C.J. Ham
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C.J. Ham called it a career after achieving his decade-long goal.
While the Minnesota Vikings wait with bated breath to hear what safety Harrison Smith will do this season, another franchise legend already made his intentions clear.
After the season, fullback C.J. Ham announced his retirement from the NFL after 10 seasons, all with the Vikings.
Ham will go down as one of the great Vikings, and will always be remembered for being a great teammate and a fan favorite. And while he’ll certainly be missed in 2026, Ham knew it was time to hang up the cleats after achieving a decade-long goal.
Hecaught up with Spectrum Sports to explain the timing of his retirement, and why it was so important to him to retire when he did.
“It was always a penciled-in goal to have ten credited seasons”, said Ham. “Obviously when you first start playing, you’re just trying to make it week by week, trying to make the team every single year.”
“I had a former coach of mine–you know I came into the league 2016 as a running back so I was running the ball and scoring touchdowns. He came in my second year in the league and he told me straight up, ‘C.J., do you want to play running back in this league and probably bounce around for 2-3 years, or do you want to play fullback and have a 10-year career?”
“Once I got to ten, going into the season, I knew that this was going to be it.”
C.J. Ham Calls it a Career After Hitting His Career-Long Goal of Playing 10 Seasons
In a league that has mostly gone away from utilizing fullbacks, Ham lasted ten years in the NFL, all for the same team. He stuck with the team through multiple offensive coordinator changes, and a head coaching change as well, finishing his career with 800 total yards and eight touchdowns. Even more impressive, he only missed eight games across those ten seasons.
But what made Ham special was his willingness to do the dirty work on special teams, and his leadership as a team captain. And while his impact on the field was definitely felt, most teammates might remember him more for his impact he had on them off of the field.
Will the Vikings Look to Replace C.J. Ham at Fullback in 2026?
With Ham off of the roster, the Vikings haven’t yet added a replacement fullback, and they may not. With the addition of quarterback Kyler Murray, it is widely believed that Minnesotamay utilize more shotgun and pistol to accommodate Murray’s skillset. So as Ham’s ten-year run ends, so too could the Vikings’ fullback run as well.
How the offense sets up exactly won’t be seen until later this summer, but if the Vikings chose not to add a fullback to the roster, it would be a clear sign that they will be moving away from primarily working under center. The team hasn’t announced a starting quarterback, but all signs point to Murray getting the nod, and the lack of a fullback only furthers those beliefs.