Ex-Vikings Passer Done for Season
Ex-Vikings passer Jordan Ta’amu was in town for a good time, not a long time. Lately, he has been playing strong ball in the UFL but has needed to step away due to injury.
On Pro Football Talk, Mike Florio covers the disappointing news: “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.” Not too long afterwards, Florio clarifies that the “specific injury was not specified.”
Ex-Vikings Passer Done for UFL Season
Standing at 6’3″ and weighing 221 pounds, Jordan Ta’amu offers a lot to like.
He played some of his college ball at Ole Miss. In 2018, Ta’amu completed a healthy 63.6% of his passes for 3,918 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions. Not earth-shattering stuff, but sturdy numbers for an SEC program. The scouting assessment from Lance Zierlein insisted he should be an undrafted free agent rather than a draft pick.
Ta’amu’s football career has involved several NFL stops. Check out where he has been employed in the top football league:
- Houston Texans (2019)
- Kansas City Chiefs (2020-2021)
- Detroit Lions (2021)
- Washington Commanders (2021)
- Carolina Panthers (2021)
- Minnesota Vikings (2023)
His original deal with the Chiefs had $70,000 baked into it as guaranteed money (an important detail within UDFA deals).
That 2023 season ended up being vitally important for the Minnesota Vikings, especially as it relates to the future at quarterback. Kirk Cousins was lost for the season in Week 8 due to an Achilles injury. Nobody knew it at the time, but the Green Bay battle was his last as the Vikings’ QB1.
Losing Cousins — somebody who never got hurt — meant shuffling through all of Nick Mullens, Jaren Hall, and Joshua Dobbs. Each of those three quarterbacks experienced benchings due to poor play. The first two names, Mullens and Hall, had to step back from starting due to injury.
It was a wild ride, and not a fun wild ride.
Continuing to employ Jordan Ta’amu during that 2023 season wouldn’t have changed much. Or, at least, that’s what was likely to have occurred.
His stop in Minnesota lasted just ten days, getting brought to town on August 18th, 2023 before being shown the door on August 28th, 2023. Essentially, he was a gun-for-hire, an extra arm to help bring the Vikings through to the end of the preseason.
In a perfect world, Ta’amu overcomes the injury that ails him in short order. Doing so will allow him to get back to torching the UFL. Quite possibly, enough success in the spring football league can lead to another chance to stick around as a depth passer in the NFL.
He is 28.
