Van Pelt was an eighth round draft pick of his hometown franchise Pittsburgh Steelers, but was released during training camp.

[2] Van Pelt spent three games with the Kansas City Chiefs late in the 1993 NFL season following a hamstring injury to Joe Montana.

In 2001, he started eight games, going 2–6, and playing well enough to justify a contract extension that would allow the Bills to release failed Jim Kelly successor Todd Collins.

[4] After retiring from football in 2004, Van Pelt was John Murphy's partner on Bills Radio Network broadcasts.

On September 4, 2009, he was promoted again to offensive coordinator after Turk Schonert was abruptly fired just 10 days prior to the season opener.

[13] On January 29, 2020, Van Pelt was hired by the Cleveland Browns as their offensive coordinator under head coach Kevin Stefanski.

[16] On January 17, 2024, Van Pelt was fired by the Browns following the team's 45–14 loss to the Houston Texans in the AFC playoffs.