Return man, receiver Ray-Ray McCloud leaves Steelers for 2-year deal with 49ers
Ray-Ray McCloud has cashed in on his career-best season with a free-agent contract from the San Francisco 49ers.
The deal is for two years and can be worth as much as $10.4 million. He is the first Steelers player to leave the team in free agency.
In his second year with the Pittsburgh Steelers, McCloud led the NFL with 367 punt return yards. He also set a career high with 39 receptions and 277 yards. He did not score a touchdown in 16 games played that included five starts.
McCloud averaged 9.7 yards on an NFL-high 38 punt returns. He also averaged 22.2 yards on 35 kickoff returns.
McCloud had a combined 25 catches for 113 yards in his first NFL season, which included 2020 with the Steelers. His uptick in production last year was due in part to JuJu Smith-Schuster’s shoulder injury that created an opening in the slot for McCloud.
McCloud played 48% of the offensive snaps after logging 15% the previous season.
With the 49ers, McCloud will be joining his fourth organization since being drafted in the sixth round by the Buffalo Bills in 2018.
Joe Rutter is a TribLive reporter who has covered the Pittsburgh Steelers since the 2016 season. A graduate of Greensburg Salem High School and Point Park, he is in his fifth decade covering sports for the Trib. He can be reached at jrutter@triblive.com.
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