It’s been a long road for the XFL. Back in 2020, everything was on the up and up. The football was good, the ratings were solid; it looked as if nothing could stop the new league. That was until COVID took the world by storm, ultimately forcing the XFL to suspend their season just halfway in.
It wasn’t much longer before we learned that former owner Vince McMahon had filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Then, after the dust settled, the XFL was purchased by Dany Garcia, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and RedBird Capital for roughly $5M.
Since then, it’s been a slow crawl to the relaunch. Originally slated for 2022, the CFL talks ultimately ended up forcing the league to postpone to 2023.
That being said, we’ve been hearing more from the XFL, at least more than we have. Ending out 2021 we heard the first rounds of hires under the new ownership group, the relaunch timelines and The Rock even teased upcoming news regarding team names/cities and broadcast partners.
Additionally, we’ve seen the XFL out scouting for new talent for their return. Today, the league gives us an official update on that front.
We had ALL eyes on the #NFLCombine. Now we’re wrapped, scouting reports are filed, and XFL Football Ops are off to College Pro Days! 👀 https://t.co/neKK35a3ua
— XFL (@XFL2023) March 8, 2022
The official social media account for the XFL states that they “had ALL eyes on the NFL Combine”. They add that scouting reports have been filed and the next stop is College Pro Days.
Not too long after, Dany Garcia added to the conversation stating “so the scouting begins…”.
A big step for our @XFL2023 as we begin forming an incredible roster of teams, elevating the game of football and the resulting experience for fans.
And so the scouting begins … ⁰
A big step for our @XFL2023 as we begin forming an incredible roster of teams, elevating the game of football and the resulting experience for fans.
Time to build.@XFL2023 🏈 https://t.co/OGaCsdyAap— Dany Garcia (@DanyGarciaCo) March 8, 2022
Interestingly enough, for a league that’s been fairly quiet lately, this was the second tween from the XFL today. Earlier, they also shared an image of co-owner Dany Garcia in celebration of International Women’s Day.
Today and everyday, we celebrate our Co-Owner and Chairwoman @DanyGarciaCo as the first woman to own a professional sports league and whose actionable insight, acute business acumen and creativity is making the dream of tomorrow’s football a reality. #InternationalWomensDay pic.twitter.com/010FoGHB4U
— XFL (@XFL2023) March 8, 2022
It wasn’t too long ago that the XFL announced that they had officially partnered with the NFL to work on innovations and safety. They’re seeming working to build the league from the ground-up, again, this time with some extra support.
According to the XFL return timelines that were leaked by co-owner Dany Garcia, the league combines are set for June of this year. With scouting already under way, they seemingly have a head start on the next major milestone.
We mentioned that Dwayne Johnson had teased news to end out 2021, but fans are still waiting to hear what he’s been cooking. But, with the wheels moving in the background, you can rest assured that it should come in the near future.
Which players would you like to see join the XFL when it returns in 2023? Let us know down in the comments below or join the conversation on Discord.
