Orlando Crusaders

2024 Orlando Crusaders Season
The Orlando Crusaders are a virtual professional football team in the Valiant Football League, they are a part of the league's Atlantic Conference, and are a member of the Atlantic Conference Coastal Division.
Formed in 2017, the Crusaders were one of the first four expansion franchise's into the league, with the others being the Detroit Stingers, the Tampa Silverstars, and the Vancouver Outlaws. Whilst the team has failed to win the Atlantic Conference championship, they have earned the top-seed in the Atlantic Conference once during the 2017 season, which was the year in which they joined the league.
The team had been coached by Brandon Tanner since their formation. Tanner was fired following the 2023 UFL Season, being replaced with St. Thomas head coach Glenn Caruso.
The team currently plays their home games at Inter&Co Stadium, formerly known as Exploria Stadium.
== History ==
=== Formation and DeShaun Watson Era (2017-2019) ===
During the inaugural UFL Expansion Draft, the Orlando Crusaders opted to sign a collegiate quarterback to serve as the leader of the franchise in 2017, selecting then-Clemson and future-Houston Texans quarterback DeShaun Watson to serve the team as their starting quarterback. During the 2017 season, Watson would breakout as both the quarterback of the Clemson Tigers in the NCAA, as well as the quarterback of the Orlando Crusaders, leading the team to a league-best 5-1 record to finish with the top-seed in the Atlantic Conference. Whilst catching NFL eyes, Watson would lead the Crusaders on a run in the postseason before being upset by conference-rivals and eventual league champions the Connecticut Stampede in the Atlantic Conference Championship game.
During the 2017 offseason, DeShaun Watson would be drafted into the NFL in the first round by the Houston Texans, only to be contractually obligated to serve out the following two years of his UFL contract with the Orlando Crusaders. During a Week 5 game in the 2018 NFL season, DeShaun Watson would tear his ACL, thus making him unavailable for both the Texans and the Crusaders, forcing Orlando to roll through the remainder of the 2018 UFL season with backup Geno Smith serving as quarterback for the rest of the season, leading the team to a 2-4 record, forcing the team to miss the postseason and finish in third place in the Atlantic Conference Coastal Division. Upon Watson's return in the 2019 UFL season, the Crusaders would ride out his final year leading the offense by finishing the season with a record of 8-8, good enough to finish in second place in the Atlantic Conference Coastal Division behind division-rivals the Connecticut Stampede, earning the third seed in the Atlantic Conference entering the postseason. The Orlando Crusaders would proceed to defeat the Atlantic Conference Coastal Division champion Connecticut Stampede, advancing to the Atlantic Conference Championship game for the second time in three years, falling to the Atlanta Bravehearts and falling just short of making the league championship. Following the 2019 UFL Season, DeShaun Watson would proceed to begin playing for the Houston Texans full time, forcing the Orlando Crusaders to begin looking for a new franchise quarterback, only for the team to sign Watson to a new $20M deal over the following two years, once again making Watson the quarterback for both the Crusaders and Texans franchise. However; during the 2019 UFL offseason, the Crusaders would begin looking towards signing a new quarterback to lead the offense, only for talks of potentially signing former Buccaneers and Baltimore Capitals quarterback Josh Freeman to a contract, only for contract talks to fall through, thus making Watson the only confirmed quarterback for the Crusaders moving forward.