The Green Bay Packers are beginning a new era after trading away franchise legend Aaron Rodgers this offseason. Jordan Love has the chance to establish himself as the new quarterback in Green Bay, but the Packers are adding someone who could compete to be his backup. Per KPRC2, the Packers are expected to sign former Birmingham Stallions quarterback and 2023 USFL MVP Alex McGough after a successful workout.
The Stallions repeated as USFL champions this summer, and their quarterback was a big reason why. McGough completed 67.4 percent of his passes for 2,104 yards, 20 touchdowns and just five interceptions in the regular season. He led the league in passing touchdowns, and ranked third in passing yards.
It’s also worth noting that McGough was a dual-threat quarterback, as he finished sixth with 403 rushing yards and third with five rushing touchdowns. His USFL head coach, Skip Holtz, believes McGough is an NFL quarterback.
“I think he’s as good as I’ve ever been around, and I’ve been around a lot of NFL quarterbacks,” Holtz said, via theusfl.com.
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If the McGough signing comes to fruition, the Packers will carry four quarterbacks into training camp: Love, Sean Clifford, Danny Etling and McGough.
Over 20 former USFL players are currently on NFL rosters. Daryl Johnston, the former Cowboys legend and current USFL president, is surprised that one USFL player is not currently employed by an NFL team.
When recently asked to name the USFL player he is most surprised is not currently signed by an NFL team, Johnston quickly pointed to Justin Hall, a receiver/returner who spent this past USFL season with the Houston Gamblers. An undrafted rookie last spring, Hall spent the 2022 preseason with Raiders and had a workout with the Dolphins last month.
“He’s tough as nails,” Johnston recently said of Hall during an interview with CBS Sports. “He was one of those guys that I just thought, with the direction the NFL is moving, he’s that space guy. Doesn’t have the quick twitch that KaVonte [Turpin] has, but he’s got a toughness and a contact balance that’s very impressive.”
The 5-foot-8 Hall played collegiately at Ball State, where he caught 318 passes and 18 touchdowns. He also averaged 26.1 yards per kickoff return that included a 99-yard return for a score against Army.
Hall signed with Houston after not making the Raiders’ 53-man roster. During his first season with the Gamblers, Hall was top five in the USFL in receiving yards, touchdown catches and punt return yards.
The Chiefs, given all the drops that transpired during their season-opening loss to the Lions, may decide to give the 24-year-old Hall a look sometime soon.
Kenji Bahar to Justin Hall for the Houston Gamblers #USFL
pic.twitter.com/nFO70NOazE
— USFL Gambling Podcast (@USFLGambling) April 22, 2023 While Hall waits for his next opportunity, several other former USFL players are preparing for Week 1 of the NFL’s regular season. Four former USFL players — Cowboys receiver/returner KaVonte Turpin, Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey, Broncos long snapper Mitchell Fraboni and Panthers defensive tackle LaBryan Ray — are currently on 53-man rosters. Quarterback Alex McGough, the USFL’s reigning league MVP, is one of 17 former USFL players currently on NFL practice squads.
These players are part of the 100 former USFL players who signed with NFL teams over the past two years. All but one of the NFL’s 32 teams have signed a USFL player over that span.
“I couldn’t be happier for these guys,” Johnston said. “It’s what we talk to them about and what we strive for as a league. I always remember Jeff Fisher saying it’s not about getting them to the NFL, because a lot of them have already done that. It’s about getting them the opportunity to stay in the NFL.”
Not surprisingly, a considerable number of USFL players who jumped to the NFL have come from the two-time defending champion Birmingham Stallions. Two members of the Stallions’ 2022 championship team — Bears linebacker DeMarquis Gates and Ravens cornerback Tae Hayes — are beginning their second consecutive seasons on NFL rosters. Six members of Birmingham’s most recent championship team are currently employed by NFL teams.
Despite that turnover, Johnston feels that Birmingham will continue to be a force to be reckoned with in 2024. He said that the trust that’s developed between Stallions coach Skip Holtz and GM Zach Potter is one of the reasons why.
