Practice squad rules, explained

NFL teams including the New York Giants can start building their practice squads as soon as the waiver claim period for players released by Tuesday’s 4 p.m. ET deadline to reach the 53-man roster limit is reached. That deadline this year is Wednesday at noon.

Practice squad rules

How many players? NFL practice squads currently consist of 17 players, with one of those having to be one international player eligible for a practice squad exemption. For the Giants, that player will be Irish placekicker Judge McAtamney, a former Gaelic football player.

Who is eligible? Here are the current eligibility rules:

• Players who do not have an accrued season of NFL experience.
• Free agent players who were on the Active List for fewer than nine games in their only accrued season.
• A maximum of 10 free agent players who have earned no more than two accrued seasons.
• A maximum of six free agent players with no limitations to their number of earned accrued seasons.

When can teams start building practice squads? Once the waiver claim period ends teams can begin to sign players to their practice squads. This year, that means after noon on Wednesday.

How much do practice squad players make? Per the Collective Bargaining Agreement, players with two accrued seasons or less will earn $12,500 for each week they are on a practice squad. Players with more than two accrued seasons will earn at least $16,800 per week with a maximum of $21,300.

Poaching players: Teams can sign players off the practice squad of any other NFL team. That player must be added to the new team’s 53-man roster and be eligible for at least three games. COVID-era practice squad protections which enabled teams to designate four players each week who could not be signed by another team no longer exist.