The Buffalo Bills are still reeling from another close defeat in the AFC Championship, losing out to the Kansas City Chiefs.
However, they faced some sad news on Friday afternoon, when it was announced that offensive tackle, Tommy Doyle, is retiring, per the Bills’ X account.
Tommy Doyle has announced his retirement from the NFL. ❤️💙
Tommy Doyle Retiring From The NFL
Per the Bills’ official website, Doyle recently suffered an injury that resulted in him having damage to a nerve in his left leg, an injury that was ultimately insurmountable for the former 5th round pick.
“At this point, with the calendar and the healing process, it looks as though it’s permanent,” Doyle said, speaking about his retirement on Friday.”I’m just unable to play football at a high level, and it’s time. When you know you know.
I was really battling and competing and working to come back from that [ACL] injury, only to be kind of struck with an even more disastrous injury, but at the end of the day, there was a lot of negative emotions and anger…doing a lot of reflecting lately and looking back on it, I’ve learned a lot of valuable lessons from it.
Football is something that I’ve loved and put my life into, and I put a lot of time, effort and energy to try to get back on the field. But ultimately, that’s really not the plan God has for me, and I know that to be true. I feel that this is the time to announce it and move on.”
Doyle’s Injuries Prevented Him From Capitalizing On A Strong Debut Season
Multiple injuries set the former Miami Ohio product back consistently, with a brutal pair of knee problems resulting in the offensive tackle not playing a single snap in either 2023 or 2024.
A career backup in Buffalo, Doyle had a decently promising first year – for a fifth round pick – in 2021, playing in 11 games with 0 starts.