“He’s got great connections. He’s always trying to turn the roster over to get better,” Johnston said of Potter. “I think Birmingham is always going to be tough. Depending on what happens with Alex. Alex was the difference-maker in our league last year. He was just outstanding.”
As far as the USFL is concerned, Johnston feels that the league will eventually be a better alternative for players than college football when it comes to preparing to play in the NFL.
“What we’re providing with the USFL is invaluable because it allows these guys to get into a professional atmosphere, work on the day-to-day grind, work on the details of the position, get better at their craft,” he said. “We really feel like, once we get the momentum behind us, we’re going to be the better alternative.”
Ray Horton won two Super Bowls as the Steelers secondary coach in the 2000s. Currently in his first season as the Pittsburgh Maulers head coach, Horton’s team is two wins away from bringing another championship to the City of Champions.
Prior to the start of the regular season, USFL president of football operations Daryl Johnston said he was eager to see how Pittsburgh would fare this season under Horton, a Super Bowl-winning safety with the Dallas Cowboys who served as an assistant coach for seven NFL teams prior to becoming the Maulers’ head coach. A one-win outfit last season, the Maulers won their final two games of the regular season to clinch a spot in Saturday’s North Division Championship against the Michigan Panthers in Canton, Ohio.
“The unique thing about Pittsburgh,” Johnston recently told CBS Sports, “is great defense, great special teams. The offense can just go out there and not make the critical mistake. I really think Pittsburgh is a dangerous team. … You may look at their record as 4-6, but they don’t believe that really indicates who they are. They feel they’re a better team than that.”
As Johnston eluded to, the Maulers’ success has been largely due to defense and special teams. Pittsburgh’s defense was second in the USFL during the regular season in points allowed, while the Maulers led the league in turnover ratio, punt return average and kickoff touchback percentage. Josh Simmons led the USFL in kickoff return yards, while teammate Isiah Hennie paced the league in punt return yards. Defensive back Mark Gilbert led the league with four interceptions during the regular season. All three players were tabbed as All-USFL performers along with teammates Kyahva Tezino and Arnold Tarpley III.
Gilbert, a former Steeler, had a key end zone interception during Pittsburgh’s 19-7 win over Michigan back in Week 9. It was one of four interceptions thrown that day by Josh Love, who was surprisingly benched in favor of E.J. Perry ahead of Michigan’s must-win Week 10 showdown with the Philadelphia Stars. While Perry wasn’t prolific against the Stars, he took care of the football and rushed for a score in Michigan’s 23-20 win.
“I thought it was very bold for [Panthers coach] Mike Nolan to go with E.J. Perry at that point with everyone on the line,” Johnston said. “They’re very similar [to Pittsburgh]. They’ve got good special teams. They’ve got a good defense. If the offense doesn’t make the critical mistakes, I think Michigan is a much better team.
“If either one of these teams in the North gets a consistent offense that does not turn the ball over, they are much better than a 4-6 team.”
Josh Love throws into double coverage and gets picked off by Mark Gilbert. Another turnover for the shutdown #Maulers defense!#PITvsMICH | #USFL2023 pic.twitter.com/18OGiJtWwI
— USFL Center (@USFLCenter) May 13, 2023 Pittsburgh and Michigan (who also finished the regular season with a 4-6 record) will play for the right to face either the New Orleans Breakers or Birmingham Stallions, who will play each other Sunday in Birmingham in the South Division Championship. The defending champion Stallions went 8-2 during the regular season despite being hit by several major injuries early in the season. Alex McGough, who replaced injured quarterback J’Mar Smith after Smith was injured in Week 1, led the USFL with 20 touchdown passes during the regular season. McGough has been complemented by a Birmingham defense that allowed the fewest points in the USFL during the regular season.
New Orleans will likely focus on McGough, but it shouldn’t sleep on running back C.J. Marable and what has been the USFL’s best offensive line.
