ESSENDON has terminated Irving Mosquito's contract, while Ned Cahill and Lachie Johnson have been delisted.

Livewire forward Mosquito was granted a leave of absence in May to return to his hometown of Halls Creek as he managed his rehabilitation program from a long-term ACL injury.

Bombers general manager of football Josh Mahoney said the No.38 pick from 2018 had a lack of desire to return at AFL level, hence the decision to terminate his contract.

"On behalf of everyone at Essendon, we sincerely thank Irving for his contribution to our club over the past three years," Mahoney said.

"Since he arrived at the club at the end of 2018, we have closely supported Irving to settle into Melbourne whilst balancing and maintaining a strong connection to his community back in Halls Creek.

"After Irving sustained the ACL injury in September last year, he was open with us about his lack of motivation and desire to play at an AFL level again, and we had granted him time away from the club to return back home to Halls Creek to best support him to make an informed decision on his AFL career moving forward. 

"While this was not an easy decision for Irving, he feels it will be best for him to return to Halls Creek to start the next chapter of his life, and we understand that. We thank Irving for his time in the red and black and we wish him the very best for whatever lies ahead."

Mosquito said he was grateful for the Bombers' support throughout his time away.

"It was a pretty tough decision to come to, and I had to weigh up whether I could commit to a full 12-month recovery program to get my knee right. In the end, I realised I didn’t have the passion that was required to get back so it’s the right time to consider life away from football," Mosquito said.

"The club has been great with their support of me and my family, I can’t thank them enough.

"I will miss my teammates and being at the club every day. I wish the boys well for next season, I’ll always love this club."

Cahill was taken with pick No.56 in the 2019 NAB AFL Draft and played six games, while Johnson - the son of triple premiership Lion Chris - failed to debut after being taken with pick No.63 in the same draft.