Saints Veteran Offensive Lineman Calls It A Career, Announces Retirement

Saints offensive lineman James Hurst has announced his retirement from the NFL.

The Saints will need to look for another offensive lineman, in addition to the questions they already have, as their veteran plug-and-play James Hurst has announced his retirement from the NFL. He announced the news via his personal Instagram on Wednesday afternoon.

Hurst, who turned 32 in December, joined the Saints in 2020 after spending the first several years of his career with the Ravens. He ended up playing in 60 games for New Orleans, starting in 51. He was someone the team could place at left guard or left tackle and was a starter last season.

This leaves the Saints in a bit of a conundrum, as the future of Ryan Ramczyk is already in question and the future impact of Trevor Penning is also unknown. They have the No. 14 and 45 picks to work with, and now it would appear they'll go to free agency after the draft to also get some help to backfill his spot.

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