"Haven’t been this speechless in a long time" - NFL fans shocked by news of Bucs Pro Bowler Ali Marpet's sudden retirement

The NFL world is in a bit of shock regarding Sunday's news surrounding Ali Marpet. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive lineman suddenly announced his retirement. This comes after making his first Pro Bowl and protecting a legend in Tom Brady. He is only 28 years old.

Needless to say, the reaction has been that of surprise. NFL analyst Trevor Sikkema has been left speechless, in his own words.

It is hard to disagree with that sentiment because of how out of nowhere this news is. Perhaps Brady's retirement led Marpet to decide he'd had enough as well. This news took over social media Sunday as fans tried to make sense of the situation.

NFL fans react to Ali Marpet's retirement

Tampa Bay Buccaneers v Arizona Cardinals

Marpet was a second-round pick by the Buccaneers in 2015 and will retire having spent his whole career with one team. He won a Super Bowl during the 2020 season and made his first Pro Bowl during the 2021 season. Plenty of the reaction was in support of his decision as the lineman gets to retire on his own terms.

He was a D3 prospect at Hobart College and launched a successful career in the NFL. Being with the team that ended up signing Brady and winning a Super Bowl was icing on the cake of an unlikely career.

Other fans on social media could not find the words to describe what they were reading with this news. Yet praise was, once again, the common theme.

The Buccaneers are now left in a tough situation. They just lost their quarterback, All-Pro guard, and have a long list of free agents who may decide to bolt. Things are much different than last season when the front office was able to retain all the starters from the championship team.

There are plenty of NFL players who have retired with a complicated legacy. Marpet seems to be loved by just about everyone reacting to the news. The fact he was a D3 prospect leaves him as an inspiration to many. One fan even called him a legend.

Any NFL player retiring young comes as a shock. But long-term health is a key issue and can be more important than money. Marpet signed a five-year, $55 million extension in 2018 and is leaving roughly $20 million on the table in order to retire.

Could this lead to others on the Buccaneers opting for retirement? That may be an overreaction, as Marpet is following the lead of past stars like Calvin Johnson and Andrew Luck. This is not a new phenomenon, but it remains shocking to fans and media members alike.