Shon Stephens, the cousin of star Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr., was released by the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League on Monday.
Stephens tried to make it in the CFL after the NFL path did not work for him last year. After a rookie minicamp tryout, he earned a spot on the Philadelphia Eagles’ roster. That summer, Stephens made it all the way through training camp but was cut.
After not finding a stable gig in the NFL during the season, even on a practice squad, Stephens opted to try his luck in the CFL, but could not crack the Stampeders’ roster.
A former star at West Liberty and Ferris State, The Steelers were one of the teams interested in Stephens, who had an invite to the team’s rookie minicamp last year but never came due to earning a contract with the Eagles.
Stephens is free to sign wherever he likes and could still be picked up by another CFL team as the waiver wire following cutdowns begins for CFL teams.
Either way, this is the latest crossroads in Stephens’s career, as he hopes to fulfill his NFL dreams. He is still just 26 years old, so there is plenty of time for him to get his career back on track.