Jared Abbrederis is Hanging It Up

Former Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions receiver (and Badger great) Jared Abbrederis is giving up on the NFL. Abbrederis announced his retirement on Friday.

Excited to turn the page and start a new chapter! #thankful pic.twitter.com/fODfo0HiYP

— Jared Abbrederis (@abbrecadabra) January 5, 2018

Abbrederis was a hell of a story. He was a beast at Wisconsin after initially being a walk-on. During his senior season, Abbrederis caught 78 balls for 1,081 yards and seven touchdowns. This followed seasons of 837 yards and 933 yards — for a team known for running the football.

Abbrederis never really seemed to get a shot in the NFL for whatever reason. He would dominate in the preseason and then rot on the bench all regular season.

In 2015, Abbrederis caught nine balls for 111 yards. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers openly lobbied for Abbrederis to get more playing time. He didn’t.

In 2016, Abbrederis caught just one ball for eight yards. He was released off injured reserve in October of that year. After the season, Abbrederis signed with the Lions. He had three receptions for 44 yards. He was released by the Lions in November.

So I suppose the writing was on the wall. Still, it’s sad to see Jerry Abberderry shut it down without really ever getting into the mix anywhere.