The 2024 UFL season will be the first season of the United Football League (UFL), which was created following the merger of the XFL and USFL, and the fifth season in the combined history of the two leagues, following the 2020 XFL season, 2022 USFL season, and separate 2023 seasons for both the USFL and XFL.
The season will begin on March 30, 2024 and end on June 2, 2024. The season will kick off with a matchup between the 2023 XFL championArlington Renegades and the 2023 USFL championBirmingham Stallions.[1] The postseason will start on June 8, 2024 and conclude on June 16, 2024 with the 2024 UFL Championship.
On June 27, 2023, USFL President of Football Operations Daryl Johnston initially confirmed in an interview that the league would return for the 2024 season.[2]
USFL average viewership in 2023 was down 16% from its debut season to 601,000 and 3% lower than the 2023 XFL season, despite having 28 over-the-air network games compared to eight for the XFL.[3] The championship game also saw a significant decline in viewership from 2022 as the game averaged 1.2 million viewers across NBC, Peacock, and NBC Sports digital platforms.[4] Johnston expressed disappointment and anger that the USFL was comparable to the XFL in ratings for the 2023 season, dismissing the XFL as "no competition" to the "far superior" USFL and questioning how "to be on par with our competition from a ratings standpoint in Year 2, I'm still trying to figure out: How did that happen? (...) they're not even close."[3]
The XFL lost nearly $60 million during the season after spending approximately $140 million in expenses over the course of the 2023 season and earned $80 million in gross revenue, including roughly $20 million that came from its broadcast contract with ESPN.[8][9] Executives with the league and ESPN indicated that they considered the season a success.[10][11] After the season ended, the XFL made league wide cuts affecting up to 30 people, including two marketing executives, and shifted other employees to seasonal work.[12][13] According to several reports, the XFL marketing budget was only $120,000 for the 2023 season.[14]
More than 200 players who played in the 2023 XFL season earned invitations to workout for NFL teams, while 63 of them signed contracts. One player (Daniel Whelan) started the 2023 NFL season on an active 53-man NFL roster, while 17 other players started the season on practice squads.[15][16][17] 23 players finished the season on NFL rosters.[7]
During the 2023 season, XFL players filed a petition (through the United Steelworkers) for a representation election with Region 16 of the National Labor Relations Board,[18] but decided against joining the union by vote of 124 to 73.[19]
Merger
On September 19, 2023, Axios reported that USFL owner Fox Corporation and the Garcia/Johnson/RedBird Capital Partners consortium that owned the XFL were in advanced talks to create a "merger of equals" between the two leagues before the start of the 2024 season, with an agreement potentially announced by the end of the month.[20] The USFL registered a trademark for "National Spring Football League," the name of the USFL's parent company but speculated to also be a name for the potential merged league, that was made public September 27.[21] On September 28, 2023, the USFL and XFL announced their intent to merge with the specific details of the merger to be announced at a later date.[22] The merger would also require regulatory approval.[23] In October 2023 the XFL filed a trademark application for the name "United Football League".[24] On November 30, 2023, XFL chairwoman Dany Garcia announced via her Instagram page that the leagues had completed the antitrust review process to approve their merger, and the leagues will "play a combined season" kicking off on March 30, 2024.[25] XFL President Russ Brandon will serve in the same capacity for the combined league, with Johnston being assigned to director of football operations.[26]
On December 27, 2023, during the broadcast of the 2023 Holiday Bowl, Fox aired a clip of Jeff Brohm's "let's play football" speech from the original incarnation of the XFL and announced that details on its involvement in the new merged league would follow "very soon."[27] Three days later, the merger was formally announced on Fox NFL Sunday.[28] The eight teams and head coaches were announced by Dwayne Johnson in a guest appearance on ESPN's College GameDay on January 1, 2024.[29]
Overall, 120 players from both the USFL and XFL signed some form of contract with the NFL for the 2023 season; in turn, 12 practice squad players from the 2023 NFL season signed with the UFL for 2024, with the league actively recruiting others prior to the season.[30]
Teams
Four teams came from the XFL, three came from the USFL, and each league's Houston-based team was merged with its counterpart to create one team. The XFL's Roughnecks take the Gamblers' place in the USFL while keeping the Roughnecks brand and the Gamblers' player rights and coaching staff. The XFL and USFL brands will remain as individual conferences.[28]
Locations of current teams for the 2024 UFL season, (USFL Conference – red; XFL Conference – blue)
Coaches
Eight of the 16 head coaches from both leagues' 2023 season return, some with different teams, with all coaches being announced on January 1, 2024. All eight coaches led a team in one of the two leagues during the 2023 season and five are returning to the same squads as 2023. Former XFL coaches Reggie Barlow, Anthony Becht, and Bob Stoops agreed to a pay cut to remain in the new league.[32]
Stoops returns for his third season with Arlington after compiling a 6–9 (.400) mark over the 2020 and 2023 seasons and winning the 2023 XFL Championship.
