XFL Orlando DPP Talks XFL Cities, Expansion, Dallas Hub, Player Pay & More

The Sports Slaw podcast with Deb Schneider and former NFL Offensive Lineman Lomas Brown talked with Larry Lee, XFL Director of Player Personnel for the Orlando franchise. On June 9th, the XFL announced the team’s Director of Player Personnel (“DPP”), Offensive Coordinator (“OC”), and Defensive Coordinator (“DC”). 

The XFL has not officially announced the cities, but our own XFL Insider Mike Michell has been reporting them for some time.

Lee will join Head Coach Terrell Buckley, OC Robert Ford, and DC Tony Carter in Orlando. He was a long-time NFL player and executive Vice-President of the Detroit Lions.

Lee was asked about the pay structure in the XFL. Like in the 2.0 era, quarterbacks will make more money and be a central focus for the league.

“Everybody’s going to make the same money, but the quarterback will be different. We’re going to be a quarterback-driven league. The quarterback is going to be a central part of our league…. all the other positions will make the same amount of money.”

He was asked about the current player showcase, and right now, all team’s player personnel are looking at players for the league only, not for their specific team.

“We all are scouting for the league. We’re not scouting for our team… All eight teams and their personnel people were scouting for the league. And once we do that, we’re going to have a master list, and we’re going to only be able to draft from that list.”

Lee also talks about the XFL cities and their head coaches. Something that the league has not officially released yet, but our own XFL insider Mike Mitchell has reported.

Lomas Brown then mentions that four head coaches and four GMs are minorities. Something the NFL has been criticized about for some time.

Lee also mentions his daughter Danielle Lee is the DTO for Wade Phillips in Houston. She was working for ESPN.

He also talks about the Dallas XFL Hub where teams will be flying out to their home markets for games unlike the USFL.

“We do have the Hub scenario. We’re going to be in Dallas with the Hub scenario, but we are flying out to all of our games. So we’ll be flying out to Orlando for all of our home games and then we’ll go wherever on the road. So all our games are going to be on the road this upcoming February. And I think that way you can start establishing some love with your fan base and people in your cities where the teams will be.

If I remember correctly, St. Louis was one of the hottest markets with XFL 2.0. So there’s going to be a team in St. Louis. And so we’re going to be in Orlando, Terrell Buckley and I, and we’re going to start establishing some love with our fan bases and we’re going to do some projects in those cities and that kind of thing, which is great.”

Lee also talks about the potential return on the LA and New York XFL Franchises.

“What I’m hearing. Don’t know this for a fact, but there’s going to be expansion and they just want to get it fine tuned and then they’re going to expand. And so I can imagine maybe a Los Angeles or New York coming in back into the picture.”

They talk about players getting released from the NFL and playing in the XFL, his time with Lomas Brown and the Detroit Lions, the number of NFL executives working for the XFL, and more.