We’re right around the corner from the NFL season and players are starting to report to training camp. According to NFL Insider Adam Caplan, the Panthers worked out former Birmingham Iron quarterback Luis Perez this past Monday. During his time with the Iron, he had seven starts with 135 of 258 passes completed for 1,460 yards; resulting in five touchdowns and six interceptions.
Perez just recently attended the XFL Summer Showcase in St. Louis, could this be the first of many Showcase members being poached by the NFL? The Panthers in particular seemed to have a fondness for former Alliance alumni. If signed, Perez would be the sixth former AAF player on the Panthers. So far the Panthers have signed former AAF stars Rashad Ross (AZ Hotshots), Brandon Greene (Birmingham Iron), Kitt O’Brien (Birmingham Iron), Parker Collins (Atlanta Legends), Cole Hunt (San Antonio Commanders) and Marcus Baugh (San Diego Fleet).
Playing for the Iron served as Perez’s most-notable professional football experience to date. A First-Team All-American and NCAA Division II National Champion at Texas A&M-Commerce, Perez went undrafted in 2018 before earning an opportunity to try and make the Los Angeles Rams’ roster. He briefly spent time on the practice squad after failing to make the full roster, but was released early in the season. After the AAF dissolved, Perez spent about a month with the Philadelphia Eagles.
