So now that the AAF has failed, we have the XFL to look forward to in the Spring. The kicker is that the XFL will take anybody, while the NFL says you have to be 3 years removed from you HS graduation. So the college kid who has a outstanding freshman year and doesn't really want to play for tuition/room/board/extras can now sign with the XFL, the HS kid who is academically challenged but a man on the field can now sign with XFL and by pass college. They can eventually move to the NFL and the big money when they are 3 years out of HS. So what's the risk? Well the risk is that they are stars with their current team but it's not guaranteed they'll be stars with the XFL team they play for and instead of being future 1st rounders they'll fall down in the draft, or they will totally fail in the XFL and again cost them in the NFL. Plus in college, a bad year doesn't kick you out of college you can work hard and get back on top, more than a few players have blossomed as Jr's and Seniors and made some money off of that. A bad year or bad attitude in the Pro's gets you fired and if you don't like your college you can transfer, if you don't like your XFL team you are at the mercy of their rules and the contract you have, they control where you play or if you play. You can't decide it was a mistake and go back to college, you're a pro. Of course all this will be moot if and when the XFL fails after a year or two.
Honestly, I thought the AAF was the best model for all parties moving forward. It's a shame that it didn't work out. Not only that, but they finally got a team in Alabama that I'd root for without my son on the roster.
In a bit of irony, the kid they got from the AAF, Garret Gilbert preceded Baker Mayfield by a few years as the QB1 at Lake Travis HS. He arguably was the greatest QB in a long line of great QB's at Lake Travis which included Baker Mayfield.