Ten days before NFL cut-down day, Tommy Mellott tackled Junior Bergen on a football field in Las Vegas. Both were rookies. Both were Montanans. Both were fighting for a roster spot on opposite sides of a preseason game. On August 26, 2025, they landed on the same waiver wire — cut loose within hours of each other as the league’s 1,184-player purge wiped out rosters across all 32 teams.
Six months later, their situations could not look more different.
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August 26, 2025: Two Montanans Cut on the Same Afternoon
The NFL’s annual cut-down deadline forces every team from 90 players to 53 by 4 p.m. ET. That means 37 players per team, gone in a single afternoon.
Tommy Mellott, the 2024 Walter Payton Award winner who played quarterback at Montana State, was waived by the Las Vegas Raiders — the team that selected him in the sixth round (213th overall) of the 2025 NFL Draft and immediately asked him to reinvent himself as a wide receiver.
Junior Bergen, Montana’s record-setting punt return specialist, was waived by the San Francisco 49ers — the team that chose him in the seventh round (252nd overall) specifically to fix a punt return game that had gone 246 consecutive games without a touchdown.
Both players were subject to the NFL waiver system. Any team could claim them. What happened next is where the stories split.
Tommy Mellott: Three Teams, Zero Regular Season Snaps
The Raiders Chapter
Converting from FCS quarterback to NFL wide receiver is one of the harder transitions in professional football. Mellott, who completed 68% of his passes at Montana State in 2024 with 22 touchdowns and one interception, showed up to Raiders camp learning route running from scratch.
He appeared in all three preseason games. The raw production was thin — 2 catches for 1 yard — though he flashed on special teams with 2 kick returns for 63 yards, including a 42-yard return against the 49ers on August 16. The same game where he and Bergen shared a field as opponents.
When cut-down day arrived, every Raiders receiver finished the preseason healthy. That made a numbers decision inevitable. Raiders GM John Spytek addressed it plainly:
“He worked really, really hard to try to become an NFL wide receiver after being an FCS quarterback. I don’t think people understand quite how hard that is. I still believe in Tommy. I hope he finds a place with a little more patience.”
Spytek also confirmed the health factor directly: “I’ve been in a wide receiver room where you have 15 guys, and next thing you know you’re down to 10 and it’s not that hard to make a decision. They were all healthy in the end.”
One detail that stung: Cam Miller — the North Dakota State quarterback drafted two picks after Mellott and who defeated him in three FCS Championship games — was also cut on August 26. Miller was signed to the Raiders’ practice squad. Mellott was not.
The Saints and the Taysom Hill Comparison
A week after Las Vegas passed, the New Orleans Saints came calling. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported on September 1 that Mellott was signing to the Saints’ practice squad. The Saints listed him as both wide receiver and quarterback, and the comparisons to Taysom Hill — the multi-positional Saints veteran who also arrived from a college quarterback background — were immediate across NFL media.
His practice squad contract: $234,000, no guaranteed money.
He lasted five weeks. The Saints released Mellott on October 7, 2025, alongside defensive end Garrett Nelson and tackle Sataoa Laumea, to free up space for other additions.
Where Mellott Stands Now
As of February 2026, Tommy Mellott has not signed with any NFL team since his October release. There is no confirmed CFL or UFL deal. His most recent public appearance was working as a fill-in sideline reporter for SWX Sports at the Montana State FCS Championship game in Nashville in January 2026.
He is 24 years old. His NFL path is genuinely unresolved.
Junior Bergen: From a Muffed Punt to a 2026 Contract
Why the 49ers Drafted Him
Bergen’s case for the NFL rested almost entirely on one thing: he returned 8 punts for touchdowns at Montana — tied for the all-time FCS record, while also breaking a school standard previously held by former NFL All-Pro Marc Mariani. His career punt return average of 16.71 yards per return remains a Montana program record.
He was not invited to the NFL Combine, but his pro day at Montana on April 3, 2025 changed that conversation. His 40-yard dash ranked in the top 10 among all combine receivers. His 17 bench press reps would have tied for third among receivers at the combine.
The inside story of how he got drafted: 49ers special teams coordinator Brant Boyer and assistant Colt Anderson — a Montana Grizzlies Hall of Famer — lobbied GM John Lynch to use the team’s final pick on Bergen. Lynch later confirmed it publicly: “They kept talking about this kid from Montana and really selling him to us.”
Bergen signed a four-year, $4.3 million contract on May 9, 2025.
Preseason: Promise, Then a Costly Mistake
Bergen opened the preseason with a sharp 28-yard punt return in Week 1. Week 2 showed strong kickoff return work. Then came Week 3 — a muffed punt in the red zone, recovered by 49ers cornerback Nikko Reed. For a player whose entire roster argument was built on special teams reliability, that moment carried more weight than any statistic.
His final preseason numbers:
Return Type | Attempts | Yards | Average |
|---|---|---|---|
Punt returns | 4 | 38 yards | 9.5 avg (+ 1 muffed) |
Kick returns | 6 | 128 yards | 21.3 avg |
Receiving | 2 targets | 1 yard | — |
Cut, Claimed by Nobody, Then Kept Anyway
Bergen was the only one of the 49ers’ 11 draft picks waived on August 26. Every other selection — from every other round — made the 53-man roster. That single fact said something. The 49ers moved quickly: Bergen cleared waivers with zero claims from other teams, and San Francisco signed him to the practice squad the next morning, August 27. NFL reporter Mike Garafolo confirmed the move.
He spent the full 2025 regular season on the practice squad. He was never elevated to the active game-day roster.
Then, on January 20, 2026, the 49ers signed Bergen to a reserve/futures contract. He is now locked into the 2026 offseason program — OTAs, minicamp, and a legitimate shot at cracking the 53-man roster next summer.
Where Both Players Stand in February 2026
Tommy Mellott | Junior Bergen | |
|---|---|---|
Draft slot | Round 6, Pick 213 (Raiders) | Round 7, Pick 252 (49ers) |
Waived | August 26, 2025 | August 26, 2025 |
Practice squad | Saints (Sept 1 to Oct 7) | 49ers (Aug 27, full season) |
Current status | Free agent, unsigned | Reserve/futures deal, 49ers |
2026 outlook | No confirmed team | Competing for 53-man roster |
The NFL cuts to Mellott and Bergen on the same August afternoon told one story. Six months of what followed tells a completely different one. Bergen is embedded in a system that went out of its way to keep him twice. Mellott — a more decorated college player with a longer NFL resume on paper — is currently without a team.
Both are 24. Both have unfinished business in professional football. Bergen already knows where he is reporting in the spring. Mellott is still figuring that out.
