Orlando Apollos cornerback Keith Reaser (29) has landed a deal with the Kansas City Chiefs. (AP Photo/Rick Wilson) After the tumultuous ending of the Alliance of American Football, two of the league’s players have found a landing spot. On Thursday, mere hours after the AAF announced that its players were allowed to sign with NFL clubs, a source told Yahoo Sports’ Terez Paylor that cornerback Keith Reaser had signed a deal with the Kansas City Chiefs. ESPN’s Adam Schefter, who first reported the agreement, offered the contractual details as well. Deal includes $100k up front — $50K signing bonus, $25k workout bonus and $25k roster bonus, per source. https://t.co/3EEUn6cUiK — Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 4, 2019 Reaser was one of the top players on the AAF’s best team, the Orlando Apollos. The Apollos were coached by Steve Spurrier and had a league-best 7-1 record. Reaser led the team with three interceptions along with 12 tackles. Reaser, 27, has previous NFL experience. The Florida Atlantic product was chosen in the fifth round of the 2014 draft by the San Francisco 49ers. He saw action in 29 games for the 49ers before being released early in the 2017 season. From there, he signed on with the Chiefs, first as part of the team’s practice squad. Late in the year, he was promoted to the active roster and saw action in one game. He went to camp with the Chiefs ahead of the 2018 season, but was waived/injured. Overall, Reaser has 38 tackles, seven passes defended and two forced fumbles at the NFL level. WR Rashad Ross lands with the Panthers Later Thursday, wide receiver Rashad Ross signed with the Carolina Panthers. Ross, who played for the Arizona Hotshots, caught 36 passes for 583 yards and seven touchdowns in the AAF. Another jump from the AAF to the NFL: WR Rashad Ross from the Arizona Hotshots to the Carolina Panthers, per source. — Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 4, 2019 Ross’ seven touchdowns led the league while his receiving yardage ranked second and his reception total was third. Ross has been on the radar of NFL teams for quite a while. He went undrafted out of Arizona State in 2013 but has seen action for the Washington Redskins and Chicago Bears. Story continues In all, Ross has 34 catches for 812 yards in his NFL career, most of which came in 2015 with Washington. Ross also had stints on the practice squad with the Kansas City Chiefs, Detroit Lions and Arizona Cardinals. And while Reaser and Ross had soft landings, many other AAF players haven’t been so fortunate. Players from across the eight-team league have divulged various horror stories, including some getting booted from where they were staying and others left on the hook to care for their injuries. More from Yahoo Sports:<doc-sep>Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press A player from the Alliance of American Football has reportedly signed with an NFL team—the first to do so following the league's collapse. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Thursday that Orlando Apollos cornerback Keith Reaser has agreed to a deal with the Kansas City Chiefs. According to Schefter, Reaser will earn $100,000 guaranteed. Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio and Action Network's Darren Rovell reported Tuesday the AAF was suspending operations immediately and on the verge of folding altogether as lead investor Tom Dundon was withdrawing his funding for the league. According to Yahoo Sports' Terez Paylor, the NFL issued a memo to its 32 teams to say any contact with AAF players was forbidden until the league formally ended. The AAF gave the green light Thursday, tweeting, "Players are authorized to sign with NFL clubs." Reaser is a natural candidate to make the jump from the AAF to the NFL. The 27-year-old finished with 12 tackles and three interceptions in eight games with the Apollos. Pro Football Focus rated him as the best cornerback in the league. Video Play Button Videos you might like Prior to arriving in the AAF, Reaser spent four seasons in the NFL. A fifth-round pick of the San Francisco 49ers in 2014, he remained with the Niners until 2017 and then signed with the Chiefs. Kansas City released him in September 2018.<doc-sep>AAF co-founder Bill Polian says high costs mainly caused the AAF to suspend operations and there is only room for one professional football league. (1:07) The Kansas City Chiefs announced Friday they have signed cornerback Keith Reaser. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Thursday that Reaser was the first player from the Alliance of American Football to agree to a deal with an NFL team. The AAF suspended operations earlier this week and announced Thursday that all of the league's players were allowed to sign with NFL teams. The Chiefs are giving Reaser $100,000 up front in the form of a $50,000 signing bonus, a $25,000 workout bonus and a $25,000 roster bonus, the source told Schefter. Reaser had played for the league-best Orlando Apollos and made three interceptions and 12 tackles in the eight-game season. Reaser, a fifth-round pick of the San Francisco 49ers in 2014, previously spent time with the Chiefs in 2017-18 and played in one game for the team before being released last September. He appeared in 29 NFL games with the Niners from 2015-17.<doc-sep>
The AAF’s abrupt shutdown this week left hundreds of players without work or promise of another paycheck after signing three-year, $250k deals, and while some of the league’s stars will get an opportunity at the next level, the majority of players will either have to gamble on a future with the XFL or start planning for a new career. The league announced Thursday morning that all players are now eligible to sign contracts with NFL teams, and it only took a few hours for the first deal to be reported. Effective immediately, all AAF players are authorized to sign with NFL Clubs. — The Alliance (@TheAAF) April 4, 2019 Former FAU Owls star Keith Reaser, a fifth-round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, will return to Kansas City for a second stint with the team. After spending three full seasons in San Francisco, Reaser was released in September of 2017 and quickly signed with the Chiefs. He recovered a fumble in a playoff game against the Titans, but injuries derailed his chances of making the team in camp the next year. Reaser was one of the best players on a 7-1 Orlando Apollos team, and was the highest-graded cornerback according to Pro Football Focus. New @Chiefs Signing: CB Keith Reaser (@KeithReaser3) -Chief in 2017, played Week 17 at Denver -2nd highest graded player in the AAF, receiving a 92.7 grade with 3 90+ graded games out of 8 -14/30, 146 yards, 0 TDs, 3 INTs (2 Pick 6’s), 7 PBUs, 21.7 Passer Rating Against pic.twitter.com/Ot2OGz1OL8 — PFF KC Chiefs (@PFF_Chiefs) April 4, 2019 Deal includes $100k up front — $50K signing bonus, $25k workout bonus and $25k roster bonus, per source. https://t.co/3EEUn6cUiK — Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 4, 2019