USFLPA Reveals Player Allocation, Dispersal Draft Details
UFL fans have more clarity into what will happen with USFL and XFL players who no longer have their teams part of the merged league. After much speculation on when players left out of the league will know their fate, they now have some guidance.
The USFLPA released information Wednesday morning that will include three different phases of the process for current teams and available players.
Phase 1 is a focus on the four USFL teams that survived the merger. Those teams include the Birmingham Stallions, Memphis Showboats, Michigan Panthers and Houston Roughnecks (rebranded from Gamblers). Each of the four teams will be able to protect up to 42 players who are under contract with the team making the selection.
USFL Player Allocation will commence on January 5th (Phase 1 - 2), with an open dispersal draft for remaining USFL/XFL players scheduled January 15th. pic.twitter.com/UPGsuVXxg1
— UFLPA (@TheUFLPA) January 3, 2024
Phase 2 will focus on protected designations with players, not on any of the four surviving teams. Each of the four original USFL teams that survived will have the right to claim as additional “protected” players up to 20 players under contract who were assigned to a non-surviving USFL team.
Phase 3 concludes with the dispersal draft. Those players who were not protected during the first two phases will be eligible for the dispersal draft with all eight teams participating. This includes the four surviving XFL teams the St. Louis Battlehawks, Arlington Renegades, San Antonio Brahmas and the D.C. Defenders.
Phases 1 and 2 will take place on Friday. The third and final phase will conclude with the dispersal draft on Jan. 15.
The UFL begins its season on March 30 with the defending USFL champions Birmingham Stallions taking on the defending XFL champions Arlington Renegades.
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Anthony Miller has been covering professional spring football since 2019 including XFL, USFL, and CFL. He was a local news reporter in Texas before transitioning to sports. Other sites he writes for includes College Football Network and NTZ Network.