Former first-round pick, Super Bowl champion retires as a member of the Giants

Flashing a smile and his Super Bowl ring, former NFL cornerback Prince Amukamara formally announced his retirement on Thursday. He did so after signing a one-day contract with the New York Giants, the team that selected him with the 19th overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. 

A defensive back, Amukamara spent five of his nine NFL seasons with the Giants. As a rookie, he helped the Giants capture the franchise’s fourth Vince Lombardi Trophy after New York upset the Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI. Amukamara spent four more seasons with the Giants while tallying seven interceptions, 43 pass breakups, 261 tackles, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries over that span. 

The 2014 season was arguably Amukamara’s best. Despite playing in just eight games, he intercepted a career-high three passes while breaking up 11 more passes. His interception against Tony Romo set up a key touchdown in the Giants’ October win over the Cowboys. 

Amukamara spent one more season with the Giants before spending the 2016 season with the Jaguars. He spent the final three years of his career with the Bears, where in 2018 he matched his career-high in interceptions while helping Chicago capture the NFC North division crown. 

Of the 2011 Giants, Amukamara said that that was a special team that had leaders everywhere, according to the team’s website. He was specifically complimentary of then-Giants coach Tom Coughlin, who led the Giants to two Super Bowl wins during his tenure. Amukamara shared one piece of advice from Coughlin that he continues to use in his daily life. 

“If you believe you can or believe you can’t, you’re right.”