“The NFL and CFL Steal Some XFL Talent”
June 27, 2021
Stamford, CT - Keeping all the best talent possible in the XFL will always be a top concern for the league. Despite the announcement of the salary cap jumping from $4M to $6M for the 2022 season, the young league may never be able to keep their young talent from jumping at an NFL payday. The biggest thing working in the XFL's favor on that front is the fact that their league finishes up after the NFL already concludes their Free Agency and their Rookie Draft. Most NFL teams have their rosters completed by the end of June, but it didn't stop them from signing a few XFL stars:
WR Davaris Daniels(DAL) signed with the Cincinnati Bengals
TE Donald Parham(DAL) signed with the Los Angeles Chargers
WR Antonio Callaway(SEA) signed with the Cleveland Browns
RB Spencer Ware(ORL) signed with the Kansas City Chiefs
RB Carlos Hyde(PHIL) signed with the Seattle Seahawks
WR Corey Coleman(TB) signed with the New York Giants
RB Devonta Freeman(TB) signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers
WR Greg Ward(SA) signed with the Philadelphia Eagles
The CFL was also able to steal a few of the XFL veterans despite offering a much lower salary of $65k compared to the $125k of the XFL. These players were probably looking for more playing time after they didn't receive as much as they would have liked:
QB Dalton Sturm(DAL) signed with the BC Lions
QB Christian Hackenberg(MEM) signed with the Atlantic Schooners
QB Zach Mettenberger(MEM) signed with the Hamilton Tiger-cats
QB Connor Cook(ORL) signed with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers
WR Brandon Coleman(HOU) signed with the Saskatchewan Roughriders
QB Clayton Thorson(LV) signed with the Saskatchewan Roughriders
The XFL also lost a few veterans to retirement. QB Landry Jones(DAL), RB Lamar Miller(MEM), WR Dez Bryant(DAL), WR Percy Harvin(TB), DL Hau'oli Kikaha(STL) and DB Matt Elam(DC) all announced they were hanging up the cleats. Bryant and Harvin comeback attempts didn't get them back to the NFL like they desired, while Landry Jones and Lamar Miller both ended their seasons with devastating knee injuries. Contemplating an XFL comeback, former San Diego Fleet and Washington Redskin QB Josh Johnson decided to also retire instead.
Last edited by BengalErnst28 (5/31/2020 12:26 pm)
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