Jesse Lee Soffer Finally Explains His ‘Chicago P.D.’ Exit

The actor left his role as Det. Jay Halstead this past fall, and now he's clueing fans in as to why.

Jesse Lee Soffer's departure from his role as Det. Jay Halstead nearly destroyed fans, but now, they can rest easy knowing why the actor decided to leave Chicago P.D.

In a recent conversation with Variety, Soffer, 38, explained his decision to exit the series and leave his character behind.

"I’ve thought so hard about how to answer this question," he said, "and there’s no good answer, except I was ready for more.”

“Eventually, you know the character so well, there’s not much that can shift or transform," the actor explained, noting that he was extremely grateful for the final storyline showrunner Gwen Sigan gave him, which offered a seamless exit for his character.

Related: Jesse Lee Soffer Returns to the Set of 'Chicago PD' in New Photos

"I really wanted to grow and expand, and we’ve only got this one trip. If I signed up again, it would have been for another three years. I would have turned 40 on the show. I thought, 'You know what? It’s time to take a risk,'" he confessed, adding, "It was one of the toughest decisions I’ve ever had to make in my life."

"Let’s be honest: I love the fans of our show so much, and I love my fans. I know that they’re still grieving this, and to some degree, I am too," he admitted.

Soffer said farewell to the NBC hit drama in the fall of 2022, during the third episode of the show's 10th season, after racking up over 189 episode credits for the series alone. He later returned to the set in a new role, working behind the scenes as one of Chicago P.D.'s guest directors on the episode titled "Deadlocked."

Related: 'Chicago PD' Actress Shares BTS Pics of 'Director Jesse' Lee Soffer: 'We Are All So Proud'

Before he led Chicago P.D., Soffer introduced his character, Jay Halstead, in two episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. He then teamed up with Dick Wolf to launch the spinoff series that started it all: Chicago Fire.

Soffer also appeared in 500 episodes of As the World Turns, earning himself three Emmy nominations in the process for Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series (in 2006, 2007 and 2008) and prior to that, he portrayed the role of Bobby Brady in the Brady Bunch movies; beginning his acting career at the age of eight, in the 1993 movie co-starring John Goodman, Matinee.

As for what's next for the star, he told the outlet that he's ready for something big–after he gets a few swings of golf in–and that he hopes to continue directing TV or land a role working with Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan.

"I definitely think I’m ready to be a lead on a show and to have my own show," he concluded, "I’d put all of my heart and soul into it."