Former Vikings TE Lands with His 8th Team
Josh Frey
|
While some players can spend their entire careers with one team, many others become journeyman around the NFL.
The latter is precisely the case for former Vikings TE MyCole Pruitt. After spending his first nine NFL seasons with seven teams, Pruitt has signed with his eighth team heading into his 10th year in the league, inking a deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Former Vikings TE Signs with Steelers
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler tweeted Thursday, “Tight end MyCole Pruitt has agreed to terms with the Steelers, per source. Reunited with Arthur Smith from their Tennessee and Atlanta days.”
Pruitt began his NFL career with the Vikings back in 2015. He was a a fifth-round selection by former general manager Rick Spielman. The Southern Illinois alumnus played 18 games for the Vikings in 2015 and 2016, making three starts. In total, he caught 11 passes for 96 yards while donning a Vikings uniform.
During the 2016 season, though, he was released by Minnesota and caught on with the Chicago Bears to finish his second year in the NFL. Here is a look at every team Pruitt has played for to this point in his NFL career:
- Minnesota Vikings (2015–2016)
- Chicago Bears (2016)
- Buffalo Bills (2017)
- Houston Texans (2017–2018)
- Tennessee Titans (2018–2020)
- San Francisco 49ers (2021)
- Tennessee Titans (2021)
- Atlanta Falcons (2022–2023)
Arguably, Pruitt’s best NFL season came during the 2022 campaign with the Atlanta Falcons. He recorded multiple career-highs during that year, catching 16 passes for 150 yards and four touchdowns as a depth tight end behind Kyle Pitts.
Pruitt has been to the playoffs on three separate occasions, including his rookie season with the Minnesota Vikings in 2015. The other two occasions came with the Tennessee Titans in 2019 and 2020. He caught four passes for 28 yards during Tennessee’s 2019 run to the AFC Championship Game.
The tight end now joins the Steelers where he will join four other tight ends, including 2021 second-round pick Pat Freiermuth and 2023 third-round pick Darnell Washington.
Pruitt will join three other former Vikings on Pittsburgh’s roster: CB Kalon Barnes, DL Dean Lowry, and RB Cordarrelle Patterson.
Editor’s Note: Statistics for this article were found via Pro Football Reference.
Vikings Visit with an Underdog CB Prospect
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.