2024 USFL season

The 2024 USFL season is the upcoming third season of the United States Football League. The regular season will start in April 2024 and is expected to end in June 2024.[1] The postseason is expected to begin in June 2024 and end with the 2024 USFL Championship Game in July 2024. The league is expected to expand the locations their teams play from four total stadiums.

2024 USFL season
LeagueUnited States Football League
SportAmerican football
DurationApril 2024 – July 2024
Number of games43 (40 regular-season games, 3 postseason games)
Number of teams8
TV partner(s)Fox, FS1, NBC, Peacock, USA
2024 USFL Championship
VenueTom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, Canton, Ohio

In September 2023, Axios reported that the XFL was in advanced talks with the USFL to merge the two leagues prior to the start of their 2024 seasons.[2] On September 28, 2023, the USFL and XFL announced their intent to merge the two leagues.[3]

Background

On June 27, 2023, President of Football Operations Daryl Johnston confirmed in an interview that the league will return for the 2024 season.[4] The 2023 season ended with Birmingham Stallions defeating the Pittsburgh Maulers in the 2023 USFL Championship Game to win their second league championship in as many years.[5]

USFL average viewership in 2023 was down 16% from its debut season to 601,000 and 3% lower than the 2023 XFL season, despite having 28 over-the-air network games compared to eight for the XFL.[6] The Championship Game also saw a significant decline in viewership from 2022 as the game averaged 1.2 million viewers across NBC, Peacock, and NBC Sports digital platforms.[7] Johnston expressed disappointment and anger that the USFL was comparable to the XFL in ratings for the 2023 season, dismissing the XFL as "no competition" to the "far superior" USFL and questioning how "to be on par with our competition from a ratings standpoint in Year 2, I'm still trying to figure out: How did that happen? (...) they're not even close."[6]

40 players who played in the 2023 USFL season signed contracts with NFL teams. Two players (LaBryan Ray and Brandon Aubrey) started the 2023 NFL season on active 53-man NFL rosters, 11 other players started the season on practice squad while Isaiah Zuber was placed on injured reserve.[8][9] Michigan Panthers WR Devin Ross was later signed to the Las Vegas Raiders practice squad and subsequently released one day later.[10]

Potential merger with the XFL

On September 19, 2023, Axios reported that the USFL was in advanced talks with the XFL—owned by a consortium led by Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia, and RedBird Capital Partners—to create a "merger of equals" between the two leagues before the 2024 USFL season kicks off in April, with an agreement potentially announced by the end of the month.[2] The USFL registered a trademark for "National Spring Football League," the name of the USFL's parent company but speculated to also be a name for the potential merged league, that was made public September 27.[11] On September 28, 2023, the USFL and XFL announced their intent to merge with the specific details of the merger to be announced at a later date.[3] The merger would also require regulatory approval.[12]

Locations
🌍
Map of venues used in the USFL
1
Protective Stadium (Birmingham AL)
2
Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium (Memphis TN)
3
Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium (Canton OH)
4
Ford Field (Detroit MI)

The league second season was marked with the same complaints from the previous season of a lack of fans in the stands in some locations and "neutral site games",[13] while the league announced "it will be maintaining their policy in partnership with their venues of not releasing attendance figures" during the season (including the championship game).[14] Johnston acknowledged the issue before the championship game and said: "it does motivate us to make sure we get our eight teams into their home markets as quickly as we can, but we can't rush it".[6]

In an interview with Canton, Ohio press Johnston mentioned potential expansion in the future: "we're in conversations with potential areas to expand into", while he was asked specifically about Canton expansion and said: "those are the conversations that have been had within the USFL family as we look at the future. Might there be an Ohio designation? Or a city designation? What works best as we continue to grow that relationship with the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Hall of Fame Village?(...) Those definitely are conversations we've had. Nothing we've committed to, but to your point, and really the meat of this whole conversation, is getting our teams into the home markets."[15]

Teams
Team Head coach Hub city Home stadium
North Division
Michigan Panthers Mike Nolan Detroit, Michigan Ford Field
Philadelphia Stars Bart Andrus
New Jersey Generals Mike Riley Canton, Ohio Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium
Pittsburgh Maulers Ray Horton
South Division
Birmingham Stallions Skip Holtz Birmingham, Alabama Protective Stadium
New Orleans Breakers John DeFilippo
Houston Gamblers Curtis Johnson Memphis, Tennessee Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium
Memphis Showboats Todd Haley

    Players

    For the 2024 season training camp roster will remain at 58 with 50 for regular season, but 42 players will be active on game day, compere to 40 in the 2023 season.