Holtz returns for his third season with the Stallions after compiling a 17–3 (.850) record in 2022–23, winning the USFL Championship Game in both seasons.
Johnson coached the 2023 Houston Gamblers, compiling a 5–5 (.500) mark. After taking on the identity of the XFL Roughnecks, Johnson and his staff was kept on to lead the team, which is technically a continuation of the Gamblers.
The USFL fired head Memphis Showboats coach Todd Haley on October 23[33] and reassigned former New Orleans Breakers coach John DeFilippo to the Showboats.[34] DeFilippo led the Breakers to a 7–3 (.700) record in 2023, losing in the USFL South Division championship.
Hines Ward resigned on December 28, 2023,[35] and Roughnecks coach Wade Phillips was reassigned to the Brahmas after being displaced by Curtis Johnson, who assumed control of the newly-merged Roughnecks.[36][37] Phillips led the 2023 Roughnecks to a 7–3 (.700) record before losing the XFL South Division championship.
Becht returns for his second season in St. Louis after compiling a 7–3 (.700) record in 2023.
Rod Woodson had resigned his position with the Vegas Vipers before the team was contracted.[38] The remaining five coaches—the Generals' Mike Riley, the Stars' Bart Andrus, the Maulers' Ray Horton, the Guardians' Terrell Buckley, and the Sea Dragons' Jim Haslett—saw their positions eliminated with the merger, as did Anthony Blevins, who had been named Woodson's successor. Hines Ward resigned on December 28, 2023 after getting ultimatum to agree to a pay cut by January 1, 2024.[32]
Players
Players will report to training camp February 23, 2024.[39] Each team will carry 75-men roster to training camp and will trim it down to 58 by March 10, 2024. Final roster cuts will take place on March 23, 2024, with regular season rosters will stand at 50 (45 active on game day).[40][41]
While the UFL embraced more of a "developmental league" mentality, they're also targeting veteran backups type players, with Johnston saying: "there are a lot of guys who are at peace that their NFL window has closed, but they love the camaraderie of the locker room. They love the day-to-day grind... That's been the really inspiring thing to me, is there is a number of guys in our league who just love the game and want to keep playing it as long as they can."[42]
Unionization & compensation
Local 9004 of the United Steelworkers, which had served as the labor union for the USFL in 2023, will continue in that capacity for the UFL, operating as the United Football League Players Association[43] (This is not to be confused with the United Football Players Association, which Local 9004 disowned during the 2023–24 offseason).[44] The league will continue operating under the USFL's collective bargaining agreement.[43] and salaries are expected to be $53,000 for the 2024 season ($5,300 per week),[32] with a $1,600 housing stipend per month and $150 a week toward 401K contributions.[45]
Initial reports suggested that, contrary to the 2023 XFL season, quarterbacks would not be allowed to sign for salaries higher than the other positional players.[46][45] However, the UFLPA later clarified that the agreement with the league is for minimum salary only, and any player could sign a personal contract above the minimum.[47] As late as January 2024, the league had resisted "pushback" from some of the higher-paid XFL quarterbacks to increase quarterbacks' salary, with Johnston at the time refusing to deviate from the plan to pay all players equally while acknowledging "there's a good argument for both sides. How do we manage this situation(...)? It's hard to thread that needle."[42]
Select XFL players, who had voted against joining the USW in 2023, expressed concern about the lack of winning bonuses (a key feature of the XFL's pay structure) and a requirement to pay union dues,[45] while some players decided not to return to the league, citing the pay cut as a contributing factor.[48] On an interview after the merger, former Battlehawks QB AJ McCarron revealed that XFL players were in advanced talks with the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) for exclusive representation.[48]
On February 21, 2023, the USFL held a draft where 2023 draft-eligible players could be selected by USFL teams.[49] In the announcement, USFL Executive Vice President of Football Operations Daryl Johnston stated, "We are building the USFL for long-term success and our first-ever College Draft demonstrates our clear focus on building winning teams for Season Two, Season Three and beyond."[49] 80 players were selected across 10 rounds.[50] Due to this draft occurring two months prior to the 2023 NFL Draft, many of the players selected would go on to be drafted by or sign as an undrafted free agent with an NFL team.[51]
In an interview after the 2023 XFL season, the league's Senior Vice President of Player Personnel Doug Whaley disclosed that the league plans a "rookie" draft and intended to conduct "multiple drafts" in the fall of 2023.[52][53] The XFL Rookie Draft took place on June 16, 2023, with 80 players being selected.[54]
On December 19, 2023, the USFL initially informed the USFL Players Association that four teams would be contracted as part of the USFL–XFL merger.[58] The transition will involve a three-phase player allocation process,[59] with a similar system to be used for XFL players.[60] Phase 1 and 2 is set for January 5, and an open dispersal draft for remaining USFL/XFL players (phase 3) is scheduled for January 15, 2024:[61][62]
Phase 1: Each remaining USFL/XFL team identified up to 42 "protected" Contract Players from its roster (or in the XFL's case, had signed a letter of intent with that team).
