FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Running back and return specialist Tarik Cohen has informed the New York Jets he’s ending his comeback bid and will retire from playing football, according to a person with knowledge of the decision.
The surprising move Thursday came two days after the 29-year-old Cohen told reporters he felt healthy and was looking forward to playing after not appearing in a regular-season game since 2020 because of injuries.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team had not announced Cohen’s decision. ESPN first reported Cohen told the team he was retiring.
Cohen was one of the league’s most dynamic players during his first four NFL seasons with the Chicago Bears. He was selected an All-Pro as a kick return specialist in 2018 and made the Pro Bowl. He broke his right leg and tore his ACL and MCL in 2020 and missed that season and the following season. In May 2022, Cohen was live-streaming a workout on Instagram when he tore an Achilles tendon and missed that entire season.
He joked Tuesday he “let myself get fat” while he was sidelined and was prompted to get back in shape after receiving an unflattering photo from a friend. Cohen was with Carolina last year, but spent most of the season on injured reserve with a hamstring injury and was released by the Panthers on May 10.
The Jets signed him a few weeks later and he was in a competition to be a backup running back and help return punts and kickoffs.
“It just makes you double down every day,” Cohen said Tuesday. “Like, you just think about the difference, what you would be doing or what I was doing two years ago on this day. I get a popup on my phone — you know, iPhone got all the memories popping up — so you’ll just see what you were doing. And I was at home fat.
“So I just see now, it’s just like, man, I was fat, but now I’m running routes out here. So it’s just a blessing.”
Cohen rushed for 1,101 yards and five touchdowns and had 209 catches for 1,575 yards and nine scores in four seasons with the Bears. He also returned one punt for a TD.
