Jets’ Jordan Travis makes career-defining decision

Pockets of New York Jets fans previously wondered if the club not selecting a quarterback during the 2025 NFL Draft showed that 2024 fifth-round pick Jordan Travis could be part of the team’s active roster later this year. 

That won’t be the case, as Travis confirmed on Wednesday that he’s retiring due to complications related to the significant left leg injury he suffered while playing for Florida State in the fall of 2023. 

“On Nov. 18, 2023, my life took an unexpected turn,” Travis said in a statement shared by Eric Allen of the Jets’ official website. “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.”

The Jets are placing Travis on the reserve/retired list.

The previous Jets regime knew in the spring of 2024 that Travis wouldn’t play before 2025 at the earliest, which was fine since the club had future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers as its QB1 at the time. Last May, NFL insider Connor Hughes of SNY noted that the Jets were “over the moon to have Travis.”

More recently, ESPN’s Rich Cimini mentioned in early March that the new Jets coaching staff was “excited about working with” Travis. For that same story, Travis’ agent told Cimini that the Jets “tried to rush” the signal-caller back to football-related activities and caused him to experience a setback. 

The agent also told Cimini that “Travis should be ready to go for the 2025 season.” It’s unclear if the 2023 Atlantic Coast Conference Football Player of the Year endured a different setback this spring. 

“Jordan has informed us of his intent to retire due to the injury he sustained while at Florida State,” first-year Jets general manager Darren Mougey added in the team statement. “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.”

The Jets had free-agency acquisition Justin Fields and veteran backup Tyrod Taylor ready to serve as their top quarterback options before Wednesday’s news broke. On April 28, Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic noted that Travis’ roster spot with the Jets was “far from guaranteed” heading into training camp.