A former fourth-round pick who rebuilt his career through the CFL, XFL and UFL before earning another NFL shot with Denver.
Hakeem Butler's path back to an NFL roster ran through three different leagues over six years. After winning UFL Offensive Player of the Year honors, the towering, big-play receiver signed with the Broncos, hoping to finally stick after a career full of near misses.
Path to the league
Butler set an Iowa State school record with 19.5 yards per reception, finishing his college career with 110 catches for 2,149 yards and 18 touchdowns. His 2018 junior season alone produced 1,318 receiving yards, breaking the school's single-season record, and ranked third nationally at 22.0 yards per catch. Those numbers earned him Second-Team All-American and First-Team All-Big 12 honors, and the Arizona Cardinals drafted him in the fourth round, No. 103 overall, in 2019.
Career highlights
Butler never appeared in a game for Arizona and bounced through stints with the Philadelphia Eagles, Carolina Panthers, Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals without ever becoming a full-time NFL contributor. He kept his career alive with the CFL's BC Lions and Edmonton Elks and in the XFL before finding a home with the St. Louis Battlehawks in the UFL, where he won Offensive Player of the Year in 2024 and again this spring after leading the league with 641 receiving yards on 29 catches.
2025 season recap
Butler's 2025 UFL season with St. Louis was cut short by a hamstring injury that cost him the first three games. Once healthy, he still made an impact, catching touchdown passes of 67 and 57 yards in an April win over Michigan, and finished the year with 13 catches for 300 yards and four touchdowns as the Battlehawks posted a league-best 8-2 record. He was not on an NFL roster during the 2025 NFL season.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Hakeem Butler
- ESPN: Hakeem Butler
Statistics
2025 season and career▶Receiving · career
| Year | Team | GP | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | eagles | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Wide Receiver
- Group
- offense
- College
- Iowa State
- Hometown
- Baltimore, MD, USA
- Age
- 30
- Status
- active