“When they really have to hunker down and grind out a clock,” Johnston said, “it’s been fun to watch them lean on that running game.”
Breakers coach John DeFilippo is one of four USFL first-year head coaches and one of three who guided his team to the playoffs. After a 4-0 start, DeFilippo’s team dropped three straight games before righting the ship and ending the regular season on a three-game winning streak. After a midseason slump, the Breakers’ offense returned to early season form entering the playoffs. DeFilippo’s offense has been led by quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson, who is looking to win a second championship in less than a year after leading the Toronto Argonauts to a Gray Cup title last fall.
“I think they’re better when they have a little more balance,” Johnston said of the Breakers, who finished second behind Birmingham in total yards per game during the regular season. “If they get the run going, if that offensive line starts to take control and Wes Hills becomes a big part, I think that opens things up for Sage [Surratt], Johnnie Dixon and what Bethel-Thompson can do for them.”
The winner of Saturday’s Maulers-Panthers game will surely be an underdog for the USFL Championship Game. That wouldn’t be uncharted waters for Horton, who was part of the 2005 Steelers team that became the first sixth seed to win the Super Bowl. Johnston, who won three Super Bowls as a member of the 1990s Cowboys dynasty team, isn’t ruling anything out as far as what will unfold over the next two weekends.
“I think the matchups are very even,” he said. “I think the big one is going to be our championship game. Our southern hub has been solid across the board. I’m a big believer in iron sharpens iron. … Those four teams made each other better throughout the course of the year. … I think the north is dangerous, because good defense and good special teams can take you a long way, (but) can those offenses not make the critical mistakes that we’ve seen them make through the course of the season that have gotten them to 4-6?”
We’ll find that answer out on July 1, when the USFL’s 2023 champion is crowd inside Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.
The USFL is full of stories of players whose resilience has allowed them to keep their football dreams alive. That is the case for both starting quarterbacks who will play in Saturday night’s USFL Championship Game in the Birmingham Stallions’ Alex McGough and the Pittsburgh Maulers’ Troy Williams.
A former seventh-round pick of the Seattle Seahawks, McGough has spent time with three NFL teams but never played in a regular-season game. Williams, who went undrafted despite successful college stints at Utah and Santa Monica College, tried out for the Seahawks and Chargers before spending several years as a backup in the Canadian Football League.
Neither quarterback gave up on their dream, however, and both players made the most of their opportunities to start for their respective USFL teams this past season. McGough, who replaced J’Mar Smith when Smith suffered a season-ending injury in Week 1, is widely expected to be named league MVP after leading the Stallions back to the championship game. Williams has led the Maulers on a three-game winning streak that included last weekend’s thrilling win over the Michigan Panthers in the North Division Championship.
“It’s meant a lot to me,” Williams told CBS Sports ahead of Saturday night’s USFL title game when asked about this season. “Just being in the locker room with the guys. Making the active roster. Throughout the journey, you learn to appreciate the small things that come with being on a football team. It’s just a blessing to be here. The fact that I am able to take advantage of the opportunity that was given to me makes it even better. I’ve been preparing for this opportunity for a long time. … I’m excited to finish the season off the right way.”
Williams embodies the Maulers’ rise from a one-win outfit in 2022 to North Division champions in 2023. Pittsburgh was 2-6 through eight weeks and needed to win its final two games to have any shot at making the playoffs. The Maulers, on the strength of Williams’ steady play and a dominant defense, got things going by edging Michigan in Week 9 before routing the New Jersey Generals in Week 10 to clinch a postseason berth.
In the North Division Championship, the Maulers had an early lead but found themselves trailing Michigan with 2:04 remaining. Channeling his inner Tom Brady, Williams responded by hitting receiver Ishmael Hyman for the go-ahead score on fourth-and-6 with 44 seconds left. And after the Panthers forced overtime, Williams accounted for both of Pittsburgh’s overtime shootout scores while leading the Maulers to a 31-27 win.
