Matt Corral, new starting QB for the Birmingham Stallions, is only a few short years removed from being considered the top overall quarterback prospect in the 2022 NFL Draft by many analysts and scouts around the country. So it's no surprise that he impressed in his United Football League (UFL) debut as the new spring football league began its season on Saturday. But what does it mean for his future, and which NFL teams could be the perfect fit?
Corral finished his first UFL game 12 of 21 for 201 yards, a passing touchdown, and an interception (that wasn't his fault), but he also made a handful of incredible highlight plays. His best throw of the day came on his 39-yard touchdown strike to wide receiver Deon Cain:
Corral, a former third round pick of the Carolina Panthers, suffered a season-ending injury in the 2022 preseason which led to him missing his entire rookie season. Then after landing with the Patriots in 2023 he disappeared, failing to report to the team for several days. Unfortunately for Corral, some mental health concerns from his past had resurfaced, and he was inevitably released from the team.
Corral had opened up about his struggles with depression in the past, both ahead of his NFL Draft process and throughout his college career. It had apparently been something he had fought through for much of his life. Now that he's back in football, it's great to see him finding success once again for multiple reasons. One, because it's great to see anyone overcome mental health struggles. And two, for many of us, when we think of Matt Corral we remember an absolutely special quarterback (like Jack Caporuscio notes in his post below).
Perfect NFL Teams to Sign Matt Corral
Now that Corral has flashed the greatness that once was common every time he stepped onto a football field, which NFL team(s) will seek to sign him?
The most obvious candidate is the New England Patriots. They not only have several staff still in-house who were with him in 2023, but they also have his former offensive coordinator from the 2022 Carolina Panthers there now too in Ben McAdoo (as an offensive assistant). Regardless of what they do in the NFL Draft, Corral would be a great candidate to be a long-term backup in New England, if not more.
Beyond that, his Birmingham Stallions head coach (Skip Holtz) and general manager (Zach Potter) have NFL connections all around the league. One team where they both have significant ties via family, former coaches, and teammates is the New York Jets. The Jets obviously need to have a plan beyond Aaron Rodgers and no one really believes that's going to be Zach Wilson.
The Broncos, Vikings, Raiders, Giants, and even the Seahawks have made it quite clear that they're looking for new quarterback options via their visits, interviews, and trades made during this NFL Draft season. If any one of them can't get the quarterback they want in the draft, Corral would be an obvious upgrade at backup for perhaps all of them.
Given the obvious quarterback problem across the league we can definitely expect Corral to be given his first fair shake at an NFL job in 2024.
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