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Alliance Of American Football

Extra Points: AAF, XFL, Murray

February 23rd, 2019 at 6:18pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Last week the new league Alliance of American Football, the AAF, received a cash infusion of $250MM from investor Tom Dundon. Dundon, who owns the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes, reportedly bailed the league out of some financial trouble, and effectively assumed control of the AAF. But according to a new report, Dundon may not be as tied to the league long-term as it intially seemed, per Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com.

Apparently Dundon has yet to transfer over all $250MM, and the money will instead be procured over a period of time. Dundon apparently has the ability to pull the plug on the deal and stop funding the league if he determines the investment is no longer with it. None of this means that the league is in any immediate danger or that Dundon has had any sort of change of heart, but it adds another interesting wrinkle to the ordeal. The league has been very tightlipped about the circumstances surrounding Dundon’s investment, and concrete information has been hard to come by.

Here’s more from the football universe:

  • Speaking of alternative pro football leagues, the XFL named its latest head coach, and it was a notable NFL name. Pep Hamilton will be the coach of the league’s Washington franchise, according to Barrett Sallee of CBS Sports. Hamilton was the offensive coordinator of the Colts from 2013-15, and spent the past couple of years as an assistant on Jim Harbaugh’s staff at Michigan. He was also an assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach with the Browns in 2016.
  • Kyler Murray spoke to the media today, and elaborated a bit on his decision to play football instead of baseball, per Jake Trotter of ESPN.com. Murray said that while it was hard letting the Oakland A’s know he would be going with the NFL, it was something he’d “known for a while.” He reiterated his commitment to playing quarterback at the next level, and said while the A’s “can hold out all the hope they want to”, he definitely wasn’t going to be changing his mind. It’s unclear exactly where Murray will be drafted, but most current projections have him going sometime in the top half of the first round.
  • In case you missed it, wide receivers Tyrell Williams and Adam Humphries could be in for big paydays when they hit the open market next month.

AAF Reached Out To Kaepernick, Tebow

February 14th, 2019 at 5:17pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Alliance of American Football targeted two popular former NFL quarterbacks. But neither has agreed to join the upstart league.

Both Colin Kaepernick and Tim Tebow were on the new league’s radar, AAF co-founder Bill Polian said (via The Athletic’s Lindsay Jones, on Twitter).

AAF CEO Charlie Ebersol spoke with Kaepernick about the ex-49ers quarterback’s interest of playing in the league, Polian said. It’s unclear how far these discussions progressed, but the 31-year-old passer is obviously not on an AAF roster.

Kaepernick may have wanted an unrealistic contract to join the league, with the Associated Press’ Barry Wilner reporting the former Super Bowl starter sought at least $20MM to play in the eight-team, 10-game league. At least one of the conversations between the AAF and Kaepernick occurred during the league’s developmental stages, Wilner adds.

AAF players do not earn million-dollar salaries; the startup league’s standard deal is three years, $250K. A payment in the $20MM stratosphere would have been obviously untenable for the new league.

Polian spoke with Tebow, who is currently in the New York Mets’ minor league system, but the former Heisman Trophy winner declined to join the league. Orlando Apollos coach Steve Spurrier also gauged Tebow’s interest in joining the AAF.

The AAF began its first season last weekend. Embroiled in a high-profile grievance against the NFL, Kaepernick has not played organized football since the 2016 season. Tebow has not taken any regular-season snaps since 2012.

Mentioned in most cases when lesser quarterbacks have been signed by NFL teams over the past two years, Kaepernick did land on the Redskins’ radar before the team instead signed Mark Sanchez and Josh Johnson. The latter was, at the time, affiliated with the AAF.

Kaepernick’s camp has rebuffed NFL settlement attempts regarding his grievance against the league. A trial could begin this month. Tebow, also 31, made his way to the Mets’ Double-A team last season. He hit .273/.336/.399 in 271 at-bats, lacing 21 extra-base hits. The Mets invited their most popular minor leaguer to spring training.

Poll: Will You Watch The Alliance Of American Football?

February 10th, 2019 at 10:35am CST by Rory Parks

Back in December, a slight majority of our readership voted that the newly-formed Alliance of American Football (AAF) would be the most successful of the new spring football leagues. Its primary competitor, the XFL, is not scheduled to kick off until 2020, so by getting underway last night, the AAF got a sizable head start.

