Antony Auclair took a year to think about his future in football. Once he made his decision, he wasn’t going to turn back. Even with a formal invitation from an NFL club.
“I had a tryout this fall with the Indianapolis Colts and it worked really well,” said Auclair, returning home in Beauce after an emotional press conference at Peps at Laval University in the morning. They called me back over the holidays to tell me they were interested in putting me under contract for 2024 at the time I had just announced to Sasha [Ghavami, son agent] that I stopped playing. It was like a test, to see if my decision was made correctly. But I was happy with my decision, I wasn’t going to back down. »
Aged 30, Auclair played a total of 56 games, catching 15 passes for 131 yards and a touchdown, his fondest career memory, even if he won the Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021 .
It was such a beautiful moment. To succeed in making a touchdown in the NFL, to have his name in the big statistics book, and to see the support I received from all Quebecers, my former teammates, my coaches. It’s certain that the Super Bowl is not far away, but this game, I will not forget it.
Antony Auclair
In 2021, Auclair became the second Quebec player to win the Super Bowl after offensive lineman Laurent Duvernay-Tardif with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2019. Duvernay-Tardif, who is now 32 years old, announced his retirement from the NFL in September 2023.
After signing with the Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent in 2017, Auclair wore the uniform of the Florida club for four seasons, until 2021.
The Beauceron tight end then played for the Houston Texans in 2021 and 2022. Numerous injuries, including the recent one to a knee, however, slowed his progress.
He intends to give back to the Quebec football community by getting involved with the Rouge et Or of Laval University. He also set up camps for young footballers with his brother, a project that he plans to implement throughout Quebec.
Calm with his decision, Auclair has only one regret from his time with the professionals.
“One thing I wish I had done differently is take the time to appreciate the moment. As an athlete, you always want to do more. Sometimes you just need to take a step back to take some pressure off yourself. We are always dissatisfied, we always want to do more. Sometimes I think we could just take the time to appreciate it more. »