Former Panthers and Patriots QB Matt Corral signs with UFL team

Seldom a third-round quarterback is out of the NFL without ever stepping on the field for a regular season game, but that's exactly what's happening with former Carolina Panthers and New England Patriots quarterback Matt Corral. A third-rounder in 2022 — the Panthers traded up to get him —, Corral has signed a deal with […]

Wendell Ferreira — NFL News Writer

Feb 14, 2024 9:58 AM EST

Matt Corral — Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Here's what the Panthers are getting in Matt Corral.

@corral_matt | @Panthers | @NFLEspanol

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— NFL (@NFL) April 30, 2022

A third-rounder in 2022 — the Panthers traded up to get him —, Corral has signed a deal with UFL's Birmingham Stallions. It's a new opportunity to show what the former Ole Miss prospect is capable of, and the UFL is a merger between the two most relevant US minor leagues, the XFL and the USFL.

Trajectory

Matt Corral was in the discussion to be the best quarterback of the 2022 draft class — a disappointing group, except for seventh-round pick Brock Purdy.

Corral suffered a Lisfranc injury in a preseason game and spent his entire rookie season on the Panthers' injured reserve. Badly for him, though, the Panthers ended up using the first overall pick in the 2023 draft to select Bryce Young, ending any realistic chance of Corral ever being a starter in Charlotte.

Waived before the regular season, he was claimed by the New England Patriots — exactly the team with whom the Panthers had traded up to select Corral a year earlier.

He was placed on the "left squad list" in September after leaving the Patriots' facility without notice, and then waived nine days later. It was initially reported that he would sign with the team's practice squad, but that ended up not happening.

Now, with the Stallions, Corral will get a chance to finally play again and show that he can come back to the NFL.

Examples

Spring league football has been an important tool for quarterbacks who can't get playing time in the NFL. Eight quarterbacks who finished the 2023 season in the major league had previous experience in minor leagues. The best example is Taylor Heinicke, who spent time with the St. Louis BattleHawks of the XFL and ended up being a starter for the Washington Commanders and Atlanta Falcons over the last few years.