XFL Commissioner Oliver Luck spoke at the NFL Agent’s Seminar that takes place annually at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, Indiana. Luck’s address focused around the XFL, it’s standard operating procedures and his vision of what year two for the XFL will be like.
Nathan Shackelford, an NFL agent and the founder of Higher Calling Sports was in attendance and summarized Luck’s main points in a thread of tweets from his twitter account.
Major Takeaways:
- Luck fully expects a year two for the league
- The XFL will use invite-only camps to reach new players
- There will once again be a draft for players
- Teams will retain rights to players
- Team Nine is a smart move dollar wise for the league
- Reemphasized the league’s eligibility rules
Invite-Only Camps
The XFL has depended on invite-only style camps since it started looking for players almost two years ago. This is nothing new for the league, and they’re constantly conducting these camps to keep a fresh crop of players on the league’s Team Nine roster.
Rights Retained + Year Two Draft
The league is completely one-year deals. At the end of year one, all team retain the rights to negotiate a second contract with players after the player agrees to rejoin the XFL. New comers will be distributed via a draft. There has been no word of if the XFL will have a free agency style period for players who agree to rejoin the league for a year two but do not sign a contract with the team that retains their rights. This likely means all player movement will come from trades of player’s rights.
Team Nine, Shrewdly Frugal
The use of Team Nine has been a hit within the league. Every month or so players are cycled in and out to keep the roster fresh with intriguing players looking for a chance. Luck highlighted how it also saves money for team’s that won’t have to fly players in and out of their city for a private workout.
Eligibility Rules
Commissioner Luck put an emphasis on the eligibility rule of the league being different than the NFL. In the NFL, a player must be three full years removed from high school in order to be eligible for the NFL’s draft. The XFL is making it known there is no rule in place keeping players of any age (as long as they’re out of high school, aged 18 and up) and they can sign freshmen, and sophomore aged players from the college ranks.
Shackelford said the crowd was “decently mild” for Luck’s address, and no one thing the Commissioner said pulled a big reaction from the crowd of agents, citing the attendees were “mainly there for the NFL.”
Things will certainly change between now and the beginning of year two for Luck and the XFL. Stay tuned to XFL News Hub for the latest in league-wide news.
Unleash the Action: Sign up for XFL Insider and Fuel Your Passion for Football!
