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Ravens Flock Witnesses Emotional Moment as Pernell McPhee Hangs Up Cleats in Baltimore 5 Years Later 1
The Baltimore Ravens will begin their 2026 preseason schedule on August 15 against the Philadelphia Eagles at M&T Bank Stadium. The franchise is looking to get better in this crucial period, with big goals for the upcoming regular season.
Under the leadership of new head coach Jesse Minters after the departure of longtime head coach John Harbaugh, the team wants to impress. Before the preseason starts, the Ravens saw the departure of a franchise legend.
Ravens legend Pernell McPhee officially retires
Pernell McPhee is a person known by most Ravens fans. The linebacker was first selected by the team in the fifth round of the 2011 NFL Draft out of Mississippi State. Years after he joined them, he has officially retired as a member of the franchise on August 13, 2026. The announcement and a brief ceremony took place at the team’s training camp. Former general manager Ozzie Newsome, who drafted him years ago, was present at the ceremony and introduced him.
Pernell McPheePernell McPhee
Sep 26, 2021; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Baltimore Ravens linebacker Pernell McPhee (90) walks down the tunnel with teammates before the game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
In a viral social media post, Newsome is seen describing McPhee as a legend, “I was thinking about it: how can I best talk about or describe? And I came up with this: if I had a bulletin board and it says play like a Raven. Well, it would be a number of guys that would be on that billboard, but one of the first guys would be Pernell McPhee.”
McPhee had actually left the NFL back in 2021 last playing for the Ravens. He spent seven of his 11 NFL seasons with Baltimore across two stints, and also played for the Washington Commanders and the Chicago Bears. He won the Super Bowl XLVII championship with the Ravens and many key performances for the franchise over the years. Overall, he appeared in 141 games and recorded 260 total tackles, 38 sacks, 59 tackles for loss, six forced fumbles, one interception, and 16 passes defended.
Ozzie Newsome introduces the great Pernell McPhee as he retires as a Raven.
McPhee has been working with the team as a coaching fellow this summer, helping the OLBs.
Sam Koch, Jimmy Smith and Nick Boyle among the old teammates who showed up to support him here: pic.twitter.com/e7lfypOQj0
— Jonas Shaffer (@jonas_shaffer) August 13, 2026
McPhee is currently a outside linebackers coach at Michigan. He described how he loved being able to retire with his longtime team.
Ravens legend Pernell McPhee describes official retirement
McPhee described the moment of his official retirement ceremony on The Lounge podcast. He said, “It’s probably one of the closest things to winning a Super Bowl … just being honored as a player. You know, a lot of athletes don’t get that opportunity to go back to the organization where they started at, and actually retire there and get praised on doing that.”
He added, “And you know, it just make me smile inside, make my heart smile to just know that God don’t make no mistakes. He sent me to the right place around great people. And now I’m here and just thankful that I got that opportunity.”
Pernell McPhee has retired officially, and the Baltimore Ravens will now focus on the season ahead.
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