Pat O'Connor's retirement announcement closes a career that was never defined by easy paths, but by persistence. After nine years in the NFL, the former defensive lineman said on social media Thursday that it is time to hang up the cleats, ending a journey that included stops with the Detroit Lions and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
That alone tells you something about the kind of career O'Connor built. He was drafted by the Detroit Lions with the 250th pick in the 2017 Draft out of Eastern Michigan, then was cut before the start of the 2017 regular season and signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. From there, he carved out a place for himself the hard way, spending most of his first two seasons on the practice squad and appearing in three total games during that stretch.
O'Connor's NFL story changed in mid-September 2019, when he was promoted to the active roster. From that point, he worked his way into a role in the Buccaneers' defensive line rotation, a reminder that not every pro career is built on immediate impact. Some are built on staying ready long enough for the right opening to arrive.
His career also carried the kind of résumé that gives a retirement announcement extra weight. O'Connor was part of the Buccaneers' Super Bowl LV run against the Kansas City Chiefs, giving him a championship to match the longevity he mentioned in his farewell message.
A career built on staying power
In his message, O'Connor reflected on just how unlikely the path looked from the beginning. He said that if someone had told his younger self that he would play this long, spend his entire career with just two teams, be drafted and win a Super Bowl, he would have thought it was crazy. He also thanked teammates, friends and coaches who helped him throughout the journey, saying they helped him become a better player and a better person on and off the field.
The broader lesson here is that NFL careers do not always need star power to matter. O'Connor's name will not sit atop league leaderboards, but his path shows how valuable a player can be when he finds a way to stick, adjust and contribute over time. For a late-round pick who was cut, returned, and eventually found his place, that is its own kind of success.
And now that chapter is over. Pat O'Connor's retirement does not just mark the end of a nine-year career; it closes the book on a player who turned opportunity into longevity, and longevity into a story worth remembering.
