WASHINGTON — Chad Henne is ending his nearly 15-year NFL career on a high note. The backup quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs announced his retirement late Sunday night, hours after his team won the Super Bowl.
"Calling it a career. Capping it off with @budlight and another ring," Henne wrote on Instagram, sharing a photo of himself grinning on the confetti-covered field.
Henne, 37, joined the NFL in 2008 and was a starter at various points earlier in his career with the Dolphins and Jaguars. The University of Michigan alum backed up Chiefs' QB Patrick Mahomes for five seasons and proved his worth at a handful of critical games, including this year's playoffs.
Mahomes left the team’s AFC divisional round game against the Jaguars with an ankle injury in the second quarter and Henne entered, completing 5 of 7 passes during a 98-yard touchdown drive.
Mahomes returned after halftime, but those seven points proved crucial. The Chiefs edged the Jags 27-20.
Henne didn't play in either of his team's Super Bowl victories, though it looked likelier this year — Mahomes' ankle was reinjured late in the first half.
“You put your ego aside,” Henne said in the week leading up to the Super Bowl. “Every time you walk into the room, even though you want to be the starter, you’ve got to understand your role. There’s only 32 starting quarterbacks in the league and they're pretty darn good. If you can be the next guy in line, that’s pretty good, too.”
Well-wishes for Henne rolled in Sunday night from his team and fellow athletes across the league.
"Congratulations on an incredible career," the Chiefs' official Instagram account commented. "Thank you for everything you’ve done for us."
Henne has two children with his wife, Brittany. Asked before the Super Bowl about his plans for the future, he said any decision would have a lot to do with his family.
"We'll see," Henne told Fox 43 in his home state of Pennsylvania. "I mean, I'll have to talk to my family after the season and see where we're at... My kids are nine and seven right now, our roots will be back in Pennsylvania once I'm done."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.