A Look Back At Jake Butt's Michigan Career
When reports began to surface that former Wolverine Jake Butt would be retiring from the game of football, Michigan fans spent much of the day reflecting on his career in Ann Arbor.
During his four years in Ann Arbor, Butt established himself as one of the best tight ends in Michigan Football history - finishing his collegiate career as Michigan's all-time leading receiver in yards by a tight end (1,646) and the program's record holder for career receptions by a tight end (136). To this day, he's still only player in conference history to be named Big Ten Tight End of the Year twice (2015 and 2016).
With his prolific Michigan career nearly behind him, it looked like Butt was well on his way to becoming a potential first round draft pick that was built for long-term success within the NFL. However, Butt would tear his ACL in the final game of his Michigan career during the 2016 Orange Bowl against Florida State - an injury that would serve as the precursor to his short-lived NFL career.
Butt was selected in the fifth round - 145th overall - by the Denver Broncos in the 2017 NFL Draft. In spite of the fact that he was still recovering from the ACL injury he suffered at Michigan during his senior year, the Broncos would sign Butt to a four-year, $2.70 million deal that included a signing bonus of nearly $400,000.
By the time the 2018 NFL season rolled around, Butt had recovered from his ACL injury and earn his first career start during the Broncos season opener. Just three weeks later, Butt would suffer another ACL injury - one that would put an end to his season and ultimately an end to his career with the Denver Broncos.
After a series of injuries that nearly ended his NFL career, it looked like Butt was going to get another shot at continuing his professional football career - this time with the Chicago Bears. After a solid showing at the Bears mini-camp, Butt was signed to the 90-man roster and it looked like things were back on track for the former Michigan standout. Then it happened again. On Wednesday, the Chicago Bears indicated that Butt had been placed on the reserve/retired list - putting an end to his professional football career.
With that, the Michigan's Big Ten Network twitter page put together a highlight reel of Butt's Michigan career. Simply put, he was one of the best to ever do it in Ann Arbor.
