Kenyan Drake retires from the NFL after eight seasons

Kenyan Drake is retiring from the NFL, the former running back announced on social media Friday afternoon.

“It’s been an incredible ride,” he wrote on Instagram. “Hard to believe 8 seasons have come and gone. I’ve loved the journey — the wins, the moments big and small, the comradery, the energy, all of it […] Ready to enjoy a little retirement and see where the next chapter takes me. Thanks to everyone that was along for the ride with me — wouldn’t change a thing.”

After being drafted in the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft by the Dolphins out of Alabama, Drake, 30, spent eight seasons in the league, totaling 3,866 rushing yards and 41 total touchdowns. 

He spent four years in Tuscaloosa with the Crimson Tide under head coach Nick Saban, winning the 2012 and 2015 national championships. 

Drake spent his first three-plus NFL seasons in Miami — most notably scoring the winning touchdown on the “Miami Miracle” against the Patriots in 2018 — before being dealt to the Cardinals at the 2019 trade deadline, kicking off perhaps the best stretch of his career. 

In eight games with Arizona in 2019, Drake ran for eight touchdowns and 643 yards. 

A year later, Drake had a career year for the Cardinals, reaching the end zone 10 times with 955 yards on the ground. 

He parlayed that season into a two-year, $14.5 million contract with the Raiders, although Las Vegas would release him in August 2022 after just one season in Sin City. 

Drake played the 2022 season with the Ravens before bouncing around in 2023 in stints with the Colts, Browns, Packers and a second stop in Baltimore. 

“It felt like the right time,” Drake told NFL insider Josina Anderson.

“I love the game, but I don’t love the business. I’m at peace with the decision. I’m healthy and ready to start the next chapter of my life.”