After 14 NFL seasons, former Bengals punter Kevin Huber has decided to hang up his cleats for good. The former Pro Bowler announced his retirement on Friday.
"On April 26, 2009, I received a call that would forever change my life," Huber wrote in a statement on Twitter. "From just a Cincinnati kid watching my Bengals at Riverfront Stadium to being drafted as their punter is something dreams are made of. The past 14 years have been beyond my imagination and I am forever grateful for the opportunity to have been a part of the Bengals organization."
The 37-year-old will end his career as one of the most beloved players in the history of the franchise. Huber went to high school and college in Cincinnati before being drafted by the Bengals in 2009. During his 14-year career, he played in a total of 216 regular-season games with the team, which is the most in franchise history. He set the record in Week 1 of the 2022 season when he suited up with the Bengals for the 208th time.
Huber grew up a Bengals fan, so it's probably safe to say that there was no one the field happier than him after the franchise ended its 31-year drought without a playoff win in January 2022 with a wild-card victory over the Raiders.
During his 14 years in Cincinnati, Huber was part of a franchise that experienced plenty of highs and plenty of lows. Although the Bengals would make it to the postseason eight times in Huber's 14 seasons, he watched the team go winless in the first six playoff games he punted in. He was also the punter for three seasons that ended with four wins or less, including a 2019 season that ended with a franchise worst 2-14 record.
As a lifelong Cincinnatian, it's almost fitting that Huber got to play in a Super Bowl with the Bengals before he retired. In the Bengals' run to the Super Bowl LVI, Huber was the holder for Evan McPherson's 52-yard game-winning field goal against the Titans in the divisional round. One week later, he was on the hold for McPherson's game-winning kick against the Chiefs that sent Cincinnati to its first Super Bowl in 33 years.
During his time with the Bengals, Huber didn't put up eye-popping numbers, but he did have a strong run. His best season arguably came in 2020 when he averaged a career-high in both yards per punt (47.2) and net yards per punt (42.8). Huber had the longest punt in the NFL that year, which was one of two seasons where he had the league's longest punt. Huber also finished with the seventh-highest net punting average in 2020, which was one of six seasons where he ranked in the NFL's top-11.
In 2014, he made his lone Pro Bowl appearance after a solid season where he pinned his opponent inside their own 20-yard line a total of 27 times (He landed 320 punts inside the 20 over the course of his career). Overall, Huber averaged 45.3 yards per punt in his career, which is tied for the 21st highest total in NFL history.
Huber even went viral once after going behind his back to avoid a block during a preseason game in 2017.
Bengals punter Kevin Huber going behind the back like he's playing street basketball. 😂😂😂pic.twitter.com/ObGV0AYl0P
— Faux NFL Network™ (@FauxNFLnetwork) August 28, 2017
After Huber made his retirement announcement on Friday, the Bengals tweeted out a video that you can see below.
The Cincinnati kid who made it big.
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) July 7, 2023
Thank you, @khuber10! pic.twitter.com/2SKiikyNe8