Six CFL Teams Join NFL Europa for 2022
The AAF Return to Two Practice Squads
January 6, 2022
Omaha, NE - Brian Woods announced to the crowd that the Atlantic City Blackjacks would be again joined by the Omaha Aviators for the 2022 season. The Aviators and Blackjacks would both serve as the league's practice squad but this year, the Omaha Aviators would be the practice squad for the Western Conference while the Atlantic City Blackjacks would be the same for the Eastern Conference.
AAF teams began practices in December, the Aviators and Blackjacks start now their preparation for the 2022 season now. The Blackjacks will be coached by Dom Capers, Mike Sherman, Steve Fairchild, Bob Bratkowski and Jerry Glanville. The Aviators will be coached by Jeff Fisher, Ted Cottrell, Turk Schonert, Bart Andrus, Terry Shea and Kurt Schottenheimer.
The Blackjacks roster includes QBs Anthony Gordon, Tyler Bray and Eric Dungey, RBs David Fluellen, Marcus Murphy, Tra Carson, Rodney Anderson and Rod Smith, WRs Tanner Gentry and Bralon Addison, TEs Xavier Grimble and Tyrone Swoopes, OL Ted Karras, Brandon Bowen, Steven Gonzalez, Kyle Kalis, Jerald Hawkins, Rishaw Johnson, Jeremiah Sirles, Denzelle Good and John Wetzel, DL Zach Kerr, Lerentee McCray, Bryan Cox Jr., Josh Mauro, Mike Moore, Josh Tupou and Tyler Davison, LB Reggie Northrup, DBs Tyler Patmon, Mike Jordan, Lafayette Pitts, Andrew Adams, and Nevin Lawson, Ks Kyle Brindza and Ernesto Lacayo, P Ryan Allen
The Aviators roster includes QBs Mason Fine, Logan Woodside, Bryan Scott and Easton Stick, RBs Russell Shell, James Robinson and Jeremy McNichols, WRs Jamal Custis, Marquez Callaway, Juwan Johnson, Jeff Thomas, and Josh Hammond, TEs Hunter Bryant and Thaddeus Moss, OL Chidi Okeke, George Asafo-Adjei, Matt Feiler, Jerald Hawkins, Tanner Volson and Lo Falemaka, DL Chris Odom, Charles Tapper, Deyon Sizer, and Jay-Tee Tiulu, LBs Matrell Spaight, Najee Goode and Pita Taumoepenu, DBs Andre Chachere, Rashard Causey, Derrick Bailty, Mike Hilton, AJ Howard and Obi Melifonwu, Sojourn Shelton and Tray Matthews, K Travis Coons and P Ben Turk
The Atlantic City Blackjacks also tried to sign former Minnesota Vikings and Cincinnati Bengals TE Moritz Boehringer but he decided to sign with the Cologne Centurions of NFL Europa.
CFL to Merge with NFL Europa for the 2022 Season
January 10, 2022
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada - The Canadian Football League held a vote this morning amongst it's ownership groups on the future of the league. The league voted six-to-two in favor of joining NFL Europa for the 2022 season. Facing huge financial strains, the league could no longer stand on it's own.
With this announcement, the BC Lions and Calgary Stampeders will not be joining NFL Europa for the 2022 season. The Lions and Stampeders ownership groups will continue to look for alternative avenues. If either team joins an alternate league, neither ownership group will be allowed to retain their nicknames as they belong to the CFL.
The Hamilton Tiger-cats, Ottawa RedBlacks, Saskatchewan Roughriders, Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Atlantic Schooners and the newly named Edmonton Maulers will join NFL Europa as the league plays as a 14 team league.
CFL Commissioner Randy Ambrosie did state however, that the CFL "may return in 2023" as it's own independent league, but for 2022 that option wasn't viable. Multiple teams wouldn't have survived another season without football.
