Former Miami Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard called it a career Wednesday night, abruptly announcing his retirement after four games with the Indianapolis Colts.
“When I was away from the game in 2024, I fell in love with taking my kids to school, doing activities with them and watching them grow up,” a statement posted by Howard reads, in part. “Up to that point I had always put my family after football. I’m no longer willing to do so. So today I am retiring from the National Football League.”
The Dolphins drafted Howard in the second round of the 2016 NFL draft and he started 99 games over eight seasons with the team. Howard earned four trips to the Pro Bowl in his career and twice led the league in interceptions.
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His 10 picks during the 2020 season earned him the third most votes for NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Trevon Diggs of the Dallas Cowboys is the only other NFL player in the last 15 years to record double-digit interceptions in a season.
The Dolphins cut ties with Howard after the 2023 season in a move to clear cap space and the cornerback sat out all of 2024.
Howard’s return to the NFL as a member of the Colts started with a strong performance against the Dolphins in Week 1 that included a fumble recovery for Howard and a little post game shade directed at Tua Tagovailoa. But he struggled for the rest of September. Howard allowed a 139.2 passer rating when targeted in coverage and his 36.1 grade from Pro Football Focus was among the worst in the league.
With chatter that Howard was soon to be benched, he has instead called it a career.
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This article originally appeared on Dolphins Wire: Former Dolphins CB Xavien Howard retires after 4 games with the Colts