REVENGE TOUCHDOWN ISHMAEL HYMAN!!!!!!
🎥: @nbc | @peacock pic.twitter.com/V66gBEdghu
— Pittsburgh Maulers (@USFLMaulers) June 25, 2023 “We’ve always had faith in ourselves,” said Williams, who has thrown just three interceptions this season. “We’ve been in every single game this year with the exception being down in Memphis. Just beating Michigan (in Week 9) to help keep our hopes alive gave us even more confidence that we could really run the table and get to the point that we’re at now.”
Williams’ performance last Saturday night was appreciated by McGough, who watched the game ahead of the Stallions’ South Division Championship showdown with the New Orleans Breakers.
“He played a heck of a football game,” McGough told CBS Sports this week when asked about Williams, who amassed 280 total yards in Pittsburgh’s 24-20 loss to Birmingham back in Week 4. “Came up clutch when he needed to. That’s what the position is about, shining when the lights are brightest. … I think he’s a great player. He’s got a lot of speed. He doesn’t put the ball in danger, and that’s the biggest thing for a quarterback, to protect the ball.”
Like Williams with the Maulers, McGough is a reflection on what type of year it’s been for the Stallions. Birmingham overcame a slew of injuries to make it back to the championship game. They’ve received herculean efforts from former backups that include McGough, who led the USFL in touchdown passes during the regular season while leading Birmingham to an 8-2 record.
Williams and McGough have similarities and differences regarding their play. Along with being a dangerous runner, Williams — who grew up a big Donovan McNabb fan — is able to negate pass rushes with quick passes that often find their mark. McGough is a blend of the two quarterbacks he grew up cheering for — Brady and Aaron Rodgers — while also implementing some of the things he learned from Russell Wilson, his former Seahawks teammate.
“He taught me how to set up the D-line,” McGough said of Wilson. “He manipulated them in ways I never did before. He knows how to look people off in ways where he’s still seeing what he needs to see. Really grateful for the time I was able to spend with him.”
McGough and the Stallions’ dominance was on display last weekend. In front of their home crowd, the Stallions sliced through the talented Breakers like a hot knife through butter. McGough was especially sharp, completing 21 of 31 passes for 310 yards and four touchdowns and no interceptions. He pumped up the crowd numerous times during Birmingham’s 47-22 win.
“That was really, really high on my list of greatest feelings in playing sports,” McGough said of the win. “Just from the crowd cheering from what happened in the game to the hype of the rivalry (the Breakers) were hyping up. Just for us to go out and handle our business the way we did with the crowd support behind us was a top-two moment of my sports career.”
REVENGE TOUCHDOWN ISHMAEL HYMAN!!!!!!
🎥: @nbc | @peacock pic.twitter.com/V66gBEdghu
— Pittsburgh Maulers (@USFLMaulers) June 25, 2023 With the win, the Stallions improved to 20-3 over the past two seasons. Along with having talented players and coaches, McGough identified one intangible quality that has contributed mightily to the Stallions’ success over the past two years.
“Playing for each other and playing as a team and not as individuals is a key thing in this game, and I think we do that,” McGough said. “Everybody plays for each other. … I truly think that’s why teams win and win over the course of years. … We have that on this team.”
While he didn’t start, McGough did play in last year’s USFL Championship Game. He replaced an injured Smith in the second half and threw a touchdown pass in Birmingham’s victory over the Philadelphia Stars. McGough kept it simple when asked what he and his teammates will have to do on Saturday night to repeat as champions.
“If Birmingham scores one more point than the Pittsburgh Maulers,” McGough said before sharing a quote to support that answer: “The one who has surrendered the outcome is the one who has the greatest chance of success.
“I’m just trying to a win. I try not to focus on the future or the past. I try to just focus on what I’ve got to do right now. Right now, it’s eat cashews and talk to you, and in 30 minutes, it’s going to change. It’s a constant battle of not thinking about things that I cannot control. That’s all I try to do. … There’s no such thing as pressure in the past or future. The pressure comes from your expectation of what’s going to happen. That’s something that I can’t control, so why worry about it?
