Getty Trevor Knight will lead the Arizona Hotshots in the new AAF.
Football fans need not fret about the end of the NFL season–just six days after the conclusion of Super Bowl LIII, the newly founded Alliance of American Football will kick off its 10-week season on Saturday.
All AAF games will be broadcast on either CBS, CBS Sports Network, NFL Network, TNT or B/R Live, but if you don’t have cable, you can still watch the games live on your computer, phone or streaming device via any of the following options:
AAF Digital Platforms
Though there has been some confusion about whether or not the AAF would be streaming games, the website states that you’ll be able to watch games on your computer via AAF.com, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the AAF app.
PlayStation Vue offers four different channel packages: “Access”, “Core”, “Elite” and “Ultra.” All four include CBS (available live in most markets) and TNT, while the upper three packages include both CBS Sports Network and NFL Network.
You can start a free 5-day trial of any package right here (you don’t need to have a PlayStation console to sign up or watch), and you can then watch a live stream of AAF games on CBS, CBS Sports Network, NFL Network and TNT on your computer via the PS Vue website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, PlayStation (3 or 4), or other supported device via the PS Vue app.
If you can’t watch live, PlayStation Vue comes included with cloud DVR.
You can watch a live stream of CBS (available live in select markets, which you can find here), CBS Sports Network, NFL Network, TNT and 75 total channels via the main FuboTV bundle, which is largely tailored towards sports.
You can start a free seven-day trial right here, and you can then watch a live stream of AAF games on CBS, CBS Sports Network, NFL network and TNT on your computer via the FuboTV website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, or other supported device via the FuboTV app.
If you can’t watch live, FuboTV comes with 30 hours of Cloud DVR (with the ability to upgrade to 500 hours), as well as a “72-Hour Lookback” feature, which will allow you to watch the game up to three days after it airs even if you forgot to record it.
In addition to their extensive Netflix-like streaming library, Hulu now also offers a bundle of 50-plus live TV channels, including CBS (available live in select markets, which you can find here), CBS Sports Network and TNT. However, NFL Network is not included.
You can sign up for “Hulu with Live TV” right here, and you can then watch a live stream of AAF games on CBS, CBS Sports Network and TNT on your computer via the Hulu website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Echo Show, or other streaming device via the Hulu app.
If you can’t watch live, “Hulu with Live TV” also comes with 50 hours of Cloud DVR storage (with the ability to upgrade to “Enhanced Cloud DVR,” which gives you 200 hours of DVR space and the ability to fast forward through commercials).
For the games on CBS–If you have Amazon Prime or start a free 30-day trial of Amazon Prime, you can watch all CBS content (both live and on-demand) via the CBS All Access Amazon Channel, which also comes with a seven-day free trial.
Once you’re signed up for both Amazon Prime and the CBS channel, you can then watch a live stream of the AAF games on CBS on your computer via the Amazon website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone compatible), tablet, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Fire TV Stick, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, or other streaming device via the Amazon Video app.
B/R Live
Starting in Week 3, there will be one game per week on B/R Live, Bleacher Report’s own streaming service. Once signed up, you can watch those AAF games on your computer via the B/R Live website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the Bleacher Report Live app.
AAF Preview
Described as “a chance to watch more football,” the AAF–which was started by Charlie Ebersol and former NFL general manager Bill Polian– is being very careful to make itself a complementary piece next to the NFL rather than a competitive one. So much so, that if an AAF player is offered an NFL contract, he’ll be able to take the deal with the NFL.
“Our whole goal is just to be complementary,” said former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward, who is the AAF player relations executive. “With our league, it’s only going to put out a better product for the NFL. We’re giving them extra eyes and extra film.”
So, who exactly are these players who will be participating in the inaugural AAF season? College football fans will recognize many of the names, while a couple of the players have also had notable cups of coffee in the NFL. Here’s a rundown of the eight teams and some noteworthy players on each squad:
Arizona Hotshots: QB Trevor Knight, RB Jhurell Pressley, WR Josh Huff, TE Thomas Duarte
Atlanta Legends: QB Aaron Murray, RB Denard Robinson, WR Seantavius Jones, TE Garrett Hudson
Birmingham Iron: QB Luis Perz, RB Trent Richardson, WR Amba Etta-Tawo, TE Busta Anderson
Memphis Express: QB Christian Hackenberg, RB Zac Stacy, WR Fabian Guerra, WR Damore’ea Stringfellow, TE Adrien Robinson
Orlando Apollos: QB Garrett Gilbert, RB Akeem Hunt, WR Charles Johnson, WR Ishmael Hyman, WR Jalin Marshall, TE Scott Orndoff
Salt Lake Stallions: QB Josh Woodrum, RB Joel Bouagnon, RB Matt Asiata, WR Kenny Bell, TE Tanner Balderree
San Antonio Commanders: QB Dustin Vaughan, RB Kenneth Farrow, WR Mekale McKay, TE Stehly Reden
San Diego Fleet: QB Mike Bercovici, RB Ja’Quan Gardner, RB Bishop Sankey, WR Francis Owusu, WR Dontez Ford, TE Gavin Escobar
Of course, there will also be plenty of recognizable names on the sidelines, as well. Head coaches include Rick Neuheisel (Arizona), Brad Childress (Atlanta), Mike Singletary (Memphis), Dennis Erickson (Salt Lake), Mike Riley (San Antonio), Mike Martz (San Diego) and Steve Spurrier (Orlando).
Another noteworthy aspect of the AAF is the different rules.
In order to make the games more watchable for fans, there will be no TV timeouts, kickoffs and extra points are eliminated, and the play clock has been cut down to 30 seconds. And in lieu of onside kicks, if a team wants to get the ball back after scoring, they’ll receive possession on their own 35 facing a 4th-and-10–convert, and possession is theirs; fail, and the other team has the ball right outside the red zone.
Put it all together, and this should be a lot of fun. The players may not be the best of the world, but the AAF will certainly be enough to quench your football thirst.