Folklorish Ex-Vikings QB Gets Win in First USFL Start
Dustin Baker
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You know the man. Hell, he might be a God in your house.
He’s Kyle Sloter, a Minnesota Vikings reservist quarterback for three seasons (2017, 2018, 2021), and his New Orleans Breakers won their inaugural USFL game on Sunday, topping the Philadelphia Stars, 23-17.
Sloter was a mythical creature during his Vikings tenure, constantly lighting it up in the preseason but never afforded a chance in the regular season. In fact, since 2017, Sloter has signed with seven different NFL teams, while none have allowed the man as much as a regular-season pass attempt.
For fans’ sentiment on Sloter, he’s an example of general managers and coaches simply “not getting it.” To the preseason eye test, Sloter is magnificent. Yet, when it’s time to fill out a roster — particularly QB1 or QB2 designations — dozens of coaches get it wrong, at least according to Sloter’s fans.
For a while, though, Sloter is “the guy” in New Orleans as QB1 for the Breakers. He wasn’t too dynamic in his first start, passing for 150 yards, zero touchdowns, and one interception. His running backs, Jordan Ellis and T.J. Logan Jr., did the damage on offense for New Orleans, scoring a touchdown apiece in the winning effort. Sloter did get the illustrious “quarterback win,” though.
Undrafted from the University of Northern Colorado, Sloter found his way to the neighboring Denver Broncos in 2017. With the Broncos, Sloter was tremendous in the preseason but was ultimately cut before the 2017 regular season started. After that, Sloter joined the Vikings, remaining on the roster for two years and returning briefly in 2021. As a preseason participant, Sloter owns an 11-touchdown to one interception split, totally dazzling the Broncos and Vikings fanbases.
For Sloter, he gets to take his preseason-hero status to the USFL, a league hoping to emulate the XFL but with staying power. Other NFL quarterbacks joined, too. Shea Patterson, Clayton Thorson, and Kyle Lauletta, for example, lead USFL squads.
Other former Vikings are a part of the USFL, as well. Jeff Badet, Case Cookus, Darrius Shepherd, and Jack Tocho play for various USFL teams.
Next up for Sloter’s Breakers? The Tampa Bay Bandits on April 24th — incidentally four days before the Vikings embark on the NFL Draft.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sally from Minneapolis. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
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