Buffalo Bills linebacker A.J. Tarpley announced his retirement from professional football in an Instagram post on Wednesday evening. The 23-year-old, second-year linebacker made his decision based on his suffering the third and fourth concussions of his playing career last season.
Tarpley, who played his college ball at Stanford, joined the Bills last spring as an undrafted free agent. He ended up making the Bills' 53-man roster, appearing almost exclusively on special teams until late in the season, when injuries forced him into the starting lineup. Tarpley recorded an interception in each of the final two games of his career, including the play pictured above that brought an end to the New York Jets' playoff hopes.
A.J. Tarpley intercepts Ryan Fitzpatrick for the win! #NYJvsBUF https://t.co/QQEjsIUEAC
— NFL (@NFL) January 3, 2016
Heading into the 2016 season, Tarpley had been projected as a safe bet to make Buffalo's roster, considering the strong finish to his rookie season. His departure is the latest in a growing trend of younger players with concussion histories stepping away from the game, and it leaves the Bills with a thinner depth chart situation at linebacker.