NFL waiver wire, explained: What is the process, and how does it affect the Patriots?

After a preseason showdown against the Cleveland Browns, the New England Patriots will begin cutting down their 90-man roster. The team needs to make 37 moves ahead of the NFL’s deadline on Sunday, Aug. 30, at 6 p.m. ET. A majority of those personnel changes will come through the most straightforward roster reduction method: cutting players.

However, not all 37 transactions will be the same. The NFL has separate protocols for so-called vested veterans and players with less league experience. Veterans immediately enter the open market as free agents after being released, while the latter must pass through the waiver wire, where they can be claimed by another franchise or enter free agency if unclaimed.

Advertisement

What exactly does all of this mean for the Patriots and the NFL’s other 31 teams, though? Let’s break it down.

What is the NFL waiver wire?

Franchises will make their final preparations before the season, with substantial changes being made to league rosters. Players will either be waived or released, but not all will instantly become free agents and be free to sign with any team.

When a player is “waived,” they are subject to the waiver wire, where any team can claim them and assume their current contract. Currently, the waiver wire order is dependent on the NFL Draft order from this past April, but without any trades.

Advertisement

Teams file waiver claims at the same time. That being said, only the team with the highest claim in the order will successfully pick up the player and their current contract.

Which NFL players are subject to go on waivers and not be released?

A player’s time in the NFL determines whether they enter the waiver wire or become a free agent. Players with at least four years of accrued NFL service time are released. If a player is released, their contract has ended, and they are eligible to sign with any team.

However, if a player has less than four years of service time, they are waived and subject to waiver wire claims. Any player who is not claimed after being waived is eligible to sign wherever they’d like, including their former team’s practice squad.

Advertisement

The group of…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/nfl-waiver-wire-explained-process-041139014.html

Author :

Publish date : 2026-08-28 04:15:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.