Players who join the Alliance of American Football will sign standard three-year, $250,000 deals. But they will be able to sign with the NFL, if the NFL comes calling.
In a letter sent to NFL agents, the AAF’s player personnel department explains that the league “will consent to the player leaving The Alliance at the end of that Alliance season to play in the NFL.” The so-called “NFL Out” will be available from AAF’s championship game until December 1st of that same year.
That wrinkle instantly makes the AAF more attractive than the CFL, given that the CFL still insists on a firm two-year deal with no opportunity to exit prematurely. That may be changing, of course, given the CFL’s recent decision to let players in the final year of their CFL contracts to work out for NFL teams and agree to a contract that becomes effective after their CFL contract expires.
Still, the AAF already is well ahead of the game, giving players the chance to leave, regardless of the time remaining on their AAF deals.
The AAF’s “NFL Out” rule clearly implies that Alliance players won’t be allowed to join a 90-man roster and embark on offseason workouts before the 10-week season ends, including two-week postseason. That will keep AAF players away from the NFL until, in many years, the weekend of the NFL draft.