    On 2023 championship weekend Johnston revealed that the USFL are in talks for potential NFL partnership: "It make sense for there to be conversations about allowing key positions to come down to the USFL, but go directly back to the NFL team that holds their rights (...) These are things that are in infancy right now, but would be better for both leagues".[16]

    In July, 2023 John Peterson the league's Director Of Player Personnel revealed in an interview that each USFL team have four designated NFL teams to select talent from, as long as they signed with the team in the past three years, while former NFL players who didn't signed an NFL contract in the past four years (or more) are considered free agents.[17]

    The league exclusive partnership agreement with HUB Football for scouting services[18] came to an end in June 2023, when HUB's owner Don Yee decided to pull the plug on the operation,[19] and the USFL started using the services of GRID Camps which are run by former HUB executive Tom Goodhines.[17]

    Compensation

    Average salary for an active player will be approximately $61,910 with a maximum pay of $78,000 a year (includes training camp pay of $700/week, housing stipend of $1,600/month, 401k allocation and bonus for winning the championship game).[20] All player contracts are two years, with an opt-out clause for the NFL at any time during the off-season.

    Player Movement

    Transactions[21]

    Free agency

    Unless they had re–signed, all players signed prior to, or during, the 2022 USFL season became free agents on October 1, 2023 at 12:00 AM.[22] Players who changed teams are listed below:

    Re-signings/new players

    Coaching changes

    On October 23, 2023, the league announced it had fired Memphis Showboats head coach Todd Haley.[27]

    Media

    This will be the last year of the three-year rights deal agreement between NBC Sports and Fox Sports (Fox being one of the league's owners).[28]

    See also

    References
    1. Mark Perry (28 June 2023). "USFL VP Daryl Johnston Announces Return Of Season 3 Of The USFL in 2024, 'We are coming back'". usflnewshub.com. Archived from the original on June 28, 2023. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
    2. Baysinger, Tim; Primack, Dan; Fischer, Sara (September 19, 2023). "Scoop: Football leagues XFL and USFL in merger talks". Axios. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
    3. TSN ca Staff (2023-09-28). "XFL, United States Football League announce intention to merge". TSN. Retrieved 2023-09-28.
    4. Hennessy, Ryan (June 29, 2023). "'We are coming back': USFL announces 3rd season". WVTM13.
    5. "Birmingham Stallions Rout Pittsburgh Maulers 28-12, Are Back-To-Back USFL Champions". usflnewshub.com. 2 July 2023.
    6. Fischer, Ben (30 June 2023). "USFL baffled by TV viewership drop ahead of championship game". Sports Business Journal.
    7. "USFL 2023 Championship Game TV Rating Sees Significant Decline In Viewership From 2022". usflnewshub.com. 5 July 2023.
    8. "14 USFL players end up on NFL active rosters, practicesquads or injured reserve". USFL.com. 29 August 2023.
    9. "12 USFL Players Make Leap to NFL Practice Squads: A Position-by-Position Breakdowns". usflnewshub.com. 31 August 2023.
    10. "Devin Ross: Let go by Las Vegas". cbssports.com.
    11. Rosvoglou, Chris (2023-09-27). "USFL Appears To Take Next Step Towards Merger With XFL". The Spun: What's Trending In The Sports World Today. Retrieved 2023-09-27.
    12. Schad, Tom (2023-09-28). "XFL, USFL confirm intention to merge into single spring football league". USA Today. Retrieved 2023-09-29.
    13. "Why are there no fans at USFL games? Football fans clown Fox league after poor showing". sportskeeda.com. 18 April 2023.
    14. Mike Mitchell [@ByMikeMitchell] (April 16, 2023). "For those who have been asking for #USFL attendance figures from today. I have reached out to league officials. The messaging is that similar to last season, the USFL will be maintaining their policy in partnership with their venues of not releasing attendance figures" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
    15. "Daryl Johnston talks USFL championship game at Canton, Hall of Fame". Canton Repository.
    16. "Inside A Potential USFL & NFL Partnership For Player Development". usflnewsroom.com. 11 July 2023.
    17. "USFL Director of Personnel John Peterson Talks 2023–24 League Calendar, NFL Policies, GRID Camps". All Access Football.
    18. "USFL inks scouting data partnership with HUB Football". 14 October 2022.
    19. "A message from HUB Founder, Don Yee". June 25, 2023.
    20. "Details On USFL 2024 Player Contracts & Offseason Timeline". usflnewsroom.com. 7 July 2023.
    21. "USFL Transactions – Last 4 Weeks". The Football Database.
    22. @JamesLarsenPFN (October 1, 2023). "After a long wait" (Tweet). Retrieved October 4, 2023 – via Twitter.
    23. "Michigan Panthers Sign OT Jarrett Horst & WR Devin Ross". usflnewsroom.com. 6 September 2023.
    24. @USFLGamblers (September 11, 2023). "Free Agent Signing" (Tweet). Retrieved September 12, 2023 – via Twitter.
    25. @USFLStallions (September 25, 2023). "Free Agent Signing" (Tweet). Retrieved September 26, 2023 – via Twitter.
    26. @USFLStars (October 3, 2023). "Free Agent Signing" (Tweet). Retrieved October 4, 2023 – via Twitter.
    27. Braxton, Avery (October 23, 2023). "Todd Haley out as Showboats Head Coach". WATN-TV. Retrieved 2023-10-25.
    28. Ourand, John (December 15, 2021). "USFL adds NBC as rights holder for when games start in early '22". Sports Business Journal.
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