2022 Offseason Recap: CFL-NFL Europa Splits

Alliance Stands Tall in Competition with CFL-NFL Europa

CFL Leaves CFL-NFL Europa Merged League

September 3, 2022

Edmonton, Ontario, Canada - After losing between $50-60M in the CFL-NFL Europa merged league in 2022, CFL Commissioner Randy Ambrosie held a press conference announcing that the CFL would be pulling out of the merged league, shutting down operations and claiming bankruptcy immediately.

Ambrosie announced that the Hamilton Tiger-cats and Atlantic Schooners would be folding their respective franchises, but the ownership organizations in Ottawa, Saskatchewan, Winnipeg and Edmonton would be sitting out the 2023 season while applying as 2024 expansion franchises in the Alliance.

“I'm not surprised by who the teams that stepped up and said, you know, we might be more interested in that league(AAF) than this league(NFL Europa). You know, the teams in Edmonton, Winnipeg, Saskatchewan and Ottawa are trying to do anything they can to make themselves a viable option for the Alliance. I wasn't prepared to let the CFL fold but if it’s going to mean that there’s going to be quality football played in this country, I can live with that.”

Ambrosie said that this was the only way that the game of football could be saved in Canada and that was the reason he decided to accept the position as Head of International Development and International Business with the Alliance.

“So my history goes way, way back. But for a lot of them in the demographic that matter the most now, this league(CFL) has completely disappeared off their radar screen. And if they go another season without having football, it’s going to completely go away. The Alliance has four teams in Canada, and one in Mexico currently and I'd like to help get that number even higher.”

Ambrosie also told the crowd in attendance why he didn't think NFL Europa worked.

“I think the 25 to 40-year-old demographic is the group that makes these leagues work. After talking to a 26-year-old who lived in our house for quite some time. And the issue is that they want to see the best players play. They don’t care about quotas. They really don’t care about a Canadian or European player on a team, they want the best player that is not playing in the National Football League. They want to watch good quality football. The NFL wants to develop football talent and interest across the globe and while the (international vs national) ratio sounds good on paper, it didn't make for good football.”

NFL Europa does intend to play another season in 2023 with a little course correction and ten franchises as they announced last week that the Tokyo Demons would be folded, but the league added three more teams in Germany, the Stuttgart Surge, Leipzig Kings and the Rhein Fire.

Alliance League Enters Free Agency

October 1, 2022

Stamford, CT - All non-franchised Alliance players play on one year contracts, but the league awards loyalty and continuity. Players who stay with one franchise move up the pay scale which was designed to reduce player movement. However, that didn't stop a few more players from switching teams this year compared to the usual offseason.

- Atlanta Defenders signed LB Bryson Young

- Baltimore Brigade signed DL Brandon Deaderick and LB Patrick Levels

- Birmingham Iron signed OL Chance Warmack and Arie Kouandjio

- Chicago Alphas signed QB Dwayne Haskins, WR AJ Jenkins, DL Ezekiel Ansah and LB Devante Bond

- Los Angeles Wildcats signed RB Jeremy McNichols and WRs Allen Lazard and Gehrig Dieter

- Las Vegas Conquerors signed QB Marcus Mariota and LB Quentin Poling

- Memphis Express signed DL Deatrich Wise

- Miami Blues signed QB Deondre Francois, OL Fernando Velasco and LB James Onwualu

- Montreal Monarchs signed RB Denard Robinson

- New York Guardians signed QBs Tahj Boyd and Bryce Perkins, WR Amba Etta-Tawo, LB BJ Bello and K Ernesto Lacayo

- Philadelphia Soul signed QB CJ Beathard, WRs Jojo Natson and Steven Mitchell, OL Alex Mateas and Rich Ohrnberger and LB Mike Hull

- San Antonio Commanders signed LB Justin March

- Seattle Dragons signed OL Germain Ifedi

- St. Louis Stallions signed RB Benny Cunningham and LBs Kyle Emanuel and Joe Jones

- Tampa Bay Storm signed LB Kendell Beckwith

- Toronto Jousters signed QB Luis Perez

- Orlando Apollos signed QB Stephen Morris, WR Hakeem Butler, DL Avery Moss and LB Kamalei Correa

- Washington Valor signed WR Breshad Perrimen and LB Jack Cichy

Four New Expansion Clubs Select Their Initial Players

November 1, 2022

Pittsburgh, PA - Commissioner Oliver Luck announced that the AAF has concluded their expansion draft and that the rosters for the Vancouver Sea Lions, Columbus Generals, Calgary Greys and Pittsburgh Linemen are nearly finished.

