Five countries and a Super Bowl ejection: Bruce Irvin's one-of-a-kind NFL journey

RENTON, Wash. -- Bruce Irvin's winding NFL vocation has taken him to 5 teams implicit 11 seasons. A first-round draught prime by the Seattle Seahawks successful 2012, he's present successful his 3rd stint with the squad successful summation to his clip with the Las Vegas Raiders, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers and Chicago Bears.

The 35-year-old extracurricular linebacker is well-traveled successful much ways than one.

Irvin has played successful Toronto and doubly successful London and Mexico City. He's astir to adhd different stamp to his NFL passport with the Seahawks heading to Munich to play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers successful the NFL's archetypal ever crippled successful Germany. According to Elias Sports Bureau research, that volition marque Irvin the league's archetypal subordinate to person played a crippled successful 5 antithetic countries.

The feat hadn't occurred to Irvin until a brace of fans pointed it retired connected Twitter connected Tuesday

After Sunday one tin accidental I've played shot successful 5 antithetic countries!

"It means I'm old," a smiling Irvin said Wednesday, arsenic the Seahawks were astir to signifier for the last clip astatine squad office earlier making the 10-hour formation to Munich. "It means I've been astir the block."

Irvin was a rookie with the Seahawks successful 2012 erstwhile they hammered the Buffalo Bills successful Toronto. Both of his trips to Mexico City were with the Raiders, who bushed the Houston Texans determination successful 2016 past mislaid to the New England Patriots the adjacent year. Irvin and the Raiders mislaid to the Seahawks successful London successful 2018. He was backmost successful the UK successful 2019 with the Panthers, who bushed the Bucs.

Toronto's proximity to Buffalo meant the bulk of the astir 41,000 fans astatine the Rogers Centre were pro-Bills. But Irvin recalls much neutral crowds astatine Mexico City's Azteca Stadium (which drew implicit 76,000 fans for some games) and successful the 2 London venues: Wembley Stadium (nearly 85,000) and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (nearly 61,000).

"I conscionable retrieve they cheer for everybody," Irvin said. "They got connected everybody's jerseys and they're conscionable cheering for touchdowns and large plays."

The NFL relocated a 2018 Monday nighttime crippled that was acceptable to beryllium played astatine Azteca Stadium due to the fact that of concerns astir the grass, but Irvin remembers the tract determination being successful amended signifier than it was astatine Wembley Stadium. The Mexico City trips had their ain concerns, though.

"We had to ticker retired for the cartel and stuff," Irvin said. "We couldn't adjacent permission the edifice successful Mexico City. We had to bring our ain h2o and everything."

Before returning to the Seahawks successful October, Irvin was grooming backmost location successful Atlanta and considered calling it a career. He told his woman that he'd hold 3 much weeks for different accidental to play earlier retiring. Then came a telephone from the Seahawks, who brought him successful for a workout, signed him to their signifier squad and person since promoted him full-time to their progressive roster.

Irvin has played 24, 47 and 37 snaps successful 3 games, starting the past two, with 3 tackles for nonaccomplishment successful that span. He recorded a sack successful Seattle's triumph implicit the Arizona Cardinals past week, his archetypal since precocious successful the 2019 season.

"It's truly astonishing that helium fits close in," manager Pete Carroll said past week. "He acceptable close successful football-wise, athletically and his cognition is great. He's truly grateful to person different accidental here. It benignant of feels similar location to him. It's been truly amusive to spot him get backmost into it and he's done truly well."

Ever the unfastened book, Irvin credits his newfound sobriety for helping him play and nutrient astatine his age, saying his assemblage is recovering amended aft games than it utilized to aft giving up intoxicant astir 4 months ago.

Which means nary postgame portion connected the formation location from Munich to observe a triumph and/or his question milestone.

Irvin tweeted astir the unsocial occurrence Tuesday -- and poked amusive astatine the scuffle that got him ejected successful the closing seconds of the Seahawks' nonaccomplishment to New England successful Super Bowl XLIX.

Only subordinate successful nfl past to play successful 5 antithetic countries and get kicked retired of a superbowl 😂🤷🏾‍♂️

Irvin's light-hearted quality is partially rooted successful appreciation for however overmuch he's turned his beingness astir from his unsmooth upbringing.

"Me making it to the NFL was a large question," Irvin said, "so fto unsocial to play successful 5 antithetic countries, I deliberation that's a large accomplishment."