The New Orleans Saints announced Thursday, Aug. 29 that they have re-signed tackle Jermon Bushrod, with Bushrod announcing his retirement from pro football.
Bushrod, 6 feet 5, 315 pounds, closes out a 12-year NFL career that started when he was originally selected by the Saints in the fourth round (125th overall) of the 2007 NFL Draft out of Towson. After serving as a reserve in his first two seasons, Bushrod abruptly became the club's starting left tackle in the 2009 preseason. He shined in the spot, opening 14 of 15 games at left tackle and all three postseason contests for the Super Bowl XLIV champions. That season, the Saints offensive line won the Madden Most Valuable Protectors Award. In 2010, Bushrod opened all 16 regular season games for the first time in his career, anchoring an offense that finished sixth in the NFL. In 2011, Bushrod was selected to his first career Pro Bowl, starting all 16 games, blocking for a Saints offense that set an NFL single-season record with 7,474 total net yards, winning the Madden Protectors Award for the second time in three years. In 2012, Bushrod was selected to his second consecutive Pro Bowl, blocking for the NFL's second-ranked offensive offensively and third in scoring. After spending the next five seasons with the Chicago Bears (2013-15) and Miami Dolphins (2016-17), Bushrod returned to New Orleans in 2018, playing in 11 regular season contests with six starts, five at left tackle and one as a jumbo tight end. In the six contests where Bushrod filled in for Terron Armstead, the Saints posted a 5-1 record. Bushrod was also selected by his teammates in a vote as the team winner of the 2018 Ed Block Courage Award.
Over the course of his 12-year NFL career, Bushrod appeared in 145 games with 128 starts at multiple positions, including 100 at left tackle. 77 of those appearances came as a Saints with 68 in the starting lineup. In the postseason, he appeared in nine contests with seven starts, all but one game played/started occurring as New Orleans reached the playoffs in four of the five seasons where he had starts, capturing Super Bowl XLIV and advancing to the NFC Championship twice.
During his NFL career, particularly with the Saints, the Virginia native gave back significantly both to his home state and to the community where he played the majority of his playing tenure. Among the many community appearances he would participate in as a Saints, Bushrod and his Saints offensive line teammates annually sponsored a holiday bike drive for underprivileged youth during the Christmas season. He also held an annual golf tournament to help award scholarships with the proceeds for student athletes from his hometown of King George, Va.
