David Garrard, the 35-year-old quarterback who recently signed a one-year, $1.35 million contract with the New York Jets, is calling it quits due to a knee injury.
"Having to call it quits. My knee is not holding up," Garrard said in a text message to Adam Schein of Sirius XM radio on Wednesday. "Continuing to swell after practices. Limiting what I can do."
The career-ending injury previously cut short Garrard's 2012 comeback attempt on the Miami Dolphins.
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The announcement comes only weeks after
the Jets released Tim Tebow from his contract, leading many to speculate who the team's number two QB would be behind starter Mark Sanchez.
In Tebow and Garrard's absence, the No. 2 quarterback position will likely fall to 2013 second-round pick Geno Smith or 2011 seventh-round pick Greg McElroy, Yahoo Sports reported.
Garrard had spent his entire career up until the end of the 2011 season playing for the Jacksonville Jaguars, who selected him from East Carolina in the fourth-round of the 2002 NFL draft.
Having become the Jaguars' starting QB in 2006, Garrard passed for 16,003 yards with 89 touchdowns in 86 games over his nine seasons with the Jaguars, earning Pro Bowl honors in 2009.
Garrard intends to retire as a member of the Jaguars, the Houston Chronicle reported.
As for Tebow, his future in the National Football League is uncertain.
Tebow remains a free agent, having apparently
had no offers made by other NFL franchises for the 2013 season, despite the multiple rumors.
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Two arena football teams have already made offers to Tebow, though the former Heisman Trophy winner has yet to show interest in changing leagues.
Throughout the 2012 season, many fans believed the Jets misused Tebow, keeping him on the bench most of the year despite Sanchez's repeated poor performances on the field.
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