For the second time in the last four months, a former Carolina Panther has been named an offensive player of the year.
On Friday, the United Football League announced wide receiver Hakeem Butler as their 2024 Offensive Player of Year. (Yes, he was a former Carolina Panther.)
Butler, a fourth-round pick in the 2019 NFL draft, was waived by the Arizona Cardinals at the beginning of his second pro campaign. The Panthers came calling shortly after, inking the Iowa State University standout to their practice squad on Sept. 18, 2020.
But just 11 days later, the Philadelphia Eagles swooped in—signing Butler away from the group and onto their active roster. He’d appear in just two games before being waived by the Eagles on Oct. 31.
Following a brief stint in the Canadian Football League, Butler was taken in the fifth round of the 2023 XFL Supplemental draft by the St. Louis Battlehawks. He went on to record 51 catches for 599 yards and eight touchdowns that season.
The 6-foot-5, 227-pounder returned to the Battlehawks in late 2023, when the organization had moved into the UFL. Butler’s award-winning season saw him amass a league-leading 652 receiving yards on 45 receptions.
