The third iteration of the XFL, the latest in a long line of spring football experiments, kicks off this weekend with games in three Texas cities and Washington, D.C.
If you’re a New England Patriots fan tuning in to watch this new league, odds are you’ll spot at least one or two familiar names.
The rosters of the eight XFL teams feature close to 20 players who previously spent time with the Patriots. The majority of these were bottom-of-the-roster types or practice squad members, and most never actually appeared in any games for New England.
But there is one former star on that list: wide receiver Josh Gordon, who caught 60 passes for 1,007 yards over two abbreviated seasons with the Patriots and now is suiting up for the Seattle Sea Dragons. Look for him wearing No. 0 when Seattle visits the D.C. Defenders on Sunday at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Patriots draft pick Antonio Garcia also is among the XFLers. New England selected the offensive tackle in the third round in 2017, but he never appeared in a game for the team and was cut one year later.
Here’s a (mostly) complete list of ex-Patriots now in the XFL, including ones on teams’ reserve lists:
Arlington Renegades
OL Willie Beavers
DB De’Vante Bausby
DB Cre’Von LeBlanc
D.C. Defenders
QB D’Eriq King
WR Chad Hansen
WR Josh Hammond
TE Kahale Warring
Houston Roughnecks
DB Will Likely
DB Sean Davis
DL Trent Harris
LB Nate Wieland
LS Brian Khoury
Orlando Guardians
DL Nick Coe
DB Dee Virgin
San Antonio Brahmas
DB Ryan Lewis
Seattle Sea Dragons
WR Josh Gordon
WR Kelvin McKnight
St. Louis BattleHawks
TE Jaylen Smith
TE Jordan Thomas
Vegas Vipers
OL Antonio Garcia
The Patriots also are represented in the XFL coaching ranks. The Guardians’ head coach is Terrell Buckley, a former cornerback who won a Super Bowl with New England in 2001.
This new XFL carries over many of the franchises and rule changes from the 2020 version, which had its first and only season cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic. Among the latter are options for one-, two- or three-point extra points; a shootout-style overtime format; and the ability to replace an onside kick with a fourth-and-15 conversion (in the fourth quarter only).
Another spring league, the USFL, is scheduled to begin its second season in April.
