The United Football League has benefited the Minnesota Vikings in many ways, helping them land defensive lineman Jalen Redmond, who is now a key starter on defense in 2026.
It has also seen former Vikings players join the league and work their way back to the NFL, like wide receiver Lucky Jackson and running back Abram Smith. One other former Viking has had more success in spring football than any other player arguably in history: quarterback Jordan Ta'amu.
Most Vikings fans will remember him more as the starting quarterback for Ole Miss in college, but he spent a short amount of time in training camp with the team back in 2023 before getting cut as part of the final roster cutdowns.
Well, Ta'amu has been trying to get back into the NFL by playing for the DC Defenders over the last three seasons after his release from Minnesota, but he suffered a bad lower-leg injury in Week 8 UFL action last week, which has now ruled him out for the rest of the season.
Former Minnesota Vikings QB Jordan Ta'amu might be at the end of the road for NFL return
After a solid college career at Ole Miss, Ta'amu has bounced around, playing on seven NFL teams since 2019, but has never played in a regular-season NFL game.
Most of his success has come in spring football with the XFL, USFL, and UFL, as he was on the All-XFL team in 2023, XFL Offensive Player of the Year in 2023, and UFL Championship MVP last season.
It has become clear now that, at 28 and injured, Ta'amu might not get another chance to return to the NFL. The Vikings were the last NFL team he played for, back in 2023, and he was only there for a week.
Minnesota never really got to see what he could bring to the table, but Ta'amu's arm talent is there, and he has shown the ability to scramble and make plays. He'll be underappreciated by football fans, but for the die-hard spring football fans, he's one of the best to ever do it in the space.
For Vikings fans, there are still plenty of good former players to watch in the league that is doing well. With two weeks left, if fans are interested in seeing what guys like Jackson and Smith are doing, this is the best time to do so before the season is done.
Who knows, there might be the next Jalen Redmond in the UFL right now.
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