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Munich – Tom Brady got to the heart of the matter. One sentence was enough to do it.

“Congratulations Ali Marpet, you’re a warrior, it’s been an honour!” the quarterback superstar, who retired a few weeks ago, wrote under his ex-teammate’s Instagram post with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Marpet had also surprisingly announced his retirement earlier. At just 28 years of age.

And head coach Bruce Arians also chose big words to say goodbye.

Ali Marpet: A warrior and a rock

“He was a consummate professional and a rock in the middle of our offensive line,” Arians praised.

Marpet? Warrior? Rock? Honour?

Yes, Marpet retiring after seven seasons is indeed a blow to the Buccaneers. He was the prototype of the indispensable shadow man, if you will. He’s been a quarterback bodyguard, a Brady protector for the past two years.

Marpet was a guard, a rather unsexy position in the NFL, but anything but unimportant. Stars like Brady get the glitz and glamour, guys like Marpet carry them to success.

One play in particular will be remembered: In the Super Bowl victory against the Kansas City Chiefs (31:9), Marpet blocked the way for running back Leonard Fournette to score the touchdown that made it 27:9.

While the public still adores and cheers the likes of Brady and Co, Marpet and Co are the most important pieces of the puzzle on the way to a Super Bowl victory.

X-factors in an NFL squad.

Model for young players

And in Marpet’s case, role model for many up-and-coming players, as he made the jump to the NFL from Division III, Hobart College.

When you play there, you’re not really doing it because you want to make it to the best football league in the world, but because you love the game. “You have to love football,” Marpet once said, “You don’t do it for any other reason than love.”

The Bucs selected Marpet in the second round of the 2015 draft. “It’s been one of my greatest professional joys to watch his rapid rise from a small college talent to one of the best offensive linemen in the NFL,” general manager Jason Licht said.

Marpet missed a full twelve games in seven seasons. He finished with a 93.7 percent pass-blocking win rate over the past four years, according to “ESPN.” He was selected to the Pro Bowl for the first time in 2021. Someone like that is actually indispensable.

Marpet gives up a lot of money

Of course, teams like the Bucs know the importance of players who may not be major players on the outside but are essential to a team. In 2018, that’s why Marpet signed a five-year, $54 million contract.

Remarkably, with his resignation, he voluntarily gave up ten million dollars for each of the 2022 and 2023 seasons. The resignation was made out of concern for his health, reports “ESPN”. The Buccaneers were caught unprepared – and hard – by the resignation.

“I think he’s accomplished his goals, appreciates his health and is looking for more challenges. Ali has a very strong inner voice, and he’s brave enough to follow it. I’m in awe,” Marpet’s father Bill said on “ESPN. “

Either way, for the Buccaneers, Marpet’s out is one more building site in the offseason. What’s encouraging: that the Bucs found today’s top stars like Marpet, as well as other O-line starters like Donovan Smith, Tristan Wirfs and Alex Cappa, via the draft and there in later than the first round.

New Opportunities

New possibilities open up that way, though, because the Bucs increase their cap space with Marpet’s retirement, which could keep Ryan Jensen and Cappa – both prospective free agents – for example.

A centre and a guard. Unsexy. But also hugely important.