Despite him saying he “definitely” feels all the way back earlier this week, former North Carolina A&T running back Tarik Cohen has announced his retirement from the game of football.
After a stellar career at NCAT that saw him leave as MEAC’s all-time leading rusher with 5,619 yards, while also setting school records for rushing touchdowns (56), total touchdowns (59), and points, Cohen was drafted in the 4th round, 119th overall, by the Chicago Bears in the 2017 NFL Draft. In his rookie campaign, Cohen posted modest numbers, rushing for 370 yards on 87 carries and hauling in 53 passes for 353 yards; he also was productive in the return game, where he recorded 272 punt return yards, averaging 9.4 yards per return and added another 583 yards of kick returns, on 22.4 yards a pop. It was in his second season his prowess as a weapon in the return game would start to be actualized, as he led the league in punt return yards, with 411 yards and averaging 12.5 yards per return. Cohen was integrated even more into the Bears’ offense, rushing for 444 yards and 3 touchdowns on 99 attempts and catching 71 passes for 725 yards and 5 touchdowns and was named to the Pro Bowl as well as First Team All-Pro.
Cohen’s production saw a slight dip in his third season, as he ran for 213 yards on 64 carries and caught 79 passes for 456 yards and 3 touchdowns; as a returner, he recorded 333 return yards but saw his per return average drop to 9.4 yards.
In a game against the Atlanta Falcons, Cohen suffered a horrific injury, breaking his right leg and tearing his MCL. He would miss the remainder of that season as well as the subsequent campaign. After working his way back from those setbacks, the injury bug bit Cohen once again; in 2022, during an Instagram live workout, the former MEAC Player of the Year suffered a torn Achilles tendon, costing him another season.
He was signed by the Carolina Panthers to their practice squad in 2023, but in another cruel twist of fate, he suffered a hamstring injury that landed him on injured reserve.
After being released by the Panthers, Cohen signed with the New York Jets in May. His comeback attempt seemed to be on the right track, with Jets head coach Robert Seleh saying this of Cohen on Tuesday: “He looks really good—definitely like he’s getting his legs under him. He has that short-area quickness. It’s just a matter of him finding that long-range stuff that he had, which is not to say it was slow but his long speed was elite before the injury.”
Cohen ends his career with 4,286 all-purpose yards from scrimmage and 15 total touchdowns.
