Cardinals RB pens heartfelt note for former teammate Jordan Travis after Jets QB announces retirement at 24

Jordan Travis is done playing football, and without ever having taken an NFL snap. On Wednesday, the former New York Jets quarterback announced that he was retiring at just 24 years of age after his 2023 leg injury failed to heal well and fast enough to allow him to try a comeback on the field:

"I gave everything I had to the rehab process but despite all my efforts, my leg never responded the way we hoped. After much prayer and consultation with the doctors, medical experts and my agent, I've been medically advised to retire from the game I love so deeply."

Reacting to the development, Arizona Cardinals running back Trey Benson, who played with him at Florida State in 2022 and 2023, posted this on social media:

Meanwhile, Jets general manager Darren Mougey said:

"It is unfortunate that he was unable to get back on the field after working so hard. We support his decision and wish him only the best."

Travis also received this supportive message from Sophie Pittman, a professional dancer whom he has been dating for just over a year now:

"Always proud of you (white heart emoji)"

Sophie Pittman consoles Jordan Travis after QB's retirement

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A brief overview of Jordan Travis' career

Born in West Palm Beach, Jordan Travis committed to Louisville for 2018 after initially receiving an offer from Baylor. As a Cardinal, he played only three games, completing four passes for 71 yards and a touchdown and interception and rushing eight times for forty yards.

He soon entered the transfer portal, returning to his birth state at Florida State. In his first season as a Seminole, he was deployed mainly in rushing situations, completing only six passes for eleven yards but carrying the ball 23 times for 228 yards and three touchdowns.

Mike Norvell's 2020 arrival as head coach saw him get more playing time, and he covered 1,000 passing yards for the first time in his career. 2021 saw two more firsts - he threw for double-digit touchdowns and had a winning record as a starter. He also rushed 97 times for 569 yards and seven touchdowns (the first of four straight times notching the last-mentioned statistic).

That set the stage for Travis' monstrous 2022 breakout. He completed 226 passing attempts for 3,214 yards and 24 touchdowns (all career-highs) against five interceptions and led the Seminoles to a 10-3 record, which included a 35-32 win over Oklahoma at the Cheez-It Bowl.

His 2023 season initially proved to be a continuation of that breakout, as Florida State won its first eleven games behind his 2,735 yards and twenty touchdowns in the air. But against North Alabama, the last game of that stretch, a defender used a hip-drop tackle on him, causing a season- (and ultimately career-) ending leg injury.

The Jets selected him in the fifth round of the following year's Draft, but his aforementioned injury prevented him from playing until his early retirement.