Brandon Silvers, Seattle Dragons (photo by All-Pro Reels, via Flickr).
This spring, the XFL is back. Version 3.0 will return the Seattle Dragons (or Sea Dragons, depending on who you believe) to the Emerald City. The most important player on any team is the quarterback.
Recent rumors linked Steven Montez to the Seattle Dragons. The former Colorado Buffaloes signal-caller has been working out with XFL Director of Quarterback Development Jordan Palmer.
No disrespect to Montez, but it’s also important that the face of the franchise has a connection with the fans.
Here are 10 quarterbacks with local ties that the Seattle Dragons should consider for the XFL Draft on November 17.
Before going over who could be in, there are two candidates to rule out. Seattle Dragons fans can hope that Gardner Minshew II would want to come back and play in the Pacific Northwest.
But there is no chance at this point that it would be in the XFL. GMII is firmly entrenched with the Philadelphia Eagles, and his future is in the NFL.
It’s the same for Spokane native Brett Rypien. The former Boise State signal-caller has worked his way up the Denver Broncos depth chart. He is currently Russell Wilson‘s backup.
The Seattle Dragons’ previous quarterback Brandon Silvers has also been working with Palmer. His stint with the Dragons in 2020 was his last in professional football. Silvers declared for the 2022 USFL Draft but wasn’t selected.
Washington’s all-time leader in passing yards and touchdowns hasn’t found much success in the pros. Since leaving UW 2018, a year early, Jake Browning has done no better than making an NFL practice squad. A position he currently holds on the Cincinnati Bengals.
After two years at Georgia, Lake Stevens native Jacob Eason transferred back home to the Washington Huskies. Eason replaced Browning and threw for 3,132 yards and 23 touchdowns.
He also left UW early for NFL Draft. Indianapolis used a fourth round pick on him in 2020, but Eason didn’t make it through two seasons. The Seahawks gave him a shot this summer, but he couldn’t make the team and is now on Carolina’s practice squad.
From 2014-18, Luke Falk was the face of Mike Leach’s Washington State Cougars Air Raid Offense. In four years with the Cougs, he threw for 14,421 yards and 123 touchdowns.
Falk was drafted in the sixth round by Tennessee but didn’t make the Titans’ final roster. He spent a year in Miami before winding up on the New York Jets.
In 2019, he had a three game stint as Gang Green’s quarterback but was ineffective. He hasn’t been on an NFL roster since.
Leach’s final quarterback at Washington State was off the charts. Anthony Gordon completed 493 of 683 attempts for 5,579 yards and 48 touchdowns. All those stats led the nation.
Despite his prolific college numbers, Gordon hasn’t been able to earn a roster spot.
After three years at EWU (2012-14), Vernon Adams transferred to Oregon for his senior year. He was the Pac-12 Newcomer of the Year, throwing for 2,643 yards and 28 touchdowns in 10 games.
Since 2016, Adams has been in the Canadian Football League. The dual-threat QB currently plays for Montreal.
Eastern Washington’s quarterback before Adams, Bo Levi Mitchell, led the Eagles to the 2010 FCS National Championship. He went undrafted out of college and signed with the CFL’s Calgary Stampeders.
Mitchell has been with Calgary for 10 seasons, leading the Stampeders to two Grey Cups. Injuries limited his effectiveness in 2021, and he lost his starting job.
So far, Mitchell hasn’t played in 2022. He may be looking for a new challenge.
A graduate of Marysville-Pilchuck High School in Marysville, Washington, Jake Luton originally went to Idaho. He finished his college career at Oregon State and was Jacksonville’s sixth round pick in 2020.
For two seasons, Luton has bounced around the NFL with several teams, including the Seahawks. He is currently the New Orleans Saints’ third-string quarterback.
A seventh round draft pick by New England in 2018, Danny Etling has kicked around the Nfl for five seasons and been with seven different teams. He even spent a few weeks with the CFL’s BC Lions.
The Seahawks had Etling on their practice squad for the 2020 season. When Russell Wilson was injured last year, Seattle brought him back to the practice squad for three weeks before cutting him again.
Currently, Etling is on Green Bay’s practice squad. Throughout his travels, Etling has been active for all of one game.
In 2018, the Seahawks drafted Florida International QB Alex McGough in the seventh round. The best he could do is make their practice squad.
He stayed with the Seahawks for the season before getting cut. McGough also had opportunities with Jacksonville, Houston, and a second shot with Seattle but couldn’t stick for any period of time.
Last year, McGough went sixth overall to Birmingham in the USFL Draft. He suffered an ankle injury that kept him sidelined for most of the season but returned before it ended.
In the second half of the League Championship game, McGough replaced J’Mar Smith to complete the Stallions’ win.
Brett Hundley has the most NFL experience of any quarterback on this list. A former sixth round pick by Green Bay (2015), in 2017, he stepped in for the injured Aaron Rodgers, starting 9 of the Packers’ final 10 games.
After the season, Seattle traded a sixth round pick for Hundley. He spent the season watching Wilson during the latter’s Iron Man streak, never getting a snap. Since then, Hundley’s been with Arizona, Indianapolis, and Baltimore.
For his NFL career, Hundley has completed 199 of 337 for 1,902 yards with 9 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. The 29-year-old is currently a free agent.
All of these quarterbacks could use another chance to succeed in the United States. Why not do it with the Seattle Dragons?