Disgruntled UFL QBs Returning After 5-Day Wage Walkout

All 24 of the UFL’s quarterbacks sat out a preseason training camp over a wage dispute with the league. The two dozen QBs were supposed to be in Arlington, Texas last week for a quarterback camp but sat out in protest over a lower-than-hoped pay bump. 

The UFL and its players association have been in talks since December on a labor agreement, but a recent offer from the league on Feb. 21 came with a minimal increase in player wages from last season, when base salaries were around $55,000, sources told Front Office Sports.

The players plan to report to their teams’ training camps in Arlington on Monday.

In a letter dated Feb. 22 and addressed to UFL president Russ Brandon and vice president of football operations Daryl Johnston, the 24 quarterbacks said the proposal the union received was “unacceptable and insulting” and added they would not be attending the quarterback training camp out of protest. 

“The United Football League continues to negotiate in good faith with the players union to finalize a Collective Bargaining Agreement, which will be beneficial both to the players and the league,” the UFL said in a statement. 

The UFL is entering its second season after merging with the XFL. Fox, which airs the games, owns half the league, while RedBird Capital, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and Dany Garcia own the other half.

A year ago, the UFL drew strong ratings for a non-NFL spring football league, with average ratings around 816,000 up from the 600,000 viewers the USFL had in 2023 and the 622,000 the XFL averaged the same year. Combining forces has led to a stronger broadcast presence as six games generated over 1 million viewers.

The eight-team league has found success in non-NFL cities including St. Louis, Birmingham and San Antonio. 

Editors’ note: RedBird Capital is the parent company of RedBird IMI, the majority owner of Front Office Sports.