“If every player on the Birmingham Stallions gives everything they have, then the outcome will be what it is.”
While McGough wouldn’t allow himself to discuss the possible feeling of winning another USFL title, Williams shared what it would mean to him to be the winning quarterback Saturday night at Tom Benson Stadium. Williams’ answer was on brand with what the USFL largely stands for: an opportunity for talented football players to make their dreams a reality.
“That would be awesome. That would be everything I could ask for, not just for me, but for people who have been or are in my situation,” Williams said. “Kids back home, players that are trying to find a way and haven’t had the opportunity. For me to go out there and go through everything that I’ve been through and to be able to win the championship would go to show that if you just stick with it, continue to have your faith and be ready when the time comes, you’ll be able to take advantage of the opportunity.”
The USFL is full of stories of players whose resilience has allowed them to keep their football dreams alive. That is the case for both starting quarterbacks who will play in Saturday night’s USFL Championship Game in the Birmingham Stallions’ Alex McGough and the Pittsburgh Maulers’ Troy Williams.
A former seventh-round pick of the Seattle Seahawks, McGough has spent time with three NFL teams but never played in a regular-season game. Williams, who went undrafted despite successful college stints at Utah and Santa Monica College, tried out for the Seahawks and Chargers before spending several years as a backup in the Canadian Football League.
Neither quarterback gave up on their dream, however, and both players made the most of their opportunities to start for their respective USFL teams this past season. McGough, who replaced J’Mar Smith when Smith suffered a season-ending injury in Week 1, is widely expected to be named league MVP after leading the Stallions back to the championship game. Williams has led the Maulers on a three-game winning streak that included last weekend’s thrilling win over the Michigan Panthers in the North Division Championship.
“It’s meant a lot to me,” Williams told CBS Sports ahead of Saturday night’s USFL title game when asked about this season. “Just being in the locker room with the guys. Making the active roster. Throughout the journey, you learn to appreciate the small things that come with being on a football team. It’s just a blessing to be here. The fact that I am able to take advantage of the opportunity that was given to me makes it even better. I’ve been preparing for this opportunity for a long time. … I’m excited to finish the season off the right way.”
Williams embodies the Maulers’ rise from a one-win outfit in 2022 to North Division champions in 2023. Pittsburgh was 2-6 through eight weeks and needed to win its final two games to have any shot at making the playoffs. The Maulers, on the strength of Williams’ steady play and a dominant defense, got things going by edging Michigan in Week 9 before routing the New Jersey Generals in Week 10 to clinch a postseason berth.
In the North Division Championship, the Maulers had an early lead but found themselves trailing Michigan with 2:04 remaining. Channeling his inner Tom Brady, Williams responded by hitting receiver Ishmael Hyman for the go-ahead score on fourth-and-6 with 44 seconds left. And after the Panthers forced overtime, Williams accounted for both of Pittsburgh’s overtime shootout scores while leading the Maulers to a 31-27 win.
REVENGE TOUCHDOWN ISHMAEL HYMAN!!!!!!
🎥: @nbc | @peacock pic.twitter.com/V66gBEdghu
— Pittsburgh Maulers (@USFLMaulers) June 25, 2023 “We’ve always had faith in ourselves,” said Williams, who has thrown just three interceptions this season. “We’ve been in every single game this year with the exception being down in Memphis. Just beating Michigan (in Week 9) to help keep our hopes alive gave us even more confidence that we could really run the table and get to the point that we’re at now.”
Williams’ performance last Saturday night was appreciated by McGough, who watched the game ahead of the Stallions’ South Division Championship showdown with the New Orleans Breakers.
