2023 USFL season

The 2023 USFL season was the second season of the United States Football League. The regular season started on April 15 and ended on June 18. The postseason began on June 24 and ended with the 2023 USFL Championship Game on July 1. The league expanded the locations their teams play to four total stadiums, adding Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan, and Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee.

With the league beginning its second season on April 15, the USFL became the first American spring league since the World League of American Football to complete its first season and return for a second. This ended up bring the USFL's last season before it merged with the XFL to form the United Football League.

Offseason
During the 2022 season, many were concerned about the hub model and attendance figures in Birmingham for non-Stallions games. While the league started strong with 17,500 fans in attendance for the first game, featuring the local Stallions vs New Jersey Generals, they did not release figures for the other 39 regular-season games, which appeared to be played in a mostly-empty stadium. The poor attendance and the league's inability to connect with fans in most of their city-named teams' markets was believed to hurt league image and credibility amongst casual and mainstream football fans.

On June 27, 2022, Fox Sports confirmed to Sports Business Journal that the USFL would return for another season in 2023, after a "profitable" first season, with an estimated annual revenue of $7.5 million. There would be no team expansion, and the league would continue to use a hub model. Both Fox and NBC were happy with the first season play quality, joint production and the viewership number, while acknowledge the sparse in-person attendance. The USFL promised to play 2023 season in two to four cities, and the USFL parent company, Fox, hired investment bank Allen & Company to find minority investors to help fund the league's expansion into local markets.

After the conclusion of the 2022 USFL co-founder, Brian Woods, has resigned from his role as the league CEO "for family reasons". It would later be revealed that he was launching a spring football league for high school players.

After the season the league saw ten of its coaches join XFL teams, while some players chose to leave the USFL and join the rival league, including All-USFL and Championship Game Most Valuable Player Victor Bolden and quarterback Luis Perez, who went on to become the XFL Championship Game MVP. Nevertheless, 180 players from the 2022 season got invited to NFL tryouts, while 69 players signed with NFL teams and 13 players finished the 2022 NFL season on active 53-man NFL rosters. 2022 season MVP KaVontae Turpin, who signed with Dallas Cowboys, finished the 2022 NFL season as a Pro Bowler. Another Dallas signee, former Birmingham Stallions place kicker Brandon Aubrey, set NFL records in 2023 for most consecutive field goals made to start a career and highest field goal percentage by a rookie in a single season.

Locations
The league stated its intention to expand the locations in which teams play, from one (Birmingham, Alabama) in the previous season to two or four. In November 2022, the league announced an agreement with Birmingham to continue hosting two of the league's eight teams, the Stallions and the Breakers, at Protective Stadium.

On November 15, 2022, the league announced that it had secured an agreement to play games at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium (formerly known as the Liberty Bowl) in Memphis, Tennessee.

The league contacted two stadiums in Michigan, Ford Field in Detroit and Rynearson Stadium in Ypsilanti, as potential locations for a North Division hub, with the Panthers as the host team. It was later revealed that Ford Field would be the home of the Michigan Panthers and Philadelphia Stars, while Rynearson Stadium would host the teams' practices.

On January 25, 2023, the league announced that the New Jersey Generals and the Pittsburgh Maulers (who sported a new gold-and-black uniform color scheme to emphasize the team's Pittsburgh identity) would play their home games at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, with the Generals as the host team. The stadium will also be the site of both the North Division playoff game and the 2023 USFL Championship Game, as it was in 2022.

Teams
On November 15, 2022, in conjunction with its agreement to play at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium, the USFL announced that the Memphis Showboats would be replacing the Tampa Bay Bandits for the 2023 season. The seven other teams in the league returned as they were in 2022.

Players
For the 2023 season, each USFL team started training camp with 58-men rosters, with a mandatory cut down to 54 and then a last cut down to 50. The final rosters are 40 active players and 10 inactive players on game days. The league also started a partnership with HUB Football for the 2023 season for players tryouts.

Compensation
On December 15, 2022, USFL player representatives (United Football Players Association and United Steelworkers ) and the league parent company FOX Sports tentatively agreed on a new three-year collective bargaining agreement starting at the 2023 season, six months after the league players voted to unionize. The proposed agreement increases minimum salaries and provides a stronger benefits package than they previously received, and slightly higher than most XFL salaries. USFL players' minimum salaries will be $5,350 per week, up from the current $4,500 per week payout ($2,500 for inactive players) and $150 a week toward 401K contributions, while weekly performance bonuses will be cancelled. During training camp, all USFL players will get $850 a week. Continuing as a benefit from the 2022 season, USFL players and staff are still able to receive a college degree "tuition-free and debt-free", through a partnership with for-profit universities Strategic Education's Capella University and Strayer University.

