With UFL’s first-ever free agency period reported to begin soon, here are the XFL Conference teams, one player each team should retain, and one player each team should sign. My USFL Conference article can be found here.
Arlington Renegades
Must Keep: QB Luis Perez: This one may seem obvious, but with backup Holton Ahlers retiring, Arlington has few in-house options behind Perez. They could sign John Rhys Plumlee, their first-round draft pick last year, who is currently an NFL free agent. Even then, Plumlee has been playing mostly receiver in the NFL, so he’d have to re-acclimate to quarterback and learn a new system. For his part, Perez is likely content in Arlington and his familiarity with the coaching staff – provided they stay intact for 2026 – will likely lead him back to the Renegades for at least another season.
Should Sign: RB John Lovett, San Antonio: Last year’s starter at running back, Kalen Ballage, ended up on injured reserve after six games, the second time he’s finished the year injured in the last two spring seasons he’s played. In part because of this, Arlington finished sixth in the league in rushing. They could use more juice at this position. After impressing in 2024, Lovett seemed to fall out of favor in 2025 as Anthony McFarland and Jashaun Corbin earned more touches. If he’s looking for more playing time, Lovett could be RB1 with the Renegades.
Must Keep: QB Jordan Ta’amu: The UFL Championship Game MVP (and to some, the uncrowned league MVP), Ta’amu shouldered the load offensively for a Defenders team that transitioned from run-first to a downfield passing attack. His backup, Mike DiLiello, has been in the system for two years now and offers a rushing component that Ta’amu no longer does. He could be a full-time starter down the line, but it would be hard to pass up Ta’amu in favor of a relative unknown quantity, especially coming off a UFL Championship. Ta’amu certainly seemed like he has more left in the tank last year; would D.C. want to take the risk of him repeating that performance with a rival?
Should Sign: K Matt Coghlin, Memphis: D.C.’s kicker, Matt McCrane, had a down year in 2025, making 70% of his field goals, which ranked seventh in the league among qualifiers. McCrane himself is a free agent and the Defenders could let him walk in favor of a more accurate kicker. Coghlin made nearly 90% of his field goals and one of two that he missed was blocked. We’ve seen a number of UFL games over the last two years come down to the last possession, and a good kicker could be the difference between making the playoffs and not.
Must Keep: S Jordan Mosley: While the second level of San Antonio’s defense could survive without one of its two key linebackers, Mosley was a steadying presence on the back end of a D that saw a lot of players rotate through in 2025. He played the second-most snaps on defense and was the highest-graded player on that unit by Pro Football Focus. Expect a lot of changes again in the defensive back room this off-season for the Brahmas; keeping Mosley would allow some level of continuity there.
Should Sign: QB Danny Etling, Michigan: None of San Antonio’s returning quarterbacks have earned the opportunity to start unopposed in training camp. With Bryce Perkins now clearly QB1 in Michigan, Etling could look to go somewhere that gives him a chance to compete for the starting role. San Antonio is not without offensive weapons despite their record last year. An experienced spring football player with mobility, Etling would at worst push Kellen Mond and Kevin Hogan for their spots, if those two return in 2026. If not, the starting QB job could be Etling’s to lose.
Must Keep: C Mike Panasiuk: The penalty for St. Louis’s continuity along their offensive line the last three seasons is that seven linemen will now be free agents, including all five starters from 2025. It’s imperative they bring some of them back, and if offered, many of them likely will return due to a number of factors (familiarity with the offense, position coach Marc Colombo, playing in front of the St. Louis fans among them). Of all the linemen, Panasiuk is perhaps most important. As the center, he’s in charge of the protections and line calls. For the second year in a row, he signed into the NFL during training camp but is now a free agent. Even if St. Louis loses a few starters here, re-signing Panasiuk would be huge.
Should Sign: RB Anthony McFarland, San Antonio: McFarland’s injury history is worrisome, but he can provide the dynamic type of play at running back that is key to the St. Louis west coast-style offense. Now that starter Jacob Saylors is in the NFL and his backup, Jarveon Howard, is a question mark after suffering a serious injury two periods into his first practice with the Buffalo Bills, the Battlehawks may need as many as two backs this off-season. McFarland can catch the ball out of the backfield, something Saylors did well in his two years in St. Louis. Going after someone like Matt Colburn, a physical back who can pick up the hard yards, may be another move the team could make to shore up the position in free agency.