Bills offensive lineman Tommy Doyle forced to medically retire at 26

Bills offensive lineman Tommy Doyle has been forced to call it quits on his NFL career after mounting leg injuries.

The 26-year-old Doyle, a fifth-round pick by Buffalo in 2021 out of Miami (Ohio), had to medically retire on Friday after playing just 12 games across four seasons. 

Doyle suffered an ACL tear during a Week 3 game against the Dolphins in 2022 and suffered another severe leg injury during a 2023 preseason game versus the Steelers.

His most recent injury left him with nerve damage, which did not go away. 

“At this point, with the calendar and the healing process, it looks as though it’s permanent,” Doyle said in a statement. “I’m just unable to play football at a high level, and it’s time. When you know you know.”

It left Doyle no choice but to retire.

“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,” Doyle said. “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.”

Doyle played in 11 of his 12 games as a rookie, which included a playoff touchdown.

He caught a 1-yard pass from Josh Allen during a 47-17 romp over the Patriots during the wild-card round.

“Football is something that I’ve loved and put my life into,” Doyle said. “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.”

He said he will remember the relationship he built with his teammates, coaches, trainers and fans the most.

Doyle is ready to move into the next stage of his life as just an NFL fan, and maybe hang with Bills fans before a game.

“I’d probably like to come to a tailgate and drink some Labatt Blue Lights,” Doyle said.

The Bills are coming off a season that ended with an AFC Championship game loss to the Chiefs.