This is a list of transactions that occured during the 2012 NFL season.
Retirements
| Date | Name | Team(s) played (years) | Age | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 26 | Chris Hoke (Nose Tackle) | Pittsburgh Steelers (2001-2011) | 35 | [1] | |
| February 7 | Ricky Williams (Running back) | New Orleans Saints (1999-2001) Miami Dolphins (2002-2005, 2007-2010) Baltimore Ravens (2011) |
34 | Previously retired in 2004; played in Canada in 2006 | [2] |
| March 1 | Kris Dielman (Guard) | San Diego Chargers (2003-2011) | 31 | Retired due to risk of future head injuries | [3] |
| March 20 | Hines Ward (Wide receiver) | Pittsburgh Steelers (1998-2011) | 36 | [4] | |
| March 23 | Ryan Diem (Offensive tackle) | Indianapolis Colts (2001-2011) | 32 | [5] | |
| March 23 | Marion Barber III (Running back) | Dallas Cowboys (2005-2010) Chicago Bears (2011) |
28 | [6] | |
| April 4 | Torry Holt (Wide receiver) | St. Louis Rams (1999-2008) Jacksonville Jaguars (2009) New England Patriots (2010) |
34 | Signed a 1-day contract with Rams to retire | [7] |
| April 23 | Brian Dawkins (Safety) | Philadelphia Eagles (1996-2008) Denver Broncos (2009-2011) |
38 | Signed a 1-day contract with Eagles to retire | [8] |
| April 30 | Ryan Winterswyk (Tight End) | Atlanta Falcons (2011) | 25 | [4] | |
| May 7 | Matt Light (Offensive tackle) | New England Patriots (2001-2011) | 33 | [9] | |
| May 14 | Andrew Sweat (Linebacker) | Cleveland Browns (2012) | 23 | Retired due to concerns of concussions | [10] |
| May 30 | Asher Allen (Cornerback) | Minnesota Vikings (2009-2011) | 24 | [11] | |
| June 11 | Derrick Mason (Wide receiver) | Tennessee Oilers/Titans (1997-2004) Baltimore Ravens (2005-2010) New York Jets (2011) Houston Texans (2011) |
38 | Signed a 1-day contract with Ravens to retire | [12] |
| June 18 | LaDainian Tomlinson (Running back) | San Diego Chargers (2001-2009) New York Jets (2010-2011) |
31 | Signed a 1-day contract with Chargers to retire | [13] |
| June 20 | Marcus Stroud (Defensive tackle) | Jacksonville Jaguars (2001-2007) Buffalo Bills (2008-2010) New England Patriots (2011) |
32 | Signed a 1-day contract with Jaguars to retire | [14] |
| July 26 | Eric LeGrand (Defensive tackle) | Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2012) | 21 | Retired due to being paralyzed from a spinal injury college | [15] |
| July 28 | Jon Cooper (Center) | Minnesota Vikings (2009-2011) Tennessee Titans (2012) |
25 | Signed a 1-day contract with Chargers to retire | |
| July 29 | Kyle Boller (Quarterback) | Baltimore Ravens (2003-2008) St. Louis Rams (2009) Oakland Raiders (2010-2011) San Diego Chargers (2012) |
31 | [16] | |
| July 30 | Tony Ugoh (Offensive tackle) | Indianapolis Colts (2007-2009, 2011) Detroit Lions (2010) New York Giants (2011) Kansas City Chiefs (2012) |
28 | [17] | |
| August 3 | Keith Bulluck (Linebacker) | Tennessee Titans (2000-2009) New York Giants (2010) |
35 | Signed a 1-day contract with Titans to retire | [18] |
| August 4 | Robert Gallery (Offensive Tackle/Guard) | Oakland Raiders (2004-2010) Oakland Raiders (2011) New England Patriots (2012) |
32 | [19] | |
| August 5 | Devin Thomas (Wide receiver) | Washington Redskins (2008-2010) Carolina Panthers (2010) New York Giants (2010-2011) Chicago Bears (2012) |
25 | Retired due to concerns of long-term damage; came out of retirement with Lions in 2013 | [20] |
| August 11 | Alex Brown (Defensive end) | Chicago Bears (2002-2009) New Orleans Saints (2010) |
33 | Signed a 1-day contract with Bears to retire | [21] |
