The Alliance of American Football, a new professional football league, kicks off its inaugural season in 2019, with all eight teams debuting after months of assembling rosters filled with blast-from-the-past players and coaches. Purposefully scheduled during the NFL’s offseason, the league hopes to attract football fans eager to turn their obsession into a year-round activity.
Sporting News has assembled all the information you need to follow the Alliance of American Football in its first season, including a full weekly TV schedule, team-by-team rosters and a guide to explain the main rules difference from the NFL.
MORE: Reasons to watch AAF’s first season
Alliance of American Football 2019 schedule
CBS will carry opening weekend of the AAF for national audiences. One game per week in the following nine weeks of the regular season will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network. NFL Network, meanwhile, will carry two games per week. TNT will show Salt Lake at Birmingham in Week 2. Games can also be live streamed on fuboTV (7-day free trial).
Here is the full regular season schedule breakdown:
What is the Alliance of American Football?
The AAF is a new league established as an offseason complement to the NFL rather than a direct competitor. It features a set of rules aimed at eliminating unnecessary breaks in the action — such as TV timeouts — to create a more fluid game. Rosters of the eight-team league feature former college stars and NFL blasts from the past, and front offices include familiar names to hardcore football fans.
The league, founded by former Indianapolis Colts executive Bill Polian, pays every player the same three-year, non-guaranteed $250,000 contract with built-in bonuses for meeting performance goals.
Its playoff format features Eastern and Western conference championship games before a league title game on Saturday, April 27.
Alliance of American Football rules vs. NFL
Rather than kicking extra points, teams will be required to attempt two-point conversions. There are no kickoffs. Instead, teams will start with the ball at their own 25-yard line. Because the elimination of kickoffs takes away the potential for an onside kick, the AAF has created the “onside conversion,” which gives a team a fourth-and-12 situation on its own 28. If the try is successful, the team keeps the ball and continues its drive. Onside conversion attempts are only permitted if a team is trailing by 17 points or there’s five minutes or less left in the fourth quarter. Defenses are limited to five pass-rushers on any given play, and they are not allowed to blitz players from the secondary. There are no TV timeouts and fewer commercial breaks overall. Each team will have two challenges.
Notable coaches, players in the Alliance of American Football
Atlanta Legends
Michael Vick is the offensive coordinator in the city he became arguably the most electric dual-threat quarterback in NFL history. Former college quarterbacks Aaron Murray and Denard Robinson headline the Legends offense, while a number of local favorites like T.J. Barnes, Brandon Watts, KeShun Freeman and Corey Griffin lead the defense.
Birmingham Iron
Former NFL first-round draft pick Trent Richardson is the most recognizable member of the Iron. The one-time Alabama running back averaged just 3.3 yards per carry in the NFL, though he did amass 19 all-purpose touchdowns in his four years in the league. At 28 years old, Richardson should still have plenty in the tank to provide to the Iron.
Memphis Express
Hall of Fame linebacker and former NFL head coach Mike Singletary will coach the Express. He’ll have two quarterbacks who once seemed capable of NFL success in former Penn State signal-caller Christian Hackenberg and former LSU passer Zach Mettenberger. Zac Stacy, who found some success in 2013 with the St. Louis Rams, will anchor Memphis’ backfield.
Orlando Apollos
Legendary coach Steve Spurrier will lead the Apollos, who have a roster loaded with talent from the state of Florida. Former Gators quarterback Austin Appleby will get time under center for the Apollos, while former Seminoles defensive lineman Jacob Pugh is expected to contribute on the other side of the ball.
Arizona Hotshots
Led by former college football coach Rick Neuheisel, the Hotshots will rely on recognizable NCAA standout Trevor Knight on offense. Defensive back Rahim Moore, who was a second-round pick out of college and played for Neuheisel at UCLA, will be a key part a unit with a strong Pac-12 flavor.
Salt Lake Stallions
Dennis Erickson , a football lifer who at some point probably coached a college or pro organization near you, is the head coach of the Stallions. Former Minnesota Vikings running back Matt Asiata will be in Salt Lake’s backfield, while fellow Utah grad Kaelin Clay will play as a wide receiver. Adding to the local-themed roster, former BYU defenders Handsome Tanielu and Micah Hannemann will star on the other side of the ball.
San Antonio Commanders
The most notable name San Antonio offers is Mike Riley, who coached Oregon State and Nebraska this past decade. There are also in-state grads like Kenneth Farrow (Houston), Aaron Green (TCU) and Trey Williams (Texas A&M).
San Diego Fleet
Mike Martz — the offensive guru before all offensive gurus — will head the Fleet. Martz might not have the weapons he once had as the coach of a St. Louis Rams team with Kurt Warner, Torry Holt, Isaac Bruce and Marshall Faulk, but he should still have some interesting pieces to work with. Colorado’s Nelson Spruce posted two 1,000-yard seasons in college, and tight end Gavin Escobar played multiple seasons with the Dallas Cowboys. Pittsburgh Steelers great Troy Polamalu is the Fleet’s head of player relations.
