Injured Florida State Quarterback Drafted by the Jets Retires From NFL as Recovery Stalls

The Jets picked Jordan Travis despite a leg injury in his final season at Florida State. ‘It is crazy how fast life can change,’ he said.

Jordan Travis of the New York Jets looks on before a preseason game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium on Aug. 24, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. Luke Hales/Getty Images

Former Florida State quarterback Jordan Travis has retired from football.

Travis led the Seminoles to an 11-0 record and contention for a spot in the 2024 College Football Playoff before suffering a gruesome injury. Despite this, the New York Jets drafted him in the fifth round on the hope that he would recover. But after consulting with medical personnel, Travis decided to retire.

“Jordan has informed us of his intent to retire due to the injury he sustained while at Florida State,” Jets general manager Darren Mougey said in a statement on the team’s website. “It is unfortunate that he was unable to get back on the field after working so hard. We support his decision and wish him only the best.”

In a statement of his own, handwritten and posted as an image to X (formerly Twitter), Travis expressed his gratitude to his family and friends, coaches, and teammates. He also thanked the Jets organization for the opportunity to play in the NFL.

“On Nov. 18, 2023, my life took an unexpected turn,” the statement read. “I gave everything I had to the rehab process but despite all my efforts, my leg never responded the way we hoped. After much prayer and consultation with the doctors, medical experts and my agent, I’ve been medically advised to retire from the game I love so deeply.”

“It is crazy how fast life can change. This is not the ending I had ever imagined, but I do trust The Lord’s Plan above all else.”

Travis originally committed to Louisville. He played in three games for the Cardinals before transferring to Florida State in 2018. He appeared in four games for the team in 2019.

In 2020, he played eight games for the Seminoles, starting six and going 3-3. He threw for 1,056 yards, six touchdowns, and six interceptions, adding 569 rushing yards and seven rushing TDs. In 2021, Travis started nine games, going 5-4. He threw for 1,539 yards, 15 TDs, and six picks, adding 530 yards and seven TDs on the ground.

Travis won the full-time job in 2022. He led the ‘Noles to a 10-3 record and a victory over Oklahoma in the Cheez-It Bowl. He threw for 3,214 yards and 24 TDs with just five interceptions, and added 417 yards rushing and seven rushing TDs.

Travis and the Seminoles entered the 2023 season hot. Ranked eighth in the national polls, they exploded to an 11-0 record and consistently ranked in the top five. Travis threw for 2,734 yards, 20 TDs, and just two interceptions in that span. Late in the first quarter of their Nov. 18 game against North Alabama, Travis took off on an option play and ran for a first down, but he landed awkwardly on his left foot while being tackled. His left ankle was visibly bent and immobile, and he was carted off the field. He was diagnosed with a dislocated and fractured left ankle that ended his season and his college football career.

The Seminoles won their final game of the regular season against Florida with Tate Rodemaker at quarterback, won the ACC Championship against Louisville with Brock Glenn, and finished the season No. 4 in the national poll. But the College Football Playoff committee excluded them from the bracket, citing the fact that neither Rodemaker nor Glenn threw a passing touchdown in those two games, combined with a dramatic drop-off in scoring (FSU averaged 34 points per game with Travis; they beat Florida 24-15 and Louisville 16-6).

“Florida State is a different team than it was the first 11 weeks,” CFP selection committee Chairman Boo Corrigan told ESPN at the time. “As you look at who they are as a team right now, without Jordan Travis, without the offensive dynamic he brings, they are a different team and the committee voted Alabama four and Florida State five.”

“Devastated. Heartbroken,” Travis wrote on X in response to the CFP committee. “In so much disbelief [right now], I wish my leg broke earlier in the season so y’all could see this team is much more than the quarterback. I thought results matter. 13-0 and this roster matches up across any team in those top 4 rankings. I am so sorry. Go Noles!”

The Seminoles were blown out by Georgia, 63-3, in the Orange Bowl.

Without Travis on the roster, the Jets are left with presumptive starter Justin Fields, veteran backup Tyrod Taylor, and former UFL standout Adrian Martinez.