Crystal Lake's Bulaga Retires From NFL With Packers

CRYSTAL LAKE, IL — Bryan Bulaga may not have played his final NFL game with the Green Bay Packers, but when it came to the team he’d belong to when he retired, the Crystal Lake native left no doubt.

Bulaga, who became a stalwart at right guard for the Packers from 2010-19, officially retired in Green Bay on Thursday. The announcement came almost two years after Bulaga, who grew up in Crystal Lake and played high school football at Marian Central, played his last NFL season with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2021.

Bulaga, the 23rd overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft out of Iowa, started 111 of the 115 games he appeared in during his Packers career, including 13 postseason games. His 115 appearances between 2010 and 2019 were the most by a Packers player during that stretch, the team announced on Thursday.

On Friday, Bulaga returned to Lambeau Field, where he told reporters that his ceremonial retirement from the team that drafted him represented a full-circle moment. In an interview this week with ESPN Radio, Bulaga said the close-knit community he found in Green Bay made playing for the Packers special.

"For me, it's family," Bulaga said in the interview. "That's what it feels like – it feels like family. I think when you play here long enough and you're in this community when you play at Lambeau Field that's dead-smack in the middle of neighborhoods, everything is a 10-15 minute drive, you meet people who aren't teammates that you become great friends with ....it just feels like home and to me, that's what makes it special."

He added: "It's just a place where you want to be and that you want to be a part of and when you're part of it, it's just in your DNA and it's really hard to think of yourself in any other light than being a Green Bay Packer."

Bulaga told reporters on Friday that he arrived in Green Bay as a 21-year-old with no responsibility other than to play football. But he said he became a man in Green Bay, where he got married and had children. He said that Green Bay "felt like where I belonged."

Bulaga made 12 starts in 16 games as a rookie and became the first rookie right tackle to start in a Super Bowl, which he did when the Packers defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers. At just shy of his 22nd birthday, Bulaga also became the youngest player to ever start in a Super Bowl.

During his tenure in Green Bay, Bulaga helped the Packers win six division titles, make the playoffs eight times, and reach the NFC Championship four times.

Bulaga blocked for offenses that ranked in the top 10 in points six times and in the top 10 in yards five times, the team said. He helped protect quarterback Aaron Rodgers during seasons where he was named NFL Most Valuable Player twice (2011, 2014), a Pro Bowler (2011-12, 2014-16, 2018-19) seven times, first-team All-Pro two times (2011, 2014) and second-team All-Pro once (2012).

“He was not only one of the premier right tackles in the National Football League, (but) he was also a tremendous teammate who was key to the success of many teams,” Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said in a statement released by the team.

Bulaga finished his career with the Chargers in the 2021-22 season when he started one game before back and groin injuries ended his tenure on the West Coast. In his first year in Los Angeles, Bulaga started 10 games.

Bulaga told reporters that he misses the locker room and the camaraderie he built with teammates. He admitted that it is difficult to replicate the feeling of a Sunday Game Day, but said that nothing can replace the time he spent with his teammates, both on and off the field.

"That's literally the hardest part about walking away knowing that you're not in that little group anymore," Bulaga said.

Bulaga has again found joy in watching football, which he does on a regular basis. He also serves as a radio analyst, breaking down the Packers. He says he at times gets frustrated with the team's play but says that he will always be a Packer at heart. He said he will always feel emotional about wearing a Packers uniform and says that Green Bay is where he always felt whole – both as a player and away from the field.

Bulaga says he may pursue more opportunities analyzing games on the radio, which he said allows him to remain connected with the game he loves.

Bulaga said Friday he currently fuels his need for competitiveness by playing golf and attending his children's youth sports events. His son plays soccer and flag football, which he says gives him more joy than he ever felt playing. His daughter just started playing in a recreational soccer league which adds to his enjoyment of life. He also described himself as a "part-time Uber driver" for his children.

"Golf and kids sports," Bulaga said. "It's a fun life let me tell you."

Packers coach Matt LeFleur coached Bulaga during his final season in Green Bay when he said he finally got to see the lineman “up close and personal.” He said while expectations were not great for the team that season, Bulga was a big reason why the offensive line performed as well as it did."

“I always admired the player from afar but I got to witness it and see what he was all about,” LeFleur told reporters on Friday.

“It’s great for our organization to welcome a player like that back. I’ve got a lot of respect for him.”