Vancouver Sea Lions : QBs Jacoby Brissett and Nick Mullens, RBs Matt Jones, Chris Rainey and LaDarius Galloway, WRs KaVonte Turpin, Lucky Whitehead, Jamal Custis, Tanner Gentry, Jazz Ferguson, Bryan Burnham and Maurice Harris, TEs Ross Travis and Seth Devalve, OL Sukh Chungh, Darrin Paulo, Denzelle Goode, John Wetzel, Kyle Kalis, Cameron Tom, Joel Figueroa and Kent Perkins, DL Obum Gwacham, Caleb Brantley, Charles Tapper, Deyon Sizer, Eddie Vanderdoes and Ufomba Kamalu, LBs Shilique Calhoun, Adam Konar and Dylan Cole, DBs Ken Crawley, Levonta Taylor, Tyson Graham, Tyler Patmon, Mike Jordan, Lafayette Pitts, Andrew Adams, Ken Toliver and Tae Hayes, LS Colin Holba, K John Baron and P Corey Bojorquez

Calgary Greys : QBs Bo Levi Mitchell and Will Grier, RBs Akeem Hunt, KaDeem Carey and TJ Logan, WRs Dede Westbrook, Josh Huff, Kamar Jorden, Marquez Callaway and Isaiah Ford, TEs Richard Rodgers and Jason Vander Laan, OL Chaz Green, Joe Dahl, Billy Price, Ted Karras, Brandon Bowen, Steven Gonzalez, Beau Benzschawel and Shane Bergman, DL Jeremiah Valoaga, DeShawn Williams, Zach Kerr, Lerentee McCray, Chris Odom and Shelby Harris, LBs Alex Singleton, De'Vondre Campbell, and Cory James, DBs Trey Roberson, Raheem Wilson, Tye Smith, Cameron Sutton, Obi Melifonwu, Sojourn Shelton and Tray Matthews and Kareem Orr, LS Casey Kreiter, K Ronnie Pfeffer and P Rene Paredes

Columbus Generals : QBs Ryan Mallett, Bryan Scott and JT Barrett, RBs CJ Anderson, Ito Smith and Chandler Cox, WRs Cedrick Wilson, Juwan Johnson, Jeff Thomas, Alex Erickson, Tim Patrick and Cody Core, TEs Jake Butt and Sal Cannella, OL Leo Kolomatangi, Jerald Hawkins, Rishaw Johnson, Jermaine Eluemunor, Kyle Fuller, Alex Redmond and La'Raven Clark, DL Trent Murphy, Sheldon Richardson, Bryan Cox Jr., Josh Mauro, Antwaun Woods and Trevon Young, LBs Josh Banderas, Brandon Marshall, Matrell Spaight, Reggie Northrup, BJ Goodson and Jalen Reeves-Maybin, DBs LeShaun Sims, Crevon LeBlanc, Andre Chachere, Rashard Causey, Kavon Frazier, Natrell Jamerson and Alijah Holder, LS Anthony Kukwa, K Lirim Hajrullahu and P Ryan Allen

Pittsburgh Linemen : QBs Landry Jones and Joshua Dobbs, RBs DeAndre Washington, Spencer Ware and Javon Leake, WRs Josh Gordon, Josh Hammond, Bralon Addison, Lil'jordan Humphrey and J'Mon Moore, TEs Trey Burton and Charles Jones, OL Drew Richmond, Drake Dorbeck, James Ferentz, Chidi Okeke, George Asafo-Adjei, Matt Feiler, Rashod Hill and Cameron Fleming, DL Austin Johnson, Mike Moore, Josh Tupou, Daniel McCullers, Kingsley Opara and George Obinna, LBs Nicholas Morrow, Avery Williamson, Najee Goode, Pita Taumoepenu and Tuzar Skipper, DBs Steven Nelson, Artie Burns, Delano Hill, Derrick Bailty, Mike Hilton, AJ Howard, Saquan Hampton and Devante Bausby, LS Taybor Pepper, K Kyle Brindza and P Ben Turk