The retirement of a Seattle Seahawks legend and current Washington Commanders linebacker finally arrived on Monday with the announcement that… special teamer Nick Bellore was hanging up the cleats.
What, did you think I was referring to someone else?
No, the one-time fan favorite and do-it-all man from Central Michigan called it a career and was added to the reserve/retired list by the Commanders. If Bellore unretires, the Commanders still hold his contractual rights.
Bellore spent five seasons with
the Seahawks, the longest tenure of the journeyman’s career, serving as a linebacker and fullback during his time under Pete Carroll.
A two-time Pro Bowler (2020 and 2023), Bellore recorded 65 of his career 280 tackles in Seattle while forcing one fumble and recovering two. He also grabbed his lone career interception during his time with the San Francisco 49ers against the Seahawks, picking off then-Seahawks backup Trevone Boykin in garbage time of a 37-18 Seahawks’ win.
During his time on offense, Bellore caught two touchdowns across 15 seasons in the NFL. One of which came with the Seahawks in an underwhelming 27-13 loss to the Arizona Cardinals in 2019.
While Bellore was a favorite of those who enjoyed gritty special teams play, he endeared himself to Seahawks fans primarily off the field. Between his interestingly photoshopped tweets, taking comedic jabs at teammates over Twitter or his short-lived “Between Two Bellores” parody series on the Seahawks’ YouTube channel, Bellore was putting in overtime to make sure fans of the era remembered his name.
Bellore was released by the Seahawks in 2024 and found a new home in Washington, where he continued to make an impact on special teams for Dan Quinn’s team. In March of last year, Bellore signed a two-year extension. However, he’s called it a career after 15 years in the league, leaving him more than enough time to pick up his passion for comedy.
