The XFL season was suspended due to the coronavirus outbreak, and that has left its players in a bit of limbo. The NFL sent a memo to its teams telling them the league was “working with the XFL to finalize procedures to permit NFL clubs to sign XFL players,” per NFL Network reporter Tom Pelissero.
It remains to be seen when this will change, but NFL teams apparently have been reaching out about P.J. Walker, the Houston Roughnecks star quarterback. The Seattle Seahawks, Arizona Cardinals, and Denver Broncos have all reached out to the Roughnecks about Walker, according to Mark Berman, sports director at KRIV in Houston.
Walker was on pace to claim MVP honors in the debut season. Through five games, he led the league with 1,338 passing yards, and had 15 touchdowns to only four interceptions. That put him on pace for 4,281 passing yards, 48 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. He was second in the league with a 104.4 passer rating.
It’s interesting to see two teams with mobile quarterbacks showing interest. Walker showed some mobility in the XFL, but proved himself as a pocket passer. He could run when needed, but generally was able to get his passes off before things broke down.
The competition level was decidedly lower in the XFL, but his season was impressive nonetheless. He won’t claim a starting job in the NFL right out of the gate, but most people figured he was on pace to earn at least a training camp invite. Walker first entered the NFL in 2017 as an undrafted free agent. He signed with the Indianapolis Colts and between then and September 2019, he bounced off and on the team’s practice squad.