Travis Vokolek Retires From NFL After Neck Injury
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- Travis Vokolek, 28, announced his retirement on Instagram Wednesday after numerous visits with doctors and neurologists led to a recommendation that he medically retire due to a serious neck injury from the 2025 season.
- Vokolek suffered the injury on a kickoff return during a Cardinals-Colts game in October, going down awkwardly after a push by Colts linebacker Segun Olubi; he was immobilized on a stretcher with both arms strapped down and carted off the field.
- Vokolek served as the Cardinals' third-string tight end and core special teams contributor, appearing in four of Arizona's first five games last season.
- The Arizona Cardinals chose not to tender Vokolek a contract this offseason, making him a free agent before his retirement announcement.
- Vokolek entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Baltimore Ravens in 2023 and was signed to Arizona's active roster that December, completing a three-year career he called a childhood dream come true.
Why it matters: Vokolek's medical retirement ends a three-year career that began as an undrafted free agent in Baltimore, and his exit follows the Cardinals' decision not to tender him — meaning the league's injury toll claimed a fringe-roster, special-teams player before free agency even began. The case underscores how special-teams role players absorb outsized physical risk relative to their roster security.
