NFL Greats Cris Carter & Eric Metcalf Join UFFS in Latest Athlete Announcements
Cris Carter dropped a bombshell on Monday morning, coming out of retirement to star in the American Football Legends League — launching his digital career with Ultimate Franchise Fantasy Sports. The Pro Football Hall of Famer and eight-time Pro Bowler will become a Digital Athlete NFT on the UFFS platform, which provides several revenue streams for current and former players — including fantasy gameplay, with the Ultimate Fantasy American Football League (UFAFL) kicking off in September alongside the NFL and the Legends League (AFLL) slated to start on Pro Bowl Sunday in February. Carter, a renowned broadcaster following his playing career, broke the big news on Twitter.
Touted for having the best hands of all time — rarely dropping passes and receiving praise for “all he does is catch touchdowns” — Carter was named to the NFL’s All-Decade Team for the 1990s. Over a stellar 16-year career with the Minnesota Vikings and Philadelphia Eagles as a wide receiver, the Troy, Ohio, native scored 130 touchdowns and amassed 1,101 receptions — both second most in NFL history at the time of his retirement in 2002 — en route to being enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2013. Now 55 years old, Carter still holds several receiving records, having been a model of consistency in recording eight straight 1,000-yard seasons and topping 100 yards receiving in 42 games throughout his career. Carter’s No. 80 has been retired by the Minnesota Vikings but his legacy will live on in the digital world with UFFS as the first American football Legend to be announced. “I believe it’s the future of fantasy sports, and offers some unique opportunities to current and former professional athletes,” Carter said of the UFFS platform.
Then on Tuesday, fellow NFL great Eric Metcalf also joined the UFFS team — signing on to co-host the UFAFL Franchise Auction live from Las Vegas next weekend, July 16-18, with head of football operations Andy McNamara. Presented by AO Sports, McNamara and Metcalf will be broadcasting the conclusion of the auction on Sunday, July 18 — with the “Two Minute Warning” set for 4 p.m. ET — while also hosting VIP events with other athletes and celebrities from the Circa Resort & Casino throughout the weekend. “I’m so excited to be hosting the UFAFL Franchise Auction with Eric Metcalf live from Las Vegas to see who becomes our new 32 franchise owners,” said McNamara, a diehard Browns fan who idolized Metcalf growing up and is stoked to be sharing the broadcast booth with him. “Adding all-time great NFL players like Cris Carter and Eric Metcalf to the UFF Sports team shows once again that this is professional fantasy sports. Tying real players to fantasy football is part of what makes the Ultimate Fantasy American Football League unique.”
The 53-year-old Metcalf was a first-round NFL draft pick in 1989 — taken 13th overall by the Cleveland Browns — and was selected to the Pro Bowl three times during his 13-year career as an electrifying return specialist. He led the NFL in kickoff return yards in just his second season (1990) and became a fan favourite in Cleveland before suiting up for six other NFL teams prior to retiring in 2002. Metcalf also led the NFL in punt return touchdowns in four different seasons and his 10 punt return TDs were an NFL record until 2011 when Devin Hester broke it. Metcalf is the only player to ever record 7,000-plus yards on offense and 7,000-plus yards on kickoff/punt returns, and his 17,230 all-purpose yards ranked among the NFL’s top 10 at the time of his retirement.
All registered bidders for the UFAFL Franchise Auction are invited to join those festivities in Vegas. To register, go to www.uffsports.com/ufafl and be sure to email info@uffsports.com to become a verified bidder. “If you want the most in-depth, high stakes fantasy experience that feels like you’re running an NFL front office, then you need to register now to bid on one of these franchises,” said McNamara. “Become part of the fantasy revolution.”