C.J. Mosley made a massive impact with the Baltimore Ravens. While he only spent five years out of his 11-year career with the team, he was one of the key playmakers on the defense during his tenure. The middle linebacker was a centerpiece of the defense, helping lead the team to two playoff appearances.
Mosley’s retirement took some by surprise, but a neck injury forced the end of his time in the NFL. Baltimore and Mosley were extremely close to a reunion in 2025, but the 33-year-old could not get his medicals cleared by the team’s staff.
It is always tough to see a fan favorite like Mosley call it a career, but it is also a great chance to reflect on the great moments of his time in Baltimore. He was one of the team’s best players, which is evident through his four Pro Bowl and All-Pro second-team selections as a Raven, and made clutch play after clutch play.
C.J. Mosley moments Ravens fans won’t let fade away
2017 Week 8 vs. Miami Dolphins: Pick six puts the game on ice
This Thursday Night Football game was a blowout. The Ravens went on to win 40-0, but the players were looking to make a statement after a controversial moment in the first half. Earlier in the game, late in the second quarter, Baltimore was up 13-0 and threatening to score again. Still, a dirty hit by Miami Dolphins linebacker Kiko Alonso on Ravens’ quarterback Joe Flacco changed the attitude the Ravens played with.
The hit would take Flacco out of the game with a concussion, but Baltimore’s own linebacker, Mosley, got the team’s revenge. With the Ravens up 20-0 but Miami threatening in their territory, Mosley made the play of the game. He jumped right into Dolphins quarterback Matt Moore’s throwing lane, intercepted the pass, and housed it for six, putting the icing on the cake in a statement win.
While this primetime moment sticks out to most fans, it does not come close to the play he would make one year later.
2018 Week 17 vs. Cleveland Browns: Game-sealing interception locks up division
This play was the perfect way to get the Lamar Jackson era started in Baltimore. The team blew their chances at a playoff appearance in the final week of the regular season just a year ago and were right back in the same position against the Cleveland Browns in 2018. Up 26-24 with a little over a minute left, Cleveland had all the momentum going and was nearing field goal range.
However, Mosley seized the moment. In a nearly identical play to the pick-six off Moore, on 4th and 10, Mosley blitzed, backed off, and tipped the ball to himself to make a spectacular interception that would lock the Ravens into the playoffs in Jackson’s rookie year. The cherry on the top was that it broke the hearts of the Pittsburgh Steelers, who, if the Ravens lost, would have made the playoffs. Instead, Mosley’s game-saving play sent the Steelers packing for the offseason.
Mosley was the engine that made Baltimore’s defense run in the mid-to-late-2010s. While he only lasted the length of his rookie deal before signing with the New York Jets, he made some of the most unforgettable and franchise-altering plays in the team’s recent history.