The story of Luis Perez is known, yet still not known enough. As a member of the 2024 Arlington Renegades, Perez is entering only his 11th year of playing quarterback. To put that in perspective, if a person started playing football in 4th grade, that player would be in their sophomore year of college.
A truly remarkable story, Perez learned how to play quarterback by watching YouTube videos before walking on at Southwestern College in his hometown of Chula Vista, California. After starting out as No. 9 on the QB depth chart, Perez would be the starter by Week 3 of his first year. After two dominant years with Southwestern, Perez would transfer to Texas A&M-Commerce, a Division II school located in a town of 9,090 people.
Perez would continue to shine, leading Texas A&M-Commerce to a DII National Championship behind his 5,001 passing yards and 46 touchdowns. It’s the only NCAA national title in school history.
The Rams eventually took a chance on Perez in 2018 after he impressed in minicamp. Signed for the preseason, Perez saw only limited action in the Rams’ final preseason game before he was sent to the practice squad. Perez would be released weeks later.
When asked about Luis Perez, Sean McVay had this to say in 2018.
“Really impressive. He’s got a natural stroke too, really has a good feel for picking things up,” McVay said.
Since leaving the Rams, Perez has become a spring football legend. Having started games in the AAF, XFL, USFL and now the UFL, he’s one of a select few to have played in at least three different football leagues. After a poor start to the 2023 season with the Vegas Vipers, Perez was traded midseason to the Arlington Renegades.
In typical Perez fashion, he was named a starter through injury and snuck the Renegades into the playoffs. Perez would then lead Arlington to upset the 7-3 Houston Roughnecks before upsetting the 9-1 D.C. Defenders in the XFL championship game. He was named game MVP.
Perez is perfect for spring football but perhaps he could serve the Rams in the future. In 2020, Josh McCown was signed to be the Texans’ third-string QB. McCown never left his house.
There’s a way to have Perez serve as the emergency fourth-string QB and the Rams should do it. Now, the likelihood of a fourth-string QB having an opportunity to play is rare but not impossible. The 2022 49ers used four quarterbacks due to injury so there’s a precedent for it.
A team can never be too prepared but with a starting QB in Matthew Stafford and a backup in Jimmy Garoppolo, the Rams’ number one and two gunslingers each have a long history of injury and both missed time last year due to it.
Perez understands the basic concepts of the McVay offense, he’s a known hard worker, he’s a veteran and he’s cheap. He’s been thrown into the fire, both on the field and in his personal desires, and he made it to the other side. It’s a smart precaution but one that should be made.