# Mitchell Schwartz
**Mitchell Schwartz** is a former [American football](https://www.edgepedia.org/american-football) offensive tackle who played nine NFL seasons for the [Cleveland Browns](https://www.edgepedia.org/cleveland-browns) (2012-2015) and [Kansas City Chiefs](https://www.edgepedia.org/kansas-city-chiefs) (2016-2020), earning four Associated Press All-Pro selections and a 7,894-snap consecutive-start streak before retiring in 2022 after a back injury.[1](https://www.nfl.com/news/former-chiefs-browns-ol-mitchell-schwartz-announces-retirement-after-nine-season) Listed at 6 feet 5 inches and 320 pounds, he spent nearly his entire career at right tackle.[2](https://www.pff.com/nfl/players/mitchell-schwartz/7041)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Teams | Cleveland Browns 2012-2015; Kansas City Chiefs 2016-2020[2](https://www.pff.com/nfl/players/mitchell-schwartz/7041) |
| All-Pro honors | AP first-team 2018; AP second-team 2016, 2017, and 2019[2](https://www.pff.com/nfl/players/mitchell-schwartz/7041) |
| Durability | Started every game from 2012 to 2019; 7,894 consecutive snaps[1](https://www.nfl.com/news/former-chiefs-browns-ol-mitchell-schwartz-announces-retirement-after-nine-season) |
| Team success | Won Super Bowl LIV with Kansas City; protected Patrick Mahomes's right side[1](https://www.nfl.com/news/former-chiefs-browns-ol-mitchell-schwartz-announces-retirement-after-nine-season) |
| 2018 peak | PFF Bruce Matthews Award as the league's top offensive lineman; 23 pressures allowed all season[3](https://www.pff.com/news/pro-mitchell-schwartz-the-pff-matthews-award-winner-for-best-offensive-lineman) |
| Career end | Six games in 2020, back surgery that February, released March 2021, retirement announced 2022[1](https://www.nfl.com/news/former-chiefs-browns-ol-mitchell-schwartz-announces-retirement-after-nine-season) |
| College | California, 2008-2011, started all 51 games at left or right tackle[4](https://sidelinescouting.com/draft-guide/2012.pdf) |
## College career and draft
Schwartz played at the [University of California](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-california), Berkeley, redshirting in 2007 and then starting all 51 games possible from 2008 to 2011, 35 at left tackle and 16 at right tackle. He earned first-team All-Pac-12 and Pac-12 All-Academic honors in his final season, was second-team All-Pac-10 as a junior, and won the Brick Muller Award as Cal's Most Valuable Offensive Lineman three straight years (2009-2011).[4](https://sidelinescouting.com/draft-guide/2012.pdf) The Browns selected him in the second round of the 2012 draft, and he earned Pro Football Focus All-Rookie honors in his first season.[1](https://www.nfl.com/news/former-chiefs-browns-ol-mitchell-schwartz-announces-retirement-after-nine-season)
## Cleveland Browns (2012-2015)
Schwartz started every game of his four seasons in [Cleveland](https://www.edgepedia.org/cleveland) and improved steadily as a pass protector. He allowed 11 sacks and 65 total pressures in his second season; by his fourth season those numbers had fallen to 3 sacks and 43 pressures.[3](https://www.pff.com/news/pro-mitchell-schwartz-the-pff-matthews-award-winner-for-best-offensive-lineman) Even so, he did not fit into Cleveland's long-term plans, and he left for Kansas City in free agency.[1](https://www.nfl.com/news/former-chiefs-browns-ol-mitchell-schwartz-announces-retirement-after-nine-season)
## Kansas City Chiefs (2016-2020)
In Kansas City, Schwartz signed a five-year, $33 million contract, a deal PFF later described as arguably the most team-friendly in the NFL given his performance.[3](https://www.pff.com/news/pro-mitchell-schwartz-the-pff-matthews-award-winner-for-best-offensive-lineman) During his first four years in Kansas City, Schwartz was named an All-Pro every season, receiving first-team recognition in 2018, and he captured a [Super Bowl LIV](https://www.edgepedia.org/super-bowl-liv) title when the Chiefs came from behind to beat San Francisco.[1](https://www.nfl.com/news/former-chiefs-browns-ol-mitchell-schwartz-announces-retirement-after-nine-season)
