Former Bears All-Pro retiring after comeback attempt stalls with Jets, per report

While he gave it his best shot, Tarik Cohen’s comeback attempt following various knee injuries has come to an end. The former All-Pro returner and veteran running back has informed the New York Jets that he is retiring, according to ESPN. 

Cohen, who hadn’t played in a regular-season game since 2020, had recently signed with the Jets with the hope of reviving his career. He recently offered a positive update on his comeback, which makes his decision to retire somewhat of a surprise. 

“I definitely feel all the way back,” Cohen recently said, per the New York Post. “I’m just trying to show the Jets the explosiveness that I have, the smartness that I’ve gained from being in the league, and [elevate others] as I rise — help all the guys in my position group.”

Two major injuries ultimately cut Cohen’s career short. The first one — a knee injury that included tears to both his ACL and MCL — occurred in Week 3 of the 2020 season shortly after he had signed a three-year extension with the Bears, who drafted him in the fourth round back in 2017. He missed the rest of that season and the entire 2021 season. Cohen then missed the entire 2022 season after tearing his Achilles during a workout. 

Cohen announced last August that he was attempting an NFL comeback. He spent most of the 2023 season on the Panthers‘ practice squad before the team released him in in May. The Jets signed him less than a month later. 

Cohen, 29, was enjoying a highly productive career before he started running into injuries. He amassed nearly 1,600 all-purpose yards during his rookie season. Cohen blossomed into an All-Pro performer in 2018, catching 71 passes for 725 yards and five touchdowns while rushing for 444 yards and three touchdowns. He also led the NFL in punt-return yardage while that season helping the Bears capture the NFC North division crown. Cohen followed that up with a career-high 79-catch season in 2019. 

“I want to be the player that I was before I got hurt,” Cohen said on a Rally House Q&A in February 2022. “I won’t let myself come back before I’m ready and before I feel like I can put the same performances on that I was putting on before I got hurt.”

While his career was ultimately cut short, Cohen certainly made his mark as one of the NFL’s most explosive players during his prime.