Don’t Let The End Of The Sam Hubbard Era Cloud What He’s Meant To Cincinnati
Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images
At the top of the eleven o’clock hour on Wednesday morning, the Bengals and Sam Hubbard went their separate ways. Not even a minute after I got that news, I got further news that Hubbard announced his retirement.
— Sam Hubbard (@Sam_Hubbard_) March 5, 2025
Despite the feelings about his recent fall off in production, Hubbard deserves to be celebrated as someone who has meant a great deal to the team and the city.
The news of Hubbard being released was widely expected, but the news of his retirement came as a complete surprise. He ultimately came up short of the Lombardi trophy; however, his career, which was spent entirely in Cincinnati, is among the most accomplished of any Bengals player in the Zac Taylor era. He ranks 11th all time in Bengals history in snaps with 38.5, fifth all time in QB hits (recorded since 2006) with 98, and tied for fourth all time in tackles for loss (recorded since 1999) with 55.
Very few NFL players get to spend a lengthy career with one team. Even fewer players selected in the third round of the NFL Draft get to do so. Even *fewer* players get the distinction of doing as such with the team they grew up cheering for.
Sam Hubbard checks all of these boxes. He’s a born and raised Cincinnatian and Bengals fan. He’s a graduate of Moeller High School, where he was a five-star recruit. He played college ball in the Horseshoe, and then drove right back down I-71 to spend his entire career with the Cincinnati Bengals. I, personally, have even done stand-up comedy with his cousin in Cincinnati for over a decade, and he is remarkably funny. He has gone from the kid in the Paul Brown Stadium stands, to on the phone with Marvin Lewis on draft day, to flexing for the cameras while wearing an oxygen mask in the playoffs, and finally, off into the sunset.
Sam Hubbard was a transitional piece from the bitter end of the Marvin Lewis-era Bengals that stunk through the back half of the 2010s. He was a key piece of the defensive line that took the Bengals to the Super Bowl in early 2022, and had a critical strip sack on Patrick Mahomes to take away the Chiefs’ opportunity to score a game-winning touchdown in that year’s AFC title game.
Oh yeah, he also caused permanent damage to my eardrums and vocal cords in the 2023 AFC Wild Card Game.
The Bengals struck gold when they drafted Sam Hubbard. A great player, leader, and ambassador for the franchise. The "Cincinnati Kid" gave it all he had for seven seasons.
He's also responsible for two of the biggest plays in team history (continued):https://t.co/AwMXKIJlNq— Dan Hoard (@Dan_Hoard) March 5, 2025
Worth it.
It was the single greatest play in Bengals history. Argue with a wall about it. I’m gonna be an old man someday, telling my grandkids about that moment. I’ll be sitting on the rocking chair, oatmeal in hand, Sam Hubbard bobblehead in the other. The Fumble In The Jungle. The Hubbard Yard Dash. The Thicc Six. Tyler Huntley never broke the plane. You shoulda been there, kids. Paycor Stadium has never been louder.
He gave everything he had to the team he grew up rooting for until the literal final play of his career, where he lined up at… wide receiver?
A look at Bengals defensive end Sam Hubbard’s last NFL snap. Tough to top this one. Heck of a catch. What a career for the Cincinnati kid!
— James Rapien (@JamesRapien) March 5, 2025
Even with his play declining in 2024 (which I was extremely vocal about), that should not and will not take away from what he meant to the Bengals organization, team, fan base, and city throughout his entire tenure.
During his career, he was as balanced of a defensive end as there was in the league. He was incredibly reliable as a run stopper and pulled off the occasional and critical sack when he needed to. His propensity to put on his big boy pants by making some of the most clutch plays in Bengals history made an entire city fall in love with him. His work with the Sam Hubbard Foundation, in addition to being named the Bengals’ Walter Payton Man of the Year in 2021 and 2022, made him not just a key piece on the field, but a deeply valued member of the community off of it. He dedicated his entire adult life to the city of Cincinnati with his play on and off the field. It’s only a matter of time before Hubbard gets a key to the city, just like every single woman in greater Cincinnati tries to give him the keys to their apartments.
As his career went on, like with all players, he was not the player he once was when he was younger and fresher in the NFL. He was no longer worth the eight-digit cap hit that came with his contract. His body began breaking down on him, his ability as a pass rusher declined, and it all came to a head in 2024. He would have had the fifth highest cap hit of anyone on the team, and cutting him frees up money that badly needs to go to players like Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Trey Hendrickson, and Mike Gesicki.
With Sam Hubbard’s retirement, he will ride off into the sunset with his mind and body intact and his future endeavors ahead of him. Sure, he could have taken a pay cut and continued playing, but no Bengals player should ever take a pay cut to make our front office happy. Troy Blackburn is the devil.
Sam Hubbard the human being must be taken into consideration. Life altering injuries happen in the game of football on a regular basis, and Hubbard escaped scot-free. While his retirement is bittersweet, he escaped with a hell of a legacy, a phat bank account, and an opportunity to live the rest of his life in good health. Hubbard is set to get married this spring, and I’m about to put on my best outfit and film Wedding Crashers 2.
He will soon be a married man, but he will forever remain The Cincinnati Kid.
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