HEADLINES

Dwayne Johnson

XFL Assigns Franchise-Coach Pairings

June 4th, 2022 at 12:11pm CST by Adam La Rose

The identities of the head coaches who will be on the sidelines when the XFL begins its third iteration were already known. Today, though, it has been revealed which franchise each coach will be working with when the league re-starts in 2023. 

[RELATED: XFL Announces HCs For 2023 Season]

As detailed by Pro Football Network’s Aaron Wilson (on Twitter), Wade Phillips has been assigned to the Houston franchise. That will mark the second stint coaching a professional team in that city for the soon-to-be 75-year-old, as he took over interim HC duties for the Texans during his time there in 2013. This will mark his first time on the sidelines since 2019, when he served as defensive coordinator of the Rams.

The list of XFL coaches also includes decorated former players. One of them is Hines Ward, who will be joining Phillips and Bob Stoops in the state of Texas by coaching the San Antonio franchise. The former Super Bowl MVP worked as an offensive assistant with the Jets in 2020 and 2021; he spent the past campaign as the WRs coach at Florida Atlantic. The XFL post will mark his first time as a head coach at any level.

Another brand-name player the XFL will be featuring on the sidelines is Rod Woodson. The Hall of Fame corner has more experience than Ward with respect to time spent as a positional coach at the NFL level, including two separate stints as the CBs coach of the Raiders. In his case as well, though, the XFL will provide a first-time HC opportunity. He will take the reins of the Las Vegas team.

Long before the league unveiled its batch of HCs for the upcoming season, the XFL announced a formal partnership with the NFL. While the former will not organize itself as a strictly developmental league for the latter, there will be notable collaboration between the two on a number of matters, including the NFL’s Alumni Academy. While it remains to be seen if the third time proves to be the charm for the enterprise now co-owned by Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia, these agreements, along with the interest generated by these coaches, should give the league a chance at long-term success.

Here is the full breakdown of the franchise-coach pairings, per Wilson:

NFL, XFL Announce Formal Partnership

February 21st, 2022 at 10:52am CST by Adam La Rose

The NFL is entering into a partnership agreement with the XFL, with the latter league set to be a “petri dish” for the former. In an official statement, the XFL announced it would “collaborate with the NFL on select innovation programs”, with a particular focus on health and safety. 

The partnership is not one that will establish the XFL as a developmental league for NFL teams, but nevertheless a notable step in collaboration between the two entities. The news comes one year before the XFL is scheduled to begin play in its third iteration (and first since being purchased by Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia). It is the second time the league has attempted to partner with an established outfit, having unsuccessfully done so with the CFL in 2021.

“We are bringing forward an XFL that is progressive and forward-thinking when it comes to innovation, leveraging the newest technology to enhance gameday experience”, Garcia said. “Sharing insights and practices between the XFL and NFL will do a tremendous amount of good for the game of football and support the player ecosystem overall”.

Opportunities also exist for the league to “experiment with proposed rules, test new equipment and develop prospective officials and coaches”, writes ESPN’s Kevin Seifert. League president, and longtime Bills executive Russ Brandon made it clear there has been productive dialogue with the NFL when it comes to “[advancing] the game of football” overall.

NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent added: “The XFL has shown us that innovation is one of its core principles. We are hopeful that this relationship will support further development and improvements in the game of football at all levels”.

While Garcia insists that a direct affiliation for the purposes of player sharing and development is not currently on the table, this announcement could mark, at a minimum, a sign that the third time could be the charm for the XFL to establish itself long-term. The deal is unrelated to the re-booted USFL, which is set to begin play in April.

 

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/22/21

October 22nd, 2021 at 4:58pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are today’s taxi squad moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Jacksonville Jaguars

Los Angeles Chargers

Wednesday NFL Transactions: NFC South

September 1st, 2021 at 6:05pm CST by Sam Robinson

Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline Tuesday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters. In addition to waiver claims, teams can begin constructing their 16-man practice squads today. These moves for the Buccaneers, Falcons, Panthers and Saints are noted below.