Draft
The 10-round 2023 USFL College Draft took place on February 21, 2023, while draft pool included over 3,000 eligible players. The first overall pick was decided by the winner of the Week 10 game between the 1–8 Pittsburgh Maulers and 1–8 Michigan Panthers. The Panthers were victorious 33–21. The New Jersey Generals had their 1st round selection moved to the last pick in the draft and their rounds 2 to 5 picks were penalized due to "a violation of offseason roster management rules". Michigan State offensive lineman Jarrett Horst was the first overall pick.

Player movement
Transactions
 * On January 27, it was reported that former NFL first-round pick linebacker Reuben Foster signed with the Pittsburgh Maulers.
 * On February 8, the Showboats signed quarterback Ryan Willis after he was released from the XFL's St. Louis Battlehawks.
 * On February 18, the Stars re-signed quarterback Case Cookus after a short stint with the NFL's Los Angeles Rams.
 * On February 20, the Stars inked former NFL first-round pick, receiver Corey Coleman.
 * On February 22, Grey Cup champion quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson announced he would leave the CFL and that he had signed with the New Orleans Breakers.
 * On April 11, Birmingham Stallions sign tight end Thaddeus Moss, the son of Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver Randy Moss, and 2019 National Champion.
 * On April 14, all teams finalized their mandatory 50-man rosters cut down.
 * On April 19, Isaiah Zuber re-signed with the Houston Gamblers following a stint with the Las Vegas Raiders.
 * On April 20, the Birmingham Stallions signed former New Orleans Breakers quarterback Kyle Sloter following an injury to J'Mar Smith.

Coaching changes
On March 15, all teams announced their coaching staffs for the upcoming season.

Rule changes
For the 2023 season, the league intends to change clock rules so every game will be played in a 180-minute window. Also, kickoffs will be from the 20-yard line and halftime is trimmed to 10 minutes, while the Championship Game will remain at 30 minutes.

Preseason
Training camp started on March 21 in each team specific hub, a day later than what they had scheduled last year.

Regular season
The league announced that it would retain the previous season's scheduling format, with the regular season starting in April and ending in June and the playoffs extending to early July. The schedule was released on February 7, 2023.

Postseason
The postseason will be a four-team playoff, with the top 2 teams in each division making the postseason. On January 28, it was announced that the Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio, will host the 2023 USFL Championship.

Season schedule
All games produced by NBC Sports will stream on Peacock unless otherwise noted. Viewership figures for streaming platforms are released four weeks after the event, all times listed are in ET.

Playoffs
The playoffs started on June 24 and 25 and ended with the championship game on July 1. The South Division championship was played at Protective Stadium and the North Division championship and championship game was played at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.

Reference:

Players of the Week
The following Players of the Week were named the top performers during the 2023 season:

All-USFL Team
The following 28 players were selected by the league as "athletes who played consistently well over the course of the season".

Statistical leaders
Reference

League finances
After the 2022 season, Fox Sports had hired investment bank Allen & Company to find minority investors to help fund the league's expansion into local markets, with a plan to raise between $150 million and $200 million.

For the 2023 regular season ticket prices ranged from $25 to $120.

Business partnerships
In April 13, the league with Blockchain Creative Labs (BCL), FOX's Web3 media and creative technology company launched an all-new fans loyalty program. In April 14, Upper Deck Announced as the exclusive trading card partner and Antigua Apparel named an "Authentic Sideline Apparel Partner Of The USFL".

Other USFL's sponsors include: FedEx, Gatorade, Henry Schein, Jersey Mike's Subs, Mars, Molson Coors, Rocket Mortgage, T-Mobile and Wendy's.

Media
This was the second year of the three-year rights deal agreement between NBC Sports along with Fox Sports (Fox doesn't have to pay a rights fee due to being one of the owners of the league).

