Luis Perez's Last NFL Shot May Have Come After LA Chargers Release
Has the end of Luis Perez's NFL dreams arrived? That's a justifiable question to ask after the recently turned 30-year-old saw his longshot chances of making the LA Chargers active roster denied.
Perez, a spring pro football mainstay, is coming off his best season as a pro with the Arlington Renegades in the United Football League. The former Harlon Hill Award winner and Division II's Most Valuable Player led the UFL in virtually every passing category. The high-water mark performance came a year after Perez helped guide Bob Stoops's Arlington Renegades to an XFL Championship.
Where does he go from here? If the Chargers do not sign Perez to their practice squad as added quarterback insurance, or if another NFL team doesn't, give him a look, it's likely that at 30 years old, Perez may have just seen his last legitimate shot to make an NFL team.
He's teetered on the NFL fringe, having several cups of coffee with three other NFL teams since 2018. But his shot with the Chargers seemed legitimately beyond being a camp arm. With Justin Herbert temporarily on the shelf, and LA releasing Max Duggan and Casey Baumann, an opportunity presented itself for Perez to beat out roster holdover Easton Stick. But it wasn't meant to be.
The infamous bowler, who once bowled 12 perfect games, needed to land a strike in his likely final shot with Los Angeles. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to do so.
The #Chargers are releasing quarterback Luis Perez, the former XFL champion, per source. Looks like L.A. is rolling with two quarterbacks for now.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) August 27, 2024
The former San Diego native Perez completed 13 of 20 passes for 78 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions in Week 2 of the preseason against the Los Angeles Rams. It was a lackluster effort after a decent debut on short notice against the Seattle Seahawks, where Perez completed five of 12 passes for 61 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions.
Head coach Jim Harbaugh, offensive coordinator Greg Roman, and the Chargers front office played their hand after the team's uneven performance against the Rams by dressing Perez but not playing him during LA's final preseason game against Dallas.
The nature of Perez's exclusion from the Chargers preseason finale has sources indicating that a practice squad spot is far from likely.
The writing was on the wall for Luis. The question is what story will be written in his next playing chapter?
Perez would be welcomed back into the UFL with open arms, but he could decide to move on to the next phase of his life after football.
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MIKE MITCHELL