ARLINGTON, Texas — The XFL has one year under its belt after returning from a COVID-19 shutdown, and the league is now eyeing its second season with base operations located at Choctaw Stadium in Arlington.
On Friday, June 16, the league held a remote "2023 Rookie Draft," where undrafted players from the 2023 NFL Draft are selected for an opportunity to play professional football.
Here is information regarding player eligibility and details around the Rookie Draft:
- Eligible to have been drafted in the 2023 NFL Draft
- Not under contract by a professional football team
- To allow for the increased number of players, XFL team rosters will be expanded from 51 to 90 players
- Drafted rookies will be placed on XFL rosters with players who finished the 2023 season on active and reserve lists
- XFL teams will hold exclusive rights with the players they select in the draft
- All players who sign an XFL contract, including players who remain under contract from the 2023 season, will have an “NFL Out” until Tuesday, December 26, 2023, following the conclusion of Week 16 of the NFL season
- 2023 draft-eligible players under contract with IFL are eligible to be drafted
The draft was held for 10 rounds in the following team order:
- Orlando
- Vegas
- San Antonio
- St. Louis
- Seattle
- Houston
- D.C.
- Arlington
According to Forbes, the XFL lost $60 million in the 2023 season. For 2024, Forbes reported that the XFL projects revenue of $100 million, with $20 million coming from ESPN.
The Sports Business Journal reported in May that the league had cut CMO Janet Duch and VP/Marketing and Brand Anthony Zucconi as part of a broader set of job cuts.
WFAA reached out to the league and was sent the following statement:
"The XFL’s first season was a success with strong growth metrics seen across fan engagement, viewership and revenue channels. As the XFL plans for 2024 and beyond, it has decided to transition into a dual full-time and seasonal-based employment model to improve efficiency and drive sustainable business performance across all markets, given the seasonal nature of the business. The XFL will continue to employ full-time business and football operations functions on both the League and team levels and will scale up hiring each year for pre-season and in-season roles."
XFL co-owner Gerry Cardinale told Forbes they expect "the XFL to become cash-flow positive by 2027,” and that the metrics from the 2023 season “suggest that the league is on its way.”
The XFL 2023 Rookie Draft selections can be scanned through right here.
Three out of the Arlington Renegades' selections have Texas ties, including DL Ami Finau (who attended Trinity High School in Euless), DB Jalen Green (who played for the University of Texas at Austin from 2018-20) and LB Chris Whittaker (who played at the University of Incarnate Word in San Antonio).
More XFL coverage: