Who Could Be The Next Commissioner Of The XFL?

The deal is done. The keys to the XFL and it’s future are now in the hands of Dany Garcia, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and RedBird Capital Partners.

No new updates regarding the league have been released since August 21st, and as I reported before I do not expect news to be released immediately or as quickly as we would all like it to.

I’m under the belief the new owners are taking the proper steps to ensure the sustainability and longevity of this league and recreate the momentum it gained prior to suspending operations in April due to the effects caused by the pandemic.

This will take time no doubt, and patience, in this case, is best. But before anything takes place, the league will need to find someone to fill the void of commissioner.

When Vince McMahon first announced the launch of the XFL in 2018, his first line of business was selecting a commissioner. Once that happened all of the pieces began to fall into place.

I’m assuming the league will do the same this around.

Here are a few candidates I believe could do very well as the new commissioner of the XFL.

Jeffrey Pollack

Pollack has experience in his own right. He held the role of Vice President of Marketing for the World Series of Poker and was later promoted to commissioner in 2006. As the commissioner, he negotiated partnerships with brands like ESPN and Sirius Radio making the World Series of Poker the #1 brand in poker. Pollack also has experience working in the NFL where he held the role of special advisor to the President of the then San Diego Chargers Dean Spanos, in which he consulted the team on revenue growth and plans for the Chargers future stadium in Carson.

This would be a solid direction for the league to go in. With Pollack being apart of XFL 2.0 and remained in his position with the league throughout the entire bankruptcy process, and it seems he has a great relationship with the new owners. Pollack in my opinion would be an ideal fit.

Doug Whaley

Whaley has more than 20 years of football experience. He was the general manager of the Buffalo Bills from 2013-2017, worked for the Steelers and Seahawks, and Director of College Recruiting for the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl.

As the Senior VP of Football Operations with the XFL, the former XFL commissioner entrusted him with hiring the top-level personnel and head coaches for all 8 XFL teams and evaluating players. Oliver Luck also called him his “right-hand man” for everything football and has high regard for his football acumen and experience as a general manager in the NFL.

Since he was heavily involved with establishing the personnel and evaluating the players, he would be a fitting choice for the role of XFL commissioner.

Bill Polian

Polian is known for his historical experience in the NFL. He was the general manager of the 90′-94′ Buffalo Bills team that won the AFC Championship 4 times and took 4 trips to the Super Bowl although without coming out those match-ups victorious. He was also the general manager of the Carolina Panthers from 1995 to 1997 and contributed to producing a team that reached the NFC Championship in its second year of existence. His recent accomplishments include drafting Peyton Manning and his accomplishments as the general manager for the Indianapolis Colts, who won a Super Bowl championship during his tenure.

Polian most recently was the co-founder of the Alliance of American Football (AAF), which folded after 8 weeks of play in Spring of 2018. Even though his other spring football endeavors didn’t work doesn’t mean that Polian wouldn’t bring value to the table. During his time with the AAF, he recruited Hines Ward and Troy Polamalu to be apart of the league and also supported the league.

Not only could Polian bring his football knowledge and experience in evaluating players, but he could help the league continue to gain the attention of people in NFL circles.

John McKay Jr

If the XFL went this direction, McKay would be considered the OG.

McKay was apart of the first XFL and held the role of general manager for LA Xtreme, and was also apart of the now-defunct AAF. Like Polian, the Alliance of American Football not becoming a success is no where close to being a fault of his own.

McKay Jr is a football guy.

He was a player at USC and had a stint in the NFL. His dad was the head coach at USC from 1960-1975 where he compiled a career record 127-40-8. His brother Rich McKay is current President of the Atlanta Falcons and former general manager of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Prior to McKay’s tenure with the AAF he held the position of Senior Associate Athletic Director at USC in 2010.

Given his experience with the AAF and his football knowledge, McKay Jr could be an external candidate worth taking a look at.

We don’t know when news will come out regarding the future of the league but we do know that we will eventually find out. The first domino that will need to fall will be the new owners finding the next commissioner of the XFL. Once that happens, I believe the future of what we all call XFL 3.0 will begin to take shape. Until then, we wait in excitement for spring football.