Commanders TE Antonio Gandy-Golden Retiring From NFL; What's Next?

A surprise retirement.

Jeremy Brener | Jul 28, 2022

A shocking development came out during Day 2 of Washington Commanders training camp.

Ron Rivera announced to the media that tight end Antonio Gandy-Golden is retiring from the NFL and returning to school.

Gandy-Golden had shuffled between the 53-man roster and practice squad during his two seasons in Washington and transitioned to tight end earlier this offseason for one last shot to make the team. However, it appears that he is looking to transition to a new career.

Through two seasons, while appearing in 10 games, Gandy-Golden had just one catch.

Coming out of Liberty University, there was a lot of hype that Gandy-Golden could provide height and size to the receiver room in Washington. Since the former fourth-round pick joined Washington in 2020, his production never met expectations.

The team cut him earlier this year, but signed him to a Reserve/Futures contract to keep him on the 90-man roster ahead of training camp.

"I don't like being on the sidelines. I don't like not playing, so it was just different." Gandy-Golden said earlier this offseason. "Just being able to overcome that with the here [in Washington] ... the coaches and the treatment staff just helping me out, I feel better for it."

Even though Gandy-Golden's football career didn't pan out in the NFL and with the Commanders, it appears that he has a ton of support and respect from his teammates and coaches.

With Gandy-Golden no longer on the roster, the team now has an open roster spot and just four tight ends on the team.

Published Jul 28, 2022

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.