Vikings Signee DL Jalen Redmond - Stacey Revere/Getty Images
Now that the inaugural UFL season is over, the time has come for UFL players to fulfill their NFL dreams and earn contracts with NFL teams.
They have played their hearts out and now is the time for them to get their flowers.
Those UFL players who have signed their contracts will participate in their NFL team’s training camps starting in late July.
Here are 6 UFL players who have earned contracts by NFL teams so far:
Jake Bates (Kicker) Michigan Panthers to Detroit Lions
The local boy is staying home. The hero who kicked a game-winning 64-yard field goal against the St. Louis Battlehawks has signed an NFL contract with the Detroit Lions.
How much of a hero is the strong-legged kicker? Well, he’s heroic enough to have his game ball already placed in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
His NFL contract is for two years, worth $1.98 million, with $150,000 guaranteed and a $100,000 signing bonus.
The 24-year-old made 17 of his 22 field goal tries in the regular season and had a strong leg all year. Additionally, he was 21 of 28 overall and seemed calm, cool, and collected on the tee.
PROJECTION: Bates will become this year’s story of Brandon Aubrey. The kicker for the Cowboys’ success in the USFL translated to the NFL, as he became a staple of the Cowboys’ kicking game.
Bates will do the same and become the staple kicker of the Detroit Lions. You can mark my words.
Ricky Person Jr. (Running Back) Birmingham Stallions to Seattle Seahawks
After becoming a UFL champion, the Birmingham Stallions running back agreed to a contract with the Seattle Seahawks.
Prior to Spring football, Person went undrafted by the Baltimore Ravens out of North Carolina State. Seeing zero action on the field, he was waived quite rapidly.
Person decided to go to the Spring league and played with the Birmingham Stallions for two years.
In the 2023 USFL season, at 6’1″, 220 lbs., the reliable running back had a mere 14 touches.
In 2024, with the UFL merger, Person became the focal point, with 295 yards on the ground. The 24-year-old led the league with six touchdowns and 150 receiving yards that caught NFL scouts eyes.
Now that he has taken the circuitous route back to the NFL, he will have a ton of competition in order to even crack Seattle’s 53-man roster.
PROJECTION: Person will start way below on the running back depth chart.
He will have the opportunity to tune out the doubters and make the 53-man roster in the Seahawks’ running back room.
Dondrea Tillman (Defensive Lineman/Outside Linebacker) Birmingham Stallions to Denver Broncos
Birmingham Stallions Defensive lineman/Outside linebacker Dondrea Tillman signed a three-year NFL contract with the Denver Broncos.
The deal is worth $2.84 million for three years, including a $10,000 signing bonus. Tillman will need to pass a physical and have his UFL contract terminated.
After graduating from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 2019, Tillman was not in a helmet and pads for two years.
In 2021, he played one year in the Spring league with the Conquerors. At 6’3″, 270 lbs., Tillman is a hybrid defensive lineman/linebacker like Von Miller of the Buffalo Bills.
The Birmingham Stallions drafted him in the third round of the 2022 USFL draft, and he won two consecutive USFL titles with the club.
With the merger forming the 2024 UFL season, he won a third straight title, earning him this NFL contract signing.
The 26-year-old finished the season with 3.5 sacks and 27 total tackles.
PROJECTION: Tillman could be a destructive linebacker in a 3-4 scheme, but he needs to lose weight and adjust to a different defensive system.
Willey Harvey Jr. (Linebacker) St. Louis Battlehawks to Dallas Cowboys
Harvey Jr. is expected to sign his NFL contract with the Dallas Cowboys after an All-UFL season with the St. Louis Battlehawks.
The 28-year-old wants to fill the void for the recently retired linebacker, Leighton Vander Esch.
Harvey led the UFL in tackles with 76. He also led in tackles for losses (9), passes defended (6), and forced fumbles (2).
The dynamic athlete signed as an undrafted free agent in 2019 with the Cleveland Browns. He was then waved on Aug 31, 2019, and placed on the practice squad the next day.
Harvey only played in four NFL games with the Cleveland Browns, making two tackles.
The 5’11”, 230 lb., Iowa State alum will come to Cowboys Training camp ready to make this new-look linebacking corp being created in “Big D.”
PROJECTION: Harvey will have to prove himself in Dallas, but make no mistake, this guy can make the Cowboys roster as a rotational depth piece.
In other words, he will make three successful Spring league signings for Dem Boyz.
Prince Emili (Defensive Tackle) San Antonio Brahmas to Atlanta Falcons
The 6’1″, 295 lb. run stuffer is signing his NFL contract with the Atlanta Falcons under head coach Raheem Morris.
The native New Yorker originally signed with the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent on May 16, 2022.
In two games with the Bills, Emili made three tackles and was released from the team on October 4.
After a quick stint in the “Big Easy” that ended with New Orleans in August 2023, the San Antonio Brahmas signed Emili on Dec 20, 2023.
In the inaugural UFL season, Emili broke out with 23 tackles, three sacks, and one pass breakup in nine games.
In the UFL championship game, the 25-year-old recorded seven tackles and two sacks against the Birmingham Stallions.
PROJECTION: Emili definitely has the body of work and size to be a rotational defensive tackle and occasionally come in and make big run-stuffing plays.
Plus, he will play under a defensive-minded head coach in Morris.
Daewood Davis (Wide Receiver) Memphis Showboats to Carolina Panthers
Daewood Davis has signed an NFL contract with the Carolina Panthers.
The 25-year-old speed burner boasted the UFL’s longest scrimmage play with an 82-yard touchdown catch against the Michigan Panthers.
At 6’2″, 195 lbs., Davis caught 41 passes for 446 yards and five touchdowns, creating him a place on the inaugural All-UFL team.
After college at Western Kentucky University, Davis signed as an undrafted free agent with the Miami Dolphins in 2023.
An injury agreement forced him to be waived during roster cutdowns.
After a successful UFL career with the Showboats, this will be Davis’s second chance at the NFL level.
PROJECTION: Because the Panthers are a rebuilding team, Davis has plenty of room at the wide receiver table to make the roster and contribute as a deep threat.
With these 6 players who have earned contracts with NFL teams, let’s Congratulate them.
I hope we see them on the active rosters of the NFL this coming season.
To read another interesting UFL Story, please check out:
UFL Players Getting NFL Opportunities after Regular Season Ends