And the early returns were promising. Although neither of the league’s first two games were particularly competitive — the Orlando Apollos defeated the Atlanta Legends 40-6 and the San Antonio Commanders defeated the San Diego Fleet 15-6 — most observers agree that the contests were largely entertaining and that the quality of play was good enough to be watchable.

That alone is a win for the fledgling league, as most other challengers to the mighty NFL proved pretty quickly that they would not be able to sustain success. But the AAF, which was founded by Charlie Ebersol and long-time NFL executive Bill Polian, and whose leadership board features well-respected former NFL stars, never seemed like a fly-by-night operation. Several head coaches of the league’s eight teams are also quite recognizable to even casual fans — Mike Singletary and Steve Spurrier, for example — and as Matt Miller of Bleacher Report tweets, almost all of the AAF’s players were good enough to be considered by NFL clubs at some point or another, even if they never suited up at the game’s highest level. And the fact that many such players see the AAF as a springboard to the NFL means that the games should be intensely-contested affairs.

In that vein, last night’s opening matchups featured a few hard (but clean) hits that were not flagged, although similar plays in the NFL generate plenty of penalties these days. That will certainly make purists happy, and even though observers like Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk likened the overall quality of play to the second half of a preseason NFL game, that might be good enough for fans who just enjoy watching competitive football at a reasonably high level.

The very nature of the league means that there will be plenty of intriguing storylines to follow, and Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com details a few of the early ones. And the fact that every AAF player is on a non-guaranteed three-year contract worth $250K lends credence to the league’s belief that it represents football in its purest form.

Still, a common refrain in recent years is that there is simply too much football and that interest in the game has waned because the NFL has created a year-round news cycle and has otherwise oversaturated its fans. But if last night’s ratings are any indication, there are plenty of people willing to give the AAF a chance. The first game of the AAF on CBS beat the NBA on ABC in overnight ratings, and the generally positive reviews suggest that those who missed last night’s contests will want to see what they missed. Two more games will be televised today, one on the CBS Sports Network at 4pm ET and one on the NFL Network at 8pm ET, and the CBS Sports Network will televise one AAF game each week going forward (the season is 10 weeks long).

So, what do you think? Will you give the AAF a shot, or are you planning to taking a break from football games for a little while? Let us know in the poll and in the comments section.

Veteran K Nick Folk Joining AAF

January 27th, 2019 at 10:03am CST by Ben Levine

The Alliance of American Football has recruited another veteran kicker. ESPN’s Michael Rothstein reports that the Arizona Hotshots have signed former Pro Bowler Nick Folk. The 34-year-old will be joining fellow veteran kicker Nick Novak in the inaugural season of the league.

“The biggest thing, I still have a passion to play. I still want to prove I can play,” Folk told ESPN on Saturday night. “And it’s a good opportunity for me to show that. I ended my time in Tampa with that injury, and my last game being hurt I wasn’t able to perform at my best, and I want to show people that I’m back to kicking well.”

The former sixth-rounder will now have an opportunity to return to Arizona, where he played in college. He’ll also have a chance to return to competitive football after having sat out the entire 2018 campaign. Folk last appeared in four games with the Buccaneers during the 2017 season, converting six of his 11 field goal attempts and seven of his nine extra point tries. He was placed on the injured reserve after his knee tendinitis required surgery, and he was released several months later.

While the injury was more severe than anticipated, Folk told ESPN that he’s been healthy for a bit more than a year. The veteran had previously discussed joining the AAF, but he kept his options open during the NFL’s regular season. The veteran was among a group of kickers to audition for the Bears earlier this week.

Folk is 50th on the NFL’s all-time points list, and he’s the second-leading scorer in Jets history. He’s converted 98.8-percent of his extra point attempts in his career; however, as Rothstein notes, this won’t matter much in the AAF, as there are no extra points (nor kickoffs) in the league.

NFC East Rumors: Redskins, Cowboys, Eagles

December 6th, 2018 at 10:00pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Redskins quarterback Alex Smith is currently battling a leg infection in his broken fibula and tibia, but he’s still optimistic about resuming his playing career, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Doctors are removing tissue to clear the infection, but the issue remains extremely serious. Smith’s broken bone punctured his skin, which can result in increased likelihood of infection even though Smith underwent immediate surgery. Washington is now down to its third quarterback of the season in Mark Sanchez, as No. 2 Colt McCoy is also done for the year after suffering a fractured fibula of his own.

