Another shot: Palmer grad signs with Boston of the FXFL

PALMER — Junior Aumavae refuses to shake his dream of shedding blockers on the professional football field.

Earlier this week, the 2004 graduate of Palmer High School and former Moose star, took another step toward his goal of landing a permanent spot on a National Football League roster. Aumavae, a 6-foot-2 defensive lineman signed with the Boston Brawlers of the FXFL, the new developmental football league.

“I’m pretty excited. It will give me another opportunity to get on the field and show my talents,” Aumavae said by cellphone from his home in Green Bay, Wisc.

According to its website, the Fall Experimental Football League, “is a professional football league, which serves as a developmental platform for players, coaches and referees.”

The 2014 FXFL will feature four teams in a six-week regular season. Regular-season games will be on weeknights and televised, according to the website.

Aumavae, a former member of the practice squad of the NFL’s New York Jets, said the FXFL is looking for players with NFL credentials for the new league. Aumavae said references with NFL connections helped find him a spot in the FXFL. He hopes this opportunity could lead to a shot with another NFL team.

“It’s a good opportunity for me to go out there and actually play a game, instead of just working out, ”Aumave said.

Aumavae flew to Omaha, Neb., on Thursday and reports to the league’s training camp Friday.

Since his last stint in the NFL, Aumavae has been living in Green Bay, training at Don Beebe’s House of Speed. Aumavae did garner interest from NFL teams during the offseason, he said, but nothing materialized.

“I’ve just been training up here, waiting for another opportunity,” Aumavae said. “I think this is the break I need. It’s another opportunity to showcase my talent on film.”

The Brawlers will play their home games at Harvard Stadium in Allston, Mass. Former Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Terry Shea is the head coach of the Brawlers. The four-team league will feature the Brawlers, the Omaha Mammoths, Brooklyn Bolts and Miami Blacktips. The Brawlers open the inaugural season Oct. 8 against the Mammoths at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha.

Aumavae, a veteran of indoor and outdoor professional football, spent all of training camp and preseason with the New York Jets prior to the 2013 regular season. He was among the final 22 players cut at the end of the 2013 preseason, as the Jets reduced its roster to the league maximum of 53 players. Three days later he was added to the Jets practice squad. He spent about another month with the team on the practice squad.

Aumavae, now 28, played in all four preseason games for the Jets in 2013, recording at least one tackle in every game. He finished the preseason with five tackles, including two for a loss.

Aumavae continues to work to become the 11th Alaskan to make a regular season NFL roster. He hopes consistent time in the FXFL playing in a league designed to become a potential feeder program for the NFL will help him achieve that.

“Something is going to work out for me,” Aumavae said.

There are currently two Alaskans in the NFL: Miami Dolphins offensive lineman Daryn Colledge (North Pole) and New York Giants defensive back Zack Bowman (Bartlett).

Aumavae was a Division II standout at Western Washington and Minnesota State-Mankato. He’s also played professional indoor football with the Fairbanks Grizzlies and Green Bay Blizzard.

Aumavae’s time with the Jets marked his second stint in the NFL. He spent a portion of the offseason with the Dallas Cowboys in 2010, but did not appear in a preseason game.

Aumavae is a former Alaska Lineman of the Year. He was named first-team all-state on offense and defense as a junior and senior. He also helped lead the Moose to a Railbelt Conference title in 2002 and 2003.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.