After Earning $135 Million, the Best Twins in NFL History Just Made a Life-Changing Announcement Together
Drafting an offensive lineman in the first round doesn’t necessarily win you any brownie points with your fans. Yet, it’s impossible for Pittsburgh Steelers fans to complain about spending a top-32 selection on Maurkice Pouncey. After all, the former Florida Gators standout has anchored the middle of Pittsburgh’s offensive line for the last decade.
And just a year after he made the leap from the SEC to the NFL, his twin brother, Mike Pouncey, followed right in his footsteps. Although the Miami Dolphins didn’t get quite the same level of player by taking the other Pouncey twin, they too benefitted from having a strong center in place.
But after earning more than $135 million combined, the best twins in NFL history just made a life-changing announcement. And fittingly, they did so together.
Maurkice Pouncey has manned the pivot position in Pittsburgh since 2010
Maurkice Pouncey parlayed an All-American career at UF into a first-round NFL draft selection. After arriving as the 18th overall pick back in 2010, he never relinquished the starting center job in Pittsburgh.
At 6-foot-4, 304 pounds, the 2009 Rimington Trophy winner provided physicality and underrated athleticism at the pivot position. Thanks to his standout play, Maurkice Pouncey racked up nine Pro Bowl berths, three first-team All-Pro selections, and two second-team All-Pro selections with the Steelers.
Along the way, he paved the path for Le’Veon Bell to become one of the NFL’s top running backs. Plus, he played a critical role in providing protection for Ben Roethlisberger, who put up big-time passing numbers throwing to the likes of Antonio Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster. His toughness and leadership earned him plenty of respect from teammates, coaches, and fans.
Unfortunately for the longtime Steelers star, he suffered some injury woes in recent years. Although he got named to the Pro Bowl in each of the past two seasons, the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team member only suited up in 13 games in both 2019 and 2020.
His brother, however, has had an even tougher time staying on the field since he relocated to Los Angeles.
Mike Pouncey became a top-flight center just like his brother
Like his twin brother, Mike Pouncey also starred for the Gators before becoming a first-round draft pick. Ironically, he went off the board three spots higher than Maurkice Pouncey.
From 2011-2017, the 6-foot-5, 303-pounder played 93 games for the Dolphins. He started all 16 games in each of his first two years in the league.
Even though he earned three Pro Bowl berths during his time in the AFC East, Mike Pouncey suffered several injury setbacks of his own. After being limited to only five games in 2016, he and the team mutually agreed to part ways.
The talented twin took his talents to LA, where he quickly became an important leader for the Chargers. Pouncey experienced a bounce-back campaign in 2018 that culminated in his fourth Pro Bowl selection.
That represented the last season in which the former Dolphins center stayed healthy.
A neck injury forced Pouncey to go on injured reserve in October, which ended his age-30 campaign after just five games.
He did not play the 2020 season after undergoing hip surgery in September.
The best twins in NFL history just made a life-changing announcement after earning $135 million
Maurkice Pouncey and Mike Pouncey played alongside each other in high school. They proceeded to become collegiate stars playing for one of the nation’s top programs. And both offensive linemen became highly-productive (and highly-paid) centers in the NFL.
But on Friday, the best twins in NFL history made a life-changing announcement together…with the help of a friend.
Former Steelers guard Ramon Foster took to Twitter to share some big-time news about his longtime teammate and his twin.
“It’s my honor that my brothers from another asked me to announce the next stage in their life. After over a decade @MaurkicePouncey and Mike Pouncey are RETIRING from the @nfl. Below are their memos to thank those involved in their careers,” Foster tweeted.
Both brothers penned lengthy messages of appreciation that paid tribute to all the people who helped them during their respective NFL careers.
Of course, their blocking skills helped them become incredibly wealthy.
In 11 seasons with the Steelers, Maurkice Pouncey earned just under $75 million. He made $8 million last season.
His twin also earned a substantial amount of money during his 10-year NFL career. In seven seasons with the Dolphins, Mike Pouncey earned $37.3 million. He made just shy of $24 million during his three-year stay in LA.
In total, the best twins in NFL history (as evidenced by their 13 combined Pro Bowl selections) earned $135.9 million.
And later on down the line, don’t be surprised to see one-half of the Pouncey twins get elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
All contract data courtesy of Spotrac. All statistics courtesy of Pro Football Reference.
