As the rebooted United States Football League gets ready for its second season in April, the players managed to secure a major win just before Christmas. USFL player reps and parent company FOX Sports have tentatively agreed on a new three-year collective bargaining agreement.
The proposed agreement, which comes six months after the players voted to unionize, increases minimum salaries and provides a stronger benefits package than they previously had during last year’s inaugural season. The new compensation package is noteworthy, as it is a slight increase in what most active players are receiving in the XFL, another rebooted spring football league set to launch in February.
The new CBA, which still needs to be ratified, lifts active USFL players’ minimum salaries to $5,350 per week, up from the current $4,500 per week payout and above XFL’s $5,000 per week (before incentives and postseason bonuses). USFL players are giving up weekly performance bonuses in the deal in return for a greater per week total compensation package that includes $150 a week toward 401K contributions, according to a person familiar with negotiations. The proposed CBA, which includes an annual opt-out option, provides inactive USFL players with $2,500 per week, $1,000 more than the XFL’s $1,500 for inactive players on gameday rosters.
The new deal also addresses one of the biggest issues for USFL players: housing. The players currently must pay for their own housing and hotel expenses once training camp ends. The new deal provides them with a $400 per week housing stipend.
USFL player reps, who partnered with United Steelworkers last June, are hoping the new agreement will provide a strong foundation for the eight-team league and its roughly 350 players. Currently the league operates in a hub model; all games in the 2022 season were played in Birmingham, Ala., and Fox Sports is exploring another hub city in which the league can play in 2023. Eventually, the league would like for teams to play out of their home markets.
While the USFL is offering stronger pay in its second season, the XFL is still slated to serve as a feeder program for the NFL. The XFL’s inaugural rebooted season ends earlier than the USFL season, better positioning players to make an NFL roster when training camp rolls around in July. The XFL—owned by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Dany Garcia and RedBird Capital—partnered with the NFL earlier this year, in a deal centered on safety, health and player development. The USFL also remains a viable route to the NFL, having 10 players from season one landing on active NFL rosters for at least one game this season.
ESPN will air XFL games, while Fox and NBC will broadcast the USFL. It remains to be seen if both spring football leagues—which have historically been ill-fated—can coexist. Both are bullish that they can provide a unique product and be sustainable long-term.
