When it was reported late last year that Texans tight end C.J. Fiedorowicz was contemplating retirement, his agent downplayed such talk. Fiedorowicz’s latest comments indicate that retirement is very much on the table.

“A dude knocked me out,” Fiedorowicz told Joe Stevenson of the Northwest Herald. “After eight weeks, when I came back, it was constantly on my mind. I wasn’t always able to play loose and free. It was in my head. Anytime that’s on your mind while you’re playing an NFL football game, you’re in trouble. You can’t play timid. Guys are trying to take your head off, you know?”

Fiedorowicz, 27 in October, is concerned about his long-term well being after suffering three concussions during the 2017 campaign. He’d be walking away from the final two years of his three-year, $21.5MM contract, but that isn’t a major consideration for him.

“I have a backup plan,” he said. “I’ve realized money is not happiness. Money definitely gives you freedom, but I’ve played four years. I’ve accomplished things I wanted to accomplish. It’s more about making my town happy, making my family happy and being able to enjoy the rest of my life.”

Fiedorowicz ‘s $5MM base salary for 2018 is guaranteed, but that payout will be reduced to $2.8MM if he’s unable to play due to concussions. Texans coach Bill O’Brien had been optimistic about his return, but it sounds like the Texans will have to seek out a new tight end this offseason.

Texans TE C.J. Fiedorowicz suffered his third concussion of the season last week, which was at least the fourth time he has been concussed in the past two years. Houston placed the 26-year-old on IR earlier this week, thereby ending his season, but Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports that Fiedorowicz’s unfortunate concussion history could force him to retire.

In order to continue playing, he would need to pass a team physical, and Schefter says there are no assurances that he could do so at this point. Houston selected Fiedorowicz, an Iowa product, in the third-round of the 2014 draft, and after the former Hawkeye broke out in 2016 with 54 catches for 554 yards and four touchdowns, the Texans rewarded him with a three-year, $21.5MM extension last offseason (including $10MM guaranteed).

However, as Schefter observes, Fiedorowicz’s deal did include a de-escalator that would bring down his base salary by $2.8MM if he were to be cut as a result of a pre-existing condition such as a concussion, so the team was clearly concerned about the tight end’s history.

Fiedorowicz was placed on IR in early September due to a concussion, and he returned to the Texans’ active roster in Week 10 before succumbing to his latest head injury last week. He finished what could be his final season with 14 catches for 127 yards.

C.J. Fiedorowicz won’t return to today’s Texans-Titans game. He sustained a concussion, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports (on Twitter).

This is the veteran tight end’s third this season. Fiedororwicz left the game in the first half. He suited up for his fifth game of the season on Sunday and fourth since coming off the Texans’ IR. But considering the frequency of these injuries, it would not be surprising to see the 26-year-old pass-catcher shelved for the remainder of the season.

Fiedorowicz went on IR for a concussion sustained in Week 1, but he also suffered a head injury during the preseason. Despite missing two months of action, the fourth-year tight end’s troubles avoiding these damaging blows have persisted.

The Texans signed Fiedorowicz to a three-year, $21.5MM extension this offseason — with $10MM guaranteed.

Tight end C.J. Fiedorowicz returned to practice today, and the Texans have officially designated him to return from injured reserve, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.

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Houston infamously lost all three of its tight ends — Fiedorowicz, Ryan Griffin, and Stephen Anderson — to concussions in Week 1, but Fiedorowicz’s was the most severe. Given that he had also suffered a concussion during the preseason, Fiedorowicz was placed on IR, as the Texans opted not to further risk his health.

The Texans never did replace Fiedorowicz with another tight end, so Griffin and Anderson have handled the position for the Houston’s 12th-ranked-DVOA offense. Griffin is third on the club with 12 receptions, and has also graded as an above-average run-blocker (No. 24 among 69 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus). Anderson, a second-year pro, has managed nine catches for 136 yards.

Fiedorowicz, 26, was a major part of the Texans’ offense in 2016, as his 89 targets represented 15% of Houston’s target share. All told, he posted 54 receptions for 559 yards and four touchdowns, easily the best marks of his NFL career. The Texans rewarded Fiedorowicz with a contract extension just before the start of the season, inking him to a three-year, $23.5MM extension that locks him up through the 2021 campaign.