Steelers News•Steelers Transactions
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback John Rhys Plumlee at training camp on Aug. 12, 2024. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
Quarterback-turned-wide receiver John Ryhs Plumlee, who was released by the Pittsburgh Steelers last week, has already found a new professional football home. Plumlee signed with the Houston Gamblers of the UFL, the league announced on Saturday.
Plumlee was placed on NFL waivers on April 28, and cleared the next day.
“Thankful for my time in Pittsburgh and the Steelers organization!” he wrote on X. “Can’t wait to see what’s next!”
The UFL and the Gamblers announced his position at signing as quarterback. Plumlee, 25, first joined the Steelers as an undrafted free agent out of the 2024 NFL Draft after playing mostly quarterback in college. Plumlee served as the Steelers’ fourth quarterback during training camp and the preseason while also being experimented with at receiver, kick returner and punt returner before being released that August.
He returned to the Steelers at the end of the 2025 season, signing to the practice squad on Oct. 29 and re-signing for the 2026 season on Jan. 14. He did not play in a game for Pittsburgh.
In between his two stints with the Steelers, Plumlee bounced around the league, spending time with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Seattle Seahawks, who he signed a reserve/future contract with in January 2025. In order to make the Seahawks roster, Plumlee had to change his position change from quarterback to wide receiver.
“Go to Seattle, and I go to work out and I throw. Kind of unknowingly after the workout, they come and ask me what size gloves that I wear,” Plumlee said to Steelers Now upon his return to Pittsburgh in 2025. “They said, ‘Congrats, you made the team but you’re in the receiver room.’ So I was like, ‘Alright sweet, I got a job.’ So I’ve been learning. I’ve been crafting. Learning from a bunch of guys. DK (Metcalf) helped me early on there.”
Pittsburgh Steelers QB John Rhys Plumlee throwing in the preseason game against the Detroit Lions on Aug. 24, 2024. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
On Aug. 26, 2025, Plumlee was waived by the Seahawks with an injury designation as part of final roster cuts. The Steelers brought him back two months later, signing him to their practice squad, where he spent the remainder of his 2025 season.
Plumlee played two sports at Ole Miss, lining up at quarterback and later receiver for the Rebels’ football team and patrolling center field for its baseball squad. He transferred to UCF to play quarterback again and started for two seasons for Gus Malzahn’s Knights.
Aaron Becker contributed.
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