Although the 2018 NFL season ended on Sunday, fans can look forward to the Alliance of American Football, a new football league with recognizable names.
Even though the NFL season is officially over, fans won’t have to wait until September for real football. Starting this Saturday, Feb. 9, the Alliance of American Football kicks off with it’s inaugural season. The AAF will be the latest rendition of the NFL, in what many other leagues have tried to imitate.
Founded by TV and film producer Charlie Ebersol and former Indianapolis Colts general manager/Hall of Famer Bill Polian in March of 2018, the Alliance of American Football has a solid foundation of eight teams.
It’s TV partners include CBS, the CBS Sports Network, NFL Network and TNT. Fans will also be able to catch games on Bleacher Report’s B/R Live app. Perhaps the biggest attraction for fans will be the fact that the AAF will reportedly have no TV timeouts and 60-percent fewer commercials than the NFL.
Other prominent executives within the AAF include Troy Polamalu (Head of Player Relations), J.K. McKay (Head of Football Operations), Tom Veit (Head of Business Operations), Hines Ward (Player Relations Executive), Jared Allen (Player Relations Executive) and Justin Tuck (Member of Player Engagements Board of Advisors).
As for the teams involved, eight cities will play host to games. All teams are owned and operated by the AAF. Below are the teams in the league, followed by their host city:
Eastern Conference
Atlanta Legends, Atlanta, GA
Birmingham Iron, Birmingham, AL
Memphis Express, Memphis, TN
Orlando Apollos, Orlando, FL
Western Conference
Arizona Hotshots, Tempe, AZ
Salt Lake Stallions, Salt Lake City, UT
San Antonio Commanders, San Antonio, TX
San Diego Fleet, San Diego, CA
The first pair of games will be played Saturday, Feb. 9, with the Atlanta Legends at the Orlando Apollos and the San Diego Fleet at the San Antonio Commanders (both 8 p.m. ET). Both games can be seen on CBS. Then, on Sunday, Feb. 10, the Memphis Express take on the Birmingham Iron on CBS Sports Network (4 p.m. ET), followed by the Salt Lake Stallions at the Arizona Hotshots on NFL Network (8 p.m. ET).
Each team will participate in 10 games played over a 10-week schedule. The regular season officially ends on Sunday, April 14, followed by two playoff rounds in the next two weeks. The AAF Championship will be played on Apr. 27 in Las Vegas.
Of course, games wouldn’t be played without the players. Each team roster is comprised of 50 players, each earning three-year, $250,000 non-guaranteed contracts. Players will also have a built-in ‘escape to the NFL’ clause in their contracts. Players can also earn performance-based and fan interaction incentives.
Many former NFL players will get a chance to revive their football careers in the AAF, with several other fringe players getting a shot as well. Quarterback Josh Johnson was the first overall selection in the inaugural draft back in Nov. 2018. Below are notable players and their respective teams:
Notable players
QB Josh Johnson, San Diego
QB Aaron Murray, Atlanta
QB Trevor Knight, Arizona
QB Christian Hackenberg, Memphis
QB Logan Woodside, San Antonio
QB Scott Tolzien, Birmingham
QB Zach Mettenberger, Memphis
WR Stephen Hill, Atlanta
WR Chris Givens, Memphis
RB Trent Richardson, Birmingham
RB Matt Asiata, Salt Lake
RB Bishop Sankey, San Diego
RB Zac Stacy, Memphis
DB Will Hill, Orlando
K Nick Novak, Birmingham
Finally, teams wouldn’t be complete without head coaches. Several former NFL coaches will get the chance to show they’ve still got it. Below are the head coaches for each AAF team:
Head Coaches
Brad Childress, Atlanta Legends
Tim Lewis, Birmingham Iron
Mike Singletary, Memphis Express
Steve Spurrier, Orlando Apollos
Rick Neuheisel, Arizona Hotshots
Dennis Erickson, Salt Lake Stallions
Mike Riley, San Antonio Commanders
Mike Martz, San Diego Fleet
The Alliance of American Football may not be the National Football League, but for fans looking for their football-fix over the NFL offseason, it’s better than nothing at all. As for which team you should cheer for — well, that’s up to you.