Philadelphia Eagles player, 27, retires two weeks after signing for NFL team

Myles Jack is retiring from the NFL, only two weeks after joining one of the top teams in the league.

The linebacker inked a contract earlier this month with the Philadelphia Eagles, who were hoping to bolster their linebacker group with further experience, following five years with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He started the season as the Eagles’ starting lineup player but eventually dropped down the depth chart.

Nonetheless, prior to being enticed back into football by Arizona Cardinals safety Budda Baker, the 27-year-old expressed his ambition to become an electrician or plumber when he talked to the media for the first time at the Eagles training camp. Now that he’s made the decision to put up his cleats, he can go after that ambition.

“I like to work, I just couldn’t sit at home,” Jack said. “I’ve been blessed to make a lot of money. So I could just retire and sit at the house. But I’m too bored. My mind is too much. So I just want to be innovative. I don’t know, if a zombie apocalypse happens, I want to be able to build something or fix something.”

The Eagles were equally counting on his services, with defensive coordinator Sean Desai providing a glowing assessment of the NFL veteran during training camp. “Obviously, for a while, we’ve studied his tape coming out of college and evaluated him there,” he said.

“Watched him play his time in Jacksonville (with the Jaguars) and Pittsburgh and then got to visit with him when he came and worked out. We felt good, we’re fortunate that he’s part of us right now.” Jack, who played college at UCLA from 2013-2015, was selected in the second round of the 2016 draft by the Jaguars.