The Commanders were hit by a surprise Thursday morning when tight end Antonio Gandy-Golden informed the team of his retirement.
Gandy-Golden, a fourth-round pick in 2020, is just 24 years old but intends to return to college to finish his education, a decision he informed head coach Ron Rivera of ahead of the team's morning practice on Thursday.
Rivera was caught off guard by Gandy-Golden's decision, saying that he'd recently started making the transition to tight end and was "doing a really good job" with it. Gandy-Golden was drafted as a wide receiver and was thought to be somewhat of a project coming out of small Liberty University.
In total, Gandy-Golden caught one pass for three yards (in his rookie season) but saw limited playing time, suiting up in only 10 games over two seasons. He also had one carry for 22 yards, also in 2020, a rookie season that was severely limited due to various injuries.
Gandy-Golden was released in 2021 as part of final roster cuts but re-signed with the Commanders' practice squad shortly thereafter. He did wind up making the active roster, playing in four games in which he saw 20 offensive snaps and 22 on special teams.
The 6-foot-4, 223-pound target began making the transition to tight end this past offseason. He can solve a Rubik's Cube in under two minutes.
