Week 4 in the UFL: The Emotional Roller Coaster Continues

The news cycle for the 2025 UFL season has been one of the most entertaining, concerning, exhausting, and exciting in my 3 years of covering the league. The mood swings of the league have been extreme, to say the least. For instance, there were talks of UFL expansion to start the season. (The UFL, 2024) This brought on a sense of comfort that the UFL’s spring football experiment was working. Those feelings of joy and security were quickly replaced by fear and concern when news broke of a potential player strike and a list of quarterbacks who sat out of an on-field training activity.

For fans, the swing from the excitement of potential expansion and the happy thought of the potential to see former teams such as the Seattle Sea Dragons or New Orleans Breakers to the shock of sitting out actual games was nothing short of a gut-wrenching roller coaster.

And once the season started, that wasn’t the end of the drama; the topsy-turvy coaching carousel started hitting D.C., losing their head coach and defensive coordinator, Memphis losing their head coach twice, and the San Antonio team seeing their offensive coordinator step away from the team. Now we have reached week 4, and one of the most beloved coaches in spring football history and quite possibly football history in general, Wade Phillips, has stepped away.  It was reported in the San Antonio Express-News that “San Antonio Brahmas head coach Wade Phillips is taking an indefinite leave of absence for personal reasons, the UFL announced Wednesday, with offensive coordinator Payton Pardee set to step in as the interim head coach until Phillips returns.” (Luca, 2025) 

And if you think that the roller coaster ride for week 4 was over, you would be severely mistaken. For every down, there is an up. “According to union officials, the United Football Players Association has ratified a new collective bargaining agreement with the United Football League, ending nearly six months of negotiations. The deal, which is pending final approval from the UFL, is retroactive to the start of training camp, which opened March 2, and will extend through the end of the 2026 season. According to a fact sheet produced by the UFPA, the new CBA includes an annual raise of $7,005 on the players' minimum salary, from $55,000 to $62,005 for players participating in all 10 regular-season games. The new CBA also makes all players eligible for year-round health care. The minimum salary for 2026 will be $64,000.” (Seifert, 2025)

What a fantastic turn of events. Brahma fans hope their new head coach, Payton Pardee, continues the upward swing by getting a victory this week in D.C. as they play their fourth consecutive road game. It will not be an easy victory by any means, as D.C. has been one of the better-performing teams in the league. They are not unbeatable, though, as their offense has had issues at times with completing passes and running the ball, and the Brahmas' defense showed up with some critical plays in week 3 versus the Panthers.

One thing is certain, heading into week 4 of the UFL season: nothing is certain. Please remember to keep your arms and legs inside the ride at all times for your mental and emotional protection.

References

Luca, G. (2025, April 16). San Antonio Brahmas coach Wade Phillips to take leave of absence. Retrieved from San Antonio Express News: https://www.expressnews.com/sports/article/san-antonio-brahmas-wade-phillips-take-leave-20279394.php

Seifert, K. (2025, April 18). New UFL CBA increases minimum salary, roster size. Retrieved from ESPN: https://www.espn.com/united-football-league/story/_/id/44729619/new-ufl-cba-increases-minimum-salary-roster-size

The UFL. (2024, November 25). United Football League Launches Expansion Process for New Team Markets. Retrieved from UFL: https://www.theufl.com/news/united-football-league-launches-expansion-process-for-new-team-markets