Former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Marquez Callaway has been released by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers , according to the NFL transactions report for Tuesday , after selecting two wide receivers in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Callaway, 27, had just re-signed with the Bucs on Jan. 17 for his second season with the team. Tampa Bay used their first-round draft pick on wide receiver Emeka Egbuka out of Ohio State, and also double-dipped at the position, circling back for Oregon wide receiver Tez Johnson in the seventh round, making Callaway expendable.
Because Callaway is a vested veteran, he was released without waivers and will immediately become a free agent.
Callaway signed with the Steelers last year on Jan. 17 and spent most of the offseason with the team before he was released early in training camp on July 30 . The 6-foot-1, 205-pound receiver had spent the previous four seasons with the New Orleans Saints , but struggled to gain traction with the Steelers, despite a wide receivers room devoid of explosive playmakers.
After his release from Pittsburgh, Callaway quickly re-signed with the Saints for his third stint there, but his reunion in New Orleans was short lived. He was cut 10 days later by the Saints.
Callaway first signed to the Buccaneers practice squad on Oct. 16, and he was elevated for two games with Tampa Bay this season. He played just five snaps of offense and recorded no statistics .
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Marquez Callaway at OTAs on May 28, 2024. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
Originally an undrafted free agent out of Tennessee , Callaway spent his first three NFL seasons in New Orleans, playing in 42 games from 2020-22. His best season came in 2021, when he started 11 games and caught 46 passes for 698 yards and six touchdowns.
He appeared in all 16 games the following season, but was not qualified as a restricted free agent in the spring of 2023 and signed with the Denver Broncos . The Broncos released Callaway after the 2023 preseason, and he caught on with the Las Vegas Raiders practice squad for six weeks before being released.
The Saints brought him back for a second stint in 2023, and he played in three games for the club down the stretch run, without recording any offensive statistics. He appeared in just 28 total plays.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : Buccaneers Release Former Steelers WR after Adding Two in Draft
