Veteran tight end Jake Butt retires at age 25

Butt had a standout collegiate career at Michigan, earning a first-team All-American nod and a pair of first-team All-Big Ten honors. However, he also suffered a pair of torn ACLs during his time in college, and that led to him sliding to the fifth round of the 2017 draft.

Unfortunately for the tight end, it was more of the same in the NFL. Thanks mostly to continued injuries, the six-foot-six target was limited to only eight games in four seasons. After returning from his college ACL tear in 2018, Butt sustained another torn ACL, ending that season prematurely. Complications from his injury forced him to sit out the 2019 campaign, and his 2020 season was cut short thanks to a hamstring injury.

In total, the 25-year-old finished his career having hauled in 10 receptions for 90 yards in eight games (four starts). Five of those games came in 2020, with Butt appearing in 11-percent of Denver’s offensive snaps.

It was only last month that the 26-year-old caught on with the Bears. The organization may have had an inkling that this decision was coming; the team signed tight end Jesse James earlier this week. The new addition will join a depth chart that also includes Jimmy Graham, Cole Kmet, and fellow newcomers J.P. Holtz.