No, this is not an April Fool’s joke: Safety D.J. Swearinger is returning to Washington to play football — but not in the NFL. The XFL’s D.C. Defenders announced Wednesday that they’d signed Swearinger.
At 6-1, the Defenders sit atop the XFL and are coming off their first loss of the season.
The 31-year-old Swearinger entered the NFL as a second-round pick f the Houston Texans in 2013. Swearinger bounced around a bit, having stints with the Texans, Buccaneers, Cardinals, Washington, Raiders and Saints. He had a brief stint on the Colts’ practice squad in 2021 and did not play in 2022.
Welcome back to the District @JungleBoi_Swagg 🫡
Let’s get to work ‼️#DefendDC | #XFL2023
— D.C. Defenders (@XFLDefenders) April 5, 2023
Back to Swearinger’s stint with Washington. It was arguably Swearinger’s best work in the NFL. Swearinger came to Washington in 2017 and became an immediate impact player. However, it was his constant criticism of his coaches that led to Washington releasing him in December 2018. Had Swearinger not kept going to the media and criticizing the coaching staff, there’s a good chance Washington would have offered him a contract extension.
As for heading to the XFL, good for Swearinger. He still wants to play and can play. He’s playing for the love of the game and to get one last shot at the NFL. Here’s wishing him the best of luck.