The minor American football league XFL was acquired by Dwayne Johnson in August 2020 after it declared bankruptcy. Since then, the league has seen better days under its new leadership. The league, which was worth $15 million at the time of purchase, has now made plans to potentially merge with USFL.

But before the league could make it big, Dwayne Johnson decided to enlist the help of the American football giant, the NFL.

Dwayne Johnson’s XFL strikes a deal with NFL

For the 2023 season of XFL, the NFL played an extremely important role. According to a report published by ESPN, it provided an on-field development ground for up-and-coming on-field NFL officials. The league runs a developmental program called the Mackie Development Program. XFL had been loaned three officials from this program for their 2023 season. The officials who had worked with XFL were all hired by the NFL full-time after completing their tenure. This was part of a deal that was signed between the NFL and XFL back in 2022.

The deal between the two leagues was signed in February 2022 and came into effect in 2023. According to the collaboration, XFL will be used as a ‘petri dish’ to develop innovations and newer prospects for the game. It was made clear that the collaboration will not harbor any player exchange or any developmental programs for either league. The purpose of this collaboration also included developing innovations to protect the health of the players.

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Johnson has spoken multiple times on the fact that XFL would not be a developmental program for the NFL. But it seems that this wasn’t the case. Along with this collaboration with the NFL, he has made his league a playground for emerging talents.

XFL players making a transition to NFL

Since Dwayne Johnson took over XFL, many stars were able to transition from the minor league to the major league. A total of 18 players have been drafted to the NFL after The Brahma Bull took over the league. The list includes names like C. J. Brewer, Lukas Denis, Jack Heflin, and many more. These numbers are huge compared to the players who were signed in 2020.

In 2020, a total of four players were drafted into the NFL. These were PJ Walker, Deatrick Nichols, Jordan Ta’amu, and Dravon Askew-Henry. Owners Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia had reportedly said that they were shocked seeing how far XFL has come since they took it over. The league has allegedly suffered a loss of $60 million in the year 2023. However, according to the owners, the league is projected to go more than $100 million in the coming year.

With the NFL and XFL working together, how do you think things will change for American football? Should fans be expecting something new or exciting in the coming year?

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