Former Falcons TE Announces Retirement from NFL After 7 Seasons

After a productive seven-year NFL career, former Atlanta Falcons tight end Hayden Hurst announced his retirement from professional football on Monday.

In a post made to his personal Instagram page, Hurst thanked Falcons fans for their support throughout his time in Atlanta.

"To all the fans in the cities I played in thank you for supporting me along the way and I hope I represented your hometown well," Hurst said. "From Columbia to Baltimore, Atlanta, Charlotte, Cincinnati and Los Angeles I got to see the world! I'm truly at peace announcing my retirement today..."

Throughout his NFL career, Hurst appeared in 79 games while making 39 starts, catching 195 passes for 1,902 yards and 15 touchdowns. Besides Atlanta, he also spent time with the Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Los Angeles Chargers and Carolina Panthers.

After serving as a reliable contributor through his first five NFL seasons, Hurst's career was slowed by a concussion during the 2023 season that caused post-traumatic amnesia, ultimately landing him on injured reserve and preventing him from starting another game for the rest of his career. The symptoms came from a hit he suffered against the Chicago Bears, ultimately resulting in him having no recollection of the game and short-term memory loss for the weeks following the injury.

A Look At His Time In Atlanta

Former Atlanta Falcons tight end Hayden Hurst has stepped away from the game at 32 years old | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Hurst played the best football of his NFL career during his time with the Falcons, recording 82 catches for 792 yards and eight receiving touchdowns throughout his two seasons in Atlanta.

He formed a strong connection with former starting quarterback and now-team president Matt Ryan during the 2020 campaign, allowing him to catch a career-high 56 passes for 571 yards and six touchdowns while appearing in 16 games and making nine starts.

The best game of his Falcons career came against the Dallas Cowboys in Sept. 2020, when he caught five of his eight targets for 72 yards and a touchdown during Atlanta's 40-39 loss to Dallas.

During his time in Atlanta, Hurst earned praise for his versatility and willingness to contribute in multiple roles within the offense.

"His willingness to embrace the role has been fantastic," Falcons tight ends coach Justin Peele said. "He can run. He has good speed and quickness. He can play at the line of scrimmage and has the mentally that he can block and wants to get better there. He has done a great job."