“He played a heck of a football game,” McGough told CBS Sports this week when asked about Williams, who amassed 280 total yards in Pittsburgh’s 24-20 loss to Birmingham back in Week 4. “Came up clutch when he needed to. That’s what the position is about, shining when the lights are brightest. … I think he’s a great player. He’s got a lot of speed. He doesn’t put the ball in danger, and that’s the biggest thing for a quarterback, to protect the ball.”
Like Williams with the Maulers, McGough is a reflection on what type of year it’s been for the Stallions. Birmingham overcame a slew of injuries to make it back to the championship game. They’ve received herculean efforts from former backups that include McGough, who led the USFL in touchdown passes during the regular season while leading Birmingham to an 8-2 record.
Williams and McGough have similarities and differences regarding their play. Along with being a dangerous runner, Williams — who grew up a big Donovan McNabb fan — is able to negate pass rushes with quick passes that often find their mark. McGough is a blend of the two quarterbacks he grew up cheering for — Brady and Aaron Rodgers — while also implementing some of the things he learned from Russell Wilson, his former Seahawks teammate.
“He taught me how to set up the D-line,” McGough said of Wilson. “He manipulated them in ways I never did before. He knows how to look people off in ways where he’s still seeing what he needs to see. Really grateful for the time I was able to spend with him.”
McGough and the Stallions’ dominance was on display last weekend. In front of their home crowd, the Stallions sliced through the talented Breakers like a hot knife through butter. McGough was especially sharp, completing 21 of 31 passes for 310 yards and four touchdowns and no interceptions. He pumped up the crowd numerous times during Birmingham’s 47-22 win.
“That was really, really high on my list of greatest feelings in playing sports,” McGough said of the win. “Just from the crowd cheering from what happened in the game to the hype of the rivalry (the Breakers) were hyping up. Just for us to go out and handle our business the way we did with the crowd support behind us was a top-two moment of my sports career.”
REVENGE TOUCHDOWN ISHMAEL HYMAN!!!!!!
🎥: @nbc | @peacock pic.twitter.com/V66gBEdghu
— Pittsburgh Maulers (@USFLMaulers) June 25, 2023 With the win, the Stallions improved to 20-3 over the past two seasons. Along with having talented players and coaches, McGough identified one intangible quality that has contributed mightily to the Stallions’ success over the past two years.
“Playing for each other and playing as a team and not as individuals is a key thing in this game, and I think we do that,” McGough said. “Everybody plays for each other. … I truly think that’s why teams win and win over the course of years. … We have that on this team.”
While he didn’t start, McGough did play in last year’s USFL Championship Game. He replaced an injured Smith in the second half and threw a touchdown pass in Birmingham’s victory over the Philadelphia Stars. McGough kept it simple when asked what he and his teammates will have to do on Saturday night to repeat as champions.
“If Birmingham scores one more point than the Pittsburgh Maulers,” McGough said before sharing a quote to support that answer: “The one who has surrendered the outcome is the one who has the greatest chance of success.
“I’m just trying to a win. I try not to focus on the future or the past. I try to just focus on what I’ve got to do right now. Right now, it’s eat cashews and talk to you, and in 30 minutes, it’s going to change. It’s a constant battle of not thinking about things that I cannot control. That’s all I try to do. … There’s no such thing as pressure in the past or future. The pressure comes from your expectation of what’s going to happen. That’s something that I can’t control, so why worry about it?
“If every player on the Birmingham Stallions gives everything they have, then the outcome will be what it is.”
While McGough wouldn’t allow himself to discuss the possible feeling of winning another USFL title, Williams shared what it would mean to him to be the winning quarterback Saturday night at Tom Benson Stadium. Williams’ answer was on brand with what the USFL largely stands for: an opportunity for talented football players to make their dreams a reality.
“That would be awesome. That would be everything I could ask for, not just for me, but for people who have been or are in my situation,” Williams said. “Kids back home, players that are trying to find a way and haven’t had the opportunity. For me to go out there and go through everything that I’ve been through and to be able to win the championship would go to show that if you just stick with it, continue to have your faith and be ready when the time comes, you’ll be able to take advantage of the opportunity.”