Here are Wednesday’s NFC South transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day.

Atlanta Falcons

Claimed:

Signed to practice squad:

Carolina Panthers

Release from IR:

Signed to practice squad:

New Orleans Saints

Released: 

  • K Aldrick Rosas; Rosas is expected to re-sign later this week, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets

Claimed:

Signed to practice squad:

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Signed to practice squad:

Falcons Cut 27 Players, Down To 53

August 31st, 2021 at 11:15am CST by Zachary Links

The Falcons are down to 53. With several hours to go before the 4pm ET/3pm CT deadline, the Falcons have released 27 players to meet the new max.

Some of these players will re-appear on the Falcons’ 16-man practice squad, if they’re not scooped up by another team. None of the cuts are particularly surprising, though D’Onta Foreman‘s name stands out on this list. The former UT star is still looking to reprise his rookie year with the Texans when he notched 327 rushing yards and two scores in ten games. However, he’ll have to do it somewhere else.

For now, the Falcons are keeping both of their backup quarterbacks. That means Feleipe Franks and Josh Rosen could be on the roster for the season opener, backstopping Matt Ryan.

Here’s the full rundown:

XFL To Return In 2022

October 1st, 2020 at 2:38pm CST by Zachary Links

The Rock says the XFL will return in the spring of 2022 (Twitter link via Dwayne Johnson). This will mark the third iteration of the pro football league, which was recently acquired from original founder Vince McMahon.

“As owners, we’re proud to champion our XFL players, coaches, cities and fans into an electrifying 2022 season! It’s an uphill battle – but we’re hungry, humble and no one will outwork us,” Johnson wrote. “[This will be] a league of culture, passion, and purpose.”

The XFL’s relaunch ended midway through its (re)inaugural season, prompting McMahon to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. McMahon put the league up for sale in May and reportedly attracted “dozens” of potential bidders. Ultimately, McMahon’s longtime WWE superstar presented the top offer. McMahon, meanwhile, still has some loose ends to tie up. Commissioner Oliver Luck sued McMahon and other execs have filed claims to collect their pay. The XFL released its players in March, allowing quarterbacks Josh Johnson, P.J. Walker, Jordan Ta’amu, and others to seek NFL deals.

There was some speculation to a 2021 return, but the current climate would make a short turnaround difficult. Instead, the XFL will take an additional year to get organized and land the television deals needed to make the league viable. The 2020 XFL included eight teams: the Dallas Renegades, the Houston Roughnecks, the Los Angeles Wildcats, the Seattle Dragons, the D.C. Defenders, the New York Guardians, the St. Louis BattleHawks, and the Tampa Bay Vipers. The 2022 iteration may or may not include all of those markets.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson To Buy XFL

August 3rd, 2020 at 9:26am CST by Zachary Links

Finally, the XFL has come back to the news cycle. On Monday, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson announced that he has purchased the XFL. Johnson’s group – with backing from Redbird Capital Partners – will acquire the league from Vince McMahon for $15MM, as Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com tweets. 

[RELATED: Former XFL Commissioner Oliver Luck Sues Vince McMahon]

“The acquisition of the XFL with my talented partners, Dany Garcia and Gerry Cardinale, is an investment for me that’s rooted deeply in two things – my passion for the game and my desire to always take care of the fans,” said The Rock. “With pride and gratitude for all that I’ve built with my own two hands, I plan to apply these callouses to the XFL, and look forward to creating something special for the players, fans, and everyone involved for the love of football.”

The XFL’s relaunch ended midway through its (re)inaugural season, prompting McMahon to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. McMahon put the league up for sale in May and reportedly attracted “dozens” of potential bidders. Ultimately, McMahon’s longtime WWE superstar presented the top offer. McMahon, meanwhile, still has some loose ends to tie up. Commissioner Oliver Luck sued McMahon in April and other executives have filed claims to collect their pay.

The XFL 3.0, presumably, will target a 2021 relaunch. In the meantime, a number of XFL players are pushing for NFL roster spots in training camp.