The Tampa Bay Buccaneers got enough talent stacked up at wide receiver this offseason they were forced to make some tough decisions — including the decision to finally let go of a talented young player in Rakim Jarrett.
Now, the former Buc is getting another shot in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers just weeks after he was let go in Tampa Bay.
“Some shuffling on the Steelers practice squad: The team added WR Rakim Jarrett and released WR Lance McCutcheon,” The Athletic’s Mike DeFabo wrote on September 8. “Jarrett played his college football at Maryland. In two NFL seasons, he’s caught 13 passes for 184 yards. He’s played 325 offensive snaps and 161 on special teams.”
Jarrett has a unique connection to Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin from his college days.
“Steelers got to see Rakim Jarrett in-person at the joint practice with Bucs,” The Pittsburgh Post Gazette’s Brian Batko wrote on X. “He also was in a WR room with Mike Tomlin’s son Dino for two years at Maryland.”
Jarrett Released Before 53-Man Roster Decided
Jarrett was was released on August 24 after 2 seasons with Tampa Bay — 2 full day ahead of the deadline for 53-man rosters to be turned in.
“First cut at receiver — Jarrett had just two catches on eight targets in preseason,” Fox Sports NFL Reporter Greg Auman wrote on August 24. “Could easily land on another 53.”
Jarrett was a special teams standout in 2023 and 2024, even settling into a role as a return specialist in 2024. Over the last 2 seasons, Jarrett played in 20 games with 325 all purpose yards. He had 9 receptions for 124 yards in 2024 and made his first 2 career starts.
“Former Terp Rakim Jarrett has been released by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers,” Inside Maryland Sports wrote on its official X account. “While it’s safe to assume the Bucs would like to bring Jarrett back as a member of the practice squad, it will be interesting to see if he lands on another team’s 53-man roster.”
Jarrett landed with the Buccaneers after he went undrafted out of Maryland in 2023.
“Rakim Jarrett is going to end up on someone else’s 53,” X user Marc Magana wrote. “Multiple years of being a solid depth piece.”
Final College Season Damaged Jarrett’s Draft Stock
Jarrett, 6-foot and 192 pounds, seemed like he was on track to become an NFL draft pick after his sophomore season in 2021, when he had 62 receptions for 829 yards and 5 touchdowns in 13 games. In 2022, those numbers dipped to 40 receptions for 471 yards and 3 touchdowns in 11 games.
At the NFL scouting combine, he tested well with a 40-yard dash time of 4.44 seconds to go with a 35.1-inch vertical leap and 13 reps in the 225 pound bench press.
NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein predicted Jarrett would be picked in the fifth or sixth round.
“It doesn’t take long to see the physical gifts on tape, but Jarrett’s lack of route-running fundamentals and ball skills catch up with him too often,” Zierlein wrote in his pre-draft evaluation. “His tape is filled with slants, digs and quick-game throws; he struggles to manipulate defenders with his routes and comes out on the wrong end when throws are contested.”
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