The Alliance of American Football; you may have heard of it, but are you entirely sure what it is?
The AAF is a new football league that features eight teams that play a 10-game regular season schedule. The teams are filled out with ex-NFL players, crops of local talent, and a never-ending list of players that will make you say, “oh yeah…that guy?”
While there are several big-name “that guy’s” that are featured — Trent Richardson (former 3rd round pick), Christian Hackenberg (2nd round pick), Denard Robinson (Michigan QB) and even…Michael Vick (Offensive Coordinator for Atlanta Legends) — a few names on the AAF rosters might strike a chord with longtime Redskin fans.
Here are the former Redskins who are getting a second wind in the AAF.
Nick Novak
Novak is a kicker for the Birmingham Iron, but he had a long career in the NFL, playing for the Redskins, Los Angeles Chargers, Arizona Cardinals, Kansas City Chiefs, Houston Texans and New York Jets.
Novak signed with the Redskins in 2005 as an undrafted free agent. Though he only played in five games for Washington, he is fondly remembered for hitting a game-winning extra point in the season-opener against the Dallas Cowboys, as well as coming up with the game-saving tackle on the ensuing kickoff.
Josh Johnson*
Let me start by saying that Johnson will not be playing for any teams in the AAF this season, but his name is still worth mentioning.
Before he was signed by the Redskins in a wake of QB injuries that left them more than desperate, Johnson was the No. 1 overall pick in the AAF draft, being selected by the San Diego Fleet.
Johnson was slated to be one of the top prospects in the league, and his skill-set as a dual-threat quarterback posed a major threat to the rest of the league.
Lucky for the Redskins — and unlucky for the AAF — Johnson agreed to sign with Washington, where he went 1-2 as a started with three touchdowns and four interceptions.
Rashad Ross
Ross is a receiver for the Arizona Hotshots, but spent three seasons with the Redskins in the midst of a decent NFL career.
After going undrafted in 2013, Ross made his way to Washington after brief stops in Kansas City and Chicago. With the Redskins, Ross spent time on the practice squad before having a breakout preseason in 2014, where he recorded 25 receptions and four touchdowns.
In 2015, Ross became the kick returner for Washington, and he scored his first career touchdown on a 101-yard kick return against the New York Giants on Thursday Night Football. Ross also picked up his first career receiving-touchdown in the final week of the 2015 season on a 71-yard bomb from Colt McCoy.
Ross was released by the Redskins during the 2016 season.
