Many expect an undrafted free agent out of college to eventually become a hero in the NFL. The league has seen quite a few stories like that. In other cases, though, that hero arc never quite comes together. Such has been the story of Lance McCutcheon. The former Los Angeles Rams wide receiver went undrafted in 2022, signed with the Rams, and spent the next four seasons bouncing around the league.

Don’t get it wrong, though. McCutcheon had certainly turned heads ahead of the 2022 NFL Draft, wrapping his senior season at Montana State Bobcats football with production that earned him first-team All–Big Sky Conference honors and briefly put the 6-foot-3 receiver on NFL scouting radars despite coming from the FCS level. But that time is long gone. Now, McCutcheon has decided to call it a career.

“I just wanted to take the time to thank everyone who has played a part in this process,” McCutcheon captioned his retirement post on Instagram. “I couldn’t have accomplished anything that I did or made it where I did without the help from so many different people. The list of thanks that are owed is never-ending, so THANK YOU to everyone out there that helped me accomplish my dream of playing in the NFL.”

McCutcheon’s only regular-season action ultimately came during his rookie season with the Rams in 2022. That year, the wide receiver appeared in 10 games and even made one start. However, he was targeted just five times and didn’t record a single catch during the regular season. Those 10 games would ultimately stand as the only regular-season appearances of his NFL career. The opportunity in Los Angeles initially looked promising.

For instance, McCutcheon quickly made a name for himself during his rookie preseason. The receiver led the entire league with 259 receiving yards, finishing 33 yards ahead of the next closest player.

That production came on 15 catches, the fifth-most that preseason, and included a 60-yard reception along with two touchdowns. But translating that momentum into the regular season proved much harder.

Following his rookie year, the Rams waived him during final roster cuts. From there, McCutcheon continued to bounce around the league, spending time with four more teams, though strictly on practice squads. After his stint in Los Angeles, he joined the Houston Texans, followed by stops with the New York Jets, the Pittsburgh Steelers, and eventually the Tennessee Titans.

His stint in Pittsburgh included multiple stops across the 2024 and 2025 seasons. McCutcheon first joined the Steelers’ practice squad in October 2024 after being released from the Jets’ practice squad earlier that year. Pittsburgh cut him in November without elevating him to the active roster, though the receiver returned when he signed a reserve/futures deal with the team in January 2025 for another opportunity heading into training camp.

Outside of his time in L.A., one of the other moments that drew attention came with the Steelers ahead of the 2025 season. Pittsburgh signed McCutcheon to a reserve/future contract early that year, giving him another opportunity to fight for a roster spot.

He appeared in all three of the Steelers’ preseason games that summer, catching five passes for 66 yards and a touchdown. That touchdown came on a 24-yard pass from quarterback Skylar Thompson during Pittsburgh’s preseason win over the Carolina Panthers, one of the few on-field highlights from McCutcheon’s later NFL stops. Still, the production wasn’t enough to secure a place on the 53-man roster heading into Week 1. 

McCutcheon briefly returned to Pittsburgh’s practice squad in early September before being released less than a week later, ending his third stint with the franchise. Eventually, he caught on with the Tennessee Titans, where he spent the latter part of the 2025 season on their practice squad before being released on January 12.

Eventually, after spending time on the Titans’ practice squad, McCutcheon decided it was time to step away from the game. Even without a lengthy NFL résumé and a reception, the receiver made it clear that he remains grateful for the opportunity.

“Thank you to my amazing wife! Everything you did for this family on your own while I was away at a camp or a game or every day at work, I could not have done this without you and I am beyond grateful and appreciate for everything you did for me and this family…

“Thank you to all the teams, coaches, and staff that believed in me and gave me this opportunity! I am more than grateful for my time in the league and I couldn’t be more blessed and appreciative of this journey. 4 years and 5 teams is more than I could ever ask for. For a kid from Bozeman, Montana, getting the chance to live in those cities and represent each of those organizations truly felt like a dream come true.”

Long before his NFL journey began, though, McCutcheon had built his reputation at the college level. And while he had an ideal frame for the position at 6-foot-3 and around 200 pounds, his athletic testing numbers were considered average for an NFL wide receiver. For a broader context, McCutcheon ran roughly a 4.62-second 40-yard dash, a time that falls on the slower side for receivers entering the league.

Add to that the fact that the 2022 draft class featured one of the deepest wide receiver groups in recent memory, including players like Garrett Wilson and Drake London, and it’s not hard to see how he ultimately slipped through the cracks.

When draft week arrived, all 32 teams passed on McCutcheon before the Rams eventually signed him as an undrafted free agent. That signing marked the start of a four-year stretch in the league that would see him spend time with five different organizations while chasing a permanent roster spot.

And as the announcement made its way around social media, several of Lance McCutcheon’s former teammates jumped into the comments to wish him well and congratulate him on his journey.

Garrett Wilson joined others to bid farewell to Lance McCutcheon

As soon as Lance McCutcheon shared his retirement post, the comment section quickly turned into a small reunion of teammates and friends. One of the first notable reactions came from Garrett Wilson, who kept it simple but meaningful, dropping, “🤞🏾🤞🏾 blessings,” a short message that still carried plenty of respect for McCutcheon’s journey.

Former Rams teammate Ben Skowronek also chimed in, acknowledging the grind behind McCutcheon’s four-year run in the league. “Congrats on a great career brotha,” Skowronek wrote. Not long after, another Rams receiver, Van Jefferson, added his own message: “My Brother! Forever and Always 💯.”

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Support didn’t just come from Los Angeles connections. John Simpson also dropped by with a quick but familiar shout-out: “My dawg! 🤟🏾.” It was the kind of casual message that reflects how players often talk to each other off the field. Short, but filled with the kind of locker-room camaraderie built during long seasons.

Then came one of the more reflective messages from Lewis Kidd, McCutcheon’s former teammate at Montana State. “Hell of a career my guy, big things ahead!💫,” Kidd wrote, highlighting how the receiver’s journey, from college standout to four years in the NFL, was something those who shared the field with him clearly appreciated.

In the end, the comment section said plenty about McCutcheon’s impact beyond the stat sheet. Sometimes, the respect from teammates tells the real story.