P Shane Lechler Retires From NFL

Shane Lechler is hanging up his cleats. The veteran punter held a “retirement party” last night to celebrate the end of his career, reports Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter). Former NFL punter Pat McAfee also tweeted the news.

Following a standout career at Texas A&M, the punter entered the league as a fifth-round pick in the 2000 draft. He spent the first 13 seasons of his career with the Raiders before moving on to the Texans.

The punter spent five years with Houston before signing a one-year, $2MM extension with the organization last offseason. The team ended up releasing Lechler towards the end of the preseason, but the veteran made it clear that he wasn’t planning on immediately retiring. However, the 18-year veteran didn’t end up generating any reported interest as a free agent.

Either way, the 42-year-old will retire as one of the top punters in NFL history. Lechler’s accolades speak for themselves: he was a seven-time Pro Bowler, six-time first-team All-Pro, three-time second-team All-Pro, and the 2009 Golden Toe Award winner (via Pro Football Weekly). Lechler was also named to the NFL 2000s All-Decade Team (along with former Bills standout Brian Moorman).

Statistically, Lechler led the NFL in average punt distance five times, and he led the NFL in punting yards four times. He owns the all-time record for yards-per-punt, while his 1,444 career punts ranks second behind Jeff Feagles.

View Comments (9)