“I’m not missing the biggest game of my life. I’m not missing it.” Former Cincinnati Bengals tight end CJ Uzomah said this back in 2022 ahead of Super Bowl LVI. Just nine snaps into the AFC Championship Game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Uzomah suffered a sprained MCL and was ruled out for the remainder of the game. However, an MRI gave the Bengals optimism that Uzomah would be able to suit up against the Los Angeles Rams in the biggest game of his life.

Ultimately, Uzomah suited up against the Rams anyway. He hauled in two catches for 11 yards, as the Bengals fell to the Rams, one gut-punch of a drive away from the franchise’s first championship. For the veteran tight end, however, that turned out to be his last game with the Bengals. Following the 2021 season, Uzomah signed with the New York Jets and bounced around the league for the next three seasons.

Now, four years after playing his last game for the Bengals, Uzomah is returning to Cincinnati. Only this time, he’s not here to suit up once again, but to call it a career as a Bengal. Uzomah made it official on X this week, sharing the news alongside a photo from his return to Paul Brown Stadium, where he sat down with the Bengals to sign a ceremonial one-day contract before formally announcing his retirement with the franchise that drafted him.

“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 me my chance,” Uzomah wrote on X. “The place I will always think of as my second home and will always hold a special place in me and my family’s heart.

“The place where we won a playoff game for the first time since before I was born, and went on an odds defying run to the Super Bowl. A place I’ve met people who have become like brothers to me. Cincinnati, thank you for everything.”

The post capped a decade-long run that began with the Bengals in the 2015 NFL draft, when they selected him in the fifth round with the 157th overall pick out of Auburn University. He spent seven seasons with the Bengals, recording 1,591 yards and 13 touchdowns in 79 appearances (61 starts).

“I was just myself,” Uzomah added. “I think I just let my personality show. I gave it my all and tried my best, and thankfully that was enough for most parts. I think (the fans) respected that in a way that I was just having fun and performing well.”

One of his biggest moments came during the Week 2 matchup against the Cleveland Browns in the 2020 season. Rookie quarterback Joe Burrow threw his first career passing touchdown, a 23-yard pass to CJ Uzomah.

During the same game, however, the tight end and the Bengals suffered a major setback when Uzomah tore his Achilles tendon. Subsequently, he missed the remainder of the season only to return stronger than ever.

During the 2021 season, he started all 16 games and set new career highs in receptions (49), receiving yards (493), and touchdowns (5). Against the Las Vegas Raiders in the Wild Card Round, he hauled in six passes for 64 yards and a touchdown, helping Cincy get one step closer to making the Super Bowl before he suffered a knee injury in the Championship round.

Still nursing the sprained MCL that threatened to keep him out of the biggest game of his career, he grabbed the microphone in front of a packed stadium, ripped the bulky knee brace clean off his leg, and hurled it straight onto the midfield Bengals logo.

The crowd erupted as Uzomah flexed and took off on a victory lap around the turf, pumping up a fan base that hadn’t seen its team this close to a championship in more than three decades.

But following the 2021 season, Uzomah ultimately parted ways with the Bengals after seven seasons and signed a three-year, $24 million contract with the Jets.

“I’ve had a difficult time putting into words what this city has meant to my family and I over the years. As I look back on my time in this organization, I couldn’t be more proud of what we have accomplished together,” he said in a farewell note the Bengals in 2022. “…You have allowed this goofy kid to be himself. I couldn’t be more grateful for that.”

Following his departure from the Bengals, he completed short stints with the Jets and Philadelphia Eagles, where he was on their Super Bowl roster. During his ten glorious seasons in the league, he started 85 games and scored 16 touchdowns with 192 receptions.

In the years since, Mike Gesicki has stepped up to fill the void Uzomah left behind, with Drew Sample, Tanner Hudson, and Erick All Jr. rounding out a tight end room that’s deeper than it’s been in some time. Should that group produce consistently in the passing game, it could be a meaningful piece of the puzzle as the Bengals look to get back to the Super Bowl stage Uzomah once helped them reach.

Uzomah closed out his farewell post the same way he closed out his time in Cincinnati, with the phrase that’s carried the Bengals faithful through decades of heartbreak and, finally, a taste of contention: “Who Dey Forever.” As he retires after ten seasons in the league, he still chose to stay connected with the Bengals as he transitions into sports broadcasting.

CJ Uzomah Reveals Plans to Retire as a Bengal

Reports say the Bengals approached Uzomah after his retirement to see if he would be interested in joining their TV programming this year on FOX19. Nodding to the proposal, CJ Uzomah would be seen in a few episodes of Bengal Weekly on Sundays from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM from Nashville, Tennessee.

“It’s not like, ‘Go talk about the Dolphins.’ I’d rather talk about the Bengals. I’m a Bengals fan, and I will be for life,” said Uzomah, who lives in Nashville. “Not saying that I won’t be able to do that later, but I think for me right now, it’s like, all right, this is a place that’s close to home, and why not?”

Living in Nashville, he could have explored opportunities covering other teams, but his preference remains clear. His next chapter may look different, but his loyalty to the Bengals remains unchanged.

For Uzomah, retirement will not mean stepping away from the Bengals entirely. His upcoming television work gives him a chance to remain around the team while starting a new chapter beyond the field.