Dae'Quan Wright Becomes First NFL Player in Transfer Portal
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- Dae'Quan Wright, a Cleveland Browns practice squad member and former Ole Miss tight end, entered the transfer portal Thursday — the first active NFL player ever to do so, per CBS Sports' Matt Zenitz.
- Wright went undrafted in April, signed with Philadelphia, and was later claimed by Cleveland; he caught 113 passes for 1,603 yards across Virginia Tech and Ole Miss, including 1,029 yards in his final two seasons with the Rebels.
- 16 players — with many more expected — plan to return to college after a Louisiana judge granted a temporary restraining order targeting the NCAA's five-year eligibility clock, sources told CBS Sports.
- NFL teams must trim rosters to 53 players by Aug. 30, creating a tight window for released players to play college football during the 2026 season on an NIL or revenue share contract.
- Other players in the group include former SMU/Seahawks RB TJ Harden (2,445 rushing yards, 21 TDs in college), ex-Ohio State kicker Jayden Fielding (who filed a separate Illinois lawsuit, 16-of-20 on FGs in 2025), former LSU edge Jack Pyburn, ex-Ole Miss DL Zxavian Harris, and ex-South Carolina safety DQ Smith.
- District Judge Charlotte Sweeney had clarified on Aug. 2 that NCAA rules still apply to players who've signed NFL contracts, but teams have continued contacting players about a return to school.
Why it matters: The portal entry gives Wright leverage and a potential NIL/revenue-share alternative if Cleveland releases him before the Aug. 30 cut deadline — and it opens a door for college coaches to actively recruit players employed by NFL franchises, an August roster-management scenario the NCAA explicitly did not want from its eligibility litigation.
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