CINCINNATI (WKRC) — Former Cincinnati Bengals tight end C. J. Uzomah announced his retirement from the NFL on Monday, closing a 10-year career by thanking the city where it all began.
“History has a way of repeating itself and there’s no place I’d want to formally announce my retirement, than the place that started it all for me and gave me my chance,” Uzomah wrote.
Uzomah, 33, entered the league as a fifth-round pick out of Auburn in 2015, selected 157th overall by the Bengals. He spent his first seven seasons in Cincinnati, evolving from a backup into a key piece of the offense and a leader in the locker room.
His best season came in 2021, when he caught 49 passes for 493 yards and five touchdowns in the regular season. During Cincinnati’s four-game postseason run, he added 15 receptions for 146 yards and a touchdown. That run carried the Bengals to Super Bowl LVI, where they lost to the Los Angeles Rams.
“The place where we won a playoff game for the first time since before I was born, and went on an odds defying run to the Super Bowl,” Uzomah wrote.
He suffered a knee injury early in the AFC Championship Game but returned two weeks later to play in the Super Bowl. It was a moment that defined his time in Cincinnati.
Uzomah left after the 2021 season, signing with the New York Jets, where he spent two seasons. He joined the Philadelphia Eagles in 2024, and the Eagles went on to win Super Bowl LIX. That gave Uzomah a championship in his final NFL season. He did not play in 2025.
He finishes his career with 113 games played, 192 receptions for 1,881 yards and 16 touchdown catches. But the numbers never told the whole story.
“A place I’ve met people who have become like brothers to me,” Uzomah wrote. “Cincinnati, thank you for everything.”
He ended with a message Bengals fans know well: “Who Dey Forever.”
