Chicago Bears rookie faster than Tyreek Hill ends NFL career after 16 days in abrupt retirement

Chicago Bears rookie wide receiver Squirrel White has retired from the NFL after just 16 days.

The former Tennessee and Florida State wideout went undrafted in the 2026 NFL Draft, but was signed by the Bears on April 25.

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After attending rookie minicamp over the weekend, though, it was announced on Monday that the 22-year-old had decided to hang up his cleats for good, thus forgoing the chance to earn a spot on an NFL roster.

This comes after White was placed on the team’s reserve/retired list, which is a designation given to a player who retires while under contract.

This designation allows the Bears to retain his rights should he decide to return to active status.

It was reported that White had left rookie minicamp prematurely on Saturday with trainers, and did not return.

According to ESPN’s Courtney Cronin, he exited the practice field during stretch at the Walter Payton Center.

Further information trickled out from the Chicago Tribune’s Sean Hammond who reported that White was seen limping off the practice fields, suggesting he was dealing with an injury.

White was a high school standout, where he played on the undefeated Clay-Chalkville squad that won the AHSAA’s Class 6A championship in 2021.

A speedster, he was also a keen track star, finishing as the runner-up in both the 100m and 200m events at the AHSAA Class 6A outdoor track and field championships that same season.

The budding wide receiver joined the Tennessee Volunteers in 2022, where he played 38 games on Rocky Top in three seasons, recording 1,665 receiving yards and six touchdowns.

He made the transfer to the Seminoles for his senior year, where he was used sparingly, featuring in just 10 games, in which he had five total receptions and 52 yards.

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During his time at UT, he was clocked at running 23.6 mph on the GPS tracker, which would rival some of the fastest players in the NFL.

For example, Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor clocked the fastest speed in the NFL in 2025, in which he went 22.38 mph during a 43 yard reception in Week 2, according to Next Gen Stats.

Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs eclipsed the 22 mph mark on three occasions last season, while Brian Thomas Jr. and TreVeyon Henderson were the only other players in the league to go faster than 22 mph.

For added context, Tyreek Hill – who was once considered one of the fastest players in the league – mustered a high of just 22.01 mph in his career-best season in 2023.

Where does the name ‘Squirrel’ come from?

White wasn’t born with the name Squirrel.

In fact, the 22-year-old’s government name is Marquarius Malik White.

But, he earned his famous nickname from his great-grandmother, who, when she was holding him as a toddler, was watching a squirrel in her garden picking tomatoes.

It was during this moment when she observed that her young grand-son would mimic the squirrel’s every move exactly, thus he became known as Squirrel.

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