Chase Cota Bio
Chase Cota (born November 9, 1999) is an American professional football wide receiver. Born and raised in Medford, Oregon, he built his football foundation at South Medford High School before playing college football for the UCLA Bruins from 2018 to 2021 and finishing his career with the Oregon Ducks in 2022. After going undrafted in the 2023 NFL Draft, Cota signed with the Detroit Lions and went on to spend time with several NFL organizations. He is the son of former professional football player Chad Cota, a lineage that shaped his early connection to the sport.
Standing 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighing 200 pounds, Cota has built a journeyman professional path that has taken him across multiple league rosters. He has also extended his career internationally, signing with a club in Japan’s X-League.
Chase Cota
Early Life and Background
Chase Cota was born on November 9, 1999, in Medford, Oregon, in the United States. He grew up in a household steeped in professional football, as his father, Chad Cota, had a career as an NFL safety. That family background gave Chase early and direct exposure to the demands of the sport, including training environments and the routines of a working player.
He attended South Medford High School in Medford, Oregon, where he developed into a promising wide receiver prospect. His combination of size, length, and catching ability began to draw attention from college programs during his prep years, setting the stage for his eventual commitment to a Pac-12 program.
Path to American Football
Coming out of South Medford, Cota accepted a scholarship to play college football at UCLA, joining the Bruins as part of their 2018 recruiting class. He quickly earned a role on the offense, appearing in all 12 games during his freshman year and finishing that debut season with 13 receptions for 168 yards. The experience of contributing immediately as a freshman helped him adjust to the speed and complexity of the college level.
Across four seasons at UCLA, Cota developed into a reliable possession receiver and a respected teammate in the locker room. By the time he finished his Bruins career after the 2021 season, he had compiled 67 receptions for 883 yards and six touchdowns. On February 18, 2022, he announced his decision to transfer to the University of Oregon, the same school his father Chad Cota had attended, in order to use his final year of eligibility as a graduate transfer.
Chase Cota Career
Early Career (2018–2022)
During his time at UCLA from 2018 to 2021, Cota steadily increased his production. As a sophomore in 2019, he played in all 12 games with 10 starts, recording 25 receptions for 350 yards and three touchdowns while posting the second-highest yards-per-reception average on the team at 14.0. His junior year in 2020 was shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic, but he still appeared in all seven games, making five starts and adding 11 receptions for 79 yards and two touchdowns. In his senior year in 2021, he played all 12 games, starting 10, and finished with 18 receptions for 286 yards and one touchdown, placing second on the team with an average of 15.9 yards per reception.
After transferring to Oregon for the 2022 season, Cota took on a larger role in the Ducks offense. He played in 10 of Oregon’s 13 games and made nine starts, recording 36 receptions for 497 yards and a career-high three touchdowns. He was the team’s second-leading receiver in yards before an October 29, 2022, injury against California forced him to miss the next three games. He closed his college career with All-Pac-12 Conference honorable mention recognition, finishing with 103 receptions for 1,380 yards and nine touchdowns across 53 games.
NFL Breakthrough (2023–2024)
After going undrafted in the 2023 NFL Draft, Cota signed a three-year, $2.71 million contract with the Detroit Lions on May 12, 2023. He made his preseason debut on August 11, 2023, against the New York Giants, leading the team with four receptions on seven targets for 60 yards. He was waived by the Lions on August 29, 2023, as part of final roster cuts.
On September 26, 2023, Cota joined the Kansas City Chiefs’ practice squad, where he remained until his release on December 5, 2023. Shortly after, on December 12, 2023, the Houston Texans signed him to their practice squad, reuniting him with his cousin, Brady Breeze. He became a free agent after the season when Houston did not sign him to a reserve/future contract. On January 23, 2024, Cota signed a reserve/future contract with the New York Giants, but a fractured collarbone suffered during minicamp landed him on injured reserve on June 18, and he was released on September 13.
Cleveland Browns Era (2025)
On July 31, 2025, Cota signed with the Cleveland Browns in an effort to earn a roster spot. He was waived on August 12 as part of early cuts, then re-signed by the Browns on August 21 before being waived again five days later during final roster trimming. Despite the back-and-forth movement, his time in Cleveland reflected his persistence in pursuing a regular NFL opportunity.
Japanese X-League Move (2026)
On April 1, 2026, Cota signed with the Nojima Sagamihara Rise of the Japanese X-League, extending his professional career internationally. The move offered him a chance to play a prominent role abroad after a series of practice-squad and short-term stints across the NFL.
Notable Events and Milestones
One of the defining early moments of Cota’s professional career came during his preseason debut with the Detroit Lions, when he led the team in receptions and receiving yards against the New York Giants. His All-Pac-12 Conference honorable mention at Oregon, his graduate transfer to his father’s alma mater, and his signing with the Nojima Sagamihara Rise in Japan stand as the most notable milestones in his journey.
Chase Cota Career Wins
Chase Cota’s on-field resume centers more on reliability and development than on championship hardware. His career has been defined by consistent practice-squad contributions, brief active-roster appearances, and the ability to remain on NFL radars across multiple organizations. The transition to the Nojima Sagamihara Rise represents a fresh competitive chapter where he can pursue a more featured role.
Other Wins & Performances
Cota’s most prominent statistical performance came in his preseason debut with the Detroit Lions, when he caught four passes for 60 yards against the New York Giants. At Oregon, he posted career highs in receptions, yards, and touchdowns in 2022, performances that helped him earn All-Pac-12 Conference honorable mention recognition.
Chase Cota Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Chase Cota is the son of former professional football player Chad Cota, who played in the NFL as a safety. Chad Cota’s career gave Chase a direct window into the realities of professional football, and that connection influenced Chase’s decision to transfer to Oregon in 2022, the same school his father had attended.
Personal Life
Chase Cota is also the cousin of Brady Breeze, a safety who has spent time in the NFL. The two were teammates briefly on the Houston Texans’ practice squad in December 2023. Beyond his family ties to the sport, Cota’s personal life has remained largely outside the public spotlight, with his focus on football and on continuing his career.
2025 Season Performance
Chase Cota’s 2025 storyline revolved around his pursuit of an NFL roster spot. He signed with the Cleveland Browns on July 31, 2025, aiming to compete for a wide receiver role during training camp and the preseason. The Browns waived him on August 12, re-signed him on August 21, and waived him again five days later as part of final roster cuts, a sequence that highlighted the competitive nature of the league’s bottom of the roster.
Although he did not secure a regular-season role in 2025, his activity with the Browns kept him within NFL circles. That presence left the door open for future opportunities, including the international opportunity that arrived in April 2026.
Looking forward, Cota’s move to the Nojima Sagamihara Rise in the Japanese X-League gives him a platform to showcase his skills in a more featured role. For a player whose career has been shaped by perseverance through practice-squad stints and short stints, the X-League move represents both a fresh start and a chance to build a more stable professional chapter.