Rep. Burgess Owens, a former NFL player turned GOP U.S. congressman from Utah, has announced that he will not seek re-election in 2026, opting to step away from elected office after completing his current term.
Owens, 74, said in a statement Wednesday that he would finish the remainder of his term “fully committed” before leaving Congress, a decision that aims to preserve the GOP’s narrow House majority.
“After prayer, reflection, and many long conversations, I have decided that I will not seek reelection in 2026. I will complete this term fully committed to my work in Washington, D.C., and then step away from elected office,” Owens said.
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His decision comes as a court-ordered redistricting shakeup leaves Utah’s four Republican House members competing for three seats in the next election cycle. A state judge adopted a new congressional map last year, reshaping district boundaries. Owens and other Republican officials sued to block it, but state and federal judges rejected their bids, ruling it was too late to alter the lines ahead of 2026.
Owens first won his Salt Lake County–based district in 2020, narrowly defeating former Rep. Ben McAdams, and secured re-election in 2022. Long considered the most competitive House seat in the state, the district will now be open in 2026 under the newly drawn boundaries, setting up a closely watched race.
First elected in 2020 after flipping the district red, Owens entered Congress after a professional football career that included time with the New York Jets and a Super Bowl victory with the Raiders in 1980.
Now in his third term in Congress, he is a strong supporter of President Donald Trump and has called the Republican president “an advocate for Black Americans.”
Owens said he initially ran for office to advocate for at-risk children and education reform.
“I began this political journey over six years ago with a simple question: Can I do more to advocate for our at-risk children?” Owens wrote.
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During his time in Congress, Owens championed school choice legislation, saying he introduced and sponsored “landmark school choice legislation,” with core provisions later enacted through the Working Families Tax Cut Act reconciliation package.
He also highlighted his work combating child trafficking, noting he is “presently shepherding bipartisan, bicameral legislation through the House — the Preventing Child Trafficking Act,” which he said would improve interagency coordination.
Owens framed his tenure as aligned with Trump’s agenda.
“I came to Congress with a simple ask from my constituents: to represent Utah’s nation-leading culture of faith, family, the free market, and education,” Owens wrote.
“I have been proud to fight alongside President Donald J. Trump, whose leadership exposed the insidious spread of Marxism in our country and who has demonstrated that only a proud, focused, and unapologetic America can defeat it,” he said. “His commitment to working families and his willingness to confront corruption head-on reaffirm that courage still matters in public life.”
“After careful reflection, I have concluded that to continue this work, the next chapter… would be best pursued outside elected office,” Owens wrote.
Owens said he will spend the remainder of his term working to expand the Republican majority.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
