JC Tretter Announces Retirement

JC Tretter spent the 2021 season snapping the ball to Baker Mayfield and Case Keenum on the Cleveland Browns. Despite Cleveland’s relatively underwhelming season, Tretter himself had a strong campaign that continued to solidify him as one of the better centers in the game. According to Pro Football Focus, Tretter’s 78.7 PFF grade ranked sixth out of 39 eligible players at the position. Despite his strong play, the Browns cut Tretter in order to save $8.2 million in cap space.

Tretter originally entered the league as a fourth-round pick in the 2013 NFL Draft. Selected by the Green Bay Packers, the Cornell product didn’t play a single game as a rookie. Tretter started the season on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list and wasn’t activated until December of that very same season. By the time he was eligible to make it back on the field, Green Bay’s offensive line had already found their rhythm.

Tretter suffered yet another injury in 2014, as he landed on the short-term injured reserve in early September. The offensive lineman eventually returned to the field in November, appearing in a total of eight games throughout the season. Tretter stayed healthy in 2015 before health ailments struck again in 2016. Tretter started the first seven games of the season before suffering a knee injury midway through the season. While he tried to get back on the field, the injury ultimately required surgery and Tretter finished the year on the injured reserve.

Tretter’s early career health issues never followed him to Cleveland. The Cornell product started in 80 out of a possible 81 games over his five years with the Browns organization.