The XFL will be scraping the bottom of the barrel in attempting to fill its rosters for the upcoming season, as players who played in the USFL last year remain under contract to that league, limiting the pool of talent available to the XFL. But the XFL did manage to attract a couple of noteworthy names for its 2023 season.
The XFL draft is currently in progress, and among the players drafted so far are quarterback AJ McCarron to the St. Louis Battlehawks and wide receiver Martavis Bryant to the Vegas Vipers.
When last we heard from Bryant, he was placed on the Canadian Football League’s suspended list for not showing up to Toronto Argonauts training camp. As a rookie with the Steelers in 2014, Bryant showed himself to be an outstanding deep threat, averaging 21.1 yards per catch. He also had a strong second season in 2015, but he was suspended for the entire 2016 season, didn’t play as well in 2017, and was a disappointment when he was traded to the Raiders in 2018. The XFL is likely his last chance.
McCarron worked out for the Giants last month but has apparently decided his best chance of earning another NFL paycheck is in the XFL. His NFL career is best remembered for the Browns agreeing to trade second- and third-round picks to the Bengals for him, only for the paperwork to get filed after the NFL trade deadline, canceling the trade.
The XFL season will begin the week after the Super Bowl, with games scheduled to be broadcast on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and FX.