Pucci was given a chance to play for the Cleveland Rams of the National Football League in 1945, but decided not to take the offer. The Rams went on to win the 1945 NFL championship. Pucci joined the Buffalo Bisons of the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) in 1946, the league's first year of play, and played as a tackle in 11 games. The Bisons won just three games that year. Pucci moved in 1947 to the Chicago Rockets, another AAFC team, and played in 13 of the team's 14 games that season. The Rockets lost all but one of their games and ended with a 1–13 win-loss record.