Former Rams defensive tackle Michael Brockers announced his retirement on Wednesday via Instagram. Brockers did not play in any games in 2023 and last appeared in six games with the Detroit Lions in 2022, but has made it official that there won’t be any comebacks.

Brockers was the 14th overall pick out of LSU in the 2012 NFL Draft and he was on the All-Rookie team that year with a defensive line group that also featured Fletcher Cox, Chandler Jones, and Bruce Irvin. Brockers had 9.5 sacks in his first two seasons, a really good mark at the time, but his contributions were both minimized and maximized when the Rams drafted Aaron Donald in 2014.

The two played together for seven seasons until Brockers was traded to the Lions in 2021 for a seventh round pick. He played in 16 games that year but hasn’t been healthy the last two years.

The Rams originally had the sixth pick in 2012, but traded down with the Cowboys because Jerry Jones wanted Morris Claiborne. St. Louis was able to get Trumaine Johnson and Jackrabbit Jenkins on day two, resetting a defense to build around Donald for years to come. Brockers contributions will always be overlooked because he didn’t make a Pro Bowl and wasn’t as productive as some star defensive tackles, but he was a key piece on the Rams defense when the team rebounded in 2017 and then made the Super Bowl in 2018. It’s hard to stand out when you are compared to Donald, but many players have also found out that it is easier to produce when you are playing next to Aaron Donald.