Miguel Maysonet waited and waited for a chance to get back into the NFL after last playing briefly for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2014 and at one point it had seemed as if he had given up.
“He was working on a farm, lugging around 50-pound bags of potatoes and then going to the gym after work,” close family friend Tim Hubbard said. “He took the police test so it seemed like he was going to focus on becoming a police officer.”
At the Jamesport Fire Department parade this summer, he told RiverheadLOCAL he was moving on with his life. “I had fun,” he said. “If it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be.”
The idea of playing in the CFL crossed the Stony Brook University all-time leading rusher’s mind but Maysonet decided not to pursue it.
“He had his chance in the NFL and that’s all he wanted to do was be in the NFL,” Hubbard said.
But he still kept in shape just in case. And everything changed in an instant on Thursday.
Maysonet received a text from the Buffalo Bills. They asked whether he was interested in joining their practice squad as they’ve had a number of running backs go down with an injury.
“I remember him telling me that when he worked out for the New York Jets that Rex Ryan really liked him but couldn’t keep him because they had other needs,” Hubbard said. “I guess he kept his name in the back of his head.”
Maysonet instantly accepted their offer. He flew out as soon as he could. Upon arrival they had him do sprints and after showing that he was still in great shape, they had him sign on the dotted line.
The Bills will be playing in London next week and Maysonet will be joining them.
Where will this all lead? Who knows.
“All I know is that I’m so proud of him,” Hubbard said. “And I’m sure everyone in Riverhead is too.”
About Miguel Maysonet:
Maysonet, a 2009 Riverhead High School graduate, led the Blue Waves to a perfect (12-0) season and the Rutgers Trophy in his senior year. He was the 2008 Hansen Award winner, given to the most outstanding football player in Suffolk County.
He went on to be a star of the Sea Wolves football program, leading his team to a program record 10-season in 2012, when he was named Big South Offensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive year and was a finalist for the Walter Payton Award, which goes to the outstanding player in the FCS. Maysonet also notched school and conference records for career rushing yards (4,725), yards per game (127.7), touchdowns (53) and rushing attempts (695)
The Bills are the eighth NFL team to sign the All-American running back. After being passed over in the draft in 2013, he was immediately signed by the Philadelphia Eagles — only to be released a month later. From there, Maysonet was claimed off waivers by the Cleveland Browns and spent about three months on the team before being cut at the start of the season. Keeping his relevance, he then signed a handful of practice squad contracts and traveled across the country from week to week. He was a member of the Indianapolis Colts, San Diego Chargers, New York Jets and Washington Redskins. He was signed by the Steelers in January 2014 and saw action in a preseason game against the Giants before being cut.
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