Cam Skattebo considered retirement after season-ending injury last season

After suffering a season-ending leg injury in his rookie season last year, New York Giants and former Sun Devil running back Cam Skattebo was left wondering about his future in football.

Skattebo told the “Up & Adams” show Thursday that following his first major injury in the NFL, he thought about retiring.

“Coming out of college, going into the NFL, I gave myself one rule, and it was if I ever got a major injury, I was done playing and that happened (eight) games into my career,” Skattebo said.

Giants RB Cam Skattebo considered retirement after his season-ending injury during his rookie year:@camskattebo5 | @heykayadams pic.twitter.com/CZ3HYbioPn

— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) September 3, 2026

Skattebo’s rookie campaign was off to a great start as he rushed for over 400 yards and scored seven touchdowns. During his eighth game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Skattebo’s season came to an end after suffering a dislocated right ankle, an open tibia fracture and a ruptured deltoid ligament in his leg.

Skattebo said that a month into his recovery was when he first thought about retiring, but realized he didn’t want to retire after playing in just eight games. He added that the injury allowed him to learn about himself on and off the field and helped him focus better on football.

“The first month was like, ‘damn, do I really want to do this,’ and then it was like, ‘it was (eight) games,’ and was like I got to go back and play. If it was the end of the year and I was like I’m over this, but I didn’t feel that way at all,” Skattebo said.

Skattebo made his return to the field on Aug. 15 in the Giants’ preseason game against the Vikings, rushing for 19 yards on four carries. He and the Giants kick off their season against the Dallas Cowboys on Sept. 13 on NBC’s Sunday Night Football.

The second-year running back looks to build off the success he had in his abbreviated rookie season. At a Giants town hall event in May, Skattebo said he expects to play 17 games and rush for 2,000 yards this season.

During his recovery, Skattebo had a big presence off the field as he was seen at several events across the sports and entertainment world over the past year, including UFC 322, “Monday Night Raw,” Game 5 of the 2026 NBA Finals and Fanatics Fest.

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