Bucs’ Center A.Q. Shipley Appears to Have a Career-Ending Injury

A.Q. Shipley with the Cardinals in 2016. Photo by Damon Tarver/Csm/Shutterstock (6118228t)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers appear to have lost center A.Q. Shipley not just for this season but beyond that after the 34-year-old veteran suffered a neck injury in Monday’s loss to LA Rams.

Shipley injured his neck towards the end of the Rams game, being forced to leave the contest during his team’s final drive. The injury was believed to be a mild “stinger,” but the subsequent tests showed it was much worse than that.

Speaking with SiriusXM NFL Radio earlier this week, Bucs’ head coach Bruce Arians said that the most likely scenario for Shipley is the end of his football career.

“A.Q. Shipley appears to have had a career-ending injury,” said Arians. “And I feel bad because I love A.Q. He’s one of my favorite players of all time and was playing well for us. But I think it was a previous injury that might have just got aggravated in his neck.”

Shipley signed with Tampa Bay in August but rarely got the chance to play early in the season. He was inserted in the starting lineup for the past two games as Bucs were forced to reshuffle their O-line following left guard Ali Marpet.

Before landing with Buccaneers, Shipley suited up for Indianapolis Colts, Baltimore Ravens, and Arizona Cardinals. He has 72 starts since entering the NFL in 2009.