Punter Sam Koch, the Ravens’ longest-tenured player, announces retirement after 16 seasons

BALTIMORE — Ravens punter Sam Koch is retiring from the NFL after 16 seasons in Baltimore, the team announced Thursday.

Koch, who appeared in a franchise-record 256 regular-season games, including a team-record 239 consecutively from 2006 to 2020, holds several franchise records.

He holds team marks in punts (1,168), punt yardage (52,868), career gross average (45.3), career net average (39.7) and punts inside the 20-yard line (453). His 1,168 career punts are the most by a punter with a single team in NFL history.

“Sam has revolutionized the game of football,” special teams coach Randy Brown said. “He introduced the idea that punters could have different types of punts, as well as have punts designed to place the ball inside the 10-yard line and to keep the ball away from returners – who have become much more dynamic in recent years. As a whole, every punter in the NFL owes Sam Koch a debt of gratitude for being the pioneer of change on how punting is executed in this league.”

Koch was a sixth-round pick in the 2006 NFL draft out of Nebraska.