Hakeem Butler

Hakeem Butler (born May 16, 1996) is an American professional football wide receiver. He played college football at Iowa State, and was selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL draft. He has also been a member of the Carolina Panthers, Philadelphia Eagles, BC Lions, Edmonton Elks, Pittsburgh Steelers, Cincinnati Bengals, St. Louis Battlehawks, and Denver Broncos.

Early life Butler was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on May 16, 1996. His mother, Sherryl, died from breast cancer when Butler was 16. He has a sister and a younger brother. He then moved to Houston, Texas, to live with his aunt and uncle, and his cousins Aaron and Andrew Harrison, former Kentucky basketball stars. Butler attended Travis High School in Fort Bend, Texas. He committed to Iowa State University to play college football, choosing it over schools such as New Mexico and Houston.

College career After redshirting his first year at Iowa State in 2015, Butler played in 11 games in 2016 and had nine receptions for 134 yards and two touchdowns. As a sophomore in 2017, he had 41 receptions for 697 yards and seven touchdowns. As a junior in 2018, he had 60 receptions for 1,318 yards and nine touchdowns, breaking a school record for single season receiving yards. After the season, Butler decided to forgo his senior year and enter the 2019 NFL draft.

Professional career

Arizona Cardinals Butler was selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the fourth round (103rd overall) in the 2019 NFL draft. He was placed on injured reserve on August 25, 2019, after suffering a broken hand, causing him to miss his entire rookie season.

Carolina Panthers On September 18, 2020, Butler was signed to the practice squad of the Carolina Panthers.

Philadelphia Eagles On September 29, 2020, Butler was signed to the Philadelphia Eagles active roster off the Panthers' practice squad and was converted into a tight end. He was waived on October 31 and re-signed to the practice squad two days later.

Butler signed a reserve/future contract with the Eagles on January 4, 2021. On August 23, Butler was waived by the Eagles.

BC Lions On February 22, 2022, Butler signed with the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was released in early round of cuts at training camp on May 23.

Edmonton Elks Butler was signed by the Edmonton Elks of the CFL on July 5, 2022, and placed on the team's practice roster. He was released by the Elks on August 16.

St. Louis Battlehawks (first stint)

On January 1, 2023, Butler was selected by the St. Louis BattleHawks of the XFL in the fifth round of the 2023 XFL Supplemental Draft. At the completion of the season for the BattleHawks, Butler made 51 receptions for 599 yards and eight touchdowns. He was released from his contract on May 15.

Pittsburgh Steelers On May 16, 2023, Butler signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was waived/injured on August 21, and then reverted to injured reserve. Butler was released by the Steelers on August 25.

St. Louis Battlehawks (second stint) On December 4, 2023, Butler re-signed with the Battlehawks. He was named to the 2024 All-UFL team on June 5, 2024. On June 7, Butler was named the UFL Offensive Player of the Year. Butler finished the season with 652 receiving yards, 45 receptions, and five touchdowns.

Cincinnati Bengals On July 26, 2024, Butler signed with the Cincinnati Bengals. On August 23, Butler was released by the Bengals.

St. Louis Battlehawks (third stint) On January 2, 2025, Butler re-signed with the Battlehawks.

On January 13, 2026, Butler re-signed with the Battlehawks via the 2026 draft reserve list. In nine appearances for St. Louis, he recorded 641 yards and three touchdowns, falling just 29 yards short of the record (670 yards) set by Jahcour Pearson in 2023. On June 10, Butler was named as the UFL Offensive Player of the Year, winning the award for the second time in his career.

Denver Broncos On June 15, 2026, Butler signed with the Denver Broncos. On August 25, Butler was waived by the Broncos.

Career statistics NFL Regular season YearTeamGamesReceiving GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD 2020 PHI 2 0 — — — — — Career 2 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

CFL Regular season YearTeamGamesReceiving GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD 2022 EDM 1 1 1 5 5.0 5 0 Career 1 1 1 5 5.0 5 0

XFL/UFL Legend Offensive Player of the Year Led the league Bold Career high Regular season Year Team League Games Receiving GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD 2023 STL XFL 10 7 51 599 11.7 66 8 2024 STL UFL 10 10 45 652 14.5 80 5 2025 STL 7 7 13 300 23.1 67 4 2026 STL 9 9 29 641 22.1 75 3 Career 36 33 138 2,192 15.9 80 20

Postseason Year Team League Games Receiving GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD 2024 STL UFL 1 1 6 59 9.8 28 0 2025 STL 1 1 2 19 9.5 12 1 2026 STL 1 1 3 24 8.0 16 0 Career 3 3 11 102 9.3 28 1

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