Former Kansas football offensive tackle Hakeem Adeniji, a first-team all-Big 12 selection in 2019 and starter on the Cincinnati Bengals’ 2022 AFC championship team, has apparently decided to retire from the NFL at the age of 28.
Adeniji, a 6-foot-4, 300-pound native of Garland, Texas, on Aug. 2 in training camp was placed on the reserve/retired list by the Baltimore Ravens. The move came just a few days after Adeniji signed a lucrative one-year deal.
Baltimore coach Jesse Minter told reporters it was a “personal decision” while supplying no details on the sudden retirement. Adeniji has not yet responded to a request for comment by The Star via his Instagram account.
Adeniji was selected by the Bengals in the sixth round of the 2020 NFL Draft. He spent three seasons in Cincinnati and started for the Bengals in Super Bowl LVI.
Adeniji, a four-year starter at KU, signed a one-year contract (reportedly worth $1.2 million) with the Ravens on July 25 after a workout, then was placed on the reserve/retired list eight days later. Placing Adeniji on the reserve/retired list allows the Ravens to retain his contractual rights if he ever decides to return to the league.
Besides his three seasons with the Bengals, Adeniji also played for Minnesota, Cleveland and Dallas in a six-year career marred by injuries. In fact, he missed the entire 2024 season with the Browns because of a knee injury that required surgery in the preseason.
“He’s smart, he’s physical, he plays with great athleticism and power,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said of Adeniji.
Brian Hradsky of the Maryland Sports Blog wrote: “While Adeniji was never projected to challenge for a starting role with Baltimore, his versatility made him an intriguing veteran insurance policy. Offensive line depth is one of the most important assets during an NFL season, especially for a team with Super Bowl aspirations.”
Adeniji, who played at KU from 2016 through 2019, helped running back Pooka Williams post back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons. Adeniji played in 48 games as a Jayhawk, starting all 48.
“I’ve loved it,” Adeniji said of his KU career prior to his Senior Day in 2019. “It’s been nothing short of a blessing. Coach (Les) Miles, just the person he is and coach he is, I’ve learned so much from him. … If I could, I’d come back and play another four years. So many brothers that I met on this team and so many things I’ll cherish for the rest of my life. I’m not going to take one second of it for granted.”
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Gary Bedore covers KU basketball for The Kansas City Star. He has written about the Jayhawks since 1978 — during the Ted Owens, Larry Brown, Roy Williams and Bill Self eras. He has won the Kansas Sportswriter of the Year award and KPA writing awards.