Rashad Ross, others hope to get NFL redemption in AAF

Rashad Ross was resistant to the idea at first.

The former Redskins wide receiver initially turned down an offer to join the upstart Alliance of American Football after the Arizona Cardinals released him last August. But by November, with still no NFL offer, Ross was down to three options: quit, join the Canadian Football League or sign up with the Alliance.

He went with the latter.

“It’s like a second chance to get back,” Ross said, “to get back, to show you still have talent and get back to it.”

Now with the Arizona Hotshots, Ross is one of the many AAF players hoping to use the new start league as a way to get back in the NFL. The 29-year-old hasn’t appeared in an NFL regular season game since 2016 when he played eight nondescript games with the Redskins.

Ross impressed in the Hotshots’ first game — hauling in five catches for 103 yards and two touchdowns, including a highlight-reel one-handed grab over his shoulder.

He was one of the standout performers from a successful first weekend for the AAF. Two games that aired on CBS drew 3.25 million viewers — outdrawing a prime time NBA game on ABC between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Houston Rockets. Los Angeles Chargers general manager Tom Telesco told ESPN the startup league had the potential to be a “nice” developmental league for the NFL.

But is that what the AAF wants to be?

Days before its second weekend of games, J.K. McKay, the AAF’s head of football operations, told The Washington Times the league doesn’t think of itself solely as a development league.

While the AAF does have a partnership with the NFL — games will be broadcast on the NFL Network — McKay said its view itself more as a complement.

“But the fact of the matter is when you get to play in games you tend to develop as a player,” McKay said.

McKay didn’t entirely dismiss a future scenario in which NFL teams could send prospects or end of the roster talent to develop in the AAF — “It’s a certainly a possibility,” he said. He added teams are already sending scouts to games, and Telesco acknowledged the Chargers will send representatives from the team’s personnel department to observe games.

The specifics of such a system, however, would need to be ironed out. There are obstacles to overcome, such as convincing both the NFL and its player’s union to be OK with the additional football. There is an injury risk, after all.

And for a developmental system to even be possible, the AAF must first survive.

In 2001, the WWE-backed XFL debuted to strong ratings, drawing 14.6 million viewers on NBC. The league’s audience, however, cratered in the following weeks and it folded after one season.

The XFL reportedly lost $35 million in its single year in existence.

A ratings decline will likely happen for the AAF, too — at least initially. Moving forward, the league’s games will be seen only on cable and online until CBS airs the championship game on April 27. And in the league’s first game on NFL Network, the AAF drew just 640,000 viewers.

Co-founder Charlie Ebersol told The Associated Press he was pleased with the AAF’s debut but remains cautious.

“We feel really good about (the ratings) and that our theory that Americans want more football tends to be true,” Ebersol said.”However, we still have to remain slow and steady in building things. We are going to be facing stiff competition as soon as next month (with the NCAA Tournament).”

McKay was a general manager in the old XFL. He said one of the mistakes the league made was that there wasn’t enough focus on the on-field product.

That’s been a big emphasis, he said, for the AAF.

So far, observers have complimented the league’s style of play. A bone-crunching sack on San Diego’s Mike Bercovici that sent his helmet flying off quickly went viral. Ross’ one-handed touchdown reception also was spread around social media.

“I don’t think it could have gone better,” McKay said. “I really felt good about what we put on the field. The difference between our guys and the last 10 guys on NFL rosters is almost nothing.”

But the league is more than comfortable with players using their league as a shot at redemption. McKay pointed to how former quarterback Tommy Maddox used the XFL to revive his NFL career with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

For Ross, this opportunity is about shedding labels. In the NFL, he was pegged primarily as a kickoff returner and fringe player.

After the Redskins released him in 2016, Ross had stints with the Detroit Lions, Buffalo Bills, San Francisco 49ers and the Cardinals — only for him to not crack the roster in each stop.

“Once they label you, that’s what everybody [views] you until you get an opportunity to show you something different,” Ross said. “And nine times out of 10, most people don’t get that opportunity.”