eight-year career with the New England Patriots, fullback James Develin has called it a career. Develin announced his retirement Monday in a post to his Instragram account.
Develin played in 83 games for the Patriots since signing with the team in 2012, dishing out some serious blocks while finding the end zone five times. He won three Super Bowl rings during his time with the Patriots.
Develin, 31, suffered a neck injury early last season, which ended his year after just two games -- and ultimately, his career.
Develin went undrafted out of Brown, and before landing with the Patriots, played in the Arena Football League and the UFL. He made his way to the NFL by way of the Cincinnati Bengals practice squad in 2010.
He was signed by the Patriots in 2012, initially to the practice squad, but was promoted to the active roster in late November of that season. Develin made his NFL debut a few weeks later in New England's Week 15 loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
He was cut before the 2013 season but was back with the team four days later. He went on to play in all 16 games for New England, as he did in 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2018. He missed the 2015 season after breaking his right tibia in the preseason.
While Develin's stats never amounted to much, he was a pivotal part of the offense whenever he was on the field as a key blocker for Patriots running backs and another layer of protection for Tom Brady.
