Opinion: Birmingham Stallions’ QB swap proves Taylor Elgersma played correct odds with UFL gamble

Photo courtesy: AP Photo/Julio Cortez/NFL.

Taylor Elgersma has comfortably returned to Canada in the hopes of establishing himself as the Blue Bombers’ heir apparent, but the thought process that delayed his arrival in Winnipeg has been validated in the days following his signing.

The Canadian QB inked his CFL rookie contract on Thursday night, finally ending a frustrating work visa saga in the United Football League. By Sunday, his former team, the Birmingham Stallions, had shaken up their quarterback room even further, shipping starter Matt Corral and another player to the Orlando Storm in exchange for fellow pivot Dorian Thompson-Robinson.

There have been plenty of aspersions cast against Elgersma over the past few months by fans and media members impatient that he wasn’t committing to the Bombers on their timeline. He was accused of being too big for his britches, called money hungry despite the fact that he wasn’t being paid, and labelled short-sighted by people whose view of pro football dynamics hasn’t evolved since the 1980s. But this trade proves exactly why the 24-year-old’s patience in pressing for a spring football opportunity was the correct call.

Corral had struggled amidst the team’s 1-3 start, completing 64.5 percent of his passes for 768 yards, five touchdowns, and four interceptions. He was benched in this week’s loss to Orlando and promptly flipped for that team’s backup. Had the UFL been able to shake off its Mickey Mouse reputation and accomplish what dozens of leagues around the world already do routinely by successfully acquiring a work visa for the quarterback, there is a good chance Elgersma would have played for the Stallions on Saturday and been the starter heading into Week 5.

This isn’t some nationalistic pipe dream from a U Sports stan. The Laurier product had been practicing for weeks, and there were packages already designed for him to take over. The team was expecting to utilize him, one way or another. After all, even if Elgersma wasn’t cashing a paycheque, visa applications and legal fees aren’t cheap. You don’t invest that in someone you aren’t high on.

We’ll never know what would have happened had the 2024 Hec Crighton Trophy winner actually logged minutes for Birmingham, but a few games of tape may have been all that was required to make the jump back to the NFL. The consistent feedback that he received from the Packers and all the other teams that kicked the tires after his release last year was that his lack of 11-on-11 experience was preventing them from taking the leap of faith. That’s why he was in the UFL to begin with — it offered something that the CFL never could.

For its abundance of flaws, the UFL does an exceptional job of getting players into NFL training camps — 44 last season compared to just seven making the jump from Canada. Despite what certain online factions might suggest, that isn’t the result of a substantial talent gap between the two entities, but due in large part to availability. CFL players get signed while the previous season is in progress, making them considered investments in the future. UFL players come hot off the presses in game shape when teams are desperately looking to fill last-minute needs heading into the preseason. There is validity to both paths and, ultimately, an opportunity is an opportunity. That’s all Elgersma needed, and the UFL was a high percentage gamble.

The six-foot-five, 227-pound passer was still wise to pull the plug when he did, as there was no indication that the UFL was any closer to extricating him from the quicksand of U.S. bureaucracy. He has given himself enough time to re-adjust to the CFL game and get ready for training camp, where he is still the presumptive favourite to become Winnipeg’s primary backup — just as he would have been if he had rushed back north late last season. The year delay has cost him almost nothing.

If he plays well enough, Elgersma could still get his second crack at the NFL in a year or two — whenever Zach Collaros finally steps aside. However, the timeline will be a longer one, pushing him further from the front of scouts’ minds and doing nothing to increase their confidence once he arrives. As Nathan Rourke showed us, it is a hard and merciless road, where CFL QBs are not afforded any of the same respect they received in the bygone eras of Moon, Flutie, and Garcia.

This weekend’s transaction served as a reminder that Elgersma came within an eyelash of a shorter, easier path — one that has been trodden by a number of NFL backups in recent years. He played all his cards right, but the UFL’s visa bluff couldn’t cash in.