| August 13 | Tra Thomas (Offensive Tackle) | Philadelphia Eagles (1998-2008) Jacksonville Jaguars (2009) San Diego Chargers (2010) |
32 | Signed a 1-day contract with Eagles to retire | [22] |
| August 17 | Ray Willis (Offensive tackle) | Seattle Seahawks (2005-2010) Miami Dolphins (2011) New Orleans Saints (2011) New York Jets (2012) Kansas City Chiefs (2012) |
30 | [16] | |
| August 21 | Clinton Portis (Running back) | Denver Broncos (2002-2003) Washington Redskins (2004-2010) |
30 | Sustained 10 concussions | [23] |
| August 22 | Eric Steinbach (Guard) | Cincinnati Bengals (2003-2006) Cleveland Browns (2007-2011) Miami Dolphins (2012) |
32 | [24] | |
| September 3 | Shaun O'Hara (Center/Guard) | Cleveland Browns (2000-2003) New York Giants (2004-2010) |
35 | Signed a 1-day contract with Giants to retire. | [25] |
| September 28 | Korey Hall (Fullback) | Green Bay Packers (2007-2010) New Orleans Saints (2011) Arizona Cardinals (2012) |
32 | Moved to the reserve/retired list | [26] |
| October 9 | Kevin Faulk (Running back) | New England Patriots (1999-2011) | 36 | [27] |
- ↑ Chris Hoke announces his retirement. Steelers.com (January 25, 2012).
- ↑ Ricky Williams plans to retire. ESPN.com (February 8, 2012).
- ↑ Chargers guard Kris Dielman retires. ESPN.com (March 1, 2012).
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Ward announces retirement after 14 seasons with Steelers. NFL.com (March 20, 2012). Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "hines" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ Colts OL Ryan Diem decides to retire. ESPN.com (March 23, 2012).
- ↑ Bears running back Marion Barber retires. ChicagoTribune.com (March 23, 2012).
- ↑ Holt set to retire: 'I loved everything about being a Ram'. NFL.com (April 2, 2012).
- ↑ Denver Broncos' Brian Dawkins tweets he will retire from NFL. NFL.com (April 23, 2012).
- ↑ Matt Light to Officially Announce Retirement During Ceremony at Gillette Stadium. NESN.com (May 4, 2012).
- ↑ Concussion symptoms end football career for OSU's Andrew Sweat. Cleveland.com (May 15, 2012).
- ↑ Asher Allen retires from NFL after just three seasons. NFL.com (May 30, 2012).
- ↑ One More Interview With Derrick Mason. BaltimoreBeatDown.com (June 11, 2012).
- ↑ LaDainian Tomlinson to retire. ESPN.com (June 18, 2012).
- ↑ Marcus Stroud signs 1-day contract to retire a Jaguar. Jacksonville.com (June 21, 2012).
- ↑ "Buc for Life" Eric LeGrand Announces His Retirement. Buccaneers.com (July 26, 2012).
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 A day after signing with Chargers, Boller retires. NBCsports.com (July 28, 2012). Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "boller" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ Tony Ugoh decides to retire. Chiefs.com (July 30, 2012).
- ↑ Keith Bulluck Announces his Retirement. TitansOnline.com (August 3, 2012).
- ↑ Robert Gallery announces retirement. ESPN.com (August 4, 2012).
- ↑ Former Giant Devin Thomas hangs 'em up. NYDailyNews.com (August 5, 2012).
- ↑ Alex Brown retires as a Bear. ESPN.com (August 9, 2012).
- ↑ Tra Thomas to retire an Eagle, two years after retiring. NBCsports.com (August 13, 2012).
- ↑ Clinton Portis retires from Redskins and pro football with tears and memories. WashingtonPost.com (August 23, 2012).
- ↑ Eric Steinbach will retire from NFL, Miami Dolphins announce. NFL.com (August 22, 2012).
- ↑ Former Giants center Shaun O'Hara announces his retirement. NJ.com (September 3, 2012).
- ↑ Glenns Ferry Native Korey Hall Retires From NFL. MagicValley.com (August 22, 2012).
- ↑ Kevin Faulk announces retirement. ESPN.com (October 10, 2012).