USFL-XFL Merger: Information leaked on Player Allocation, Dispersal Draft, Training Camp, Pay and more
Almost a month has passed since the merger between the XFL and USFL was first approved but details regarding the new league have been few and far between.
This changed however when former XFL star Jeff Badet has shared what appeared to be an internal email revealing which four XFL teams — Arlington, D.C., San Antonio and St. Louis — will be moving forward, as well as the league’s draft plans for players.
Player Allocation Process
With eight of the 16 teams ceasing to exist (for now) due to the merger, players who were part of now-dissolved teams in both leagues will be in a mini-dispersal draft on Dec. 27, in which they will only be eligible to be selected by one of the four teams in their former league. Following the mini-dispersal draft, a super-dispersal draft will be held on Jan. 15, with those players eligible to be selected by teams from either league.
Player pools will be separated based on league, meaning XFL teams cannot select players from ceasing USFL teams and vice versa. Teams will be able to choose up to 20 players during the draft.
Before the Dec. 27 draft, surviving teams will have the ability to protect up to 42 players on their roster from being drafted by another team. While the “protected” players will be able to stick with their respective teams through the process, the waived players will be placed into a pool for the second Dispersal Draft on Jan. 15. Not only will the pool consist of the “unprotected” players from surviving teams, but also any remaining free agents from teams that did not make the merger. Teams will be able to select players from both the USFL and XFL during this draft, unlike the prior one.
— Scooby Wright III (@TwoStarScoob) December 19, 2023
Training Camp
Training camp rosters will consist of 75 players per team.
The commencement of training camp is scheduled for February 23, 2024, 36 days before the confirmed kickoff date for the 2024 season – Mar. 30. The players will be accommodated in a designated hotel in Arlington, Texas. Teams will be flown out to their respective markets over the weekends for games, as was seen with the XFL hub model in 2023.
Two Conferences
The league will consist of two conferences — the XFL and the USFL — with a regular-season schedule consisting of 10 games and no bye weeks.
Player Pay
The information shared by Badet also included player pay, which, as of right now, will consist of weekly $400 stipends for training camp, inactive players receiving $2,500 per game and active players receiving $5,350 per game.
