NEED TO KNOW<\/p>\n
NFL player Squirrel White retired just 16 days after signing with the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent<\/p>\n
The Alabama native played college football at Tennessee and Florida State, totaling over 1,900 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns<\/p>\n
White’s reason for retiring remains unclear after he left a rookie minicamp practice early and did not return<\/p>\n
Squirrel White is stepping away from football almost as quickly as he entered the NFL.<\/p>\n
The former Chicago Bears rookie, 22, retired less than three weeks after signing with the franchise as an undrafted free agent, ending his professional career just 16 days after joining the team.<\/p>\n
The Bears placed White on the reserve\/retired list<\/a> on Monday, May 11, according to the team’s website.<\/p>\n The Alabama native signed with the Bears shortly after the 2026 NFL Draft following a college career split between the Tennessee and Florida State.\u00a0<\/p>\n After transferring to Florida State, he played in 10 games and caught five passes for 52 yards, according to the team’s website<\/a>.<\/p>\n Just days before his retirement became official, ESPN Bears reporter Courtney Cronin reported<\/a> that she witnessed White leave the practice field during rookie minicamp.<\/p>\n \u201cI was walking into the Walter Payton Center Saturday as he was exiting the practice field with a trainer. This was during stretch. He did not return for practice,\u201d Cronin wrote in a post on X on May 9.<\/p>\n White has not publicly addressed his decision, and the reason for his retirement remains unclear.<\/p>\n One day after White’s abrupt exit from the league, another rookie player followed suit. Le’Veon Moss was placed on the Miami Dolphins’ reserve\/retired list four days after signing with the team, according to a statement on the team’s website<\/a> on Tuesday.<\/p>\n Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter<\/a> to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer\u200b\u200b, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.\u00a0<\/p>\n Moss signed with the Dolphins as an undrafted college free agent on Friday, May 8, the team’s website said, after playing 32 games for Texas A&M University.<\/p>\n