Telecasts for the 2023 season will air on Fox, FS1, NBC, USA Network and CNBC. Fox aired 17 regular season games and 1 semi-final, NBC broadcast 7 full regular season games plus the first quarter of 1 game on June 10 then the remaining 2 hours of another game on June 11 (originally scheduled to air 9 full games), 1 semi-final and the Championship game, and FS1 and USA Network broadcast 7 games each, and CNBC broadcast the remaining one of the games on NBC caused by a weather delay on June 10. Unlike the 2022 season, in order to increase the leagues exposure, Peacock will not air exclusive games (however it aired an hour of exclusive game coverage on Sunday June 11). Instead, Peacock will simply simulcast all games produced by NBC Sports. An emphasis will also be made on having high-profile events serve as lead-ins to the league, with some games following NASCAR and Major League Baseball broadcasts on Fox or the Kentucky Derby on NBC.

Curt Menefee and Joel Klatt will return as Fox's lead commentary team for USFL coverage. Kevin Kugler and Mark Sanchez serve as the second broadcast team. Brock Huard will report from the sidelines during selected games. Devin Gardner will also appear on select games.

The NBC crew features Jac Collinsworth and Paul Burmeister handling play-by-play duties alongside analysts Jason Garrett, Michael Robinson and Cameron Jordan. Zora Stephenson, Corey Robinson, Lewis Johnson, and Caroline Pineda are the sideline reporters. Colt McCoy, Kyle Rudolph and Anthony Herron are the additional analysts for selected games.

Viewership
In millions of viewers * One decimal place is shown in table but three decimal places are used in all calculations. * Viewership figures for games streaming on Peacock were not released.

International broadcasters
NBC Sports, FOX Sports and DAZN will broadcast live international coverage of the 14-game schedule, including the playoffs and the championship game (excludes coverage in the U.S. and the 14 countries with separate broadcast deal). In the United Kingdom and Ireland it will be will be broadcast through Sky Sports, in Australia by FOX Sports Australia, in Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland and Sweden by Viaplay in Hungary by Network 4 and in the Philippines by Elite.

Games involving the Michigan Panthers have been broadcast by radio station WJR, which covers a substantial portion of the midwestern United States and Southern Ontario in Canada with a 50,000-watt signal. WKIM carried the Memphis Showboats.

Reception
The USFL open the season strong with between 15,000 to 20,000 fans in Memphis and ~17,000 in Birmingham. Alas, the league second return to play was also marked with the same complaints from the previous season of a lack of fans in the stands in other locations (5,000-8,000 fans in Canton for week 1 and approximately 7,500 fans in the Panthers opener ) or "neutral site games", while the league announced "it will be maintaining their policy in partnership with their venues of not releasing attendance figures" during the season. It was later reveled that most "neutral site games" had between 800 to 900 fans in the stands. President of Football Operations Daryl Johnston acknowledged the issue before the championship game and said: "it does motivate us to make sure we get our eight teams into their home markets as quickly as we can, but we can't rush it". After the USFL merged with the XFL, Johnston would acknowledge that the league lacked the raucous fan environments present in the XFL's markets, especially the St. Louis Battlehawks, and that this had had a negative impact on the USFL's players. He also noted that the Showboats' attendance had dropped substantially over the course of the 2023 season, a trend that continued into 2024, concerning him.

Before the season, some fans felt disrespected of the USFL commercials to promote the league's return, which took aim at the XFL. Nonetheless, the USFL week 1 ratings outdraws XFL Week 9, as the USFL averaged 789,500 viewers across four games with the XFL posting an averaged of 588,250 viewers across four games, although three USFL games were on broadcast TV while three XFL games were on cable. USFL average viewership in 2023 was down 16% from its debut season to 601,000 and 3% lower than the XFL's 2023 season, despite having 28 over the air network games compare to the XFL's eight. Johnston himself expressed disappointment and anger that the USFL was comparable to the XFL in ratings for the 2023 season, dismissing the XFL as "no competition" to the "far superior" USFL and questioning how "to be on par with our competition from a ratings standpoint in Year 2, I'm still trying to figure out: How did that happen? (...) they're not even close."

Contrary to the 2022 season, most markets decided to cover the teams locally, while the third week of games received tentative praise from national outlet, with Bill Shea of The Athletic writing an article titled "I attended a USFL game so you don't have to (but maybe you should?)" after attending a game between Michigan Panthers and New Jersey Generals.

The league approach to adopt technology got rave reviews, especially for the use of first down measurements technology.

Signees to the NFL
The following list features players who signed with NFL teams during the 2023 NFL season following their involvement with the USFL in 2023: