In American football, the starting quarterback is typically viewed as the leader of a team. The quarterback is considered the most important position on the field and among the most important positions in team sports. They are among the most high-profile athletes in North America and have been described as akin to A-list celebrities; in the United Football League, such quarterbacks benefit from national television exposure and in-game action that they may not get as backup or practice squad quarterbacks in the National Football League; former New York Guardians starter Matt McGloin, former Dallas Renegades starting quarterback Landry Jones and former St. Louis Battlehawks quarterback AJ McCarron all cited the ability to have their friends and family see them play professional football as reasons why they chose to play in the league. The success of an American football team often rests on the quarterback; thus, teams will go to great lengths to find a franchise quarterback to build around for the long-term goals of the team. This page contains the lists of starting quarterbacks for the eight teams that played in the XFL, a league that operated for 1½ seasons as a standalone league in 2020 and 2023. This page also contains the lists of starting quarterbacks for the nine teams that played in the United States Football League (USFL), a league that operated for 2 seasons as a standalone league in 2022 and 2023. Four teams from each league now constitute the XFL and USFL conferences respectively of the UFL.
Starting quarterbacks in the XFL received a substantially higher salary than backups and other position players. In the 2020 season, the salary for an XFL starting quarterback was $495,000 plus a $2,222 bonus for every game won as a member of the team;Manza-Young, Shalise (October 11, 2019). XFL quarterbacks will make 10 times the salary of their teammates. Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved October 13, 2019. the "average quarterback" on a 2020 XFL roster was reputed to make $125,000, compared to $55,000 for other position players, with both figures including bonuses. The presumed starting quarterbacks were also assigned by the league office and not subject to the 2020 XFL draft, though this did not guarantee they would start. For 2023, the highest paid XFL starting quarterback, Brett Hundley, earned $200,000 in base salary, while Jordan Ta'amu and McCarron both made over $100,000, in addition to win bonuses. The XFL structure stood in contrast to the USFL, which purposely chose an egalitarian structure paying all players equally regardless of position; as a result, McCarron and Ta'amu were initially hesitant to stay with their teams as they transitioned to the UFL, which operates under the USFL's collective bargaining agreement (CBA). The USFL's players' union, United Steelworkers Local 9004, gave its permission for the league to sign players at a higher salary, stating that it would only enforce the relevant clause in the CBA as a minimum salary, not a hard salary cap, and openly encouraged the league to sign McCarron, offering to make union dues optional.https://twitter.com/TheUFLPA/status/1752763400675790963
Active UFL teams
Columbus Aviators
Season(s) Regular season Playoffs2026Jalan McClendon / Jalen Morton
Dallas Renegades
Season(s) Regular seasonPlayoffsDallas Renegades 2020 Landry Jones / Philip Nelson 2021–2022Suspended operationsArlington Renegades2023Kyle Sloter / Drew Plitt / Luis Perez Luis Perez 2024Luis Perez 2025Luis Perez Dallas Renegades2026Austin Reed
DC Defenders
Season(s) Regular seasonPlayoffs 2020 Cardale Jones 2021–2022Suspended operations 2023 Jordan Ta'amu Jordan Ta'amu 2024Jordan Ta'amu 2025Jordan Ta'amu / Mike DiLiello Jordan Ta'amu 2026Jordan Ta'amu / Spencer Sanders / Jason Bean Jason Bean
Louisville Kings
Season(s) Regular season Playoffs 2026 Jason Bean / Chandler Rogers Chandler Rogers
Orlando Storm
Season(s) Regular season Playoffs 2026 Jack Plummer Jack Plummer St. Louis Battlehawks
Season(s) Regular season Playoffs 2020 Jordan Ta'amu 2021–2022Suspended operations 2023 A. J. McCarron / Nick Tiano 2024A. J. McCarron / Manny Wilkins A. J. McCarron 2025Manny Wilkins / Max Duggan / Brandon Silvers Max Duggan 2026Brandon Silvers / Harrison Frost / Luis Perez Luis Perez
Defunct UFL teams Birmingham Stallions
Season(s) Regular season Playoffs2022J'Mar Smith / Alex McGough J'Mar Smith 2023Alex McGough / J'Mar Smith Alex McGough 2024Adrian Martinez / Matt Corral Adrian Martinez 2025Alex McGough / Matt Corral / Case Cookus / J'Mar Smith J'Mar Smith 2026Matt Corral / Dorian Thompson-Robinson
Houston Gamblers
Season(s) Regular seasonHouston Gamblers2022Clayton Thorson / Kenji Bahar 2023Kenji Bahar / Terry Wilson Houston Roughnecks2024Reid Sinnett / Jarrett Guarantano / Nolan Henderson 2025Anthony Brown / Nolan Henderson / Jalan McClendon Houston Gamblers2026Nolan Henderson / Hunter Dekkers / Taulia Tagovailoa / John Rhys Plumlee
Memphis Showboats
Season(s) Regular season2023Cole Kelley / Brady White 2024Case Cookus / Troy Williams / Josh Love 2025E. J. Perry / Troy Williams / Dresser Winn
Michigan Panthers
Season(s) Regular season Playoffs2022Shea Patterson / Paxton Lynch / Josh Love 2023Josh Love / E. J. Perry E. J. Perry 2024E. J. Perry / Danny Etling / Brian Lewerke Danny Etling 2025Bryce Perkins / Danny Etling / Rocky Lombardi Bryce Perkins
San Antonio Brahmas
Season(s) Regular seasonPlayoffs 2023 Jack Coan / Reid Sinnett / Jawon Pass / Kurt Benkert 2024Quinten Dormady / Chase Garbers Chase Garbers 2025Kellen Mond / Kevin Hogan
Defunct XFL teams
Houston Roughnecks
Season(s) Regular seasonPlayoffs 2020 P. J. Walker 2021–2022Suspended operations 2023 Brandon Silvers / Cole McDonald Brandon Silvers (1)
Los Angeles Wildcats
Season(s) Regular season 2020 Josh Johnson / Chad Kanoff
Orlando Guardians
Season(s) Regular seasonNew York Guardians 2020 Matt McGloin / Luis Perez 2021–2022Suspended operationsOrlando Guardians2023Paxton Lynch / Quinten Dormady / Deondre Francois
Seattle Sea Dragons
Season(s) Regular seasonPlayoffsSeattle Dragons 2020 Brandon Silvers / B. J. Daniels 2021–2022Suspended operationsSeattle Sea Dragons2023Ben DiNucci Ben DiNucci
Vegas Vipers
Season(s) Regular seasonTampa Bay Vipers 2020 Taylor Cornelius / Aaron Murray 2021–2022Suspended operationsVegas Vipers2023Luis Perez / Jalan McClendon / Brett Hundley
Defunct USFL teams New Jersey Generals
Season(s) Regular season Playoffs2022Luis Perez / De'Andre Johnson Luis Perez 2023De'Andre Johnson / Kyle Lauletta
New Orleans Breakers
Season(s) Regular season Playoffs2022Kyle Sloter / Zach Smith Kyle Sloter 2023McLeod Bethel-Thompson McLeod Bethel-Thompson
Philadelphia Stars
Season(s) Regular season Playoffs2022Case Cookus / Bryan Scott Case Cookus 2023Case Cookus
Pittsburgh Maulers
Season(s) Regular season Playoffs2022Vad Lee / Josh Love / Kyle Lauletta / Roland Rivers III 2023Troy Williams / James Morgan Troy Williams
Tampa Bay Bandits
Season(s) Regular season2022Jordan Ta'amu
References
External links