NEW ORLEANS — New Orleans Saints offensive lineman James Hurst announced his retirement on social media Wednesday.
Hurst spent the last four seasons with the Saints after playing his first six seasons for the Baltimore Ravens.
The 32-year-old started in 15 games last season. During his time with the Saints, he appeared in 60 games and started 51 of those.
"Every year playing this sport has been a blessing from God. Football, and the people around it, have played a huge part in shaping me into the man I am today. Twenty-Four of my Thirty-Two years of life have been spent training for and playing this game and retiring will be a huge, yet exciting, change in my life. There are so many people that deserve thanks from me and unfortunately, too many to list in this post," Hurst said in a caption on his retirement post.
In the comments, he thanked god for allowing him to play the sport, his wife, his mom and dad, and his teammates.
Without Hurst, just three of the offensive line's starters from last season are still on the roster. One of those starters, right tackle Ryan Ramczyk, had surgery this offseason, and his status for next season is currently unknown.
The Saints have the 14th pick in the first round of the NFL Draft, and most media outlets predict the Saints will take an offensive tackle in the first round.
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