Five-time Pro Bowl linebacker C.J. Mosley announced his retirement from the NFL on Thursday, which is the former Alabama All-American’s 33rd birthday.

“Once upon a time, a kid from Mobile, Alabama, had a dream to do great things on the football field,” Mosley said in an Instagram post. “I followed you my whole life not knowing where you would take me. To envision myself as a Ray Lewis or a Brian Urlacher was just the first steps of this 11-year journey. You opened doors that I once only dreamed of. You gave me passion. You gave me strength, self-endurance, pain and, most importantly, being able to trust and lead men. Today, it is time to wake up from my childhood dream and share with the next generation. I spent my whole life and career building my legacy. Now it’s time to start a new chapter with new dreams. It won’t be easy. I’m here to tell you, every sacrifice is worth it. When you wake up, what will your legacy look like?

Mosley had been out of football since the New York Jets released him on March 12.

Toe and neck injuries limited Mosley to 110 defensive snaps in four games in 2024, and his backup, former Auburn safety Jamien Sherwood, led the NFL in solo tackles playing in Mosley’s place. The Jets signed Sherwood to a three-year, $45 million contract in March to keep him from departing in free agency, then released Mosley.

Mosley was a two-time All-State linebacker for Theodore High School. In 2009, he earned the Class 6A Lineman of the Year Award and recognition as a Parade All-American.

At Alabama, Mosley was a consensus All-American in 2012 and a unanimous All-American in 2013, when he earned the SEC Defensive Player of the Year Award and the Butkus Award as the nation’s best linebacker. Mosley played for two national-championship teams with the Crimson Tide.

Mosley entered the NFL as the 17th pick in the 2014 NFL Draft and received Pro Bowl recognition in four of his five seasons with the Baltimore Ravens.

Mosley joined the Jets as a free agent in 2019 for a five-year, $85 million contract that made him the highest-paid inside linebacker in the NFL.

In his first two seasons with New York, Mosley played in two games. He sustained a season-ending injury in the second game of the 2019 season, and he sat out the 2020 season under the NFL’s plan to play during the coronavirus pandemic.

Mosley returned to the field in 2021, and over the next three seasons he recorded 478 tackles, the fourth-most in the NFL during that span. He was a Pro Bowl selection again in 2022.

But before the 2024 season, Mosley signed a restructured deal, taking less money in a two-year, $17.25 million contract to stay with the Jets, who were facing a $21.5 million salary cap hit in the final year of the linebacker’s original deal with the team

The Jets cut Mosley even though the team owed him $4.25 million in guaranteed salary for the 2025 season.

Mosley played in 133 NFL regular-season games and three playoff contests and started all but his next-to-last appearance. Mosley recorded 1,083 tackles, 12 sacks, 55 tackles for loss, 12 interceptions, 10 forced fumbles and nine fumble recoveries.

Mosley is among the 10 NFL players who have reached that set of statistics in this century, and he played in 35 fewer regular-season games than any of the others.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X at @AMarkG1.