Aaron Rodgers, free agency, and the draft. They are hot button issues that dominate the conversation. Important discussions to shape the short and long-term future of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
This is not one of those articles. This is embracing the weird, quirky and future bar trivia questions of America.
If you kind of, sort of remember TE Nick Vannett, you’re not alone. There are NFL journeymen. Then there is Nick Vannett. He grabbed a cup of coffee with the Steelers during the 2019 season, acquired in a September trade with the Seattle Seahawks for a fifth-round pick. He caught 13 passes, no touchdowns, and departed the ensuing offseason.
That’s been Vannett’s story. A team here. A team there. His collection of NFL jerseys really began when Seattle shipped him to Pittsburgh. From there, the journey began. Since then, he’s appeared in at least one game with the:
– Denver Broncos
– New Orleans Saints
– New York Giants
– Los Angeles Chargers
– Tennessee Titans
– Minnesota Vikings
– Los Angeles Rams
Add back in the Seahawks and Steelers, and Vannett has suited up for nine NFL teams. There’s no free haircut for a 10th. But there is an NFL record.
In history, only two players have ever played for 10 NFL teams. Tillie Voss was the first and for most of the league’s history, the only. Playing from 1921 to 1929 in the league’s infancy, and when moving from team-to-team was the norm, Voss played for storied franchises like the Chicago Bears to defunct and long-forgotten clubs like the Toledo Maroons and both nicknames of a Detroit-based team – the Tigers and Panthers. Tally them all up and he got to 10.
It would take until 2015 for someone to match Voss’ mark. Kicker Shayne Graham found his 10th team in the Atlanta Falcons for his 15th and final season. Best remembered for his stint with the Cincinnati Bengals, Graham bounced around his final years before exiting the league.
Vannett could be the third. All he must do is take one more snap with a new team. A pending free agent, that’s a real possibility. But time is running out. Vannett turns 33 in March. He has just 33 receptions over the past five seasons, most of them coming with the Tennessee Titans in 2024. His market and options are getting slimmer, and he may choose retirement instead of giving football one more go.
Another former Steeler isn’t far behind. Kicker Matthew Wright has already played for eight teams, including two stints with Pittsburgh, and he’s yet to turn 30. He might be the guy who doesn’t just tie the record but breaks it with an 11th. Tillie Voss will have nothing on him.
If Nick Vannett signs in the coming weeks and months, it’ll hardly register on anyone’s radar. A depth signing. A “camp body,” fans will say (that remains my least-favorite football term). But it’ll be a chance to make history. So long, at least, he doesn’t sign with one of the 10 teams he’s already played for.
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