NFL teams have several ways to reduce the number of players on their active roster — from cuts to trades to injury and other reserve lists.
“Cutting” a player is when a team chooses to part ways with a player. But there is more subtlety to it through the difference between getting waived and getting released.
After an NFL team cuts a player, he is either waived or released. A player who has accrued less than four years worth of seasons in the NFL is waived, while a so-called vested veteran, or a player with four or more accrued seasons, is released. An ‘accrued season’ simply refers to the year a player spends at least six weeks on a team’s 53-man roster.Let’s get in more detail about waiving vs releasing.
Waiving vs Releasing in the NFL
When a player is waived, it means that their contract is not yet terminated, but rather that they are on a “waiver wire” that makes them available to be “claimed” by other teams.
If another team claims the player, then he joins that team with the same conditions of his current contract. On the other hand, if no team claims him in a certain period of time, stereotypically by midday the next day, his contract is terminated and he becomes an unrestricted free agent.
“Waiving” an injured player is basically informing the league about that player’s injury. The player then goes through the same “waiver wire” above, and undergoes one of two options: a certain team puts in a claim for him, or no team claims him. When he’s not claimed, he reverts back to his original team’s injury reserve list. And then his team decides whether to “maintain” him or “release” him directly with an injury settlement.
Meanwhile, if a player is “released”, their contract is terminated effective immediately and they are free to sign with any team they want from that point on.
The four years of service time in the NFL, or the “vet life,” like Cowboys’ Jaylon Smith likes to call it, is the key to the process. Once that rookie deal is over, a player has the freedom to sign with any team he chooses.
What is the Waiver Wire?
The “waiver wire” is the system that allows all NFL teams to sign young players, or in other words, the time period a player is placed on waivers until they go unclaimed.
“The waiver period runs from the first business day after the Super Bowl through the end of the NFL’s regular season. Except in rare incidents, the waiver period lasts 24 hours and all waivers are categorized as “no recall” and “no withdrawal,” which means once a club waives a player, it cannot take the player back or change the player’s status,” as per the NFL.
The waiver system is based on priority, so teams have an ordered chance to claim a player or “waive” them.
When the trade deadline ends, every player that is cut is required to go through waivers with no exceptions.
FAQs
A player who has accrued less than four years worth of seasons in the NFL is waived, while a so-called vested veteran, or a player with four or more accrued seasons, is released. An 'accrued season' simply refers to the year a player spends at least six weeks on a team's 53-man roster.
What is the difference between a waiver and a release? ›
The term waiver is sometimes used to refer a document that is signed before any damages actually occur. A release is sometimes used to refer to a document that is executed after an injury has occurred.
What does releasing a player in the NFL mean? ›
Meanwhile, if a player is “released”, their contract is terminated effective immediately and they are free to sign with any team they want from that point on.
Do NFL players get paid if they get released? ›
Every NFL player who is on a team's roster during the year will earn a base salary divided up into 18 instalments. That covers the 17-game schedule and the bye week which make up the season. If a player gets cut during the season, the bulk of the money they expected to earn gets lost unless they have a guarantee.
What happens to NFL players who get cut? ›
A player who is waived (only possible if that player has less than four accrued seasons in the league) will keep their contracts until they have gone through the waiver wire. A player who is released has their contract terminated and becomes a free agent.
What is waived vs released vs cut? ›
After an NFL team cuts a player, he is either waived or released. A player who has accrued less than four years worth of seasons in the NFL is waived, while a so-called vested veteran, or a player with four or more accrued seasons, is released.
Do waived players get paid? ›
Do waived players get paid? When a team waives a player, the franchise is still obliged to fulfil the contractual obligations. So, if a player has a certain amount of guaranteed money on his contract, the team that waived him must pay him if no other team picks his contract up.
Why do NFL teams release players? ›
Lots of teams release players before free agency as a way of clearing salary-cap space. One notable example this offseason is Denver Broncos safety Justin Simmons.
Do cut NFL players get paid? ›
Do NFL teams have to pay out the contracts of players they cut? Typically, no. Unlike Major League Baseball and the NBA, where nearly all contracts are fully guaranteed, NFL contracts are, by default, not guaranteed.
How do waivers work in the NFL? ›
How Do Waivers Work? The NFL's waiver process is a system that restricts where young players can sign. Any player with less than four years of NFL service when cut is not a free agent, but must first pass through waivers. Any player on waivers is subject to having their contract claimed by any other NFL team.
NFL players don't get paid as if they work a nine-to-five job, which they clearly don't. They earn a weekly salary but only during the season with conditions set on whether they play and how they perform. Like other workers they get bonuses that are paid outside the regular schedule of payments.
Do NFL players get paid weekly? ›
NFL players are generally paid weekly during the regular season with their annual salaries spread across 18 weeks. When the playoffs begin, these checks stop. Players participating in playoff games are compensated, but playoff checks are often drastically lower than regular season game checks.
What is the minimum salary in the NFL? ›
As per the league's Collective Bargaining Agreement established in March 2020, NFL players' minimum salary measured up to $660,000 in the 2021 season, which went up from $610,000 in 2020. The minimum salary rose to $705,000 in 2022. This year, the minimum salary for an NFL player is $750,000.
What happens to waived NFL players? ›
A player who clears waivers and becomes a free agent is free to negotiate and sign a contract with any NFL club, and any NFL club is free to negotiate and sign a contract with such player. There is no penalty or restriction for signing a free agent who has cleared waivers.
Do undrafted players get paid? ›
This trend can leave top undrafted players better off than their peers taken in the later rounds. While often the only guaranteed money offered to late-round picks is a signing bonus, which is slotted by the collective bargaining agreement, there is no limit to what teams can offer UDFAs in base salary guarantees.
Do NFL players get paid if they retire? ›
Severance is paid as a lump sum post-retirement check. You will receive the payment on the quarter-end date following one full year without any NFL contract activity. The amount you will receive is based on the number of credited seasons you have, and the years in which you played.
Do waivers actually hold up in court? ›
In California, a liability waiver must be clear, unambiguous, and explicit. In other words, waivers cannot be printed in faded ink, in small font, on the back of a paper, or in an otherwise ambiguous form. If the waiver that you sign is not represented clearly, it may not hold up in the event of a lawsuit.
What are two types of waivers? ›
The Commission has divided the waiver process into two types of waivers; short-term and variable term. Short-Term Waivers give local agencies the ability to cover unanticipated, immediate and short-term needs.
What is the meaning of waiver and release clause? ›
A release of liability and waiver of the right to sue if any loss results from participation in the activity. An express assumption of risk where the participant acknowledges understanding the nature of the activity and the risks involved, and chooses voluntarily to accept those risks.
Are release forms legally binding? ›
Release forms are typically legally binding and prevent a releasor (person who gave up a claim) from suing a releasee (person for entity freed from liability). However, these forms typically only prevent releasors from suing if they are harmed by a known risk or a risk inherent in the dangerous activity.
