Four years after Pittsburgh drafted him and then cut him to give him a better shot elsewhere, former Steelers quarterback Chris Oladokun is a free agent again.
The Kansas City Chiefs reached an injury settlement Friday and terminated his contract, ending a long practice-squad stay that eventually produced two NFL starts, via NFL insider Charles Goldman.
Oladokun was Pittsburgh’s 241st overall pick in 2022, taken 221 spots after Kenny Pickett. He spent that summer behind Mitch Trubisky, Pickett, and Mason Rudolph and barely saw team reps.
Mike Tomlin waived him on Aug. 23, before the final cut, so he could catch on somewhere else. Oladokun later called it a blessing and said he would always respect Tomlin for it. A week later, he was on Kansas City’s practice squad.
That is where the story stayed for a long time. He collected two Super Bowl rings as a practice-squad player, got waived and re-signed more than once, and finally took five regular-season snaps in 2024. Last December, with Patrick Mahomes and Gardner Minshew both out, Kansas City promoted him.
On Christmas Night, he started against Denver, going 13-of-22 with a touchdown and no interceptions in a 20-13 loss. A week later against Las Vegas he was benched at halftime after two lost fumbles. His 2025 line: 35-of-55 for 235 yards, one touchdown, no picks.
Kansas City drafted Garrett Nussmeier and signed Justin Fields this offseason. Oladokun was waived with an injury designation on Aug. 30, reverted to injured reserve, then agreed to a settlement that makes him available to any team once healthy.
At 29, he is no longer a developmental project. He is a journeyman who has seen Andy Reid’s offense up close and has started in the NFL.
From a Steelers view, this is a familiar late-round footnote. Pittsburgh did not have room for a fourth quarterback in 2022 and chose not to stash him. Kansas City did, and he made the most of a tiny window.
Whether any team, including the one that drafted him, wants that experience now is another question.
For a few days in December 2025, a player the Steelers let go early was the starting quarterback of a Super Bowl franchise.
That part of the file is closed. The next chapter is whoever calls first.
