Several days after former key pieces of the Birmingham Stallions opted to retire prior to the reallotment draft of the UFL, two more mainstays of the league have decided to hang up their cleats as the league prepares for its third season of operation. Over the past two days, Long Snapper Tuner Bernard of the Showboats, and Defensive Back Chris Payton-Jones of the Battlehawks have retired.
Bernard began his professional career with the Minnesota Vikings in 2021 as a UDFA out of San Diego State. He’d continue his career with the New Orleans Breakers for two seasons before joining the Showboats via the 2024 the UFL merger draft for the 2024, and 2025 UFL seasons. Bernard received several NFL workouts over the past several seasons however could never earn an NFL contract.
Payton-Jones retires after 8 seasons in professional football and three seasons in the UFL. CPJ spent would appear in 29 NFL games and 28 UFL games over his career carving out a nice career as a UDFA out of Nebraska in 2018. He retires with $2.2 million earned in his NFL career in addition to his UFL earnings as well.
Bernard and CPJ join an ever-growing list of UFL players who have announced their plans to move on. Currently since the end of last season, over 20 players have announced their plans to retire, which doesn’t include the lists of players who have not made their plans public. The UFL is scheduled to begin player allocation on January 5th beginning with quarterbacks.
