Ravens DB/LB, Special Teams Ace Anthony Levine Retires From NFL
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Ravens defensive back, linebacker and special teams ace Anthony Levine Sr. is retiring as a player from the NFL.
Over 12 seasons in the league, including the past 10 with Baltimore, Levine became one the NFL’s top special teams players, a versatile contributor on defense and a prominent leader for the Ravens.
With his retirement, Levine will transition into a scouting and coaching assistant role for the Ravens in 2022.
“Anthony Levine is one of those rare players who beat the odds and became one of the best special teamers in the league over a 10-year span," GM Eric DeCosta said. "‘Co-Cap’ epitomizes mental grit, physical toughness and intelligence, and he has an uncanny ability to rally others. He also excelled on every phase of special teams and contributed on defense as a safety, nickel, dime and many other important roles. Anthony is a forever Raven, as selfless as they come. We wish him the very best in his retirement as a player and can’t wait to see what challenges he takes on next.”
Levine originally entered the NFL in 2010 as a rookie free agent with the Green Bay Packers. After spending two seasons on Green Bay’s practice squad, he joined the Ravens in 2012, seeing action in two games and helping the franchise win its second Super Bowl championship. (Levine was also a member of Green Bay’s 2011 Super Bowl-winning team.)
Playing in 146 regular season games for the Ravens, Levine compiled 87 tackles on defense, 16 passes defensed, four sacks, three fumble recoveries and two interceptions. Additionally, as a special teams ace, he tallied a franchise-record 62 total tackles on coverage units, also producing one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
Levine’s 146 games as a Raven rank as the 11th most in franchise history. From 2013-20, he played in 117 consecutive games, producing the fifth-longest streak ever by a Raven.
Nicknamed “Co-Cap” by his teammates, Levine captained a standout special teams unit that routinely ranked among the NFL’s best. In the annual special teams DVOA (Defense-adjusted Value Over Average) ratings from Football Outsiders, a popular metric for analyzing and comparing each play to the league average based on several variables, Baltimore finished in the Top 10 every year following Levine’s 2012 Baltimore arrival, including a Top 6 finish in seven-consecutive seasons (2012-18), a Top 3 finish in four-consecutive seasons (2012-15) and the No. 1 overall spot in 2021.
Levine has also been incredibly active serving his community. In 2017, he founded the Anthony Levine 4Every1 Foundation, which is dedicated to helping at-risk youth and their families build better futures through mentorship, educational opportunities and life-changing experiences. Through several partnerships, the foundation offers the following year-round programming to students: SAT Prep, SAT Test Vouchers, Summer Football Clinics and Digital Literacy Collaborative.
“Tough, smart, persistent and dependable, Anthony represents the very best of what it means to be a Raven," coach John Harbaugh said. "A relentless competitor and man of high character, Anthony poured every part of himself into the team. He worked tirelessly to become one of the NFL’s best special teams players, and he could always be relied upon to contribute at a high level on defense – no matter the role he was asked to play. Most importantly, Anthony is a terrific leader of men and someone who helped his teammates become the very best versions of themselves. It’s been a privilege to coach Anthony for the past 10 years, and I am grateful to forever call him a friend.”
Always willing to take part in outreach efforts and support his teammates’ charitable causes/events, Levine received a citation from Maryland State Delegate C. Branch for his outstanding commitment to community service in 2021.
“Anthony Levine has been an integral part of the Ravens, and I want to thank him for all the great things he’s brought to this organization, not only as a player, but as a teammate and friend," Ravens special teams coordinator Chris Horton said.
— The Baltimore Ravens