AAF Hits NCAA Transfer Portal
January 13, 2022
Dallas, TX - Following the lead of West Virginia DB Kenny Robinson in 2019 and Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence and NDSU QB Trey Lance in 2020, an active NCAA football player has signed with the Alliance.
Former 5 star, #2 RB and #16 overall player in the nation coming out of High School, and current TCU sophomore Running Back Zachary Evans has signed with the Dallas Renegades. Evans, as a true freshmen in 2020 rushed 54 times for 415 yards and 4 TDs, became the starter as a sophomore in 2021 for TCU but after Horned Frogs finished the season 5-7 and without a bowl game appearance, Evans entered the transfer portal in December.
However, instead of transferring to another program, and not being NFL Draft eligible until the 2023 NFL Draft, Evans has now signed a professional contract with the AAF. Zach will be making 159k this season and an estimated 182k next season playing for the Renegades.
Evans stated, "Kenny Robinson kind of set the precedent for me two years ago. He used his time in the AAF to make money, not go to class, and launch his NFL career when he got drafted by the (Carolina) Panthers. And I'm just trying to take that step another level and try to make the NFL change their eligibility rules, prove that I can play professionally."
University of Maryland sophomore WR Rakim Jarrett also announced that he would be signing with the AAF's Washington Valor after his Maryland Terrapins also finished 5-7 and didn't receive a bowl game invitation. Jarrett was also a former 5 star recruit, who ranked as the #4 WR and #26 overall player in the 2020 recruiting class. Jarrett started his first two seasons at Maryland.
University of Florida sophomore RB DeMarkcus Bowman and University of Georgia TE Arik Gilbert also made the jump less than a few days later with the Miami Blues and Memphis Express, respectively.
Now, don't expect many others to follow suite. The success of these youngsters may set the precedent for future defections from NCAA programs, but with the NCAA altering their amateur athletes rules towards payments, most athletes will still try to use the premier programs of the NCAA to launch their future athletic careers.
Another Big Name College Athlete Joins Alliance
January 20, 2022
Memphis, TN - After the University of Oklahoma picked up their first playoff win in the College Football Playoff against the University of Southern California, they fell just short in the National Championship against Georgia University. Star QB Spencer Rattler, a Redshirt Sophomore, announced that he would be returning to Norman to lead the Sooners to a National Championship despite being projected as a high first round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
However, that meant his backup, QB Caleb Williams, the former 5 star recruit who was ranked as the #1 QB and #4 overall player in his 2021 recruiting class would have to spend another year sitting the bench behind Rattler. Williams had no intentions of doing that when he signed with Oklahoma in February of 2021, so this morning he announced that he signed a three-year $3M contract with the Memphis Express. Williams wanted to be developed by Express owners Peyton and Eli Manning before entering the 2024 NFL Draft.
Williams is expected to compete with newly signed QB Matt Barkley for the starting QB position.
The Next Trevor Lawrence Joins Alliance
January 23, 2022
Columbus, OH - After graduating High School early in December, QB Quinn Ewers, enrolled at Ohio State to participate in spring football. Ewers is believed to be the best HS QB prospect since Trevor Lawrence. Ewers is the #1 QB and #1 overall prospect in the 2022 HS recruiting class. He committed to Ohio State over offers from the University of Texas and Clemson in September of 2020.
However, this morning, QB Quinn Ewers signed a four year $5M dollar contract with the San Antonio Commanders of the Alliance of American Football. Ewers is expected to sit behind newly signed QB Robert Griffin III this season as he continues to develop.
Plan on updating the rosters tonight and posting those but there is still a lot of work to be done after this hectic offseason before I begin the 2022 AAF season.
Had a lot going on this weekend, and didn’t have the time to work on the league. Thank you for all of those tuning in.
Good on Vancouver and Calgary for not signing on to this boondoggle. How in the hell are the CFL teams going to afford to travel across the world, even if it's one year. Expect the CFL to be gobbled up by the NFL for their northern expansion.