With the XFL and the USFL officially becoming the UFL, we football fans are in for a treat of spring football while the NFL is in the offseason. With the UFL, we will also see former NFL players who want to continue playing or improve their skills so they can return to the NFL.
Here are 10 of the BEST NFL players who are playing in the UFL.
From NFL to The UFL, these NFL players are ready to dominate the new league
Marquette King
King is a former NFL punter who played for the Oakland Raiders from 2012 until 2017, and briefly for the Denver Broncos in 2018 before getting released in the middle of the 2018 season. King never played in another NFL game after that. In 2019, the XFL came calling. King signed with the St. Louis Battlehawks for the inaugural 2020 season, before the COVID-19 pandemic shut the league down.
King was the punting yards leader for the XFL in 2020 despite the very short season. In 2023, when Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson resurrected the XFL, the Arlington Renegades drafted King. King and the Renegades won the 2023 XFL Championship and re-signed with the team in 2024 looking to help the team possibly win the first-ever UFL Championship.
A.J. McCarron
McCarron was a star quarterback at the University of Alabama, where he broke Greg McElroy’s record for passing yards, in a season with 3,063 yards in 2013, and finished in second place in Heisman Trophy voting. McCarron was drafted in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL draft. He was mainly a backup on the Cincinnati Bengals, Buffalo Bills, Oakland Raiders, Houston Texans, and Atlanta Falcons. McCarron’s time to shine came in the resurrected XFL season in 2023 with the St. Louis Battlehawks.
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McCarron played in nine games for the Battlehawks and completed 203 passes for 2,150 yards, threw 24 touchdowns against six interceptions, rushed for 100 yards on 29 attempts, and scored a rushing touchdown. McCarron rejoined the Bengals in 2023 on their practice squad before being promoted to the active roster in December 2023.
McCarron requested to be released by the Bengals in February 2024 and re-signed with the Battlehawks for the 2024 UFL season. Best of luck in the UFL Mr. McCarron.
Vic Beasley
Former NFL player Vic Beasley is remembered for being a one-hit wonder during his time with the Atlanta Falcons, during his 2016 season, when he led the league with 15.5 sacks and six forced fumbles. Beasley helped the Falcons reach Super Bowl 51 but the New England Patriots came back from being down 28-3 and won 34-28 in overtime. Beasley never had the same production he had in 2016, during his later years, in the NFL.
Beasley also played for two teams in 2020, the Tennessee Titans and Las Vegas Raiders respectively. Beasley never signed with any NFL teams during the 2021, 2022, and 2023 seasons. Beasley took his talents to the XFL and signed with the Vegas Vipers in 2023. Beasley had 15 tackles, 0.5 sacks, and two fumble recoveries before the Vipers went defunct. Beasley signed with the Arlington Renegades for the 2024 UFL season. We wish you the best of luck Mr. Beasley!
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Amari Rodgers
Rodgers is a wide receiver who was a star at Clemson University and helped the team win the 2018 College Football National Championship game against Alabama. Rodgers was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft. Rodgers didn’t have much playing time in the NFL during his three seasons in the league and scored his first touchdown in his third season in the NFL during his time with the Houston Texans.
Rodgers signed with the UFL’s Birmingham Stallions, who won back-to-back USFL Championships in 2022 and 2023 respectively. Rodgers should be able to flourish in the UFL and become the superstar wide receiver the NFL hoped he would become and possibly climb his way back onto an NFL roster if he has a successful season in the UFL.
Reuben Foster
Foster is a linebacker who bounced around the NFL with stints with the San Francisco 49ers and Washington Football Team. During his time in the league, he was suspended for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy, with a weapon offense, and a misdemeanor drug offense. Foster tried to re-establish his career in Washington, but he suffered a torn ACL and LCL in training camp in 2019.
Foster was released by Washington after the 2020 season and tried out for both the Miami Dolphins and Seattle Seahawks, respectively but never reached a deal with both teams. Foster revived his career with the USFL’s Pittsburgh Maulers, in 2023. Foster had 53 tackles, one interception, and 0.5 sacks. After the USFL and XFL merged with the UFL, Foster signed with the Houston Roughnecks for the 2024 season. Hopefully Foster will continue reviving his career.
Cody Latimer
Former NFL player CodyLatimer is another former NFL wide receiver who played with the Denver Broncos, New York Giants, and Washington Football Team. Latimer was a part of the Broncos Super Bowl 50 championship team, that saw Peyton Manning capture his second Super Bowl title. Latimer signed with the Giants in 2018, and with the Washington Football Team in 2020, but was waived due to an arrest that involved second-degree assault, reckless endangerment, and the illegal discharge of a weapon.
Latimer was drafted by the Orlando Guardians in the 2023 XFL draft and played one season for the team. Latimer caught 50 receptions for 593 yards and scored four touchdowns for the Guardians. After the XFL and USFL merged, the Guardians went defunct and Latimer signed with the UFL’s San Antonio Brahmas. Hopefully, Latimer can help the Brahmas win the UFL’s inaugural championship game depending on how the season plays out.
Deandre Baker
Baker is a former NFL cornerback who had stints with the New York Giants and Kansas City Chiefs. Baker was originally drafted with the 30th pick of the 2019 NFL draft by the Giants hoping he would solidify the team’s backfield. Instead, Baker had 61 tackles and eight pass deflections but no interceptions or forced fumbles.
Baker was on the Chiefs team that reached Super Bowl 55 but lost that game to Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-31. Baker was waived by the Chiefs before the start of the 2022 season and hasn’t been back in the NFL since. Luckily, the UFL extended an olive branch, and Baker signed with the D.C. Defenders, for their inaugural 2024 season. We wish Baker the best of luck.
Bobby Evans
Former NFL player Bobby Evans is an offensive lineman who played in 35 games for the Los Angeles Rams, Minnesota Vikings, and Jacksonville Jaguars respectively. Evans helped the Rams win Super Bowl 56 against the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20. Although Evans was released from both the Vikings and Jaguars before the regular season started, it is very nice to see Evans back on a professional football roster with the UFL’s Arlington Renegades, for the 2024 season.
The Renegades should fair very nicely with a Super Bowl champion offensive tackle on their roster, as they look to defend their 2023 XFL Championship and possibly win the inaugural UFL Championship game.
Breeland Speaks
Speaks was drafted in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs, who went on to win Super Bowl 54 the same year. However, Speaks never played during the playoffs or Super Bowl, that season, because he was suspended for four games for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy and was on injured reserve, as well. Speaks bounced around the practice squads of the Las Vegas Raiders, Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Buffalo Bills, and San Francisco 49ers, respectively.
Speaks got his chance to shine with the Michigan Panthers of the USFL where he had 53 tackles and nine sacks in 2023. After a very short stint with the 49ers in 2023, Speaks re-signed with the Panthers for the 2024 season. We hope Speaks continues shining in the UFL and becomes a superstar!
D. J. Swearinger
Swearinger was drafted in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft by the Houston Texans. Swearinger recorded his first sack in 2014 against Robert Griffin III, in the team’s season opener against Washington. Swearinger bounced around the league with stints with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Arizona Cardinals, Washington, the Oakland Raiders, and New Orleans Saints, and was briefly on the Indianapolis Colts practice squad.
Swearinger found a new home with the XFL’s DC Defenders in 2023. Swearinger played in three games, had 15 tackles, and had an interception returned for a 62-yard pick-six. Swearinger is back with the Defenders for the 2024 season, in the UFL, and we hope he can play in more games this season.
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