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Jaguars rookie abruptly retires, highlighting bizarre trend
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- Jaguars rookie abruptly retires, highlighting bizarre trend
A Jacksonville Jaguars rookie decided to call it a career less than one month after signing an undrafted free-agent deal.
The Jaguars announced on Monday that wide receiver Alex Bullock has been placed on the reserve/retired list , which means he's hanging up his cleats.
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"The Jacksonville Jaguars have placed WR Alex Bullock on the Reserve/Retired List, the team announced today," the Jags wrote on their official website.
The Jaguars will retain Bullock's rights in case he changes his mind.
The move does allows Jacksonville to add another player to its 90-man offseason roster, something the team hasn't done yet.
Bullock was one of 18 undrafted free agents the Jaguars officially signed on April 26, just a few days after the 2026 NFL Draft concluded.
Bullock first played his college ball at Nebraska, where he totaled 16 catches for 233 yards and one touchdown over 26 games in three years.
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He then transferred to South Dakota State in 2025, where he posted career-highs in catches (71), receiving yards (936) and touchdowns (five).
Bullock faced an uphill climb in making the Jags' roster, as do all undrafted rookies.
But that was especially true with the Jags, who are loaded at wide receiver with guys like Brian Thomas Jr. , Jakobi Meyers , Parker Washington , Travis Hunter and 2026 NFL Draft picks CJ Williams and Josh Cameron.
NFL's rookie retirement trend
Florida State (4-4)
Florida State Seminoles wide receiver Squirrel White (4) runs with the ball during the third quarter against the Stanford Cardinal at Stanford Stadium. Credit: Stan Szeto-Imagn Images
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Jacksonville Jaguars rookie Alex Bullock is now the third in the span of a week to call it a career shortly after signing an undrafted free-agent deal.
Chicago Bears rookie wideout Squirrel White decided to hang up his cleats on May 11, just three days after officially signing with the team.
Then, Miami Dolphins rookie running back Le'Veon Moss was placed on the reserve/retired list the day after White's retirement on May 12. Moss lasted just four days.
To his credit, Bullock lasted nearly a month, so there's that.
Why are rookies retiring so quickly?
We don't have an exact reason as to why these three rookies have called it quits and instead we can only guess.
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Our best guess is these gentlemen saw what it takes to make it in the NFL and simply decided it wasn't for them.
That's really the best we can come up with right now until more information comes to light, if it ever does.
If you're wondering if this is unusual, it most certainly is.
Sure, we've seen undrafted rookies retire in the past, but never at this rate.
