CINCINNATI (WXIX) - A former fan favorite of Bengals fans is retiring from the NFL.
Tight end CJ Uzomah announced his retirement Monday, in a message thanking Bengals fans.
With the 157th pick in the 2015 NFL draft, the Cincinnati Bengals select CJ Uzomah, Tight End, Auburn
The rest is history 🏆
History has a way of repeating itself and there’s no place I’d want to formally announce my retirement, than the place that started it all for me and gave… pic.twitter.com/PIOQzbMWow
— CJ Uzomah (@cj_uzomah) August 24, 2026
The Bengals drafted Uzomah in the 5th-round of the 2015 NFL Draft out of Auburn.
The Georgia native spent his first seven seasons in the NFL in Cincinnati.
Uzomah was part of the Bengals Super Bowl run in 2021-22. A run that famously included the tight end promising to take a bath in Skyline Chili if Cincinnati won the game.
The Bengals lost Super Bowl LVI, but the big tight end had already won the love of teammates and Who Dey Nation.
After leaving Cincinnati for the New York Jets the ensuing offseason, Uzomah spent the next two seasons with the Jets.
In 2024, he appeared in seven games for the Philadelphia Eagles and was part of the team’s Super Bowl winning roster.
He did not play in the 2025 season.
Now, Uzomah is back in Cincinnati to officially retire as a Bengal.
"I was just myself."
CJ Uzomah returned to retire as a Cincinnati Bengal.
Here's his 60 second answer why he feels like he connected so well in what he calls his second home. pic.twitter.com/ECUirEOyIg
— Joe Danneman (@FOX19Joe) August 24, 2026
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