The number 1 player of seattle seahawks Dee Eskridge was involved in a car accident with one hand broken….
Spring is upon us and with it comes the opening of another professional football league. The UFL, formed by the merger of the USFL and XFL, will officially kick off its 10-week season Saturday.
As we’ve seen in the various alternative football leagues over the past few years, the UFL’s eight rosters feature plenty of former NFL and collegiate standouts. With that in mind, here are the most notable players participating in the 2024 UFL season who have NFL ties and/or were stars at the FBS level.
Quarterback A.J. McCarron, St. Louis Battlehawks
Perhaps the most recognizable name on this list, McCarron was a star at Alabama, where he won three national championships. He didn’t have nearly the same success in the NFL, bouncing around among the Cincinnati Bengals, Oakland Raiders and Houston Texans across his first six seasons. Last spring, McCarron gave the XFL a shot and had outstanding results with the St. Louis Battlehawks.
During the 2023 XFL regular season, McCarron threw for the most yards (420) and touchdowns (six) in a game in league history and broke the season record for TD passes (24). That success led to McCarron signing another contract with Cincinnati. He played in two games, completing four passes for 19 yards with the Bengals before asking to be released so he could return to St. Louis.
Linebacker Vic Beasley, Arlington Renegades
Despite playing seven NFL seasons, Beasley – a former first-round pick out of Clemson – was mostly a one-year wonder in the league. Beasley finished his NFL career with 37.5 sacks, but 15.5 of them came during his dominant 2016 season when he led the league in that category. That season, Beasley also forced an NFL-high six fumbles, earned his only Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro selections and helped lead the Atlanta Falcons to a Super Bowl appearance.
Last season, Beasley got his first experience in spring professional football after the Vegas Vipers selected him first overall in the 2023 XFL Defensive Front Seven Draft. Over his seven games with the Vipers, Beasley collected 15 tackles and 0.5 sacks.
Linebacker Reuben Foster, Houston Roughnecks
Foster, a national champion at Alabama and former first-round pick by the San Francisco 49ers, appeared in only 16 games in the NFL due to injuries and legal issues. The 29-year-old returned to professional football last season, playing for the USFL’s Pittsburgh Maulers. In eight games with Pittsburgh, Foster had 53 tackles, three for loss, one interception and a half-sack, helping the team reach the USFL Championship Game, where it lost to the Birmingham Stallions.
Punter Marquette King, Arlington Renegades
King was one of the better punters in the NFL during his Oakland Raiders tenure. In 2014, he led the league in punting yards (4,930) and thanks to his stellar play during the 2016 season, King earned the only second-team All-Pro selection of his career. However, King became more known for his on-field celebrations and dance moves following his punts, which resulted in him receiving multiple unsportsmanlike penalties.
