Former Vikings QB Turned UFL Stud Lost for Season

About once or twice per year, VikingsTerritory publishes an article detailing the fruit of Jordan Ta’amu’s labor in the UFL. The 2026 campaign is no different, but there’s a catch: Ta’amu is now hurt.

Ta’amu’s spring football rise added another unfortunate turn before the Defenders’ postseason push.

The man was cooking, but the Defenders must improvise.

Ta’amu’s Minnesota Stay Was Brief but a Bit Memorable

It’s a blow for the champs.

Ta’amu Out for Year

NBC Sports‘ Mike Florio wrote Monday, “Even though the UFL has been generating solid TV ratings, it’s had a hard time moving the needle. That’s largely because the NFL continues to dominate the calendar, even in the months when NFL games aren’t being played. Still, certain developments merit a mention.”

“Like this one: D.C. Defenders quarterback Jordan Ta’amu has been lost for the season due to an injury suffered in a Week 8 loss to Louisville. The specific injury was not specified.”

Defenders head coach Shannon Harris said of the setback, “We never want to lose a quarterback of that caliber, especially a guy who’s been an MVP-level player and championship leader for us. But we still have a really good football team, and we are going to rally behind Spencer Sanders and Jason Bean.”

Time with the Vikings

Just before the 2023 regular season, the Vikings signed Ta’amu to bolster their preseason quarterback depth. He arrived with significant spring buzz, having won the XFL’s 2023 Offensive Player of the Year award five months earlier.

However, his tenure in Minnesota was brief. Ta’amu lasted only a week before being cut, eventually returning to the Defenders on February 22, 2024. The Vikings, already boasting Kirk Cousins, Nick Mullens, and Jaren Hall on their roster for the 2023 season, further solidified their quarterback room during that season by trading for Joshua Dobbs a couple of months later.

Last Year’s Masterclass

In 2025, the Defenders won the UFL Championship, as Ta’amu passed for 2,153 yards, 17 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions, along with 178 rushing yards and 2 scores, in nine games. Nearing the end of the current campaign, the Defenders have a 5-3 record, so they’re trending toward another championship push. Ta’amu has produced 1,516 passing yards, 14 passing touchdowns, and 9 picks, in addition to 196 rushing yards in 8 games.

Of course, the injury ends his dream of back-to-back titles and MVP awards. A brutal blow.

Pro Football Newsroom‘s James Larsen on the Defenders’ without Ta’amu: “Earlier this year, the Defenders traded for Jason Bean from the Kings. He seems like the perfect prospect to fill in, with his mobility – and ability to push the ball down the field. Through four weeks of play with the Louisville Kings, no QB in the UFL had more big-time throws than Bean, with 10.”

“The clock is ticking on what was shaping up to be another big year for DC. If any team can manage this instability – it’s the Defenders. Shannon Harris has chartered strange waters before, and now will have to lead DC to success without their signal caller of the past four seasons.”

Bean might be the meal ticket sans Ta’amu.

Larsen concluded, “Hopefully, this isn’t the last we’ll see of Jordan Ta’amu. He has been one of spring football’s best over the past several years, with two Championship appearances (and a win) in DC. The veteran is, no doubt, on the Mount Rushmore of spring football.”

Lucky Jackson Thriving

Another former Viking has stood out in the offshoot league: Jackson. He plays for the Louisville Kings, a club with a 4-4 mark through eight games, and has tabulated 27 receptions for 341 yards and 2 scores in eight games. Much in part due to his first name, Jackson is well-known in recent Vikings lore as a summer attraction and preseason stud.

And he’s been associated with the Vikings for a while, beginning around the time that Ta’aum initially entered the mix. Jackson signed with the Vikings in May 2023, sticking around for the whole summer and later reaching the 2023 practice squad. He earned active roster placement in late 2023 and signed a futures contract at the start of the 2024 offseason.

Then, he encountered the same arrangement from the summer prior in 2024 — an August cut, followed by a practice squad assignment. In 2025, Jackson actually flirted with becoming the team’s WR4 due to a notable training camp and preseason. But in the end, Minnesota dropped him on September 23, 2025. He signed with Louisville on February 18th — three months ago.

Overall, he’s known for his 4.36 speed coming out of college (Western Kentucky) in 2020.

The Ta’amu-less Defenders’ next game is Friday at the Orlando Storm. Ta’amu will turn 28 in December.

Dustin Baker is a novelist and political scientist. His second novel, The Invaders , is out now. So is … More about Dustin Baker