Source: LB Myles Jack to retire after a brief Eagles training camp opportunity
Jack, a seven-year NFL veteran, signed with the Eagles two weeks ago, but didn't appear headed toward a spot on the roster.
Exactly two weeks after signing with the Eagles, 27-year-old linebacker Myles Jack is retiring from football, according to a league source confirming an NFL Network report.
Jack signed a one-year deal to join the linebacker-needy Eagles midway through training camp and worked in with the first-team defense in short order. The former first-round pick played six years for the Jacksonville Jaguars and spent last season with the Steelers, logging 104 total tackles for Pittsburgh.
The Eagles also signed veteran linebacker Zach Cunningham the same day as Jack, although the former Texans and Titans linebacker didn’t get the first-team looks that Jack did early on.
That changed rather quickly, though. Cunningham had seemingly overtaken Jack on the depth chart and started alongside Nakobe Dean in the Eagles second preseason game against the Cleveland Browns. By comparison, Jack hardly played until late in the fourth quarter.
» READ MORE: ‘That’s why we drafted him’: Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean makes his mark in preseason debut
The Eagles are still sorting out the top of the depth chart at the two off-ball linebacker spots in the defense. Dean has gotten the lion’s share of reps with the starters when healthy with Cunningham, Nicholas Morrow, and Christian Elliss all working with the starters at times.
A few days after he was signed, Jack said during a news conference that he considered himself a “hustler” and was planning on going to trade school before he got the call from the Eagles. The former UCLA standout was a highly touted draft prospect because of his elite athleticism and flashed enough potential during his early years in the NFL to ink a four-year, $57-million contract extension with the Jaguars in 2019.
Still, Jack said he didn’t plan on staying idle and enjoying his earnings once football was over.
“I like to work,” Jack said. “I just couldn’t sit at home. I’ve been blessed to make a lot of money, so I could just retire and sit at the house, but I’m too bored. My mind is too much. So I just want to be innovative. I don’t know, if a zombie apocalypse happens, I want to be able to build something or fix something.”
Jack retires with 617 total tackles, three interceptions, and two forced fumbles.