Updated Monday, August 31, 2026, 3 PM ET.
Jack Pyburn will not return to college football. The Chiefs claimed the edge rusher off waivers from Tampa Bay on Monday afternoon, and a waiver claim transfers his contract intact — a standard NFL deal bars a player from suiting up for any other team or league.
He led the entire NFL with four preseason sacks. It wasn’t enough to make the Buccaneers’ 53. It was enough for another club to spend a claim on him.
How Close It Came
Pyburn had told a Louisiana court, in filings, that if an NFL team released him by September 1 he planned to return to LSU. Tampa Bay waived him on Sunday, one day inside that window. Everything then depended on 31 other teams passing.
Kansas City did not pass. The Chiefs sat ninth in the waiver priority order — which matches the 2026 draft order for the first three weeks of the season — meaning eight clubs declined him before Kansas City took him.
| Step | Outcome |
|---|---|
| Released by his NFL club | Done — waived Aug. 30 |
| Court eligibility | Granted via restraining order |
| SEC conference ban | Removed — SEC agreed to comply Aug. 29 |
| Clear waivers | FAILED — claimed by Kansas City |
Three of the four obstacles fell. The fourth, and the only one entirely outside his control, did not.
Why a Claim Ends It
This is the mechanic that decided the case. A player with fewer than four accrued seasons who is waived does not become a free agent unless he goes unclaimed. If a club puts in a claim, it inherits the existing contract exactly as written — no renegotiation, no release.
Pyburn’s Tampa Bay deal guaranteed $115,000 including a $15,000 signing bonus. To regain college eligibility he would have needed to terminate that contract and repay his earnings. Instead the contract simply moved to Kansas City, and with it the standard clause barring him from playing for anyone else.
Our explainer on how NFL waivers work covers the process in full.
What He Gives Kansas City
A pass rusher who just led the league in preseason sacks, on a cheap rookie deal, claimed with the ninth priority. That is exactly the profile clubs hunt for on cut weekend — cheap contracts move, guaranteed money clears.
Pyburn started 11 games for LSU in 2025, recording 52 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, two sacks and eight quarterback hurries, then played in the 2026 Senior Bowl before signing with Tampa Bay as an undrafted free agent. He spent 2022 through 2024 at Florida.
What It Means for LSU
Lane Kiffin loses the most productive of the former pros he was assembling. LSU still expects Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris, both former Ole Miss players who followed Kiffin to Baton Rouge, plus former Notre Dame edge Junior Tuihalamaka.
The Tigers open against Clemson on September 5. Our LSU NFL returnees page tracks the rest of that group, and the wider legal picture is on our NFL players returning to college hub.
The Bottom Line
Kansas City claimed Jack Pyburn off waivers on August 31, ending his planned return to LSU. He had won the legal fight, the SEC had backed down and Tampa Bay had released him inside his September 1 deadline — and then a team claimed him anyway. He will play for the Chiefs in 2026.