A former Denver Broncos (backup) quarterback has been named a starter in the United Football League (a new spring league formed by the merger of the XFL and USFL).
The Houston Roughnecks will start Jarrett Guarantano in their season opener next weekend, coach Curtis Johnson announced Wednesday.
Guarantano, 26, played college football at Tennessee and Washington State before entering the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Arizona Cardinals in 2022. After the Cardinals released Guarantano from their practice squad midway through his rookie season, he tried out for Denver. Two weeks later, the Broncos signed Guarantano to their practice squad.
He was elevated to the game-day roster in Week 15 to serve as a backup behind Brett Rypien (Russell Wilson was out with a concussion). Guarantano was fully promoted to the 53-man roster the next week. Denver cut the QB last summer and he signed with the UFL last December.
Guarantano isn’t the only QB who had a cup of coffee with the Broncos set to play in the UFL this spring.
Case Cookus, who lasted three days in Denver during the 2021 offseason, has had quite a journeyman career. After his brief stint with the Broncos, Cookus went on to spend time with three NFL teams, one CFL team and one USFL team. He is now set to play for the Memphis Showboats in 2024.
Two other ex-Denver quarterbacks — Paxton Lynch and Kyle Sloter — were backups in the XFL last spring but are now free agents.
Also of note: former Broncos coach and defensive coordinator Wade Phillips will serve as the head coach of the UFL’s San Antonio Brahmas.
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