Luis Perez is a name plenty of Rams fans recognize. He’s had two stints with Los Angeles in the NFL, though he failed to stick around on the 53-man roster both times. However, after his performance in the XFL, he might get another shot somewhere in the NFL.
On Saturday night, Perez led the Arlington Renegades to the XFL Championship, beating the D.C. Defenders, 35-26, at the Alamodome. Perez was a huge part of the victory, too, picking apart the Defenders defense.
He completed 28 of 36 passes for 288 yards and three touchdowns, averaging a healthy 7.7 yards per attempt. He was named MVP of the championship game, a deserved honor for the talented quarterback. What made his path to a championship even better is that he was traded from the Vegas Vipers to the Renegades mid-season, helping turn around Arlington’s season and capping it off with a title.
Luis Perez tonight:
26/36
288 yards
7.7YPA
3 TD
123.4 QBRThe @XFLRenegades are @XFL2023 Champions, and it's all because of this man right here. What a game for @PerezLuisQB. Well deserved ring earned tonight. Incredible career for the spring football legend. #XFLChampionship pic.twitter.com/5rKck3rK8j
— James Larsen (@JamesLarsenPFN) May 14, 2023
Here was Perez’s first touchdown pass of the night, a 41-yard strike over the middle to Sal Cannella to put Arlington up 6-0.
Someone called Sal 👀
41-yard TD makes it 6-0 for the @XFLRenegades #XFL | #XFLChampionship pic.twitter.com/4LTI8etw31— XFL (@XFL2023) May 14, 2023
He threw another dart while on the run to Tyler Vaughns in the back of the end zone to give the Renegades a 14-0 lead.
But they didn’t call this one back did they?! @XFLRenegades
Score sits at 14-0, ARL leads.#XFL2023| #XFLChampionship pic.twitter.com/aXayJQYUmo
— XFL (@XFL2023) May 14, 2023
Whether the Rams give Perez a third look or not, some team in the NFL should grant him a chance to earn a roster spot after playing at a high level in the XFL – even if it was against lesser competition.