Vikings Make It Official with New Quarterback
For at least a week, the Minnesota Vikings employ a new QB4.
His name is Jordan Ta’amu, an XFL standout and now a late-summer addition to Minnesota’s 90-man depth chart.
Vikings Make It Official with New Quarterback
The XFL’s main social media accounts tweeted Ta’amu’s commitment to the Vikings over the week, and the Vikings made the transaction official on Monday. Outside linebacker Curtis Weaver was waived to make room for the new passer.
Ta’amu now joins this quarterback room in Minnesota:
QB1: Kirk Cousins
QB2: Nick Mullens
QB3: Jaren Hall
QB4: Jordan Ta’amu
The intent of the signing is a bit unclear as the Vikings have eight days to shave the roster from 90 players to 53. Ta’amu is unlikely to make the regular season roster, no one is taking Nick Mullens’ QB2 job, and Hall is a rookie — leaving a question mark around Ta’amu to the Vikings. We shall see.
Ta’amu played for the XFL’s DC Defenders, a team evidently used as an MLB-like farm system for the Vikings 2023 summer roster. Wide receiver Lucky Jackson and running back Abram Smith also played for the Defenders and currently reside on Minnesota’s personnel ledger. Ta’amu makes it a trifecta.
An undrafted NFL talent in 2019, Ta’amu initially latched onto the Houston Texans for three weeks before regular season roster cuts four years ago. He’s since spent time — short stints — with the Kansas City Chiefs, Detroit Lions, Chiefs again, Lions again, Washington Commanders, and Carolina Panthers before finding homes with the XFL.
Ta’amu has played for three XFL teams, the St. Louis BattleHawks, Tampa Bay Bandits, and most recently, the Defenders, in the last few years.
He dazzled the XFL for 17 touchdowns in 10 games this season, recording just 3 interceptions. His Defenders lost in the XFL Championship, 35-26, to the Arlington Renegades on May 13th. Along the way, Ta’amu won the XFL’s Offensive Player of the Year award — likely why the 25-year-old is getting an audition with the Vikings.
Coming out of Ole Miss four years ago during the lead-up to the draft, Ta’amu explained about this skillset, “I would just say I know I’m better than people say I am. It’s just motivation for me to get better each and every day. A lot of people are giving me feedback, a lot of corrections. I’m just doing my best to learn all of those corrections and apply it to the field.”
Ta’amu is from Hawaii. Keep an eye on his status next week when the Vikings roster is trimmed to 53 names.
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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 Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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