RB Bilal Powell signs 1-day deal to retire as member of Jets

Updated Apr. 26, 2022 6:23 p.m. ET

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NEW YORK (AP) — Running back Bilal Powell

The 33-year-old Powell was a fourth-round draft pick out of Louisville in 2011 and ranks eighth in Jets history with 3,675 yards rushing. His last season was 2019, when he came back a year after suffering a career-threatening neck injury.

Powell was out of the NFL the past two seasons.

“You think about all the moments, the memories,”

Powell was a fan favorite for his versatility on the field and his humble approach off it. He was also well-respected by his coaches and teammates, who praised him for his professionalism and dedication to trying to help the Jets win.

“I had a couple of opportunities to leave, to go play for some Super Bowl-contending and playoff-contending teams,” Powell said. “I remember one year, two of the teams that wanted me in free agency ended up playing each other in the Super Bowl. I just always chose to come back to New York because I always wanted to see the trophy come back here again. It was a thing for me, deep down, when I signed my name on that contract to become a New York Jet, that I wanted to stay a New York Jet, and that was for me personally."

Powell was quiet about his personal life, often preferring to not discuss his troubled past as a teen growing up in Lakeland, Florida. He ran with gangs and nearly died when he was stabbed when he was 16. Powell turned things around and became a star football player in high school before going on to a successful four-year college career at Louisville.

After being drafted by the Jets, he became a key member of the offense as a do-it-all running back capable of breaking a game open. Powell didn't regularly speak with the media during his NFL career, and mostly deflected the attention from himself to his teammates' accomplishments during the rare times he did interviews.

Powell finished with 15 rushing touchdowns and caught 211 passes for 1,600 yards and five scores in 109 games over nine seasons.

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