Spring football is here! Maybe!
Did you know this week is the start of a brand new United Football League (UFL) season? Well if you didn’t, you know now. The 2025 campaign for spring football kicks off with the St. Louis Battlehawks and the Houston Roughnecks on Friday, Mar. 28. We think! Because the league might actually go on strike.
Whether there’s a strike or not I don’t think the whole season is suddenly in jeopardy of cancellation. Having combed through all eight rosters I see plenty of players with even the loosest ties to the Seattle Seahawks. Let’s take a look at which ones are in the league!
Was on a Seahawks 53-man or gameday roster
- WR Cade Johnson (Birmingham Stallions). One of the 7,000 Seahawks undrafted receivers thought to be a potential Doug Baldwin clone, Johnson bounced between active roster and practice squad from 2021 to 2023, catching a couple of passes for 21 yards in Seattle. This is Johnson’s first UFL season.
- CB Faion Hicks (Birmingham Stallions). Added to the practice squad after roster cuts, Hicks played 27 snaps just about split evenly between defense and special teams as a gameday elevation.
- CB Kelvin Joseph (DC Defenders). The former Dallas Cowboys cornerback was picked up by Seattle in 2023. He was mostly on the practice squad but was elevated for one game against the Tennessee Titans to play on special teams. It’s Joseph’s first year in the UFL.
- WR Malik Turner (Michigan Panthers). After spending two seasons with the Seahawks, including catching a touchdown against the Philadelphia Eagles on a trick play in 2019, Turner has bounced around the NFL and finally found himself on a spring roster for the first time.
- WR Gary Jennings Jr (St. Louis Battlehawks). I think we know how his Seahawks tenure went back in 2019. Jennings is entering his third season in spring football and his second with the Battlehawks. When the XFL existed in 2023, Jennings caught three touchdowns on 11 catches.
- DT Austin Faoliu (St. Louis Battlehawks). Faoliu was actually a Seattle Sea Dragon in 2023 before joining the Seahawks later that same year as the team searched for defensive tackle depth. This is his second season in St. Louis.
Was on Seahawks practice squad, training camp, or preseason roster
- TE Sal Cannella (Arlington Renegades). Beyond his name sounding like something you don’t want to contract, Cannella was signed by the Seahawks for the preseason finale in 2023. He had an outstanding 2024 in the UFL, leading the league in touchdown receptions with six.
- DT Kyon Barrs (Arlington Renegades). Preseason fodder back in 2024 and momentarily on the practice squad.
- CB Carlton Johnson (Arlington Renegades). A speedy, intriguing UDFA pickup last season who did not make the Seahawks roster or the practice squad.
- QB Alex McGough (Birmingham Stallions). The only other quarterback besides Russell Wilson who was drafted by John Schneider. McGough never made the active roster but has been outstanding in spring football, winning USFL MVP in 2023. He’s got two USFL titles and is gunning for a third spring football league crown.
- QB Holton Ahlers (Arlington Renegades). Ah yes, he was an adventurous QB in 2023 preseason but also so much so that he had no shot at the active roster. Ahlers has been with the Renegades since 2024 but hasn’t thrown a pass yet.
- TE Jace Sternberger (Birmingham Stallions). Very short stint on Seattle’s practice squad in 2021 after three seasons with the Green Bay Packers.
- WR Ty Scott (DC Defenders). Was signed via the UFL by the Seahawks last season and is now back in the UFL after practice squad time in the NFL.
- DE Nelson Ceaser (DC Defenders). One of my personal favorite UDFA signings from last season didn’t really pan out for the Seahawks.
- CB Lance Boykin (Memphis Showboats). Spent his first season with the Seahawks in preseason and on the practice squad before being waived last August. Boykin joined Memphis last December.
- QB Danny Etling (Michigan Panthers). He was with the Seahawks’ practice squad for a couple of weeks while Russell Wilson was injured and Geno Smith was starting. The former LSU QB is in his second year with Michigan and started several games last year. He’s the Week 1 starter this year.
- DL Walter Palmore (Michigan Panthers). An undrafted free agent who signed with Seattle in 2021 but didn’t last through preseason. Palmore played two seasons with Michigan in the old USFL, got an NFL contract with the Carolina Panthers, and now is back with Michigan.
- OL Greg Eiland (San Antonio Brahmas). Three seasons with the Seahawks from 2021 to 2023 but never made it onto the regular season roster.
- CB Chris Steele (San Antonio Brahmas). The former USC corner was a camp/preseason body in 2023 for the Seahawks.
- DL Jacob Sykes (San Antonio Brahmas). An intriguing UDFA from UCLA who impressed in 2023 preseason but not enough to earn a roster spot. This is his second season in San Antonio.
An honorable mention to St. Louis Battlehawks backup quarterback Chevan Cordeiro, who was a UDFA pickup for the Seahawks last season but didn’t even get beyond rookie minicamp. It also looks like the Houston Roughnecks are the only team without any ex-Seahawks.
Unfortunately, the Seattle Sea Dragons are still not a part of the UFL after being excluded from the XFL-USFL merger. There were rumblings that the Sea Dragons could be back in 2026 but I need to see the UFL itself actually be a lock to return in 2026 before making any grand declarations.
Spring football has become a catalyst for getting (back) into the NFL, so you never know if a strong season can turn into something great for these UFL players.