With the 2026 UFL season beginning, the league made a conscience effort to bring in a new stable of quarterbacks at the direction of new-owner Mike Repole. With 33 quarterbacks spending time on UFL rosters in 2025, the league opted to return 10 quarterbacks from the previously season. While retirements do play a factor the 2025 UFL QB class had only two QBs signed to NFL contracts, with the only spring football quarterbacks earning an NFL paycheck during the season being Adrian Martinez (2024 Birmingham Stallions), and Ben DiNucci (2023 Seattle Sea Dragons), from the modern era.
2019 & 2020
While the modern era (2022-present) has had plenty of issues of keeping QBs on rosters, their predecessors (the AAF and XFL 2.0), have seen plenty of quarterbacks find a home and earn decent livings on NFL rosters. Currently John Wolford (Arizona Hotshots AAF), Logan Woodside (San Antonio Commanders AAF), and Josh Johnson (LA Wildcats XFL) all remained employed during the 2025 season, with even QB turned TE Tyree Jackson (D.C. Defenders XFL) earning a paycheck on the Washington Commanders injured reserve.
In addition to the above-mentioned players the AAF saw Josh Woodrum (2019), Matt Simms (2019), Garrett Gilbert (2019), PJ Walker (2020), Jordan Ta'amu (2020), and Taylor Heinicke (2020), all earn paychecks from NFL teams with several of those players extending their careers by 2-3 years.
The 2025 Class:
The UFL 2025 class saw a retention of 18 out of 32 quarterbacks who broke camp prior to the season. The league continued to relay on signal callers whose NFL windows may be closed however, provided consistency with their respective franchises. Below is reviewing the 2025 class of quarterbacks which only Dresser Winn (signed w/ LA Rams), and Bryce Perkins (signed w/ Carolina Panthers) earn NFL opportunities.
Dallas Renegades
The Renegades "ran it back" with Luis Perez and Holton Ahlers, while signing Luke Lehnen out of the division-III school North Central College fresh off a National Championship win. The team lost Lindsey Scott Jr. due to his retirement, with Ahlers taking over as a backup/short yardage QB. The Renegades stood strong with Perez as their "guy" and in return went 5-5, with him leading the league in passing yards, sitting at just under 10,000 for his career. Ahlers was able to find his way into the endzone twice (1 rushing, 1 passing) in limited reps this past year, while Lehnen remained as QB3 not seeing the field.
This offseason, the Renegades retained Perez and Lehnen with Ahlers opting for retirement. Ahlers finishes his football career with time with the Seattle Seahawks and the Renegades (23-25) seeing action in 14 regular season games.
Birmingham Stallions
The Stallions dealt with a plethora of injuries in 2025 seeing Alex McGough, Case Cookus, Matt Corral, J'Mar Smith, Andrew Peasley, and Jalen Morton all rostered by the team this past season. Now a year later only Corral remains with the team and is the favorite to finally earn an opportunity with Birmingham to start all 10 regular season games with the team.
The 2025 Stallions QBs are not so lucky. 2023 USFL MVP Alex McGough retired after 8 professional seasons that includes numerous awards, and several NFL contracts earning over 2.2 million in his NFL career. Cookus, Peasley, and Smith all were undrafted by 2026 UFL teams with Smith voicing his grievances via social media. Despite only being on the team for one week, Jalen Morton goes into year six of his professional career with him now on the Columbus Aviators.
D.C. Defenders
If it isn't broke don't fix it, and that is what the D.C. Defenders did with their 2025 QB room. The trio of Jordan Ta'amu, Mike DiLiello, and Spencer Sanders all return in 2026, with D.C. being the only team to return their same QB room. The Defenders will look to Ta'amu once more in hopes of repeating as UFL champions in 2026.
Houston Roughnecks (now Gamblers)
The Roughnecks were "All-In" on former NFL quarterback Anthony Brown who fizzled enroute for Nolan Henderson, and Jalan McClendon. McClendon would take control of the Roughnecks franchise, giving hope for the team that has been extremely un-inspiring for the 2024 and 2025 seasons. With a rebrand, and the return of Kevin Sumlin as the organization's Head Coach, Houston went with Hunter Dekkers and the University of Houston's Donovan Smith as their 2026 QBs initially, while adding veteran Nolan Henderson as another option, who returns for his 3rd season with the UFL.
While the Roughnecks/Gamblers did retain Henderson, Jalan McClendon did manage to earn an opportunity with the Columbus Aviators being favored to start all 10 games for the first time in his career. Anthony Brown has signed with the CFL's Montreal Alouettes in hopes of finding stability up north.