Here’s more from the NFC East:

  • Although Sean Lee himself has indicated he’ll be ready to play on Sunday, the Cowboys may hold out the veteran linebacker until Week 15, per Rapoport (Twitter link). When he does return, Dallas will need to decide how to divvy up its snaps in the second level of its defense. Lee, of course, is a superstar when on the field, but Leighton Vander Esch and Jaylon Smith are both immensely capable, as well. Pro Football Focus grades both Vander Esch and Smith as top-seven linebackers league-wide, and Vander Esch is in consideration for Defensive Rookie of the Year. Given that NFL clubs are using nickel (two-linebacker) packages on more than two-thirds of plays, one of the Cowboys’ ‘backers will have to take a back seat.
  • Although he’s now the Redskins‘ backup quarterback, Josh Johnson still intends to play for the Alliance of American Football’s San Diego Fleet in spring 2019, tweets Rapoport. Johnson was protected as the first overall pick in a recent AAF draft, and he’ll suit up when the league begins its season next year. One of several quarterbacks — including Landry Jones and Ryan Mallett — who worked out for Washington after Smith went down, Johnson had the edge given his history with head coach Jay Gruden. He’s the only signal-caller behind Sanchez on the Redskins’ depth chart.
  • The Eagles‘ offensive struggles shouldn’t be blamed on offensive coordinator Mike Groh, argues Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Groh, notably, doesn’t call the plays in Philadelphia, as head coach Doug Pederson holds those duties. The Eagles suffered a major brain drain this offseason, losing both ex-OC Frank Reich to the Colts and ex-QBs coach John DeFilippo to the Vikings, and now rank just 20th in offensive DVOA after finishing eighth a season ago.

Christian Hackenberg Signs With AAF

November 9th, 2018 at 10:49am CST by Zachary Links

Former Jets second-round pick Christian Hackenberg has agreed to play for the Alliance of American Football, according to an announcement from the league. He’ll be joined by quarterback Scott Tolzien, wide receiver DeMarcus Ayers, safety Rahim Moore, linebacker Steven Johnson, and tight end Wes Saxton, the AAF says. 

The AAF will kick off in February, meaning that Hackenberg has likely exhausted all present options in the NFL. Hackenberg never saw the field in his two seasons with the Jets and failed to hook on with the Raiders after an offseason trade brought him to Oakland. After that, he lasted only a few weeks on the Eagles’ 90-man roster and his stint on the Bengals’ practice squad ended when he was released earlier this month.

Hackenberg became Penn State’s all-time leader in passing yards (8,457) and touchdowns (48) after three years on campus. His stats did not jump off of the page and he completed just 53.5% of his passes in his final collegiate season, but NFL teams were enamored by his size and pro-style experience in 2016. Jets GM Mike Maccagnan reached for him at No. 51 overall and that gamble never paid off.

AAF contracts probably include an out clause for NFL offers, so Hackenberg and the league’s other players could conceivably get back into the NFL in the second half of the season.

Extra Points: Bengals, Lewis, Eagles, Foles, Chiefs, AAF

August 17th, 2018 at 7:33pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bengals are counting on some new coaching roles making a major difference this season. Marvin Lewis survived another year on the hot seat but knew he would need to rearrange his staff after another disappointing season. Teryl Austin will succeed now-Raiders DC Paul Guenther in running Cincinnati’s defense, and Lewis made Bill Lazor the full-time OC. The team jettisoned longtime offensive line coach Paul Alexander as well, with other new staffers coming in to help a team that’s fallen in the AFC hierarchy the past two years.

“I made up my mind I wanted to coach,” Lewis said, via Jonathan Jones of SI.com. “So, do I want to go start over somewhere where I don’t know the people or coach these group of guys downstairs that no one else has? That’s an easy decision. You look at what’s open and these are the best players. And that’s what you want.

“I knew we were going to have a lot of change on the coaching staff. I knew I had to make changes and those are the things that (owner) Mike (Brown) and I had to discuss. I had to make changes on people that had been with me for a long time and had been friends, and it’s difficult.”

