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The United Football League (UFL) is still new, but it's providing a platform for players like former New York Giants cornerback Deandre Baker to market themselves for the NFL. The 27-year-old helped the UFL's DC Defenders win their first-ever championship in June, capping off a second consecutive productive season for him.
Baker spoke to ClutchPoints about how he felt during Saturday's title celebration in downtown Washington, D.C..
DC Defenders and former New York Giants DB Deandre Baker told me he’s “feeling like a champion” at yesterday’s celebration. He also said he’s ready if he gets another call from the NFL. pic.twitter.com/bCUADHF2w3
— Joshua Valdez (@joshvaldez100) July 13, 2025
“I'm just feeling like a champion, man. This year had a lot of obstacles, a lot of ups and downs, but we stuck together and made it happen, and we're champs,” the former Georgia Bulldog said. “We just came out here to enjoy the city, great fans, great atmosphere with my teammates. I'm loving it right now.”
The best way to describe Baker's Defenders tenure is “redeeming.” The Miami native was drafted No. 30 overall by the Giants in 2019 and started 15 of 16 games as a rookie before they released him due to his armed robbery charges, which were later dropped. He then played for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2020, becoming only the second-ever NFL player to break his femur during a game.
Baker played eight more contests with the Chiefs in 2021 before they waived him in August 2022. The 5-foot-11-inch, 190-pounder was out of football until the Defenders signed him in January 2024. He followed that up with two consecutive All-UFL campaigns, culminating in DC's 58-34 championship win over the Michigan Panthers on June 14.
Baker allowed a 70.5 QBR when targeted over nine games in 2024, which ranked sixth-best in the league. He then earned a tryout with the Dallas Cowboys that summer before re-signing with the Defenders in January. After that, he totaled 27 tackles, two interceptions, and 12 pass breakups over 10 contests between the 2025 regular season and postseason. Now, he's ready for another NFL chance.
“I'm trying to see. Just staying ready for whatever's next, you know?” he said. “If the NFL calls, I'll be ready.”
The eight-team UFL, a combination of the XFL and USFL spring football leagues, began play in March 2024. It's considered a “high-level minor league,” so it helps non-NFL players accrue more reps and tape as they try to reach the highest level.
Baker explained the main difference between the two leagues.
“Probably the trenches. The d-line and o-line are a little bigger, more athletic in the league [NFL],” he said. “But skill positions, everything else is the same to me.”
That explains why most UFL players that have signed with an NFL squad this summer aren't linemen. Here is the full list of 2025 UFL-to-NFL transactions thus far:
June 18
- The Atlanta Falcons signed San Antonio Brahmas running back Jashuan Corbin
- The New York Jets signed Birmingham Stallions kicker Harrison Mevis
- The Denver Broncos signed Stallions cornerback Mario Goodrich
June 19
- The Cowboys signed Stallions defensive lineman Perrion Winfrey
- The Cleveland Browns signed Arlington Renegades tight end Sal Cannella
June 20
- The New Orleans Saints signed Renegades cornerback Jayden Price, Renegades tight end Seth Green, and Birmingham Stallions guard Barry Wesley
- The Houston Texans signed Houston Roughnecks cornerback Damon Arnette
June 24
- The New England Patriots signed Defenders offensive lineman Yasir Durant
- The Chiefs signed Roughnecks tight end Georg'Quarius Spivey
Similarly, 2024's biggest UFL-to-NFL star was former Michigan Panthers kicker Jake Bates, who signed with the Detroit Lions in June 2024 after kicking a UFL-record and game-winning 64-yard field goal that March. The 26-year-old, who went undrafted out of Arkansas in 2023, made 17 out of 26 field goals for the Lions last season.
Still, this list exemplifies why the UFL is important, as the aforementioned players may have never gotten their NFL deals without it. While non-linemen have mostly reaped the benefits this summer, that will likely change as the UFL continues to improve over the coming years.
Jordan Ta'amu dazzles for Defenders in historic season
Defenders quarterback Jordan Ta'amu made as good of a case for himself to get an NFL chance as any UFL player this past season. The 27-year-old led the league with 17 passing touchdowns and won UFL Championship Game MVP honors after setting a league record with 390 passing yards and five total touchdowns against Michigan. DC's 58 points were a league record as well.
Ta'amu explained to ClutchPoints how he found success.
Former NFL and current DC Defenders QB Jordan Ta’amu details how he’s grown over the years and what he could bring to an NFL team right now. pic.twitter.com/rASOrRhceQ
— Joshua Valdez (@joshvaldez100) July 13, 2025
“Honestly, it's the repetition, the coaches, and the players,” the former Ole Miss Rebel said. “Just everyone focusing on the details from the beginning of the season, and just being more confident throughout the years. This is my third year with this team, so just having that playbook in my head already, knowing it like the back of my hand. Just the confidence level that made me get better each and every year.”
Ta'amu has epitomized the “journeyman” lifestyle since coming out of Hawaii's Pearl City High School in 2015. The signal-caller played two seasons at New Mexico Military Institute before transferring to Ole Miss in 2017 and ranking second behind Alabama's Tua Tagovailoa in passing yards among SEC players in 2018. He then went undrafted before signing with the Texans in August 2019 and the XFL's St. Louis Battlehawks in October.
Ta'amu subsequently signed with the Chiefs, the Lions, the Chiefs again, the Lions again, the Washington Commanders (then called the Washington Football Team), and the Carolina Panthers, but never played in any games for those teams. He was then taken No. 2 overall in the 2022 USFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Bandits and led the league with 2,014 passing yards and 14 touchdowns that season.
Ta'amu then went to the XFL's Defenders in January 2023 and was named the league's Offensive Player of the Year in May before the Minnesota Vikings briefly picked him up in August. He once again got cut before the Defenders re-signed him in February 2024, who he's been with ever since.
With that resume, Ta'amu is more qualified than anyone to speak on spring football's growth over recent years.
“I think this league has grown tremendously in competition level. Now it's not the USFL, it's not the XFL, it's combined,” he explained. “Having all the All-Stars from each league join into one makes the competition level that much higher. This is the best I've seen spring football in a long time.”
That growth helped Ta'amu sharpen his skills behind center, and he's confident those will translate to the NFL if given the opportunity.
“I could bring resilience, I could bring confidence, hard-knock football,” he said when asked what he could add to an NFL squad. “Just my experience level to that program, and what I love to do on that field.”
With training camps coming up, it's safe to assume that Ta'amu and Baker are on NFL teams' radars as they assemble their 90-man rosters. Meanwhile, the Defenders just brought the nation's capital its first professional football title since 1992, which is nothing for local fans to sneeze at while they wait for the Commanders to follow up on their NFC Championship campaign.
