NFL partners with XFL to test out rule changes, safety measures

Before rules changes come to the NFL in the future, it’s possible they’ll go through the XFL first.

The two leagues have agreed to a partnership that will see the XFL to test out rule changes, innovations and health and safety measures, the XFL announced Monday. 

The plan is not for the XFL, a spring league now owned by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Dany Garcia and RedBird Capital Partners, to become a developmental league for the NFL. Instead, XFL president Russ Brandon told ESPN that the league, which is set to return in February 2023, will be the NFL’s “petri dish” to experiment. 

“We are extremely pleased to collaborate with the NFL in these important areas,” Garcia said in the league’s press release. “We are bringing forward an XFL that is progressive and forward-thinking when it comes to innovation, leveraging the newest technology to enhance gameday experience. We have an open field for innovative rules to enhance in-game access. Sharing insights and practices between the XFL and NFL will do a tremendous amount of good for the game of football and support the player ecosystem overall.”

Exciting time in football as our @XFL2023 will join forces with the @NFL to collaborate on innovation opportunities to expand & grow the game of football.
As an XFL owner, my #1 priority will always be the players.
☑️👇🏾https://t.co/thLLn4NI9o#XFL#NFL#InnovationAndOpportunity pic.twitter.com/rr0WPc3ua3

— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) February 21, 2022

The partnership is similar to the ones the MLB has with independent baseball leagues — like the American Association and Atlantic League. Last season, the Atlantic League experimented with moving the mound back one foot during the middle of the season — a historic and controversial move. It’s unlikely that rule will make its way to baseball, but it’s another example of a major professional league willing to experiment. 

“The XFL has shown us that innovation is one of its core principles,” NFL executive Troy Vincent said in the XFL’s press release. “We are hopeful that this relationship will support further development and improvements in the game of football at all levels.”

After the announcement Monday, Ice Cube lamented that the NBA hasn’t taken up his offer of a similar partnership with his three-on-three league, the BIG3. 

“This is great for the XFL. @thebig3 has been trying to work with the @NBA for years with no luck. Many NBA owners would love to invest in the BIG3, but the NBA views us as a competitive league and not a complementary league. Really? I seen a lot of @thebig3 innovations in the NBA,” Ice Cube tweeted. 

Before the third reprisal of the league previously owned by Vince McMahon, another spring football operation will be reborn in April. The eight-team USFL will play a five-game regular season in Birmingham, Alabama, and the postseason in Canton, Ohio.