It’s been two weeks since the USFL concluded the 2023 season and work has begun for the upcoming 2024 season. Since the season ended, the USFL lost kicker Brandon Aubrey, wide receiver Deon Cain, and tight end Josh Pederson who were released from their contracts to sign with NFL teams.
One interesting topic that came up from the USFL Championship media day is that Vice President of Operations Daryl Johnston discussed a potential partnership between the USFL and the NFL.
As mentioned by Johnston. He hopes that the NFL will supply players to the USFL for further development while the NFL owns that player’s rights. Does this sound familiar to anyone? Let us take a trip down memory lane.
In 1989, the NFL started the World League of Football and made its debut in 1991. There were teams in the United States and Europe. Even though the league nearly went bankrupt, the NFL decided to bring it back. What they learned during the WLF era was Europe was a hit while America was not. The London Monarchs averaged 45,000 a game while Americans ignored the new league. The European teams helped to boost the league’s attendance with an average of 26,000 a game.
In addition, television ratings were poor and the league lost $7 million. After two seasons, the WLF took a break for two years to revalue their plan. Once they figured out that European fans loved American football, the WLF changed its name to NFL Europe and re-launched in 1995.
The original teams that were part of the WLF (London Monarchs, Barcelona Dragons, and Frankfurt Galaxy) returned while three new teams joined (Amsterdam Admirals, Rhein Fire, and Scottish Claymores).
Each team had to have seven “local” players on a 40-man roster. Over the years, teams like London, Barcelona, and the Scottish Claymores folded while attendances declined, leading to the league folding after the 2007 season.
The Hamburg Sea Devils won the final World Bowl championship. The NFL cited a lack of revenue and decreasing success in player development that led to the European league’s demise.
Under the NFL and the Players Association’s collective bargaining agreement, NFL teams could send five or six players to Europe. These players were either third-stringers or on the practice squad. The coolest part about NFL Europe was during the games, the graphics would show the players and have a logo of the NFL team they represented. These players also had the NFL team logo either on the back of their helmets or stitched onto the jersey.
Listening to Johnston’s comments, I think he is hoping that the NFL and the Players Association will come to an agreement to let players play in the USFL. However, the collective bargaining agreement between the NFL and the Player’s Association does not expire until 2030. The two would have to come to a new agreement that would allow players to play in the USFL.
In my opinion, I thought NFL Europe was a better league than the NFL. It felt different watching the European games. You can watch classic NFL Europe games on YouTube. Some of these teams have returned under a licensing deal with the European League of Football.
Since the closure of NFL Europe, the NFL has put regular season games over there and the European fans have packed the stadiums to see the stars. If this trend continues, maybe the NFL will bring back the European league. After all, the NFL has discussed putting teams in Europe for future expansion.
Another key phrase as to why Europe closed was “decreasing success in player development.” If the NFL cared about developing players, they would have found a way to keep the European league going. Instead, they do not want to fully spend the money to launch their own development league and are looking at the USFL as an option to develop players.
The problem with this is it takes away spots from the guys who are trying to get on a USFL team that have no shot in the NFL. Yes, the product would improve by having those guys in the league but as I have said before, the USFL needs to remain independent and not rely on the NFL for players.
By having the NFL send players to the USFL for development, you are essentially saying you are a developmental league, and not many fans are going to take the USFL seriously. Just look at the CFL, they have had great players come from that league over the years only to lose them to the NFL. As soon as an NFL team is interested, they release them from their contract to pursue an NFL opportunity only for some to return to the league after NFL camp’s end.
As a result, the CFL has hurt their on-the-field product, and not many fans care about the league. The USFL is doing the same thing which they need to stop if they want to have a better future.
Some players are using the USFL to get back into the NFL. Look at Maurice Alexander and Kavontae Turpin, they were stars in the USFL before they left for the NFL after the first season ended. These are the players the USFL cannot afford to lose again.
As for the other players, they need to realize that some are not cut out for the NFL and that is okay. Some have ongoing injuries, others have disciplinary problems, and/or a lack of respect for their coaches, teammates, officials, or the game in general. When researching the players, you can see ongoing situations that started in college or prior.
The USFL can be a great league for guys to continue their playing careers. However, should their play excel to the point that an NFL team is interested in them they should have to fulfill their contract with the USFL. Let’s teach players to honor the contract they signed, otherwise, we weaken the league. This also teaches players to really think about the contract they are signing.
I get that football is a short career and everyone wants to make the most money possible and the NFL is the place to get paid, or overpaid. Unfortunately for some, how many times are they going to keep getting chances in the NFL only to get cut again and have nowhere else to play?
The USFL needs to find a way to keep these players that have helped build the league, like adding more sponsors. The USFL is setting itself up to thrive as an independent league. If they can find ways to generate more revenue. There is a chance that more players are going to want to play in their league which would improve the on-the-field product.
One aspect the league is planning to do is sell the franchises to local owners in the next five to seven years. Here’s an idea for that. How about following the Green Bay Packers model by letting the local communities own the teams? The USFL could sell stocks of those teams to the local fanbase and I think you would see a majority of people buy a stake in the team. But there has to be sustainability.
What made the original league so great is that they were an independent league. They had a lot of talent that made the league fun to watch. They did not rely on the NFL for talent and those that were career backups made names for themselves like Chuck Fusina. The USFL should target backups, third-stringers, and practice squad players to play in the league.
I think a partnership with the NFL will hurt the league. In society, many say that a spring league will only thrive if they are a development league for the NFL. That is simply not true. The USFL can thrive on its own without being affiliated with the NFL.
Many football fans are looking for an alternative league given how the NFL has operated in the last decade. They are tired of the politics in the NFL and want competition. Competition is good for business and I don’t think the USFL should partner with the NFL.
