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Marcel Louis-JacquesESPN
MIAMI — Former offensive lineman Mike Pouncey signed a one-day contract with the team that drafted him, ensuring he retires a member of the Miami Dolphins.
The 2011 first-round pick spent seven seasons with the Dolphins, making three Pro Bowls before signing with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2018, where he made a fourth Pro Bowl. Pouncey announced his retirement alongside his twin brother, Maurkice, in 2021.
The former Florida Gator still lives in South Florida and owns a distillery with Maurkice in Allapattah. Speaking to local media from the Dolphins training facility in Miami Gardens, Pouncey was noticeably trimmer; he said he currently weighs 228 pounds — down 70 pounds from his playing weight.
“I feel awesome,” he said. “You know what it was, me and my brother retired at the same time. A lot of the times when you get so used to being in a routine, we just challenge ourselves and said, ‘Let’s drop this weight and see how fast we can do it.’
“The process for us was just stop eating like linemen. … They ask all the time, ‘How do you guys eat?’ and I say, ‘Like rabbits.’ They say, ‘What do you mean?’ and I say, ‘Well back when we were playing, we ate like pigs.'”
Pouncey’s legacy with the Dolphins off the field was complicated, considering his role in Bullygate in 2013. While he didn’t directly acknowledge that during his news conference Thursday, Pouncey noted his maturation over the course of his NFL career.
“If I thought how I think now, I’d still be with the Dolphins,” he said. “I look back at it like, dang man — if I was just a little bit more mature when I was playing. That’s what’s part of what makes you a good player, is that edge you bring. I have no regret of what I did here. Very proud of my career that I had here. Now, I just try to be looked at in a different light. It’s been awesome, we’ve enjoyed retirement life so far.”
Pouncey said he missed the routine of collectively doing something with his teammates and friends but doesn’t miss much else about his playing days.
He has found time to enjoy the Dolphins’ recent success since his retirement in 2021, starting with the new practice facility that opened in 2021 and second-year head coach Mike McDaniel.
“Coach McDaniel brought excitement to the Dolphins,” he said. “I was a real fan, I was tailgating in the parking lot. I’m excited for this year, we’re going to be around a lot more.”