**The 2018 season.** PFF named Schwartz the winner of its Bruce Matthews Award for the best offensive lineman in the NFL in 2018, even though he was not voted to the [Pro Bowl](https://www.edgepedia.org/pro-bowl) that year. He allowed 23 pressures all season, with six games in which he allowed none, and was one of only three tackles (with [Joe Staley](https://www.edgepedia.org/joe-staley) and [Andrew Whitworth](https://www.edgepedia.org/andrew-whitworth)) to post both a top-10 pass-blocking grade and a top-10 run-blocking grade.[3](https://www.pff.com/news/pro-mitchell-schwartz-the-pff-matthews-award-winner-for-best-offensive-lineman) Entering 2020, PFF ranked him the No. 1 offensive tackle in the league, citing an above-average pass-blocking grade in every season of his career, a worst mark of 73.8 as a 2012 rookie, and top-three finishes in PFF's wins-above-replacement metric in each of the previous two years.[5](https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-ranking-top-25-offensive-tackles-2020-nfl-season)
**Injury and release.** Super Bowl LIV proved to be one of Schwartz's last games. He appeared in just six contests in 2020, playing 357 offensive snaps with a 74.7 overall PFF grade (29th among 83 qualified tackles) and 8 total pressures allowed, before undergoing back surgery in February 2021. Kansas City released him in March 2021, a move made alongside the release of left tackle [Eric Fisher](https://www.edgepedia.org/eric-fisher-american-football) to free salary-cap space.[1](https://www.nfl.com/news/former-chiefs-browns-ol-mitchell-schwartz-announces-retirement-after-nine-season) • [2](https://www.pff.com/nfl/players/mitchell-schwartz/7041) • [6](https://as.com/us/us/2021/03/13/nfl/1615659808_147510.html)
## Retirement
Schwartz announced his retirement in 2022, nearly two years after the back injury. In his statement he wrote that the nerve pain down his legs was no longer a daily occurrence but might never fully go away, and he named winning the [Super Bowl](https://www.edgepedia.org/super-bowl), his 7,894 consecutive snaps streak, and his four All-Pro nominations as the accomplishments he was proudest of.[1](https://www.nfl.com/news/former-chiefs-browns-ol-mitchell-schwartz-announces-retirement-after-nine-season) He said he planned to spend more time on cooking and his "Mitch in the Kitch" series, travel, golf, and horology with his wife, Brooke.[1](https://www.nfl.com/news/former-chiefs-browns-ol-mitchell-schwartz-announces-retirement-after-nine-season)
## Family and legacy
Football ran in the family: Schwartz's older brother Geoff played guard for four teams from 2008 to 2015 before retiring in early 2017.[1](https://www.nfl.com/news/former-chiefs-browns-ol-mitchell-schwartz-announces-retirement-after-nine-season) Schwartz's career is frequently cited in discussions of how right tackles are valued. Despite four All-Pro selections, he was left out of some prominent tackle rankings by coaches and executives, and PFF's 2020 ranking placed him first explicitly on the strength of his measured performance.[5](https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-ranking-top-25-offensive-tackles-2020-nfl-season) He is one of the 14 offensive tackles named first- or second-team AP All-Pro over the six seasons through 2022.[7](https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/predicting-nfl-all-pros-at-every-offensive-position-what-they-look-like-where-theyre-picked-and-whos-next/)
## References
1. [Former Chiefs, Browns OL Mitchell Schwartz announces retirement after nine seasons, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/news/former-chiefs-browns-ol-mitchell-schwartz-announces-retirement-after-nine-season)
2. [Mitchell Schwartz player page, PFF](https://www.pff.com/nfl/players/mitchell-schwartz/7041)
3. [Mitchell Schwartz, the PFF Matthews Award winner for best offensive lineman, PFF](https://www.pff.com/news/pro-mitchell-schwartz-the-pff-matthews-award-winner-for-best-offensive-lineman)
4. [Mitchell Schwartz scouting report, 2012 draft guide, Sideline Scouting](https://sidelinescouting.com/draft-guide/2012.pdf)
5. [Ranking the top 25 offensive tackles entering the 2020 NFL season, PFF](https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-ranking-top-25-offensive-tackles-2020-nfl-season)
6. [Los cinco mejores linieros ofensivos de la agencia libre, AS.com](https://as.com/us/us/2021/03/13/nfl/1615659808_147510.html)
7. [Predicting NFL All-Pros at every offensive position, CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/predicting-nfl-all-pros-at-every-offensive-position-what-they-look-like-where-theyre-picked-and-whos-next/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Rugby and other football codes › American football players, coaches, and executives › Offensive tackles*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license