Former Ravens running back Justin Forsett is calling it a career.
The 2014 Pro Bowl selection announced his retirement on Wednesday after a nine-year career spent with seven different teams, but he will be remembered for his unexpected rise in Baltimore during a trying time for the organization both on and off the field. Signed only weeks after three-time Pro Bowl running back Ray Rice was arrested for assaulting his future wife in an Atlantic City casino elevator in 2014, the career journeyman emerged as the starting running back on his way to a career-high 1,266 rushing yards and eight touchdowns. Those contributions helped the Ravens to their only trip to the playoffs since Super Bowl XLVII.
Forsett also became a leader in the locker room and an active member of the community as the Ravens were trying to repair their image after the embarrassing mishandling of the Rice saga. Recognizing his value both on and off the field, general manager Ozzie Newsome signed Forsett to a three-year, $9 million deal on March 12, 2015.
Despite a respectable 2015 campaign cut short because of a broken arm, the 31-year-old would not play out his entire contract as he was released by the Ravens last fall when Terrance West emerged as the No. 1 back over the first month of the season. Also spending time with Detroit and Denver in 2016, Forsett rushed for 291 yards and averaged only 3.3 yards per carry in nine games.
The 2008 seventh-round pick out of California ran for 3,890 yards and 19 touchdowns in his NFL career, but more than half of that production came in his three seasons with the Ravens.
Luke Jones
Luke Jones is the Ravens and Orioles beat reporter for WNST BaltimorePositive.com and is a PFWA member. His mind is consumed with useless sports knowledge, pro wrestling promos, and movie quotes, but he often forgets where he put his phone. Luke's favorite sports memories include being one of the thousands of kids who waited for Cal Ripken's autograph after Orioles games in the summer of 1995, attending the Super Bowl XXXV victory parade with his dad in the pouring rain, and watching the Terps advance to the Final Four at the Carrier Dome in 2002. Follow him on social media @BaltimoreLuke or email him at Luke@wnst.net.
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