A.J. Hawk is back with the Green Bay Packers.
Fortunately, this time it’s only temporary. Hawk and the Packers announced that the linebacker would retire with the team, on Tuesday.
Hawk had initially announced he was retiring several months ago. He spent nine season with the Packers before playing 2015 in Cincinnati and having a cup of coffee with Atlanta in 2016.
Hawk is one of the most divisive players in Packers’ history.
Some people loved him and others hated him. The primary bone of contention for the latter was that Hawk never lived up to his status as a No. 5 overall draft pick. With a pick that lofty, you expect All Pros and Pro Bowls. Hawk’s list of career honors include being named a Pro Bowl alternate in 2011.
That’s it.
Hawk did lead the Packers in tackles five times, which some might point out is because he liked to dive on piles after the fact. However, for better or worse, the guy was always healthy and he always played hard. He was a team-first guy.
Pretty simply, he was physically limited though.
Honestly, I think we all believe A.J. Hawk is a great guy, but we don’t all believe he was a great football player. However, if he wants to retire as a Packer, then he should have that right.