Concussions Force 26-Year-Old Texans TE C.J. Fiedorowicz to Retire

C.J. Fiedorowicz had three concussions last season.

Texans tight end C.J. Fiedorowicz has retired after four seasons in the NFL due to concussions. 

Houston officially placed Fiedorowicz on the reserve/retired list on Thursday. 

The 26-year-old was a third-round pick in 2014 and signed a three-year, $21.5 million contract extension in August. His contract was reworked when he retired to reduce his cap hit, the Houston Chronicle reported.

“Originally due a $5 million base salary for this season, Fiedorowicz had a mechanism in his deal to reduce his salary by $2.8 million if the deal was terminated due to a pre-existing condition like concussions,” according to the Chronicle. 

Fiedorowicz had three concussions during the 2017 season. The first came in the preseason and he was placed on injured reserve after suffering a second in Houston’s season opener. He was activated off IR in November and played four games before a third concussion landed him on IR again. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported at the time that the concussions could threaten Fiedorowicz’s career. 

Fiedorowicz had a career year in 2016, catching 54 passes for 559 yards in 15 games.