Former Chiefs, Jets OL-turned-doctor announces retirement from NFL

The 32-year-old famously stepped away from the game in July 2020 during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, becoming the first player to opt out of that season.

Duvernay-Tardif had been working as an orderly at a Montreal long-term facility at the time.

Sports Illustrated named the Quebec native one of their Sportspeople of the Year in 2020 and he was also a co-winner of the Lou Marsh Trophy, which is awarded annually to Canada's top athlete of the year. Duvernay-Tardif was also named the recipient of the Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award at the 2021 ESPYs for his decision to opt out of the 2020 NFL campaign to help fight the pandemic.

The 2014 sixth-round draft pick of the Kansas City Chiefs was a fixture along the team's offensive line over his first NFL seasons. In 60 regular season games with the organization, Duvernay-Tardif made 57 starts and was on the field for 7,118 offensive snaps and 598 more via special teams.

He was traded to the New York Jets in November 2021 and made his return to the field later that month. Duvernay-Tardif played eight games with Gang Green that season and five more in 2022.