Steelers invite XFL star WR Hakeem Butler to minicamp
More wide receiver help could be on the way for the Pittsburgh Steelers. The team got a potential steal after trading for former second-round pick Allen Robinson, and another big-bodied pass-catcher has gotten the interest from the Steel City. Former NFL wideout and current XFL playmaker Hakeem Butler has been invited to partake in the […]
More wide receiver help could be on the way for the Pittsburgh Steelers. The team got a potential steal after trading for former second-round pick Allen Robinson, and another big-bodied pass-catcher has gotten the interest from the Steel City.
Former NFL wideout and current XFL playmaker Hakeem Butler has been invited to partake in the Steelers' rookie minicamp later this month, as announced by the official XFL Twitter account.
Butler, a fourth-round pick by the Arizona Cardinals from the 2019 NFL Draft, has played just two career games in the NFL, neither with the franchise who originally drafted him.
Four years after his professional career officially began, Butler has enjoyed a football renaissance in the XFL. He's the leading receiver for the 7-3 St. Louis Battlehawks, whom are quarterbacked by one AJ McCarron. Butler leads the team in targets (69), receptions (51), yards (605), and touchdowns. (8) in 10 games played.
The Cardinals never got to see Butler play as a rookie, as they placed him on Injured Reserve prior to the 2019 season beginning. Butler was waived by the Cardinals a year later leading up to the 2020 season. The Carolina Panthers scooped him up on their practice squad, and the Philadelphia Eagles signed him to their active roster.
Butler's two games played with the Eagles that year were all the NFL regular season exposure he got. Many draftniks believed Butler to be a second-round pick and a future NFL starter, but his career looked to be over when the Eagles waived him in the summer of 2021.
Clearly, Butler still has some ability left in the tank, and he'll get to showcase that for a Steelers offense that could use more depth at the receiver position. The team was rumored to be interested in some of the top receivers in the draft, but never pulled the trigger on one.
