If you think back, football has never been short on leagues like the UFL and CFL trying to carve out a role behind the NFL.
NFL Europe had the league’s backing, the original USFL had stars, money, and enough nerve to try and challenge the NFL head on. The XFL has come and gone a couple of times, while Arena Football has built a pretty loyal following in its own lane.
One league has kept playing. The Canadian Football League (CFL).
I think the staying power it has shown over the years should earn them a little respect. The CFL has built its own thing and stuck with it.
Over the years, it has also sent some NFL Hall of Fame players south.
Warren Moon won five straight Grey Cups in the CFL before moving on to greener pastures in the NFL where he put together a Hall of Fame NFL career. Doug Flutie started in the NFL, then became a CFL legend, and returned to the NFL proving he could still play.
Joe Theisman was a Toronto Argonaut in the CFL before getting his shot with the Washington Redskins. Jeff Garcia went from Calgary to four Pro Bowls, and Cameron Wake used the CFL to earn another NFL shot.
I don’t feel like the CFL was ever trying to become the NFL’s farm system. It has different rules, field, and players who build careers in Canada without treating it like a stopgap.
I do feel like the UFL is chasing the NFL minor league title. It wants to be the league NFL teams check first when they need somebody who can step into camp and help out.
After digging through the last two seasons’ worth of signings from both leagues, I think it has a pretty strong case for that title.
The Cowboys Have Seen It Work
We all know Dalla doesn’t have to guess whether the UFL can produce NFL talent.
KaVontae Turpin, a former USFL player, the USFL and XFL merged in 2023 to create the UFL, was a USFL MVP before the Cowboys signed him to their roster, and he proved to us he belonged. Before long, he was a Pro Bowler, and then became a first-team All-Pro.
Perrion Winfrey is another example, even if we know how different his story was from Turpin’s. He played in the UFL before signing with Dallas and survived the initial 53-man roster cuts before seeing limited playing time in the NFL.
One player turned into an All-Pro and the other showed us the UFL can produce players NFL teams believe are worth keeping around.
The UFL and CFL Signing Gap Is Hard to Ignore
I was curious about which league had the most players signed by an NFL team. I had a feeling the UFL was the winner, but had to make sure.
Over the last two seasons alone, the UFL had 90 players sign with an NFL team. While the CFL had 16.
I found in 2025 the UFL had 67 players signed with an NFL team, and the CFL had 7. In 2026, so far, the UFL has 23 while the CFL has 9.
We are not seeing a close race between these two leagues, but signing a contract is just the first step because every NFL team is trying to fill the back end of its roster during the summer.
I think the better question is who sticks around in the NFL.
The UFL Put More Players in Position to Stick
From the 2025 UFL class, one player, Perrion Winfrey, made a 53-man roster in the NFL, while 10 others landed on a practice squad.
I found out the CFL had one player make a practice squad, wide receiver Andre Baccellia, and no one from this league was on a 53-man roster.
The UFL players, after I broke it down, had a 16.4% survival rate and the CFL players had a 14.3% survival rate.
You may be thinking that is really close, but you have to take into account the UFL had 67 players signed and 11 players on the opening roster or practice squad. While the CFL was at, 7 players signed and one player was on a practice squad.
What this tells me is the NFL is finding reasons to hold onto UFL players.
History may belong to the CFL, but in this day and age, the UFL has become the NFL’s minor league system, and it seems to be working out for both leagues.
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