Brewers' Dylan Cozens retires from baseball to pursue NFL career

Milwaukee Brewers farmhand Dylan Cozens is retiring from baseball to pursue an NFL career.

I've decided it's time to chase my dream of playing in the @NFL. I want to thank the @phillies @RaysBaseball and @Brewers organizations for giving me the opportunity to play professional baseball but more importantly the people, experiences, and memories I'll keep forever.

- Dylan Cozens (@dylancozens) June 22, 2021

Cozens posted a .673 OPS over 31 games for the Brewers' Triple-A affiliate in Nashville this year. He made 27 big-league appearances with the Philadelphia Phillies over the past few seasons.

The 27-year-old was the Phillies' second-round pick in 2012, and he was once considered to be among their top prospects. However, his big-league career was short-lived, as he recorded just six hits and one home run in limited time with the Phillies.

After Philadelphia let him go in 2019, Cozens briefly played in the Tampa Bay Rays' farm system before joining the Brewers organization this past winter.

Cozens is no stranger to the gridiron. He starred as a defensive end at Chaparral High School in Scottsdale, Arizona, and had committed to play college football at Arizona before reversing course and signing with the Phillies. The Denver Broncos also drafted his father Randy in 1976.

Cozens will now try to become one of the rare athletes to play professionally in both MLB and the NFL. Recent examples of baseball players who successfully shifted to football include Chad Hutchinson and Drew Henson, who both appeared briefly in the majors before embarking on careers as NFL quarterbacks.

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