The United Football League (UFL) announced on Wednesday that St. Louis Battlehawks wide receiver Hakeem Butler has been named the 2026 UFL Offensive Player of the Year presented by Progressive. He becomes the first player in UFL history to win this award multiple times after winning the award in 2024.
The award was selected by a panel of media members, broadcast partners, and coaches and team football personnel from all eight teams. Voting was based on player performance throughout the recently completed 10-game regular season.
Hakeem Butler is six foot six and weighs 220 pounds. The 30-year-old from Baltimore, Maryland, was drafted by the Battlehawks in the 2026 UFL Regional College Allocation Draft. In 2026, Butler made 29 catches for 641 yards, and three touchdowns in nine games. In the UFL Playoffs, he made three catches for 24 yards.
The Arizona Cardinals drafted Butler in the fourth round (103rd pick) in the 2019 NFL Draft, but he missed the season with a broken hand. After Arizona, Butler spent time with the Carolina Panthers, Philadelphia Eagles, B.C. Lions and Edmonton Elks. Butler appeared in two NFL regular-season games for the Philadelphia Eagles with no stats, and played one CFL game for the Edmonton Elks in 2022 with one catch for five yards.
In 2022, the St. Louis Battlehawks drafted Butler in the fifth round (33rd pick) in the 2023 XFL Supplemental Draft. In 2023, Butler made 51 catches for 599 yards and eight touchdowns in ten games.
After the season, Butler signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers, playing in one preseason game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with one catch for 17 yards before he was waived from injured reserve on August 25, 2023. Then, Butler re-signed with the Battlehawks on December 4, 2023.
In 2024, Butler made 45 catches for 652 yards, five touchdowns, and one tackle (1 solo) in ten games. Butler was named to the All-UFL Team and earned the UFL Offensive Player of the Year Award.
The Battlehawks released him on July 25, 2024, and he signed with the Cincinnati Bengals on July 26, 2024. Butler played three preseason games with one catch for 12 yards. The Bengals released him on August 23, 2024.
Butler re-signed with the Battlehawks on January 2, 2025. In 2025, he made 13 catches for 300 yards and four touchdowns in seven games. In the playoffs, Butler made two catches for 19 yards and one touchdown.
Collegiately, Butler played three seasons at Iowa State (2016-18) with 110 catches for 2,149 yards, 18 touchdowns, and two tackles (2 solos) in 37 games for the Cyclones. Butler was named Second Team All-Big 12 and Second Team All-American in 2018.
Butler will be honored at the UFL Awards presented by Dynasty Financial Partners on June 12, 2026, leading to the United Bowl, which will be played on June 13, 2026, from Audi Field in Washington, D.C.
