Former Florida Gators cornerback Kaiir Elam is looking for his next NFL stop after the Los Angeles Chargers released him from the practice squad Wednesday, via the NFL transaction wire.

The Chargers made room for veteran wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling after Week 1 injuries hit the receiver room, ending Elam’s two-week stay in Los Angeles.

He had signed to the practice squad Sept. 2 after the Kansas City Chiefs cut him at the end of camp.

For Gators fans, the move is another chapter in a career that began with much higher expectations. Elam, a Riviera Beach native and The Benjamin School product, arrived in Gainesville as a four-star prospect with NFL bloodlines — son of former NFL safety Abe Elam and nephew of former Gators safety Matt Elam.

He played 35 games from 2019 to 2021, starting 27, and left as one of the program’s most productive young corners of that era.

As a true freshman he intercepted three passes and earned SEC All-Freshman honors. In 2020 he started every game, posted 39 tackles, two interceptions and a team-high 11 pass breakups, and was named first-team All-SEC by the coaches and a Jim Thorpe Award semifinalist.

A knee injury limited him as a junior, but he still started 10 games before declaring for the 2022 draft. Career Gators totals: 79 tackles, six interceptions and 20 pass deflections.

Buffalo traded up to take him 23rd overall. The physical 6-foot-1 corner with press-man traits never locked down a full-time starting job. He played 29 games over three seasons with the Bills, then was traded to Dallas in March 2025.

The Cowboys waived him in November; Tennessee signed him for the stretch run. Kansas City gave him a one-year deal this spring that did not last through final cuts.

In 43 NFL games, he has 114 tackles, two interceptions, eight pass deflections and three fumble recoveries.

At 25, Elam still has the length and speed that made him a first-round pick. Coverage consistency has been the issue as he has bounced from Buffalo to Dallas, Tennessee, Kansas City and now off the Chargers’ practice squad.

Gators followers who watched him lock down receivers in The Swamp will hope another team sees a low-risk veteran who can still contribute in the right scheme.

The next call could come quickly. Practice-squad and depth-corner jobs open every week in the NFL.

For a Florida kid who once looked like a cornerstone of Dan Mullen’s secondary, the path is no longer linear — but it is not finished.