Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
The first United Football League (UFL) game of the 2025 season is scheduled for March 28. Full training camps are scheduled to begin on March 3. There’s just one problem: all 24 quarterbacks in the league are on strike, holding out for more money.
The UFL, owned in part by movie and wrestling star Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, was created after Johnson purchased the XFL from former WWE CEO Vince McMahon and merged it with the United States Football League (USFL) for the 2024 season. The UFL is split into two four-team conferences: the USFL Conference and the XFL Conference. Each team carries three quarterbacks. Or at least they are supposed to.
According to Ben Fischer of the Sports Business Journal, the United Football Players Association and the UFL have been trying to agree on a new labor contract since December. Last week, the league submitted its latest proposal to the players. It was not well-received.
The next day, all 24 UFL quarterbacks signed a letter that was addressed to UFL President Russ Brandon and Executive Vice President Daryl Johnston. The letter reads: “The proposal our Players Association received on Thursday was unacceptable and insulting. We – all of the quarterbacks in the UFL – have collectively decided not to attend the UFL quarterback training camp this weekend in Arlington, Texas, in protest of that proposal and the message that is sent to us as players.”
The players were reportedly unhappy that the proposal contained only a “negligible” increase in last year’s base salary of $55,000. They also took issue with the UFL proposal’s lack of year-round health insurance.
The only response from the league thus far is a statement that read: “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.”
Will we see replacement players come in and take over those 24 quarterback jobs in the UFL? Or will they come to an agreement that satisfies all parties? One way or another, we will find out soon.