Are You Ready For Some Football? The XFL Season Has Started
The XFL is a professional minor football league with eight teams that play between February and May. XFL players make much less than their counterparts in the NFL.
Feb. 24 2023, Published 3:07 p.m. ET
Sad that the NFL season is over? No worries, you can get your football fix over the next few months by watching XFL games.
The XFL is a professional minor football league with eight teams that play between February and May. The XFL has been on hiatus since the 2020 season was shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But the league’s 2023 season officially kicked off on Feb. 18.
How much do XFL Players make?
XFL players make a lot less than players in the NFL. According to Pro Football Network, XFL players earn a base salary of $59,000, plus $5,000 per game and $1,000 per win. Compare that to the about $860,000 median salary for an NFL player.
The compensation for players in the other minor football league, the United States Football League (USFL), is $5,350 weekly.
Who is the highest-paid XFL player?
The highest-paid XFL player reportedly is Brett Hundley, a former Green Bay Packers quarterback. Hundley was the Packer’s fifth-round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. He was a backup quarterback with the Packers for three years and played nine games in 2017 after Aaron Rodgers broke his collarbone.
After Hundley was traded to the Seattle Seahawks in 2018, he went on to have short stints with the Arizona Cardinals, Indianapolis Colts, Baltimore Ravens, and New Orleans Saints.
In January, Hundley signed on as quarterback for the Vegas Vipers XFL team. He’ll earn $200,000 playing for the team, according to The Sun.
Who owns the XFL?
Former professional wrestler turned actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is part owner of the XFL. Johnson and his ex-wife and business partner, Dany Garcia, partnered with investment firm RedBird Capital to purchase the league in 2020 for about $15 million.
The XFL was initially founded in 2001 as a joint venture between NBC and the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). WWF’s Vince McMahon and NBC executive Dick Ebersol were at the helm. However, the league only played for one season before folding.
McMahon revived the XFL in 2018 through his company Alpha Entertainment, which he created by selling $100 million of his WWE stock. He vowed that the new version of the XFL would be much different than it had been in the past.
“Forget what we did with the XFL. That was a long time ago,” McMahon told The New York Times in 2018. “I am very committed to this, and it’s going to take more than $100 million to do this league.”
The COVID-19 pandemic shutdown was too much for the XFL, and the league declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy in April 2020. That’s when Johnson and his partners stepped in to buy the league.
What are the requirements for joining the XFL league?
To be eligible to play with the XFL, players must meet the following requirements:
Graduated high school in 2019 or earlier
Have had no more than four years lapse since a player’s last college or professional football game
Not under contract with another professional football league
Not a current member of a college football team