Revenge of the Birds
A lot of players come and go in the NFL. Usually when they hang up their cleats, it is because their roster options have dried up and their agent’s phone stopped ringing.
Not true for Travis Vokolek, a former Arizona Cardinals tight end. He is retiring at the age of 28 due to a serious neck injury he suffered last year in Week 6 on the road against the Indianapolis Colts, according to Tyler Drake of ArizonaSports.com.
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In the play, Vokolek was pushed by Colts linebacker Segun Olubi on a kickoff. Vokolek then landed wrong and hit the ground awkwardly. The stretcher was summoned with both of his arms strapped down, and was taken off the field via the medical cart.
He was listed on the depth chart as the TE3 who had duties on special teams mainly. He did have some offensive time in four of the first five games of the 2025 season. He ended the year with 32 offensive snaps and 45 special teams plays. Vololek played for the Cardinals for three seasons.
Vololek gave a detailed description of his football life on Instagram, and what led to his decision to retire from professional football.
He ended up on IR, one of 24 rostered players who found this list their new home, and the Cardinals did not tender him a contract this offseason, making him a free agent.
After a decent college career at Nebraska, he was not selected in the 2023 NFL draft and then signed with the Baltimore Ravens. He was a last-day cut, then signed to their practice squad. Later in the season, the Cardinals claimed him off Baltimore’s practice squad after an injury to Geoff Swaim. He made Arizona’s roster in both the 2024 and 2025 seasons.
