On Monday, the Calgary Stampeders re-signed quarterback P.J. Walker to a two-year contract according to 3DownNation report John Hodge.
Walker is the first quarterback to re-sign with the Stampeders. The other quarterbacks who are set to become free agents are Jake Maier, Tommy Stevens, and Matthew Shiltz. I think Calgary will re-sign at least one of them. P.J. Walker for his football career has been a journeyman that has taken him to many places and now Calgary is the latest stop.
P.J. Walker is five foot eleven and weighs 215 pounds. The 29-year-old from Elizabeth, New Jersey, signed with the Seattle Seahawks on June 11, 2024. He played three preseason games completing 15 of 28 passes (53.6%) for 148 yards, and three carries for five yards.
The Seahawks released him on August 27, 2024. The Calgary Stampeders acquired Walker’s negotiation-list rights from the Toronto Argonauts on September 26, 2024, and signed him on October 8, 2024, and spent three weeks on the practice squad. The Stampeders released him on October 27, 2024.
Prior to that the Indianapolis Colts signed Walker as an undrafted free agent on May 4, 2017. He spent two seasons on the practice squad. Next, Walker was drafted by the Houston Roughnecks (XFL) in the 2020 XFL Draft.
Walker was having an MVP-caliber season completing 119 of 184 passes (64.7%) for 1,338 yards, 15 touchdowns, four interceptions, 24 carries for 99 yards, one touchdown, and two tackles (2 solo) in five games before the league suspended the season due to COVID-19. At the time of the suspension, the Roughnecks were 5-0.
His play in the XFL earned him a contract when he signed with the Carolina Panthers on March 25, 2020. He played three seasons in Carolina completing 131 of 228 passes (57.5%) for 1,461 yards, five touchdowns, 11 interceptions, and 18 carries for 50 yards in 15 games, of which 7 were starts. He became a free agent after the 2022 season and signed with the Chicago Bears on March 16, 2023. The Bears released him on August 27, 2023.
Then, Walker signed with the Cleveland Browns on August 30, 2023. In 2023, Walker completed 54 of 111 passes (48.6%) for 674 yards, one touchdown, five interceptions, and 13 carries for 30 yards in six games, of which two were starts. Walker became a free agent after the 2023 season.
Collegiately, Walker played four seasons at Temple (2013-16) completing 782 of 1,363 passes (57%) for 10,179 yards, 70 touchdowns, 42 interceptions, 329 carries for 738 yards, nine touchdowns, made two catches for 39 yards, and two tackles (2 solo) in 46 games for the Owls.
He is the all-time leader in pass attempts (1,410), completions (803), passing yards (10,273), TD passes (72), and total offense (11,100). In 2016, he was named the American Athletic Conference Championship Game Most Outstanding Player after leading the Owls to the 31-14 win over Navy.
As you can see, 2020 was his best year as a quarterback. Had the pandemic not hit, I think the Roughnecks would’ve won the XFL championship that year and he would’ve been named the MVP. Because of his stellar play, he got a second chance in the NFL and made the most of it.
Walker coming to the Stampeders could provide a spark the team has not seen in quite some time. I am excited to see what Walker can do on a bigger playing field. Calgary does have some talent on offense including wide receiver Reggie Begelton. Calgary has some players who are about to be free agents that they need to re-sign like wide receivers Marken Michel and Jalen Philpot along with rebuilding the offensive line. If they can do those things in the offseason, Calgary could be in the playoff mix next season.
Walker is a guy who has a chance to thrive in the CFL. I get there are people out there who are curious about how he will do in Calgary and I think he will quickly answer those questions when the season starts.
Walker has a great arm, he has great agility and is a fast runner, which would all be a major upgrade at quarterback for the Stampeders compared to what they have had in the last few years.
Calgary fans are going to enjoy watching him on the field throwing long passes and hopefully, it leads to wins. If head coach Dave Dickenson can create a playbook for Walker to work with, Calgary is going to be a fun team to watch next season and Walker could take the league by storm.