Phase 2: Teams then claimed up to 20 additional "protected" players from non-surviving USFL/XFL teams (respectively).
Phase 3: A dispersal draft, billed as the UFL Super Draft,[63] included all USFL/XFL players not "protected" in the earlier phases. Non-contracted players who have previously participated in the USFL or XFL must sign with the respective league before the draft.[64]
On January 20, 2024, the league announced that UFL teams signed a total of 42 players in the first week of free agency,[72] including former NFL players RB Ryan Nall (Houston Roughnecks), WR Marcell Ateman (St. Louis Battlehawks), WR Trey Quinn (Michigan Panthers), LB Joel Iyiegbuniwe, DB Darius Phillips and K Matt Ammendola (San Antonio Brahmas).
On January 22, 2024, the league announced that UFL teams signed 19 additional players,[73] including: QB's E.J. Perry (Michigan Panthers) and Nolan Henderson (Houston Roughnecks) and LB Marquel Lee (Arlington Renegades).
On January 22, 2024, the league released a list of additional 20 players who signed as free agents with UFL teams,[74] including: OL Abdul Beecham (St. Louis Battlehawks) WR Matt Landers and DL Trevon Coley (Arlington Renegades).
On January 24, 2024, the Defenders, Renegades, Brahmas and Showboats signed a total of eight players.[75]
On January 24, 2024, the Roughnecks signed QB Reid Sinnett and released 2023 starting QB Kenji Bahar in a corresponding move.[76]
On January 25, 2024, five players signed agreements with the UFL teams, including former NFL first-round pick CB Deandre Baker (DC Defenders).[77]
On January 26, 2024, the league released a list of 10 additional transactions, including the signing of QB Deondre Francois (DC Defenders) and K Taylor Russolino (Arlington Renegades) and the release of QB Ryan Willis (Memphis Showboats).[78]
On January 29, 2024, the league released a list of additional 17 players who signed as free agents with UFL teams,[79] including: DE De'Veon Smith and P Marquette King (Arlington Renegades) and QB Troy Williams (Memphis Showboats), while three players were waived, including QB Carson Strong.[80]
On January 30, 2024, the league released a list of additional seven players who signed as free agents with UFL teams,[81] including: former NFL RB Wayne Gallman (St. Louis Battlehawks) and YouTube star K Donald De La Haye (San Antonio Brahmas),[82] while four players were waived, including former NFL first-round pick WR Corey Coleman (Michigan Panthers).[83]
On January 31, 2024, the league released a list of additional 15 players who signed as free agents with UFL teams, including: former NFL LB Vic Beasley (Arlington Renegades) and QB Tom Flacco (San Antonio Brahmas), while DB Alijah Holder was waived.[84]
The league rulebook was released February 13, 2024. Though most of the UFL's unique rules were common to both the USFL and XFL (such as allowing a second forward pass if the first does not cross the line of scrimmage, and the treatment of a fumble through the end zone the same as other forward fumbles in that it is brought back to the spot of the fumble), a limited number required compromise or were changed entirely from both leagues' rules:[89]
The league will use the USFL's kickoff rule, which resembles that used at most levels of the game but kicks off from the kicking team's 20-yard line instead of the 35-yard line used at the college and NFL levels (as opposed to the XFL rule which kicked off from the 30-yard line but had the opposing teams line up 35 and 40 yards downfield from the kick respectively and required the kicker to land the kick within 20 yards of the end zone without going in).[39] A rule proposal would replace the kickoff with a punt, thereby resembling the safety kick at other levels of the game, but this rule did not make it into the rule book.[90]
The onside conversion option will remain available, with a team trailing in the fourth quarter allowed to attempt a single scrimmage play to gain 12 yards from its own 28-yard line. (The XFL used 15 yards from its own 25-yard line; the USFL used 12 yards from its own 33-yard line.)
