WATCH: Brandon Flowers retires from NFL with Kansas City Chiefs
After nine very successful seasons in the National Football League, Brandon Flowers signed a one-day contract on Thursday with the Kansas City Chiefs. The one-day deal ensured he can officially retire from the National Football League with the team that originally selected him in the second round (35th overall selection) of the 2008 NFL Draft.
Check out the video of him signing the papers with the Chiefs, alongside his old head coach Andy Reid.
The former Virginia Tech standout previously retired with the LA Chargers back in Aug. 8, 2017.
Coming out of Hargrave Military Academy (Chatham, Va.) Flowers was one of the more underrated defensive back prospects in America, earning a three-star ranking from a major recruiting service. He wasn’t even listed among the nation’s top defensive backs, but proved to be an immediate star on the football field with his stellar play for the Virginia Tech Hokies.
Brandon Flowers was remarkably dominant during his days at VT
Flowers was one of the rare cover corners that was blessed with the combination of the ability cover receivers and tackle at an extremely high rate. In his first collegiate appearance with Virginia Tech, Flowers made a spectacular 38-yard interception return vs. Western Michigan. Unfortunately, he suffered a fractured right fibula later in that game and missed the rest of the season. As a sophomore, he locked up a starting role in the Hokies’ secondary and never looked back. In 2006, Flowers was named a second-team All-American and first team All-ACC, after he led the conference with 21 passes defended, breaking up 18 passes, and snatching three interceptions. The Florida native also racked up 51 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and 7.5 tackles for loss.
During his junior season (2007) in Blacksburg, Flowers once again received All-American honors and All-ACC honors. The complete defensive back intercepted five passes and deflected nine others, while ranking third on the team with 86 tackles, including eight tackles for loss.
In the 2008 NFL Draft, Flowers became the highest selected Hokie defender since DeAngelo Hall in 2004. From 2008-2016, he established himself as one of the most complete defensive backs in the league and demonstrated the same combination of tackling ability and ball skills that made him such a dominant player in college football. In his final year with Kansas City, he made the Pro Bowl following the 2013 season. Once he hung up his cleats in the National Football League, Flowers had wrapped up an excellent NFL career–racking up 487 tackles, four forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries, and 20 total interceptions, while defending 110 passes.