Chris Hogan Retires After Brief Return To NFL

BOSTON (CBS) -- Chris Hogan's second stint in the NFL turned out to be a short one.

The wide receiver retired on Saturday, ending his NFL playing career for the second time.

Hogan, 33, didn't technically retire after last season, but he switched careers, joining the Premier Lacrosse League. He ended the lacrosse career in July, when he signed with the Saints.

He played in five games for the Saints -- including their win in Foxboro against his former team -- catching just four passes for 41 yards and a touchdown.

Julian Edelman, who played with Hogan from 2016-18 and retired himself this year, sent his well wishes to Hogan on Twitter.

Hogan's career is certainly unique. He played college lacrosse at Penn State before transferring to Monmouth to play football. He went undrafted in 2011, signing with the 49ers and then the Giants without playing for either team. He signed with the Dolphins late in the 2011 season, but he wouldn't play for Miami, either. He signed with the Bills in 2012, and he finally made his NFL debut in 2013. He caught 10 passes for 83 yards in 2013, upping the numbers to 41 receptions for 426 yards and four touchdowns in 2014. In 2015, his final season in Buffalo, Hogan caught 36 passes for 450 yards and two touchdowns.

It was enough to catch Bill Belichick's attention, as the Patriots gave him an offer sheet as a restricted free agent to pry him away from the division-rival Bills. In three years with the Patriots, Hogan averaged 36 receptions, 550 yards, and four touchdowns per season. He caught nine passes for 180 yards and two touchdowns in the 2016 AFC Championship Game, one week before catching four passes for 57 yards in the famed 28-3 comeback in Super Bowl LI vs. Atlanta. He caught six passes for 128 yards and a touchdown in a losing effort in Super Bowl LII a year later.

After his Patriots career, he played for the Panthers, Jets, and of course, the Saints.

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• New England Patriots
• New Orleans Saints