It seems Jacksonville wide receiver Collin Johnson is done with football. The 28-year-old WR announced on May 21 that he is retiring from the NFL and heading to MIT Sloan this fall to pursue his MBA.

But for someone who spent years fighting just to stay on a roster, this next move is anything but surprising.

Johnson was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL Draft out of Texas. However, following a change in coaching staff in his second season, Johnson was waived by the Jaguars.

Despite playing across three franchises, namely, the Jaguars, the New York Giants, and the Chicago Bears, Collin Johnson made just 38 total appearances in four seasons.

It was never a smooth ride. He missed the entire 2022 season with a torn Achilles, got cut by the Giants coming out of that preseason, and spent stretches with the Bears bouncing between the practice squad and the active roster.

He was signed by the Raiders in May 2025, but was released three months later. Most players in that situation just keep chasing the next contract. But Johnson was building something else entirely.

Last June, he completed the Harvard Business School Executive Program focused on business, entertainment, media, and sports, per Adam Schefter.

Although Johnson's NFL career is winding down, the next chapter of his life is already in motion.

Collin Johnson Has a Plan Beyond Football

Johnson is the founder and CEO of Beyond-Sports, a company built around one idea: Athletes should be owners, not just endorsers. His whole point is that retiring from football should not be the end for athletes.

"As I move into this next chapter, I'm excited to continue building Beyond-Sports by launching Founders Academy in partnership with MITdesignX, a venture-building program created for current and former professional athletes building real businesses," Johnson wrote on X.

He also added, "For a long time, athletes have been seen as endorsers of other people's companies. I believe we can be the founders, operators, investors, and owners behind them too."

Johnson walked away with roughly $3.6 million in career earnings across four NFL seasons. He is leaving on his own terms, with a plan already running. What's more, one of the most respected business schools in the world is backing him up.

What do you think of Collin Johnson's decision to walk away from the NFL for MIT? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Farheen Fathima

Edited by

Arundhoti Palit