Memphis Showboats (Now Louisville Kings)
A team that had plenty of hype coming into 2025, the Showboats sunk due to injury, and instability. The team made a trade for former Michigan Panthers QB E.J. Perry, and San Antonio Brahmas QB Quinton Dormady, while returning Troy Williams. After a "poor-performance" in camp, Dormady was released, allowing Dresser Winn an opportunity to join the team. All three quarterbacks would play in 2025, leading to a 2-8 record despite an upset win over the Birmingham Stallions.
Since the Showboats folded, Winn would earn a contract with the LA Rams, and after going unselected in the 2026 UFL QB draft would find himself earning a contract with the CFL's Montreal Alouettes. Perry signed with the CFL's Montreal Alouettes after the 2025 season, spending the several weeks on their practice squad still rostered with the team. Dormady would not return to a UFL team after his release, and has since unofficially retired, with Williams not rostered by any 2026 UFL teams. The Showboats, whose roster became the Louisville Kings roster 2024 UFL #1 overall pick Jason Bean and Chandler Rogers, as their quarterbacks with one open roster spot.
Michigan Panthers (Now Columbus Aviators)
After two playoff appearances, the 2025 Michigan Panthers managed to get over the hump finding their way into a championship game on the back of 2025 UFL MVP Bryce Perkins. Despite injuries Perkins was the UFL's best player earning multiple weekly and yearly awards, despite playing complimentary football with his backup Danny Etling. The Panthers also traded 2024 starter E.J. Perry, allowing rookie (and 2024 UFL Draft Pick) Rocky Lombardi to be the team's QB3. The team also rostered Colby Suits and Alan Bowman during the regular season as well for a week.
After the UFL season, Perkins earned a contract with the Carolina Panthers who released him at the conclusion of the preseason. Perkins has since signed with the CFL's Winnipeg Blue Bombers looking to find a role on the team. After his age-31 season Danny Etling retired and has since joined the Washington Commanders coaching staff, while Rocky Lombardi remains unsigned and unselected in 2026. Suits remains unsigned going into year three of his career, while Bowman finished the season with the Brahmas is also unsigned.
The Panthers now operating as the Columbus Aviators will roster Jalan McClendon (2025 Roughnecks), Jalan Morton (2025 Stallions & AF1's SW Kansas Storm) and Aiden Sayin (Julian Sayin's brother, and UPenn Alum) as their QB room moving forward.
San Antonio Brahmas (Now Orlando Storm)
San Antonio saw a decent amount of QB change over the 2025 season with the team trading Quinton Dormady, in addition to several fill-ins due to injuries. The team rostered Alan Bowman, Jarrett Guarantano, Kellen Mond, Kevin Hogan, and Mike Hohensee with Guarantano, Hogan, and Mond each taking snaps this year.
All five quarterbacks were not retained by any UFL teams in 2026, with questions about the future for the signal callers. Mike Hohensee spent one week with the team and has retired working on with his father's company. The Orlando Storm is now rostering Hank Bachmeier, Jack Plummer, and Dorian Thompson Robinson with several Brahmas still on the roster.
St. Louis Battlehawks
The Battlehawks turned to 3rd year player (4th year pro) Manny Wilkins, along with Heisman runner-up Max Duggan, and rookie Chevan Cordiero as they broke camp this past season. After an Achilles injury to Wilkins and Cordiero hurting himself in camp, the team brought in Trae Self, and returned Brandon Silvers to fill out the roster, until Self was released when Cordiero was healthy.
Moving into 2026 the team looks much different, with former HC Anthony Becht (22-8) now in Orlando, the team is now led by 2023 WR Coach Ricky Proehl who only retained Silvers with connections to his OC A.J. Smith (23' Roughnecks, 21' Spring League), and with Proehl's son Austin coaching receivers now also playing with Silvers with the 2020 XFL's Seattle Dragons.
2025 QB Max Duggan now is in Canada with the Toronto Argonauts looking to make an impact as their short yardage QB after spending several weeks with the team after the UFL season last year. Chevan Cordiero was undrafted after playing in Japan's X-League, with Wilkins now presumably retired after his injury. Trae Self remains unsigned as well.
The 2026 Battlehawks go into camp, with 2025 UDFA (Patriots) Ben Wooldridge, and Silvers competing for the starting job. Michael Pratt who was drafted by the team, opted to not play during the 2026 UFL season.
Final Thoughts:
With new faces in the UFL QB rooms, owner Mike Repole hopes that younger names may drive some competition and create a pipeline for players to transition to the NFL. Outside of A.J. McCarron no modern spring football QB has thrown a pass in an NFL regular season game, with Adrian Martinez's "kneel down" being the only UFL QB to appear in a game. With the new stable of talent, hopefully the 2026 UFL QB class can make the jump and create a legacy like several of their predecessors from leagues previous.