For the first time since the 2005 season, the Baltimore Ravens will have a new feature punter, as Sam Koch officially announced his retirement from the NFL on Thursday.
The Ravens revealed Koch’s retirement decision via a lengthy video tribute on Twitter, which not only featured words from the now-former punter but also included farewell messages from the likes of Joe Flacco and Justin Tucker.
Sam Koch is announcing his retirement from the NFL.
Congratulations, @Sam_Koch4, on a terrific career. 💜 pic.twitter.com/YF53cWLqTn
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) May 19, 2022
Baltimore further noted that Koch will not be leaving the organization for the 2022 season, as he will instead stay on as a special teams consultant.
Koch’s long-term future with the AFC North powerhouse was up in the air for much of the ongoing offseason. He had a mere one more season remaining on his contract, as he signed off on a two-year extension deal with the team during the 2020 free agency period.
Koch leaves the Ravens as their all-time leader in total regular season game appearances. He sits at first on this all-time leaderboard with 256 games played, which is then followed by Terrell Suggs (229) and Ray Lewis (228).
Overall, Koch was sidelined for just one game during his run in Baltimore, as he missed the team’s Week 17 game against the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2020 campaign after being placed on the COVID-19/reserve list. He departs from the team after a 16-season tenure that included one Pro Bowl appearance, a selection in the All-Pro second-team for the 2015 season and a 45.3 yards per punt attempt average.
The Ravens will now hand over the starting punter job to rookie Jordan Stout. They selected the former Penn State standout in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
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