Mini-camps are wrapping up across the league today, but it seems there may be some other news to talk about. Earlier today the St. Louis BattleHawks tweeted that they had acquired WR Keith Mumphery from Dallas in exchange for LB Markus Jones. This would mark the first trade in the XFL to date.
The Tweet was deleted shortly after, leaving many fans wondering if the trade was official. We have reached out to both the BattleHawks and Renegades for comment. We will keep you posted on this story as we learn more.
UPDATE: The St. Louis BattleHawks have once again tweeted the trade announcement, making the news official.
🚨 Trade Alert 🚨
We have acquired WR Keith Mumphery from Dallas for LB Markus Jones in the first trade in BattleHawks history.#ForTheLoveOfFootball x #ClearedToEngage pic.twitter.com/8XuqNaP7aY
— St. Louis BattleHawks (@XFLBattleHawks) December 19, 2019
Keith Mumphery was drafted in the fifth round, 175th overall, of the 2015 NFL Draft by the Houston Texans. In his rookie year, he played in 13 games, catching 14 passes for 129 yards. He also handled punt returns and kickoff returns for the Texans, averaging 7.8 return yards per punt and 24.1 return yards per kickoff.
Markus Jones was the national Defensive Player of the Year in NCAA Division II in 2018. The defensive end led all divisions of college football last year with 36.5 tackles for loss, in addition to breaking ASU’s single-season sack record with 17.5 and career mark with 37.
Jones wasn’t selected in the NFL Draft, but he signed a free-agent contract with the Baltimore Ravens the same day the draft ended.
