Charlie Ebersol — the son of NBC executive Dick Ebersol, and Vince McMahon’s partner during the XFL’s first stint — announced last March that the Alliance of American Football will debut on Feb. 9, 2019 on CBS.
“The Alliance of American Football represents a fundamental shift in the way we approach professional sports,” Charlie Ebersol said at the time. “We believe fans and players are what’s most important, so our approach is simple — we’ve created an Alliance where fans and players share in the success of their teams.”
“Players have our commitment that we will seek the highest degree of safety and our support as we continue to invest in their success off the field with post-football career scholarships and financial wellness programs,” he continued. “With the expertise of Bill Polian and a leadership team of respected former All-Pro players and executives, we are committed to putting the best football product possible on the field every weekend, ensuring that 2018 will be the final year fans have to experience a six-month period without football.”
CBS will air the league’s debut game on Feb. 9, 2019, one week after Super Bowl LIII on CBS. The network will also carry the Alliance of American Football’s championship game on the final weekend of April 2019. One regular-season Alliance game will air exclusively on CBS Sports Network each week as well. You can view the entire AAF schedule here.
Round 1
- San Diego Fleet: Josh Johnson (protected)
- Atlanta Legends: Aaron Murray (protected)
- Memphis Express: Troy Cook (protected)
- San Antonio Commanders: Dustin Vaughan (protected)
- Birmingham Iron: Luis Perez
- Arizona Hotshots: Trevor Knight
- Orlando Apollos: Garrett Gilbert
- Salt Lake Stallions: Josh Woodrum
Round 2
- San Diego Fleet: Mike Bercovici
- Birmingham Iron: Blake Sims
- Arizona Hotshots: John Wolford
- Orlando Apollos: Stephen Morris
- Atlanta Legends: Matt Simms
- Salt Lake Stallions: B.J. Daniels
- Memphis Express: Christian Hackenberg
- San Antonio Commanders: Marquise Williams
Round 3
- San Antonio Commanders: Logan Woodside
- Memphis Express: Brandon Silvers
- Salt Lake Stallions: Austin Allen
- Atlanta Legends: Peter Pujals
- Orlando Apollos: Austin Appleby
- Arizona Hotshots: Quinn McQueary
- Birmingham Iron: Scott Tolzien
- San Diego Fleet: Philip Nelson
Round 4
- San Antonio Commanders: Dalton Sturm
- Memphis Express: Zach Mettenberger
- Salt Lake Stallions: Matt Linehan
- Atlanta Legends: Justin Holman
- Orlando Apollos: Kevin Anderson
- Arizona Hotshots: Jack Heneghan
- Birmingham Iron: Alek Torgersen
- San Diego Fleet: Alex Ross
And in case you’re wondering, here are the head coaches for each team:
- Atlanta Legends: Brad Childress (Michael Vick is the offensive coordinator)
- Arizona Hotshots: Rick Neuheisel
- Birmingham Iron: Tim Lewis
- Memphis Express: Mike Singletary
- Orlando Apollos: Steve Spurrier
- Salt Lake Stallions: Dennis Erickson
- San Antonio Commanders: Mike RileyÂ
- San Diego Fleet: Mike MartzÂ
With backing from former Pittsburgh Steelers star Hines Ward and co-founder Charlie Ebersol, the AAF is aiming not only to complement the NFL but showcase localized talent in an eight-team, 10-week debut starting in February, after Super Bowl LIII. And inaugural team rosters will start taking shape with the AAF’s 2019 QB Draft — live on CBS Sports Network at 8 p.m. ET.
Here are all the details:
Draft rules
Any quarterback already signed to the Alliance is eligible to be selected in the draft, which uses a “Protect or Pick” format. All signed quarterbacks are also allocated to the team located closest to their college or last NFL/CFL team before the draft.
