Birmingham AAF Team Signs Former Bama QB

BIRMINGHAM, AL - Birmingham's new pro football team is looking to end up with a bevy of familiar faces when it starts play in February of 2019. With former University of Alabama wide receiver Chris Black and former Troy and Alabama State running back Marquell Beckwith already signed, and former Crimson Tide running back Trent Richardson planning to sign with the team, the still-unnamed Alliance of American Football team in Birmingham is shaping up to have a hometown flare. Now, add another name to that list of familiar players.

Former Alabama quarterback Blake Sims announced this week he has signed with the Birmingham team. Sims, who was recruited to Alabama as a quarterback out of Georgia, was switched to running back, then to receiver, then back to quarterback during his tenure in Tuscaloosa. But Sims waited his turn, earning the starting job his senior season and shattering the school's single-season passing yards record in 2014 en route to an SEC championship.

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The Birmingham AAF team will likely try to sign players from Alabama, Auburn and UAB to build a local fan base, as one of the reasons given for the failure of pro football teams in Birmingham has been the fanatic following college football has in Alabama.

Sims tried out with some NFL teams, but has opted to try his hand at the new pro league, which includes eight teams: Birmingham, Birmingham joins Atlanta, Memphis, Orlando, Phoenix, San Diego and Salt Lake City.

The standard Alliance player contract offers players a base salary of $250,000 over three years with a comprehensive bonus system which will award financial compensation based on a variety of metrics such as performance, win, and fan engagement. Additionally, players who make final rosters will be offered post-secondary education assistance and health and wellness benefits.

Players are allocated to Alliance teams based on where they competed in college. If a player's college is outside The Alliance footprint, he will be allocated based on his most recent NFL/CFL team. If a player's college is outside The Alliance allocation footprint AND he did not play in the NFL or CFL, then he is unallocated and available to be tendered a contract by any Alliance team. If a player signs with The Alliance and is then offered a contract to play in the National Football League, the player will be granted permission to pursue that opportunity

The Birmingham team will play its home games at Legion Field before moving to the new downtown stadium upon its completion.

Photo Credit: CSM/Shutterstock

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