Garrett Hartley earned his place in New Orleans Saints history by booting the 20-yard field goal to end overtime against the Minnesota Vikings in the 2009 NFC Championship Game, propelling the Saints to Super Bowl XLIV, their first title game in franchise history. Hartley hung around the NFL for a few more years, having last played in 2014 with the Cleveland Browns.
However, per a report from ESPN staff writer Kevin Seifert, Hartley is preparing to kick again professionally: now with the XFL. Hartley was one of several kickers to try out for the alternative football league, and he ended up signing a contract with them. It’s unclear which of the eight XFL teams he’ll play for, however — contracts are signed with the league itself rather than its member squads.
Still, it’s great to see Hartley get this opportunity. Other former Saints players like pass-rusher Hau’oli Kikaha and wide receiver Tommylee Lewis are trying their luck in the XFL, and some of Hartley’s past teammates such as wideout Robert Meachem also attended past tryouts. Hartley turns 34 in May, a month after the XFL’s inaugural season wraps up.
The startup league’s first games are scheduled for Feb. 8, in a double-header featuring matchups between the Seattle Dragons and D.C. Defenders (at 1 p.m. CT on ABC), as well as the L.A. Wildcats and Houston Roughnecks (at 5 p.m. CT on FOX). Maybe some former members of the black and gold can keep it going in the XFL.
