Packers Rookie Announces Sudden Retirement 2 Weeks After NFL Draft

The 2024 NFL Draft has come and gone, and the players who were not lucky enough to have been drafted by a team have gone on to be signed as undrafted free agents. One of those players is offensive lineman Trente Jones, who was signed by the Green Bay Packers a short two weeks ago.

Despite being an undrafted free agent, Jones was a member of the national championship-winning Michigan Wolverines team who made 15 starts in 2023. Jones worked his way to the starting right tackle position after he arrived in 2019.

Read more: Former Wide Receiver Becomes First NFL Player to Play Professional Basketball

Jones was facing an uphill battle to make the 53-man roster, but many believed he was the right kind of player to do just that. Sadly, his hopes of playing in the NFL long-term are now over, as the rookie announced his surprising retirement via social media.

Jones starts the video by stating, "I didn't know this was going to be a turning point in my career, but I did injure my back. And it's one of those things where it's like you either make the decision to keep pushing and possibly get cut and also hurt your back. Or you could try to do this and try to do that and try to push through it and end up messing up your back forever. Or none of those things happen and you play for 10 to 15 years."

Jones then weighs his options. He could attempt to come back to the NFL after healing. However, he concludes, "I made the decision to leave football. It's kind of like a medical retirement. But it is also a situation where I could, in theory, come back to football at some point."

Jones does sound a bit hopeful of the idea that he could return to football after getting well, but he also hurt his back to a degree that was enough for him to walk away from the game of football. Back issues are certainly very serious and scary. Once irreparable damage is done, it's hard to get it right without extensive surgery.

Read more: Veteran RB Officially Announces Retirement From NFL

At 23, Jones is young enough to dream of returning to the NFL once he gets the proper care and healing. He wouldn't be the first player to be medically retired and later come back to football. Miami Dolphins defensive end Jaelen Phillips medically retired in 2018 after sustaining several concussions at UCLA. He returned to football a mere year later at the University of Miami. He has since been drafted and has had a stellar career with the Dolphins.

Jones might just need rest and relaxation to allow his back to heal and become stronger. Then again, he does have a huge presence on social media and could pivot to an professional influencer-type role moving forward.