New opportunities emerge as three former Packers QBs fight to keep their football careers alive
The UFL is a great opportunity.
Over the past few years, the Green Bay Packers have made concerted efforts to add quarterbacks behind Jordan Love. It hasn’t worked out pretty well outside of the trade for Malik Willis, but other guys are still fighting for their football careers.
This week, the UFL held its annual draft. It’s a completely different process compared to the NFL Draft, though, and it’s separated by positions. Earlier this week, the spring league announced where the quarterbacks are going, and three former Packers are on the list.
Former Packers quarterbacks drafted in the UFL
- Taylor Elgersma (Birmingham Stallions)
- Clayton Tune (Columbus Aviators)
- Michael Pratt (St. Louis Battlehawks)
Taylor Elgersma goes to one of the best spring teams in recent history. The Stallions won the pre-merger USFL in 2022 and 2023, then the UFL in 2024. It’s the team that had Alex McGough, who ended up spending significant time with the Packers later.
The Canadian quarterback was a star in Canadian college football and has a strong arm. Now, going to a minor league should help him transition to the American version of the game. The Packers had signed Elgersma as an undrafted free agent and he spent camp and preseason in Green Bay, but he didn’t make the team or even the practice squad.
That happened because the Packers signed veteran Clayton Tune, who now goes to the Columbus Aviators — one of the new UFL teams. Tune spent almost the entire season on the Packers’ practice squad and started in Week 18 versus the Minnesota Vikings. But things didn’t go well and he was cut before the playoffs. A former fifth-round pick, Tune will try to get more playing time in a minor league.
The third quarterback on the list is Michael Pratt, whom the Packers selected in the seventh round of the draft in 2024. Pratt played for the Packers in his rookie training camp and preseason but was cut after Green Bay acquired Willis. The seventh-rounder spent the 2024 regular season on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ practice squad and on their 90-man roster in this year’s training camp, but was waived with an injury settlement and spent the 2025 season without a team.
The UFL is an excellent tool for players looking for a new chance, and the Packers have taken advantage of its scouting opportunities to add some pieces. Now, maybe these quarterbacks can prove their worth in the long run.
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