A.J. Tarpley announced on Thursday that he is retiring from the game of football at age 23. Tarpley played just one season with the Buffalo Bills who signed him as an undrafted free agent out of Stanford University. During his rookie year, Tarpley appeared in 14 games, totaling 8 tackles, 1 sack, 2 forced fumbles, and 2 interceptions. A.J. Tarpley The Latest NFL Player To Retire Early The only thing comforting about not knowing this play would be the last of my career, is knowing that I never took a second for granted. After months of introspection, I am retiring from football. I suffered the 3rd and 4th concussions of my career this past season and I am walking away from the game I love to preserve my future health. This decision is the hardest I've made yet but after much research and contemplation I believe it's what is best for me going forward. I'd like to extend my gratitude to everyone that helped me along the way. Thank you to my coaches at Wayzata and Stanford, and to lifelong friends that I was blessed to call teammates. You all molded me into the man I am today. To my family, I'll never be able to repay your unwavering support and love, I just hope that I can continue to show how gracious I am and make you proud. I also want to thank the Buffalo Bills organization, coaches, and teammates for helping me fulfill my lifelong dream in the NFL. Last but not least, I'm proud to be a part of #BillsMafia and playing in front of the best fans in the league is something I won't forget. Thank you God for all that you have blessed me ?. I'm excited for my future. A photo posted by A.J. Tarpley (@ajtarpley) on Apr 6, 2016 at 5:21pm PDT Tarpley said he suffered his third and fourth concussions of his career this past season and decided to retire after researching and contemplating his future. He called the decision "the hardest I've made yet, but after much research and contemplation, I believe its whats best for me going forward." Tarpley is the latest in what could be a new trend of younger NFL players retiring after a few seasons or before they are forced to by age in the league. San Francisco's Chris Borland retired following his outstanding rookie season in 2014 over concerns of head trauma. New York Jets' left tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson announced earlier today that he is hanging up the cleats at age 32. Ferguson, a three-time Pro Bowler (2009-11), has never even been listed on the Jets' injury report since being taken 4th overall in the 2006 Draft out of Virginia, playing 10,351 snaps out of a possible 10,352. Detroit Lions' wide receiver Calvin Johnson retired at age 30 in March. Johnson is widely considered one of the best receivers of all-time and certainly one of the most athletic, sporting a rare size-speed combination of 6'5, 240 pounds, with a blazing 4.35 40 yard dash and 42.5 inch vertical leap. 'Megatron' holds numerous NFL records (1,964 receiving yards in a season) and Lions' franchise records (16 receiving touchdowns in a season). With a number of high profile players retiring in the prime of their careers, the NFL will have to do something to ensure the safety of it's participants. The league recently admitted to a link between the sport and brain damage, and doctors said that CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) was a factor in the death of Tyler Sash, 27, who only played in 23 games in the NFL. CTE is a degenerative disease that is caused by repeated blows to the head. It remains to be seen how the NFL will address this issue of players retiring sooner than usual, but for now, Tarpley and Ferguson are just the latest in this very real and potentially dangerous trend for the sport of football.