The NFL is the ultimate destination, the dream sold to players since they were six years old. Unfortunately, not everyone gets to live that dream. Many realize after high school that they are not cut out for it. While some discover it halfway through their D1 journey. However, for ex-Tennessee Volunteers football and Florida State Seminoles football wide receiver Squirrel White, the awakening came just 72 hours after signing a contract with the Chicago Bears.
On May 11th, Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team hopped onto his X handle and confirmed his retirement: “WR Squirrel White, who they signed as an undrafted free agent out of Florida State Seminoles football on April 25, is retiring from the NFL, the team announced.”
Moving from college star to signing an NFL contract, only to walk away three days later, is something you rarely see in professional sports.
Marquarius Malik “Squirrel” White went through all the hard work of getting signed by the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent on May 8. But his time at rookie minicamp lasted only a single weekend before he decided to hang up his cleats.
#Bears WR Squirrel White, who they signed as an undrafted free agent out of Florida State on April 25, is retiring from the NFL, the team announced.
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) May 11, 2026
The team officially placed him on the reserve/retired list on Monday (May 11). That makes him one of the fastest retirements in franchise history.
The sudden move happened right in the middle of practice at Halas Hall. On Saturday, reporters saw White being escorted off the field by trainers during the team’s stretching routine, and he never came back out. By Monday, his retirement was official, meaning he no longer counts against the Bears’ 90-man offseason roster. However, because they used the reserve/retired designation, Chicago still holds his exclusive NFL contract rights just in case he decides to make a comeback later in the 2026 season.
While White hasn’t given a public explanation for his sudden retirement, his body took some very serious beatings over the years, especially at his peak. Before making it to the pros, the 5’9 WR has dealt with multiple nagging lower-body injuries during college, including a knee injury and a wrist injury in his very final season at Tallahassee.
Some reports say that White simply just realised the brutal grind of the NFL wasn’t for him and decided to pursue some other dreams outside of football.
White was a big-time playmaker for Josh Heupel’s Tennessee Volunteers. His breakout came in his sophomore year, racking up about around 67 catches for 803 yards. He won the Orange Bowl MVP with a 108-yard performance. He finished his Vols career with 131 catches for 1,665 yards over three years.
He transferred to the Florida State Seminoles for his final year in 2025 to play under legendary offensive mind Gus Malzahn. But the football gods had some other plans for him. Injuries limited him to just five catches for 52 yards. However, he still made the All-ACC Academic Team.
With White moving on, head coach Ben Johnson and the Bears’ front office didn’t waste any time shuffling the deck. To fill the roster after rookie minicamp, the Bears signed four players with Chicago DNA in them: wide receiver Scotty Miller, linebacker Jon Rhattigan, and undrafted rookie wideout Kyron Hudson out of Penn State Nittany Lions football.
It is a wild, short chapter for White, but the NFL grind moves fast, and the Bears are already looking ahead.
However, he isn’t the first.
Highly touted D1 ballers who retired soon after their NFL contracts
It is always shocking when a young athlete spends their whole life chasing the NFL dream, only to walk away a few days after finally making it. Former Texas A&M Aggies football running back Le’Veon Moss is the latest example. He retired from the Miami Dolphins on May 12, just four days after signing as an undrafted free agent. Like Squirrel White, Moss only took part in one rookie minicamp before deciding the NFL lifestyle was not for him. His long history of ankle and ACL injuries in college may have also played a big role in the decision.
Even though it does not happen often, a few other college stars have also retired almost immediately after reaching the NFL.
Back in 2024, after the Michigan Wolverines football won the national championship, Trent Jones signed with the Green Bay Packers. But his NFL journey lasted only a few days. During his first rookie minicamp practice, his chronic back injury became serious again, and he decided to choose his long-term health over football by retiring right away.
Some players also realize later that the NFL life simply is not for them. In 2002, legendary Nebraska Cornhuskers football quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Eric Crouch was drafted by the St. Louis Rams. The team wanted him to switch from quarterback to wide receiver. After taking a hard hit during a preseason scrimmage that made an old chest injury worse, Crouch decided he did not want to continue. He left training camp before ever playing an official NFL game.
End of the day, the NFL is one of the toughest businesses in sports. Sometimes, the smartest decision is knowing when it is time to walk away.