Lewis added that he didn’t want to make wholesale roster changes, pointing out the number of Pro Bowlers still on the team, but the Bengals aren’t receiving much attention as a contender this season. They’re hoping these staff moves can re-route them back to the AFC playoffs.

Here’s the latest from the football landscape:

  • The Eagles received a scare Thursday night when Super Bowl MVP and temporary starting quarterback Nick Foles went down with a shoulder injury. The shoulder sprain Foles suffered is believed to be a minor malady and not one that will require a significant rehab effort, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports. It’s looking like it will come down to the wire on whom the defending Super Bowl champions will start at quarterback on opening night, with Carson Wentz unlikely to play in the preseason. The Eagles not having Foles would throw a major wrench in their plans, despite third-stringer Nate Sudfeld having a nice offseason.
  • Steven Nelson will be a full-time outside cornerback this season, Lynn Worthy of the Kansas City Star notes. This change emerged in the offseason, one that featured breakout slot man Kendall Fuller’s arrival, but the Chiefs are evidently committed to trying Nelson – their most frequent slot corner over the past two seasons – as an outside man. The 2015 third-round pick is entering a contract year. While Kansas City has looked at other corners this month – Bashaud Breeland and Orlando Scandrick – the trio of Fuller, Nelson and David Amerson remains atop the depth chart. Nelson did leave the Chiefs’ game Friday night with a head injury, however.
  • Former Jets second-round pick Stephen Hill and ex-Titans backup quarterback Zach Mettenberger are two of the notable new names signed on to play for the Alliance of American Football. The AAF announced 100 more players will join. Ex-Rams running back Daryl Richardson, former Saints and Jets ball carrier Khiry Robinson, linebacker Deontae Skinner and running back Storm Johnson are among the new contingent. Former Giants and Ravens safety Will Hill and veteran kicker Nick Novak, who was with the Chargers last season, were among the first wave to sign.

Michael Vick To Coach In AAF

August 10th, 2018 at 9:57pm CST by Sam Robinson

A former franchise quarterback will add his name to the growing list of high-profile ex-NFL players, coaches and executives who will work with the Alliance of American Football.

Michael Vick‘s set to be affiliated with the AAF, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports. Vick will call plays for the Brad Childress-coached Atlanta franchise.

Vick worked with Childress recently as well, serving as a coaching intern with the Chiefs during their 2017 training camp when Childress was on Kansas City’s staff. Vick last played for the 2015 Steelers. The former Falcons quarterback joins Troy Polamalu, Hines Ward and Jared Allen in attaching their names to the new venture.

At least one NFL team is also helping the AAF prepare for what figures to be an interesting talent-gathering period. The Bears provided the AAF’s Phoenix franchise’s GM, Phil Savage, a list of players to scout while he was at Chicago’s camp, Fowler notes. The AAF plans to primarily target players that don’t make NFL rosters this year.

Set to launch in February 2019, the eight-team league has its head coaches signed up and contract structure set at three-year, $250K agreements. The $83K-per-year contracts, which include out clauses in case an NFL team comes calling, are non-guaranteed and fall well short of NFL practice squad salaries (up to $129K for a 17-week season this season). But NFL practice squad spots will assuredly be more coveted real estate than AAF rosters next year. Although, incentives will be available in these AAF deals, and marketing and public appearances can trigger these bonuses, per Fowler. Set for a 2020 debut, the XFL is planning to pay players $75K per year, which will make for interesting bidding wars as these leagues attempt to find their footing.

NFL personnel have lamented the lack of a developmental league in the years since NFL Europe’s demise, and Fowler writes the AAF may be closer to the NBA’s G League, rather than serving as competition.

“Our objective is to take some of those people who can’t quite make it and make them into quality NFL players,” AAF exec Bill Polian said, via Fowler.

Extra Points: Giants, Eli, Chiefs, Cowboys

July 12th, 2018 at 9:25pm CST by Dallas Robinson

To the dismay of many analysts, the Giants didn’t use the second overall pick on a franchise quarterback, instead opting to select running back Saquon Barkley, who figures to make a more immediate impact. Incumbent signal-caller Eli Manning, however, was — perhaps obviously — pleased with New York’s decision not to draft his successor. “It was kind of a vote of confidence in that they trusted in me that I can play at a high level, can win games, take us deep in playoffs and win championships and win championships still,” Manning said, per SiriusXM NFL Radio. “And you know what? I want to prove them right and I want to make them look smart and make them to have made the right decision in doing that.” The Giants are going all-in with Manning under center, and are hoping new head coach Pat Shurmur can do for Manning what he did for journeyman Case Keenum in Minnesota in 2017. Last year, the 37-year-old Manning finished just 23rd in both adjusted net yards per attempt and passer rating.

