https://www.nj.com/eagles/2021/08/step- ... weeks.html
The relevant XFL part:
When the XFL relaunched in early 2020, Jackson jumped at the opportunity to play in the spring league, and the D.C. Defenders selected Jackson in the ninth round. Gabriel, the Defenders’ personnel director, took Jackson despite having former Ohio State quarterback Cardale Jones on the roster.
“I felt [Jackson] should have stayed in school,” Gabriel told NJ Advance Media. “He had that one big year, but he needed to follow it up [as a senior], and that’s probably why he didn’t get drafted. But I still followed his career closely.”
Jones, as part of the XFL’s primary quarterback pool, was earning a larger salary, so Gabriel and head coach Pep Hamilton started him over Jackson to start the season: “He actually was playing better than [Jones],” Gabriel said. “But the other guy was getting money, so we had to go with him.”
Jackson eventually asked for a meeting with Gabriel, Hamilton and Director of Football Operations Gerald Dixon. With Jones struggling, Jackson told them he believed he should be the starter.
“I think we all liked that,” Gabriel said. “Pep promised him, ‘Hey, you’re going to get your chance,’ and he did.”
In Week 5, after consecutive losses in which the Defenders were outscored 64-9, Hamilton pulled Jones when he struggled against the St. Louis BattleHawks, and Jackson led the Defenders to a win.
Jackson likely would have been the Defenders’ starter for the final five games of the season, Gabriel said. But just as he was set to start against the Dallas Renegades, the XFL shut down because of the coronavirus pandemic.