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ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting that Texans tight end C.J. Fiedorowicz may be forced to retire at the age of 26 because of his numerous concussions.
After at least four concussions the past two seasons, Texans’ TE C.J. Fiedorowicz might be done playing in NFL at the age of 26, per sources.https://t.co/nURv0Gslio
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 10, 2017
Fiedorowicz has suffered four concussions over the last two years, and three just in 2017 alone. The Texans apparently saw this pattern as a possibility before the season started when they built a “concussion clause” into his new contract, Schefter says:
“There was concern that Fiedorowicz could be forced into an early retirement even before he left last Sunday's loss to the Tennessee Titans with a concussion. When the Texans awarded him a three-year, $21.5 million contract extension last summer that included $10 million guaranteed, they included a de-escalator that would bring down his base salary by $2.8 million if he were to be cut as a result of a pre-existing condition such as a concussion.”
We do not know for sure whether Fiedorowicz will ever put the pads on again. If he doesn’t, we here at BRB send all of our thoughts and prayers his way. It’s never easy to have your career end not on your own terms, and it is even harder when that retirement is due to something you cannot control.
Stay strong, C.J.