XFL cancelling 2020 season, players can sign with NFL teams on March 23

The XFL’s 2020 season is officially cancelled. The league suspended its season earlier this month and announced that no more games will be played this year Friday via Twitter, stating that the rapid spread of COVID-19 was the reason. Major sports leagues have postponed their seasons until further notice amid the pandemic, so it was only a matter of time before the XFL shut things down altogether.

While the 2020 season is finished after just five weeks, the XFL is optimistic about bringing more football to the masses in 2021 and beyond. The eight-team league provided a source of entertainment and a platform for players hoping to reach the NFL to use for exposure.

The NFL forbid teams from signing XFL players earlier this week as free agency began, but that restriction will be lifted by Monday, March 23rd, at 9 a.m. ET, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. Houston Roughnecks quarterback P.J. Walker emerged as one of the XFL’s stars during his brief stint in the league, and reports of him garnering interest from NFL franchises are already surfacing.

It won’t be long before more XFL stars get looks from NFL teams. It appears like many of the players aiming for a shot in the big leagues could get one sooner than they thought they would.