Patriots News: Dont’a Hightower retires as the definition of clutch
It seems like iconic New England Patriots players are moving teams or hanging them up lately.
We’ve had Devin McCourty announce his retirement earlier this month. Damien Harris left for Buffalo on a one year deal. And now? We have another Patriot that’s calling it a career.
Patriot linebacker Dont’a Hightower has decided to retire after 10 years in New England. The former Alabama linebacker played for the Patriots from 2012-2021. He’s one of the more well-named players in the second half of the Patriots dynasty.
New England Patriots having a clutch playoff performer in Dont’a Hightower
It goes without saying that Dont’a Hightower is one of the better playoff performers in recent Patriots history. Look at the two big examples from Super Bowl XLIX and Super Bowl LI.
In Super Bowl XLIX, if many of you remember; Hightower was the one who tackled Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch at the one yard line on a 1st and goal call. We all know what happened next with the Russell Wilson interception from Malcolm Butler.
But look at what happened on that play. Hightower beat his guy and tackled Lynch just enough to have him go down at the one. If he doesn’t make that tackle, the Patriots lose that Super Bowl.
In Super Bowl LI, Hightower had the strip sack on Matt Ryan to get the ball in Falcons territory and give the Patriots a chance to get the score down to a one possession game. Devonta Freeman whiffs on the block and Hightower gets a good shot in on Ryan to force a fumble recovery by Alan Branch.
Again, if Hightower doesn’t make a game-changing play; the Patriots lose another Super Bowl. The Falcons could’ve easily milked the clock the rest of the game if the 6-foot-3, 260 pound Hightower doesn’t make that sack.
Just a couple examples of how big his influence was on the Patriots second part of the dynasty!
New England Patriots having a true leader in Dont’a Hightower
When you think of bonafide leaders for the 2014, 2016, and 2018 Patriots Super Bowl teams, Dont’a Hightower is toward the top of the list.
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He was the definition of a what a defensive leader was for those Patriots defenses. You could always count on him to be able to read defenses and have everyone ready to be in their coverages. Bill Belichick emphasizes intelligence and Hightower was one of the smartest players on the field every time he played.
We as Patriots fans were extremely lucky to have such an intelligent, durable, and vocal leader during the championship years.
We should’ve seen this coming after he didn’t play the entire 2022 season. Maybe we all were hoping for a reunion in 2023. But alas, it wasn’t to be!
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A man who won multiple National Championships and multiple Super Bowls should not be celebrated lightly. We should be thanking him for everything that he brought in his 10 seasons as a Patriot.
He joins the likes of McCourty and Julian Edelman as only playing for the Patriots for the entirety of his NFL career. So congratulations and thanks for the memories, Dont’a. We’ll see you at Gillette for your day in the Patriots Hall of Fame!