UFL Teams Try to Lure Fringe NFL Players to Join League
The UFL's football operations department and their team general managers and coaches have been working the phones for months, trying to sway players on the NFL fringe to join.
Head coaches like St. Louis's Anthony Becht have openly made sales pitches on social media to fringe players to forgo bottom-end offseason NFL roster spots and get genuine playing time in the UFL.
The overall league has had some success recruiting on the NFL side. As of press time, 12 players who finished the year on NFL practice squads have signed on with UFL teams. Some of them have turned down futures contracts with NFL clubs.
Currently, UFL teams have 132 players on their training camp rosters who spent time with an NFL team in 2023.
Spring pro football leagues have become a haven and proving ground for players who are in career limbo. The UFL will proudly point to the nearly 120 players combined from the USFL and XFL in 2023 who signed NFL contracts last year as a major selling point.
For UFL teams, the player recruitment process is fluid and extends beyond training camp and into the regular season. Some fringe NFL players who just missed the big league cut or finished the year on NFL practice squads are debating whether to take the spring league plunge.
Many fringe NFL players, like quarterback Matt Corral, are making the decision to join the UFL.
For all the players with name recognition that do, like quarterback Matt Corral with Birmingham or wide receiver Keke Coutee with D.C., many others politely have turned down the invite to play spring pro football.
Some may eventually change their mind; see eventual 2023 San Antonio Brahmas quarterback Kurt Benkert.
Sports Illustrated has learned that the UFL has reached out to the representatives of NFL quarterbacks like former Minnesota Vikings third-round draft pick Kellen Mond and Penn State standout Trace McSorley — two players currently not under NFL contract. Mond finished the NFL season with the Indianapolis Colts on their practice squad.
Setting aside the financial security of latching onto any NFL team as a back-end player — and there are stark differences between UFL and NFL pay — Mond and McSorley would benefit from another shot at leading an offense with genuine playing time instead of being an extra body/fourth arm in camp ultimately relegated to scout team duty at best.
Despite the potential career advantages of developing their games in the UFL, neither seems interested in making the jump, for now.
Some of the best players on UFL teams in 2024 could be those who weren't here when it all started. Just look at current Washington Commanders receiver Davion Davis, a later arrival, who helped the Birmingham Stallions win their second straight championship.
A lot can still happen between now and the start of the inaugural UFL season, which kicks off on March 30.
You can find Mike Mitchell on X @ByMikeMitchell.
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