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Former Bears All-Pro Officially Announces Retirement From NFL

It's a sad end to the career of one of the Bears' most exciting playmakers in recent memory.

By Jason Schandl

Nov 22, 2018; Detroit, MI, USA; Chicago Bears running back Tarik Cohen (29) celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 22, 2018; Detroit, MI, USA; Chicago Bears running back Tarik Cohen (29) celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports / Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
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Chicago Bears fans haven't been treated to many exciting playmakers in recent years. Matt Forte and Devin Hester obviously stand out as the best, but beyond that it's been a rough couple decades on the playmaking front.

One of the few bright spots was Tarik Cohen, who burst onto the scene as a rookie and then turned in an All-Pro campaign in 2018. Injuries completely derailed his career, however, and now Cohen has made the final call on his NFL playing career.

Bears News: Tarik Cohen Announces Retirement

Tarik Cohen has officially announced his retirement from the NFL on Thursday. Cohen retired from the New York Jets' offseason roster, where he was attempting to make an NFL comeback after being sidelined since the 2020 season.

As mentioned above, Cohen had an incredibly hot start to his career with the Bears. A fourth-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, his first three NFL seasons saw Cohen rack up 2,561 yards from scrimmage with 14 touchdowns. He also tallied nearly 1,000 kick return yards and 628 punt return yards — leading the NFL in kick returns in that All-Pro season in 2018.

Cohen suffered a devastating knee injury (torn ACL and MCL with a tibial plateau fracture) in Week 3 of the 2020 season, and he never played a game since. He missed the rest of the 2020 season plus the entirety of the 2021 season on IR before being released by the Bears in March 2022.

Later that year, Cohen suffered another devastating injury, tearing his Achilles tendon while trying to work toward a comeback from free agency.

He attempted another return in 2023, being signed to the Carolina Panthers' practice squad, but again dealt with injury issues (a hamstring ailment put him on I.R.). This Jets' tenure was his latest comeback attempt, and clearly he wasn't able to play at the level he hoped.

It's a sad to see anyone's career derailed by injuries like Cohen's, and this slow fizzling out doesn't do justice to how good he was in Chicago. Ultimately what Bears fans (and NFL fans in general) will hope for is a return to full health and a happy retirement for Cohen.

Thanks for everything, Tarik.

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