Over the years, I have watched many failed attempts to create a spring football league (WFL, USFL-twice, XFL-twice, WLAF/NFL Europe, the old UFL) and currently an attempt is being made with a new UFL. I think there's a market for a spring football league and the best organization to try and make it work is the NFL.
Why the NFL? Because only they can make NFL players available. My idea is to use current non-starters and practice squad players to fill the roster for a few teams that play in non-NFL cities in the spring, where the players are chosen by geography. I'd call the league the American Football League (AFL), a name the NFL owns thanks to it's merger with the old AFL.
Here's how it would work. Twelve teams - San Diego, San Antonio, San Jose, Oklahoma City, St. Louis, Memphis, Grand Rapids, Orlando, Columbus, Virginia Beach, Providence and Raleigh.
At the end of the season the 27 players who played the most for each NFL team (11 offense, 11 defense, a kicker, a punter and one other) would be declared ineligible for the AFL leaving the other 27, all practice squad players and anyone else the option of whether to play in the AFL. The league would buy insurance for any player that would cover their expected lifetime earnings based on their age, current contract and perceived value - a value they would know before they agree to play.
The 12 teams would then each choose 90 players from their geographic region to go to training camp. The geographic region would be based on where a player last played college football. So, for example, San Antonio might be choosing players from Texas and New Mexico; San Diego from southern California, Arizona, New Mexico and Hawaii; etc.. If there is no one eligible, willing and currently in the NFL for a team to fill a slot, they may go outside their geographic region and/or outside the current NFL.
They'd trim the teams down to 54 by the end of camp and then the season would start.
The teams would be placed into two divisions, east and west, and play a 10 game home-and home schedule. Top 4 teams make the playoffs played out over 2 weeks culminating with the AFL Championship.
This could be a classic win-win-win. The fans get to see more football featuring high-quality players, who they already know - and in cities without pro football now. The players would be able to start, star, score touchdowns, be heroes and MVPs again and - for some current practice squad players - run through the tunnel and get on the field again. The league could try out rule changes and measure the appetite for football in other parts of the US.
And, if done right, players and owners could make some extra money. A career in football is short, and for players not pulling down franchise tag, the chance to enhance their salaries while they're still young could be a great boon to them.
I'd love to see Andy Dalton and the San Antonio Lobos face off against Mike White and the Memphis Hound Dogs in the 2024 AFL Championship game.