Here’s more from around the league:

  • Chiefs second-round defensive end Breeland Speaks had been on Kansas City’s radar for awhile, as general manager Brett Veach explained (link via Josh Norris of Rotoworld). After initially grading Speaks as a third-round pick, the Chiefs quickly realized that not only would Speaks likely be off the board by the time their third-rounder came up, but he might not even be available when Kansas City selected at No. 54 in the second round. Therefore, the Chiefs sent a third-round pick to the Bengals for the right to move up to No. 46, and took Speaks — an Ole Miss product — there instead. Speaks, whom Veach characterized as a “high-motor, intense player,” will vie for rotational snaps in Kansas City’s 3-4 scheme behind starters Chris Jones and Allen Bailey.
  • Defensive tackle Maliek Collins isn’t a lock to return for the Cowboys‘ Week 1 contest after breaking his foot in May, and if the third-year interior defender doesn’t recover quickly, he could lose his starting job to trade acquisition Jihad Ward, according to Jori Epstein of the Dallas Morning News. Collins underwent a similar foot operation in January and underwent a foot procedure in the 2016 offseason as well, so he’s no stranger to lower extremity issues. Collins, who was selected in the third round of the 2016 draft, is even more critical given that fellow defensive tackle David Irving is suspended for the first four games of the season. Ward, meanwhile, managed to play in only five games a season ago before being shipped to Dallas in exchange for wideout Ryan Switzer.
  • The Alliance of American Football will offer players non-guaranteed three-year, $225K contracts, which puts them in line with the XFL’s pay scale, writes Mike Rodak of ESPN.com. Additionally, AAF players will be allowed to leave their contracts in order to join the NFL, indicating a policy which differs from that of the Canadian Football League. The AAF will allocate players to rosters based on where they attended college, which should help draw fans. “If the Birmingham teams has [former Alabama running back] Trent Richardson, we think that will be something that would be a significant gate attraction,” league co-founder Bill Polian said.

Latest On Birmingham, San Antonio AAF Franchises

June 20th, 2018 at 9:11pm CST by Sam Robinson

Last year, then-Eagles executive Trey Brown interviewed for the Bills’ GM job. Last month, however, Brown was no longer listed on the Eagles’ front office roster.

Now, the experienced scouting exec will latch on with an Alliance of American Football Franchise. The 33-year-old Brown will be part of the AAF’s Birmingham franchise, serving in its front office, Alex Marvez of the Sporting News reports (on Twitter).

Additionally, the Birmingham franchise will hire former Giants and Steelers defensive coordinator Tim Lewis as its first head coach, per Marvez. Lewis’ most recent NFL job was 49ers DBs coach in 2015. Former Browns, Panthers and Bills OC Joe Pendry will also serve as a Birmingham exec, Marvez reports.

As for the San Antonio franchise, former Cowboys fullback and current Fox analyst Daryl Johnston is expected to be named GM, Marvez tweets. Former Chargers head coach Mike Riley is expected to be the San Antonio HC.

Brown spent eight seasons as an NFL scout/exec, breaking into the league with the Patriots in 2010 and spending five years with the Eagles. He earned multiple promotions, one involving a climb to the post of Eagles director of college scouting in 2016, and was viewed as a rising star in the executive ranks. This led to the Bills interviewing him for the GM job that went to Brandon Beane.

Lewis interviewed to become the Redskins’ secondary coach in 2017 and the Cowboys’ DBs boss in 2016. The 56-year-old coach spent nine seasons on Bill Cowher‘s staffs from 1995-03 and was Tom Coughlin‘s first DC with the Giants.

The Chargers’ HC from 1999-01, Riley just recently accepted a job as an assistant head coach at Oregon State. He served as the Beavers’ HC from 2003-14 before serving as Nebraska’s head coach for three seasons. His last NFL gig came as a Saints assistant in 2002. Pendry’s previous pro coaching gig came as Texans offensive line coach in the 2000s.

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