The Pittsburgh Steelers saw another one of their former wide receivers join the AFC West to begin this week — Hakeem Butler.
NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported Monday morning the Denver Broncos signed Butler to an offseason contract.
Butler spent most of the 2023 offseason with the Steelers. This spring, he’s coming off a season in the UFL where he won the Offensive Player of the Year award.
“The Broncos are signing veteran WR and UFL offensive player of the Year Hakeem Butler, source say,” wrote Garafolo on X. “A 2019 fourth-round pick of the Arizona Cardinals, Butler led the UFL with 641 yards receiving on 29 catches for the St. Louis Battlehawks and now joins Denver ahead of minicamp.”
The Steelers have already ended their offseason program. The Broncos, though, will host their minicamp from June 16-18.
That should give Butler an opportunity to leave a direct first impression with his new team.
Butler’s signing came four days after former Steelers wideout Brandon Johnson signed with the Las Vegas Raiders.
WR Hakeem Butler Back in NFL With Denver Broncos
GettyWide receiver Hakeem Butler spent 2023 training camp with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Butler began his NFL career as a fourth-round pick for the Arizona Cardinals in the 2019 NFL Draft. The Cardinals selected him at No. 103 overall.
As a rookie, though, he suffered a broken hand in August and missed the entire season. After that, the Cardinals gave up on him.
Lasting just one season in Arizona, he joined the Carolina Panthers and then Philadelphia Eagles in 2020. Butler made his NFL regular season debut with the Eagles, appearing in two games that campaign.
Butler received one target which he didn’t catch.
The Eagles converted Butler to tight end, but he still spent less than a year with the club. Butler then continued his professional career in Canada with the BC Lions, where he returned to playing receiver.
Butler has continued to bounce around the CFL, XFL/UFL and NFL since then. In the spring of 2023, the Steelers signed him after his first season with the Battlehawks. During the 2023 XFL campaign, Butler had 51 receptions, 599 receiving yards and eight touchdowns.
His tenure with the Steelers ended with the team waiving him due to an injury in August 2023.
Butler returned to the Battlehawks in December 2023. After the 2024 UFL campaign, he spent training camp with the Cincinnati Bengals. But again, he didn’t make the NFL roster.
Once more, Butler returned to the UFL St. Louis squad. He’s played the past two years for the team.
In 33 games with the Battlehawks since 2023, Butler has posted 138 catches, 2,192 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns. He’s averaged 15.9 yards per reception.
With the Broncos, he will try once again to make an NFL roster.
Steelers WR Depth Entering 2026 NFL Training Camp
GettyNFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported former Pittsburgh Steelers pass-catcher Hakeem Butler signed a contract with the Denver Broncos on Monday.
The Steelers will regroup as a team at training camp in late July. General manager Omar Khan could always make more additions or changes to the roster before that.
But at the conclusion of the offseason program, the team was set to enter July with 10 wide receivers.
Butler could have been an intriguing addition to the Steelers receiver room. The wideout depth in Pittsburgh, though, is much deeper this spring than the past couple seasons.
DK Metcalf will return as the team’s top receiver while the Steelers added veteran Michael Pittman Jr. this offseason to start opposite him. In the 2026 NFL Draft, the Steelers also added wideouts Germie Bernard and Kaden Wetjen.
The latter draft pick could contribute more as a returner.
The Steelers also still have Roman Wilson and Ben Skowronek. Like Wetjen, Skowronek could make his biggest contributions on special teams. But if he finally reaches his potential, Wilson should play a role on offense.
The Steelers also have receivers Brandon Smith, A.T. Perry, Cole Burgess and Joaquin Davis on the offseason roster.
The team signed Davis two days after releasing Johnson.
Former Steelers Pass Catcher Joins Broncos: Report