Former Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jaylen Samuels is getting another chance at professional football…just not in the NFL.
Steelers fans probably best remember Samuels as the player who proved to be a reliable fill-in for the injured James Conner late in the 2018 season. That was highlighted by a 142-yard outburst in a pivotal Week 15 home win against Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.
Nearly four years after playing his last snap in the NFL, Jaylen Samuels has decided to continue his pro football career north of the border.
The Ottawa Redblacks of the Canadian Football League (CFL), announced that they have signed six players, including the ex-Steelers running back and former Michigan State cornerback Shakur Brown, who won an XFL Championship with the Arlington Renegades in 2023.
: We've made the following moves today:
SIGNED:
QB Miles Hastings
RB Jaylen Samuels
DL Deandre Johnson
DL John Morgan III
DB Derrek Pitts Jr.
DB Shakur Brown: https://t.co/VBTSoQgZMg pic.twitter.com/E51fIqu7sV
— Ottawa REDBLACKS (@REDBLACKS) May 1, 2025
The Steelers drafted Samuels in the fifth round (165th overall) in 2018. That year, Pro Bowl running back Le’Veon Bell rejected a contract extension and sat out the entire year, forcing Pittsburgh to proceed with Conner and Samuels.
Conner turned in a Pro Bowl season, while Jaylen Samuels recorded 256 rushing yards and three receiving touchdowns in a limited role. In his three seasons with Pittsburgh, Samuels tallied 459 rushing yards, one touchdown, 82 receptions, 550 receiving yards and four touchdowns.
Samuels last played for the Houston Texans in 2021, getting just five carries for nine yards in three game appearances.
Jaylen Samuels Joins One Of CFL’s Top Teams
Samuels comes to an Ottawa club that finished 9-8-1 last season, the club’s best finish since 2018. Ottawa qualified for the postseason but fell to the eventual Grey Cup champion Toronto Argonauts in the East Semi-Final.
The 28-year-old Samuels joins an offense led by quarterback Dru Brown, who’s coming off the best season of his young career.