Kyle Sloter Has Resurfaced
Dustin Baker
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For a handful of loud Minnesota Vikings fans, Kyle Sloter will forever be “the one that got away.”
This time, Sloter got away to the XFL and will start this weekend for the Arlington Renegades. Jake Ellenbogen tweeted his spin on the news Thursday, “My guy Kyle Sloter is finally starting this weekend for the XFL Renegades. Count me in for this game.”
Kyle Sloter Has Resurfaced
The Renegades are 1-1 heading into Week 3 of the XFL season and in a league featuring eight teams.
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. To date, Sloter has never thrown a regular season pass – in six NFL seasons – but fans absolutely insist he is the real deal. As a preseason participant, Sloter owns an 12-touchdown to 1-interception split, totally dazzling the Broncos and Vikings fanbases.
The former Viking was a backup quarterback for Minnesota in three seasons (2017, 2018, 2021). Sloter routinely played like a celestial being in preseason games, leading an unusual amount of fans to call for his promotion on the depth chart. But that never happened.
Sloter is still talked about today, though, by Vikings fans — always in a positive manner. He tends to pop up in folks’ newsfeeds around this time on the calendar, nibbling at NFL auditions or thriving in non-NFL leagues.
Last year, in the USFL, Sloter found a little glory and vindication with the New Orleans Breakers. He led the club to the semifinal round of the playoffs. Named an ‘All-USFL’ quarterback, Sloter was also an MVP candidate for much of the USFL’s regular season. His Breakers lost to the Birmingham Stallions last June, one game shy of the league championship. Sloter ranked second leaguewide in 2022 via passing yards with the Breakers.
On the NFL side, this is Sloter’s resume to date:
- Denver Broncos (2017)
- Minnesota Vikings (2017–2018)
- Arizona Cardinals (2019)
- Detroit Lions (2019)
- Chicago Bears (2020)
- Las Vegas Raiders (2021)
- Minnesota Vikings (2021)
- Jacksonville Jaguars (2022)
Sloter made Vikings-themed headlines last summer when he told Chris Tomasson from the Pioneer Press, “Sean Mannion was two years my senior, and I was just a young guy so that’s a big gap in knowledge. Although I think my play was superior, I think they saw in Sean the ability to help Kirk in the classroom, and that was valued more.”
So, Sloter thought he would be a more adept backup than Mannion — and he probably wasn’t wrong because Mannion constantly underwhelmed — and even tweeted from time to time last summer for the Vikings to give him a call.
Sloter’s Renegades take on the Orlando Guardians this Sunday, the team with Paxton Lynch and Charleston Rambo.
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,’ and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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