Mar 30, 2025; Washington, D.C., USA; DC Defenders quarterback Jordan Ta'amu (10) prepares before a play in the fourth quarter against the Birmingham Stallions at Audi Field. Mandatory Credit: Emily Faith Morgan-Imagn Images

The UFL has been a fantastic opportunity for failed NFL players and those who haven’t gotten a chance to prove they deserve a major league shot. Around this time a year ago, the Vikings signed defensive tackle Jalen Redmond, a former undrafted player who was sent away by the terrible Carolina Panthers in his debut season. He had a decent year with the Vikings and is still on the roster.

Ex-Vikings QB Has Monster Game in UFL Final

In the 2023 preseason, the depth chart was pretty much set at quarterback. Kirk Cousins was the starter, and Nick Mullens returned for year two as the backup of Kevin O’Connell’s squad. The third QB on the roster was rookie Jaren Hall, whom the head coach wanted to groom into a backup in his own right.

As there was no real incentive to give a veteran like Cousins and Mullens more run in the preseason than they needed, it was time to ramp up the playing time for Hall. But he needed a backup, and O’Connell found one in the XFL. The XFL and the USFL merged last year to form the UFL.

Jun 14, 2025; St. Louis, MO, USA; UFL Owner Dany Garcia presents DC Defenders quarterback Jordan Ta’amu with the UFL Championship MVP trophy after the DC Defenders defeat the Michigan Panthers in the 2025 UFL Championship game at The Dome at AmericaÕs Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Le-Imagn Images

Back when it was still the XFL, a quarterback named Jordan Ta’amu lit up that league and earned Offensive Player of the Year honors in 2023. O’Connell gave him a shot.

The passer didn’t get any snaps in the team’s final preseason game because Hall was in a nice rhythm and O’Connell wanted to see more, but he was still a Viking for a couple of weeks.

Ta’amu is back in the news because of his phenomenal showing in the UFL. The spring league had its championship game, and Ta’amu’s DC Defender edged out the Michigan Panthers.

In that game, Ta’amu completed 21 of 28 passes for 390 yards, four touchdowns, and zero interceptions. He added another 28 yards and a touchdown on the ground. His team won 58-34, and the signal-caller was named Championship MVP for his performance.

But not only was his playoff play excellent, he was just as good in the regular season, leading the league with 17 passing touchdowns, and had he not sat out a meaningless game, he would’ve led the league in yards, too.

Feb 25, 2023; Las Vegas, NV, USA; D.C. Defenders quarterback Jordan Ta’amu (10) warms up before the game against the Vegas Vipers at Cashman Field. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports

Ta’amu’s college career started at New Mexico Military Institute before he transferred to Ole Miss in 2017. In his second year there, he was the full-time starter, and he passed for nearly 4,000 yards and scored 25 total touchdowns.

He went undrafted in 2019 and wasn’t even initially signed as an undrafted rookie. In August, the Houston Texans added him, and his professional odyssey began when he was released three weeks later. A stint with the St. Louis Battlehawks of the XFL was followed by a few months with the Kansas City Chiefs as a practice squad player in 2020.

Later in the season, the Detroit Lions added him to their practice squad, and the Chiefs signed him to their 2021 offseason roster, but he was waived in May. The Lions re-signed him for six days in training camp, and the Washington Football Team called in December for a practice squad opportunity.

The Panthers employed him for about a week late in the 2021 campaign, and he was headed to the Tampa Bay Bandits of the USFL, where he led the league in passing yards and touchdowns in 2022. That’s when his developmental league stardom kicked off.

Feb 9, 2020; Arlington, Texas, USA; St. Louis Battlehawks quarterback Jordan Ta’amu (10) passes against the Dallas Renegades during the second half in an XFL football game at Globe Life Park. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

In 2023, Ta’amu’s Offensive Player of the Year campaign took place in the XFL. It was his first stint with his current team, the DC Defenders. Then the Vikings signed him for about a week. The Saskatchewan Roughriders claimed his CFL rights in 2023, but he has never played for them.

Ta’amu has shown enough in the UFL to get an audition from someone in an NFL training camp. There are worse QBs employed in the National Football League.

The Hawaiian-born MVP is 27 years old, and it would be more surprising to see him get ignored this offseason than to see him get a job in the NFL.

Editor’s Note: Information from the UFL, PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.

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