The Roughnecks had a franchise regular season record of 12-3 (.800), the highest win percentage among all XFL teams (tied with DC Defenders).

On December 5, 2018, Houston was announced as one of eight cities that would join the newly reformed XFL, as well as Seattle, St. Louis, Los Angeles, New York, DC, Tampa Bay, and Dallas.

[7] On August 3, 2020, it was reported that a consortium led by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Dany Garcia, and Gerry Cardinale (through Cardinale's fund RedBird Capital Partners) purchased the XFL for $15 million just hours before an auction could take place; the purchase received court approval on August 7, 2020.

The Roughnecks released a large portion of its roster ahead of the 2024 season[15] and reassigned Phillips and his staff to the San Antonio Brahmas.

[17] With the announcement of the merger on December 31, The Washington Post reported that the merged league's Houston team would take on the Roughnecks identity.