The United Football League is set to make a series of announcements but perhaps the most vital is which players will take the field on October 8 and beyond. Lost amid the potential Vick hoopla is the fact the UFL will be signing 199 other players. Even if Vick signs, the future of the league will depend every bit as much on those 199 as on Vick.

Tonight the United Football League took a gigantic step forward with former 1st Rounder J.P. Losman officially signing his United Football League contract with the Las Vegas team. (Discuss this in our forums.)

The headline from ESPN: JP Losman Chooses UFL Over NFL

The folks in New York and Jacksonville have to be smiling at that one.

Breaking courtesy of ESPN.com:

Forced to choose between being an NFL backup or a starter in a fledgling league, J.P. Losman has taken playing time.

Losman, 28, said Tuesday night he has signed with the Las Vegas entry of the start-up United Football League, where he will be coached by former Giants boss Jim Fassel. He immediately becomes the league’s marquee player, a former first round pick who was Buffalo’s starting quarterback 33 times over the past four seasons.

Denver and Carolina this past offseason, but the Broncos signed Chris Simms instead, while the Panthers decided to stand pat. With Las Vegas, Losman will be arguably the face of a league.

“I’m trying to get back on the field as soon as possible,” Losman said. “I love the game. I want to play this game. I don’t want to be [in the NFL] waiting for somebody to get hurt or not play well.

“We’re trying to have as much success as possible here, try to create some buzz … and then go through [NFL free agency] again next year.”

Drafted 22nd overall in 2004, Losman threw for 33 touchdowns and 6,211 yards over parts of five seasons but was criticized for locking onto one receiver (mostly Lee Evans), for turning the ball over (34 interceptions) and for holding the ball too long (103 sacks). But he also had four different offensive coordinators — three of whom had never held the job before (Tom Clements, Steve Fairchild and Turk Schonert).

In Las Vegas, he will be tutored by a veteran coach and coordinator in Fassel, who once reinvigorated the careers of John Elway in Denver, Boomer Esiason in Arizona and Kerry Collins in New York.

“If I had doubt that he should not be a starting winning quarterback, I wouldn’t take it on,” Fassel said. “But I had the same feeling with Kerry Collins … J.P.’s got tremendous athletic skills. This guy should be a starter in the NFL. I mean, come on … But I still understand you can help a guy. Even Tiger Woods needs a swing coach.”

….

Source: ESPN

UFLAccess.com initially reported JP Losman had signed with the league. More information is available at the ESPN article, including the news that the Las Vegas team will play four games on VERSUS this fall.

Additional signings reported tonight:

Former NFL offensive lineman Charles Spencer and Kevin Sampson have agreed to contract terms with Orlando of the newly formed United Football League, their agent, Joe Linta, told Scout.com.