Former Minnesota Vikings QB Kyle Sloter recently made his USFL debut, but his struggles showed why he’s out of the NFL, and may never return.
The Minnesota Vikings found a cult hero for several years when they signed quarterback Kyle Sloter from the Denver Broncos practice squad in 2017. During a year in which the Vikings were left to see where journeyman and oft-injured quarterback Sam Bradford could take them, and eventually Case Keenum, fans clamored for the young gun to get his shot.
Sloter never saw active playing time and would find himself bouncing around from teams such as the Arizona Cardinals, Detroit Lions, and even with Minnesota late last season. But after being selected in the first round of the USFL Draft by the New Orleans Breakers earlier this year, Sloter had a chance at professional football yet again.
Recapturing the glory days from a semi-pro league in the 1980s that produced NFL Hall of Famers such as Jim Kelly and Minnesota’s own, Gary Zimmerman, Sloter and Co. found a league to showcase their talents on national television networks such as FOX and NBC.
USFL debut of Kyler Sloter shows why he never took the field for the Minnesota Vikings
Sloter and the Breakers did beat the Philadelphia Stars 23-17 on Sunday, but the former Vikings passer struggled much throughout the game.
A final stat line of going 17-for-27 for 150 passing yards, no touchdowns, and one interception may seem average, but low throws to wide receivers, and his offense relying on a heavy run game showed Sloter’s struggles.
Additionally, putting up the numbers Sloter did in a semi-pro league will make a hard case for him to find himself outside of the “camp body” role he’s been accustomed to in his NFL career.
Future competing semi-pro leagues like the XFL may entertain the idea of Sloter as their new cult hero, but his NFL days that Vikings fans swore up and down would come, might be all but over.