UFL to NFL pipeline: 21 players now on 2024 NFL rosters
The UFL is already reaping the fruits of its labor after a successful Year 1 in the books.
Twenty-one players who were in the UFL last season are now on NFL rosters, the UFL announced in a press release this week.
Additionally, more than 250 of last season’s 400 UFL players (60%) were called to the NFL for workouts, with 78 individuals signing contracts to attend 30 NFL team training camps. In all, the UFL saw 87 total contracts signed, including eight players signing twice with the same team and one player signing three times with different teams.
Detroit kicker Jake Bates, Minnesota defensive tackle Jalen Redmond and recently promoted Atlanta wideout Chris Blair are on 53-man rosters this season, with 14 former UFL players on an NFL practice squad and a few on injured reserve.
“We knew that merging both leagues (the legacy USFL and the XFL) would create more talented rosters, which in turn would create a more entertaining product on the field,” Daryl Johnston, head of football operations for the UFL, said. “This would provide our players the competitive platform needed to be seen by NFL teams. The number of workouts and signings we saw during NFL training camps speaks to the product we put on the field and the opportunity we created for our players as a league.
“This is what spring football represents, providing a non-traditional path to help players make it to football’s grandest stage.”
“The UFL has demonstrated to be a proven and effective product,” Troy Vincent, the executive vice president of football operations for the NFL, said. “It provides an opportunity to develop, showcase and evolve the talent and quality of players, coaches, administrators, trainers and officials at the highest level of professional football.”
The Birmingham Stallions shut out the San Antonio Brahmas, 25-0, in the 2024 UFL Championship Game, marking their third consecutive championship (Birmingham won USFL titles in 2022 and 2023).
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