The XFL has come and gone over the years, but Bob Stoops expects it to be back in 2024. The league relaunched this year following a two-year hiatus and Stoops signed on to coach the Arlington Renegades.
He led the team to a 4-6 finish in the regular season as they were the last team to make the playoffs. Despite their record, however, they went on to win the championship Saturday by score of 35-26 against the DC Defenders.
After that game, Stoops revealed his thoughts on the relaunch this season and why he believes the league is headed in a positive direction for the future.
“I didn’t know what was gonna happen, whether it was gonna come back or not (after 2020),” he said. “But once they asked me and it was, I was all in. I think it shows our ownership is incredible and our upper management. They do a great job. I see this as very viable and is gonna continue to go and move forward. To me, it’ll just get better and better.”
Stoops went on to note how the XFL led to NFL opportunities for many players. According to a recent article from USA Today, 54 XFL players have tried out with NFL teams this offseason.
The coach believes that should only attract more players to the league, and confirmed that he expects to be back to coach the Renegades.
“The good thing about it is all these players that have been picked up going to NFL camps,” he said. “We’re done playing now and all our guys can go, whoever gets picked up. That’s a positive thing. They like that. So I think the timing of what we’re doing has been great. The fan support’s been great and it’s only gonna improve. So if the whole thing remains positive on my end with my family and everything that I’m doing, I intend to be back. You never know what the good Lord’s gonna bring ‘ya, but I’m anticipating that.”
XFL chairwoman Dany Garcia gives league a ‘very high grade’ for 2023 season
The XFL was originally founded in 2001 but folded after only one season. It again started up in 2020 but suspended play after only five weeks due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In August of 2020, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Dany Garcia and Gerry Cardinale purchased the XFL for $15 million. They did so with the goal of reviving it, setting their sights on 2023.
Now with that year in the books, they have some metrics to consider from this past season. Overall, the league averaged roughly 13,000 fans and 561,000 television viewers per regular-season game, according to game-by-game figures compiled by the website XFL News Hub.
Garcia, the league’s chairwoman, said those numbers show the league has “a lot of work to do.” However, she pointed to success in other areas.
“Knowing that we have a lot of work to do, I just see a tremendous amount of success,” she said. “And it was an intricate measuring system. We had a lot of marks to hit. So I would say overall, I give us a very high grade.”
Overall, it sounds as if there is great momentum for the XFL to return in 2024.
