UFL Officially Announces Return Of Jordan Ta'amu to D.C. Defenders
As first reported by UFLSI, the return of Jordan Ta'amu to the D.C. Defenders is now official. The UFL announced the league transaction on Thursday evening.
In recent days, three of the UFL's top quarterbacks have all made their formal return. A.J. McCarron (St. Louis), Luis Perez (Arlington) and Ta'amu are all back for another run after having career-defining moments in 2023.
There was some hesitation by the XFL's top signal-callers to sign their letters of intent to play in the newly merged UFL this season due to concerns over the league's adopted union and changes in housing/playing compensation.
Most recently, McCarron appeared on Spring Ball Boulevard with Matty Fresh to air out his concerns about the new layout.
According to several sources within the XFL, a select few quarterbacks, including Ta'amu, were compensated well over six figures to play in the league in 2023. This does not include weekly win bonuses, which are no longer a part of the league's new setup. It's believed that McCarron's base salary in 2023 with St. Louis was $200k.
Through the renamed UFLPA (formerly USFLPA), the new pay structure for players in the merged league sees a seasonal average of $55k over ten regular season games, if active, with playoff wins and award bonuses to players for individual achievements, such as player of the week ($1K), all-league honors ($2,500), player of the year ($5K), and league MVP ($7,500).
There's no official confirmation yet on whether the UFL has sweetened the pot to accommodate some of the league's top stars like Ta'amu, McCarron and Perez to return. But all three signal-callers are assuredly strong candidates to achieve top player achievement award bonuses.
The return of Ta’amu is critical for the Defenders and the UFL. He's been one of the shining stars of spring football since 2020.
In his best year as a pro last season, Ta'amu threw for 1,878 yards with 14 touchdowns to just three interceptions. He added 301 rushing yards and three touchdowns in 10 games.
The breakout performance by Ta'amu earned him XFL Offensive Player of the Year honors and a first-team nod as All-XFL at quarterback, as voted on by league coaches and personnel.
The Defenders have unfinished business after winning ten games last year, only to fall short of the prize. D.C. now gets its most important player back in the fold as the club makes another run at a league championship.
You can find Mike Mitchell on X @ByMikeMitchell.
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