Jack Crawford: London-born defensive end announces retirement from NFL after 10 years
Jack Crawford retires having spent time with the Oakland Raiders (2012-2013), Dallas Cowboys (2014-2016), Atlanta Falcons (2017-2019), Tennessee Titans (2020) and Arizona Cardinals (2021).
Tuesday 17 May 2022 10:13, UK
London-born Jack Crawford has announced his retirement from the NFL after a decade-long career across which he enjoyed spells with five different teams while playing an integral role in the growth of football overseas.
The 33-year-old entered the league as a fifth-round pick out of Penn State for the then-Oakland Raiders at the 2012 NFL Draft having first been introduced to football at St. Augustine Preparatory School in New Jersey after moving to the United States in 2005.
He went on to spend time with the Dallas Cowboys, Atlanta Falcons, Tennessee Titans and most recently the Arizona Cardinals, where he signed ahead of the 2021 campaign before being placed on injured reserve.
Crawford hangs up his cleats having logged 165 tackles, 24 tackles for loss, 18 sacks, 40 quarterback hits, three forced fumbles, and an interception in 109 career games.
In 2014 the defensive lineman signed for the Dallas Cowboys, with whom he was granted a UK homecoming when he featured in the win over the Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium while tallying 9.5 sacks, 54 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, 11 quarterback hits and one forced fumble in 38 games (11 starts) across three seasons.
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His most productive period in the NFL came with the Atlanta Falcons in 2018 when he collected a career-high six sacks, 35 tackles, seven tackles for loss and nine quarterback hits in 16 games (11 starts).
It was in Atlanta where he notably worked with UK-born coach Aden Durde, the pair having met when Dallas' defensive line coach was present at Cowboys training camp in 2014 as part of the NFL Diversity Coaching Fellowship.
Crawford has served as a willing ambassador for the NFL's mission to further its global expansion, particularly as a leading voice when it comes to the potential of the UK's NFL Academy.
"I would say when I first got into the league that this was a vision I always dreamed of because I knew there were guys that had what it takes to not just play NFL football but get their D1 scholarship, which I think is the most important part," Crawford told Sky Sports back in October.
"I've been so focused on my own career and just the NFL week to week, keeping my job, that I haven't had a chance to see how far it's come and to see it now it's crazy."
