Skattebo says he mulled retiring after '25 injury
Skattebo tells Eisen of 'really strong connection' with John Harbaugh (0:44)
ESPN
Sep 3, 2026, 03:00 PM ET
New York Giants running back Cam Skattebo says he briefly contemplated retirement after he suffered an open fracture of his right ankle during his rookie season.
In an appearance Thursday on Kay Adams' "Up & Adams Show," Skattebo said he thought about retiring about month into his recovery from his injury, which occurred in late October.
"Like the first month, I was like 'damn, do I really want to do this,' and then it was seven games, you know I got to go back and play," he said.
Skattebo, 24, actually suffered his injury during the eighth game of his NFL career, against the Philadelphia Eagles.
He said Thursday that coming out of Arizona State, he thought about what he would do if he suffered a major injury in the NFL.
"Coming out of college and going into the NFL, I think I gave myself one rule and it was if I ever got a major injury I was done playing," he said. "And that happened seven games into my career, so it kind of sucked."
However, the monotony of his recovery, during which he said he would "do absolutely nothing" for 14 hours a day "for weeks on end," helped him to "find who I am as a player and a person." And that has re-energized him to play football this season.
"Just finding who I was, finding my happiness, finding the person I wanted to be on and off the field. And I think that's something I built over the last nine, 10 months and being able to now focus back on football," he said.
Skattebo showed he was feeling healthy in July when he attempted a failed backflip at Fanatics Fest that caught the attention of the team. Both coach John Harbaugh and general manager Joe Schoen talked to the second-year running back about his actions and doing what is best for himself and the team.
Skattebo sits atop the Giants' depth chart that also includes Najee Harris, Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Devin Singletary at running back entering the 2026 season.
He finished his rookie season with 617 total yards (410 rushing) and seven touchdowns (five rushing).
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