Pass interference penalties will be limited to 15 yards from the previous line of scrimmage or the spot of the foul, whichever is less.
The league will use the XFL's variable-distance conversion rule, offering one, two or three points depending upon how far away from the goal line the offense chooses to attempt the play, and prohibiting kicking for the extra point. (The USFL had allowed the two and three point scrimmage conversions but allowed for an extra point kick.)
All touchbacks will come to the receiving team's 25-yard line. Any coffin corner punt that goes out of bounds beyond the 25-yard line will be treated as a touchback, a rule previously used in the XFL (though that league had used the 35-yard line for its touchbacks).
The league will use the National Football League rule requiring a receiver to land both feet in bounds for a forward pass to be counted as complete. This was a change from both the XFL and USFL, along with most other professional leagues other than the NFL, that only required one foot in-bounds for a completed pass.
The XFL overtime rule will be carried over, in that tie games will involve a best-of-three shootout of two-point conversion attempts from each 5-yard line.
Season structure
Preseason
The UFL will continue the XFL agreement with Arlington, Texas, to serve as the league's centralized hub.[91] The league training camps started on February 24, 2024.[31]
For the 2024 season each team trained at a different stadium in Arlington and share it with another team throughout the season as follows:[40][41]
The league plan to hold an untelevised "informal scrimmages" (or "half-games") on March 9, for the league's TV partners, in order to conduct trial runs for their broadcasts.[41]
Regular season
The league is divided into two conferences, the USFL Conference and the XFL Conference, each a continuation of its respective league. Each team will play a ten-game schedule with no bye weeks, playing two games against each conference rival (one home and one away) and one game against each team in the other conference, like the XFL ,all eight teams playing in their home markets.[31] The regular season will kick off on March 30, 2024, with a game between the USFL and XFL champions, the Birmingham Stallions and the Arlington Renegades.[31] The league schedule was released February 5, 2024.[92]
Postseason
The postseason will have four teams. After controversy in the 2023 XFL season in which the St. Louis Battlehawks lost out on a playoff bid on a string of tiebreakers while the Arlington Renegades, three games behind St. Louis in overall standings, advanced to the playoffs, Battlehawks head coach Anthony Becht stated in an interview that the UFL would rework the playoff system so that the winners of each conference will host the league semifinals as before, while the two remaining playoff seeds will be wild-card bids going to the best remaining overall records, regardless of conference.[39] A statement in the schedule press release indicated otherwise, that the XFL and USFL would continue to have self-contained championship games with the first and second team in each conference facing each other.[92] In either event, the winners of the two semifinal games will advance to the 2024 UFL Championship Game.
Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio, which hosted both of the USFL's championship games and three of its four semifinal matchups, made public its negotiations with the UFL to host the 2024 UFL Championship, as the previous games held there had been a "revenue generator" for Hall of Fame Village and the Village eventually hoped for a team of its own in the league.[93]
Season schedule
All games stream on ESPN+ or Fox Sports app unless otherwise noted. Viewership figures for streaming platforms are released four weeks after the event.
Announced attendance figures for each home game. In the weekly columns, dashes (—) indicate away games, while bold font indicates the highest attendance of each team.
The league was created as a "merger of equals", with the respective leagues' owners assuming 50% ownership of the newly formed UFL.[91] RedBird Capital Partners owner Gerry Cardinale called it "a tremendous opportunity to achieve something unique. A legitimate shot at becoming one of the top professional leagues in the country after the big four leagues".[95]
In the United States, the television rights for the UFL is held by Fox and ESPN, which held the rights to the USFL and XFL, respectively.[97][98][99]NBC Sports, which had shared broadcast rights to the USFL with Fox Sports in 2022 and 2023, will not carry UFL games due to an increase in schedule conflicts, stemming from the proposed start date being slightly earlier than 2022 and 2023.[100] There had been one year remaining on NBC's contract.[101]
Fox Sports' regular season coverage includes pairs of regional games in Weeks 4, 5, and 9 on Fox, 13 national games on Fox, and one game on FS1. The ESPN networks' regular season coverage includes 9 games on ABC, 10 games on ESPN, and one game on ESPN2. 63% of all UFL games will air on broadcast television (ABC or FOX) and 25% of the remaining games will air on the ESPN flagship network. ABC and Fox will also each air a semifinal game. The 2024 UFL Championship Game will be on Fox. In addition, ABC/ESPN games will be streamed on ESPN+.[102][103]
Curt Menefee and Joel Klatt, who served as Fox's lead broadcast team for the XFL and USFL since 2020, will continue in that capacity in 2024.[104]
Reception
The UFL announcement was the number one story the week after its merger in St. Louis.[105]
