One game at a time, XFL quarterback P.J. Walker is carving a path out of the XFL.
The Houston Roughnecks starter threw for 306 yards and three touchdowns in Saturday’s closer-than-expected 34-27 win over the Tampa Bay Vipers. He added 34 yards rushing and a touchdown on the ground to a passing performance that generated a rating of 120.8.
Receiver Cam Phillips also may be playing his way out of spring football. He had eight catches on 10 targets for 194 yards and three touchdowns. He has seven touchdowns in only three games.
For the season, Walker has 748 passing yards, a 64-percent completion rate, 7.1 yards per attempt, 10 touchdown passes, one interception, and a rating of 112.7.
Walker spent three offseasons and preseasons with the Colts, but he has yet to land on a 53-man roster. Once the XFL season ends, he’ll undoubtedly get another crack at surviving the eventual cuts from 90.
Unless, of course, the XFL makes him the kind of financial offer that will get him to commit to staying with the Roughnecks. Although the XFL doesn’t seem to be willing to pay for players who already have name recognition, the XFL should think carefully about whether it makes sense to pay for players who develop that name recognition in the XFL.