Things never really took off in the NFL the same way they did in college for former Florida defensive end [autotag]Jabari Zuniga[/autotag], who retired on Sunday at the age of 25, according to ESPN.
Zuniga signed with Florida in 2015 as a three-star recruit out of Sprayberry High in Marietta, Georgia. After redshirting his freshman year, Zuniga played in all 13 games for the Gators in 2016, including three starts. Injuries slowed him down in his sophomore campaign, but Zuniga was a full-time starter in 2018.
After playing just six games in 2019, Zuniga declared for the NFL draft, leaving Florida with 118 career tackles (54 solo), 34.5 tackles for a loss and 18.5 sacks. The New York Jets selected him in the third round of the 2019 draft, but he only ended up playing the second half of his rookie season after being placed on injured reserve.
Ahead of the 2021 season, the Jets waived Zuniga and re-signed him to the practice squad. He was elevated to the active roster by Week 8 but only made appearances in three games. New York waived him again in August of 2022, and the Seattle Seahawks brought him in for a month on the practice squad.
New Orleans ended up being his final stop. He signed there in October and is now retired nine months later. Over three seasons, Zuniga earned $1,740,452.
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