The draft lasts four rounds and features the following order of selection:
- San Diego Fleet
- Birmingham Iron
- Arizona Hotshots
- Orlando Apollos
- Atlanta Legends
- Salt Lake Stallions
- Memphis Express
- San Antonio Commanders
Eligible quarterbacks
- Aaron Murray (Atlanta): Former Georgia standout, Kansas City Chiefs fifth-round pick and backup
- Blake Sims (Alabama): Two-time Alabama national champion, former Atlanta Falcons practice squad QB
- Christian Hackenberg (unallocated): Former New York Jets second-round pick, Cincinnati Bengals practice squad QB
- Scott Tolzien (unallocated): Former San Francisco 49ers, Green Bay Packers, Indianapolis Colts backup
- Zach Mettenberger (Memphis): Former Tennessee Titans starter, Pittsburgh Steelers backup
- Matt Simms (Memphis): Former Jets backup, son of Super Bowl champion Phil Simms
- B.J. Daniels (Orlando): Former Seattle Seahawks, Houston Texans backup
- Stephen Morris (Orlando): Former Philadelphia Eagles, Colts backup
- Josh Johnson (San Diego): Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers starter, backup for eight NFL teams
Some of the uniforms below are from the Memphis Express, Arizona HotShots, Atlanta Legends and San Diego Fleet.
Several recent and former SEC connections are in the league, including Steve Spurrier (Orlando), Aaron Murray (Atlanta) and Hugh Freeze (Arizona).
Players who receive NFL contracts are allowed to break deals with the AAF, which was founded by TV and film producer Charlie Ebersol and Bill Polian.
A 10-game regular season begins in February.Â
MORE ON THE NEW LEAGUE
The AAF was announced on March 20, 2018, by filmmaker Charlie Ebersol. The AAF will be overseen by former NFL general manager Bill Polian, former Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu and executive J.K. McKay. Advisers also include former Steelers receiver Hines Ward, former New York Giants and Oakland Raiders defensive end Justin Tuck, and Ebersol’s father, retired NBC Sports executive (and co-founder of the short-lived XFL) Dick Ebersol.
To ensure professional-level football at launch, the AAF set out to hire coaches with professional football coaching and championship experience. On April 7, 2018, the first team, Orlando, was announced with its coach Steve Spurrier. By June 2018, the league had announced its eight inaugural teams and their cities. Regional drafts will be held with protection for local college players that are eligible.
On July 30, 2018, the Alliance announced the league had signed 100 players. In August 2018, the league held the Alliance Scouting Combine at three locations and four dates: August 4, 2018 in Los Angeles, California; August 18 in Houston, Texas and August 25–26 in Atlanta, Georgia. By August 24, 2018, 205 players were signed. These dates provided an opportunity for players cut at the NFL roster deadline, and each player signed a three-year contract worth $250,000, with performance-based and fan interaction incentives allowing for players to earn more.
In July 2018, Starter, through G-III Sports, which manufactured NFL jerseys in the 1980s and 1990s, was named the official on-field apparel and game-day uniform supplier for the AAF, marking a return for the brand to professional football. On September 20, the league announced four eastern inaugural franchises’ names and logos. The western four teams were revealed five days later. On October 16, 2018, the Alliance announced its schedule (indicating the day and location, but not the time, of each game) which has two games each on Saturday and on Sunday most weekends.
Quarterback skill training camps were held at the Alamodome in San Antonio November 12–14, 2018. The league’s “Protect or Pick” quarterback draft will be held on November 27, 2018 at the new Esports Arena Las Vegas at The Luxor and broadcast on CBS Sports. The draft will have four rounds with the first pick going to the San Diego Fleet.
Teams
| Club | City | Stadium | Capacity | First season | Head coach | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Conference | |||||||
| Atlanta Legends | Atlanta, Georgia | Georgia State Stadium | 24,333 | 2019 | Brad Childress | ||
| Birmingham Iron | Birmingham, Alabama | Legion Field | 71,594 | Tim Lewis | |||
| Memphis Express | Memphis, Tennessee | Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium | 58,207 | Mike Singletary | |||
| Orlando Apollos | Orlando, Florida | Spectrum Stadium | 44,206 | Steve Spurrier | |||
| Western Conference | |||||||
| Arizona Hotshots | Tempe, Arizona | Sun Devil Stadium | 57,078 | 2019 | Rick Neuheisel | ||
| Salt Lake Stallions | Salt Lake City, Utah | Rice–Eccles Stadium | 45,807 | Dennis Erickson | |||
| San Antonio Commanders | San Antonio, Texas | Alamodome | 64,000 | Mike Riley | |||
| San Diego Fleet | San Diego, California | SDCCU Stadium | 70,561 | Mike Martz | |||
