The New England Patriots finalized their initial 53-man roster on Tuesday, but that was only the first step in building the team for the upcoming 2025 season. Another big part of this process will kick off on Wednesday at noon, when teams can start forming their 16-player practice squads.
All of the players released over the last few days — by both the Patriots and the league’s other 31 clubs — are potential candidates to get added to that group. It would therefore not be a surprise if New England’s
practice squad eventually consists primarily of familiar names, who spent some if not all of training camp with the organization.
What exactly does all of that mean, though? And what is a practice squad to begin with? Glad you asked.
What is the practice squad?
Prior to the 2020 season, teams were able to keep 10 players on their practice squad. While they could not play in any games unless promoted to the 53-man team, the practice squad did still serve a purpose: is was essentially a second roster to develop younger guys and give teams more personnel to help prepare for upcoming opponents.
The NFL-NFLPA Collective Bargaining Agreement signed into effect in 2020, however, introduced some changes. Practice squad limits initially increased to 12, before the league’s Covid-19 protocols added four more spots. Those protocols are a thing of the past, but the practice squad size remained in place.
As a result, teams are still allowed to carry up to 16 players on top of the 53 already on the active roster.
Who is eligible to join the practice squad?
Despite that 16-player limit, there are some rules in place that govern who exactly can be added to a practice squad. Article 33, Section 4 of the CBA explains who is eligible to join the practice squad, with some modifications made in 2022:
Section 4. Eligibility: Beginning in the 2022 League Year, the Practice Squad shall consist of the following players: (i) players who do not have an Accrued Season of NFL experience; (ii) free agent players who were on the Active List for fewer than nine regular season games during their only Accrued Season(s); (iii) a maximum of ten free agent players per Club who have earned no more than two Accrued Seasons, with such players having no limitation as to the number of games on the game day Active List in either of those seasons; and (iv) a maximum of six free agent players per Club with no limitations as to their number of earned Accrued Seasons; provided, however, that the combined total number of players in categories (iii) and (iv) above may not exceed ten.
What does all of that mean? Let’s start with the basics: accrued seasons.
Per the CBA, a player gets awarded an accrued season for each one during which “he was on, or should have been on, full pay status for a total of six or more regular season games.” This does include games spent on a team’s 53-man roster or its injured reserve and PUP lists but neither covers the non-football injury list (NFI) nor the practice squad itself.
With that as the basis, the current practice squad rules can be broken down as follows:
- Players with unlimited number of accrued seasons: max. 6*
- Players with two or fewer accrued seasons: max. 10*
- Players with no accrued seasons/Players who were active less than 9 games in their only accrued season: max. 16
*the combination of those two categories may not exceed 10 players
How much does a practice squad player get paid?
The previous CBA, which was ratified in 2011, did not specify how much practice squad players would get paid; it only stated a minimum weekly salary. The most recent labor deal signed in 2020, meanwhile, has a more structured approach to practice squad pay.
With the exception of the group iv players and their two-plus accrued seasons, every player who is on the squad (groups i-iii) will earn $13,000 per week this year, which would amount to a total of $234,000 over the course of the entire regular season. Players in group iv, meanwhile, can get a bit more than that: they will earn up between $17,500 and $22,000 weekly.
Practice squad salaries are paid on a bye week as well. They count against a team’s salary cap.
Can a player be signed off a practice squad?
The NFL allows practice squad players to be signed by other teams, but there are some rules governing the process:
- Players cannot be signed directly from one practice squad to another. They either have to be released first and become free agents, or get signed directly to an active 53-man roster.
- Practice squad players are not allowed to sign with upcoming opponents, unless done so a minimum of six days before the two teams’ game (or 10 if the team is on a bye).
- If a practice squad player is signed by another team, he receives a guaranteed three-week salary and will count against the 53-man roster for at least three weeks — even if released before those three weeks are over.
What if a team promotes its own practice squad player?
In the past, a practice squad player was ineligible to appear in a game unless signed to the active roster first. The 2020 CBA, however, introduced some changes.
The standard rules still remained place. Practice squad members can be promoted by replacing other players on the 53-man squad; they can only return after being cut (and potentially going through waivers); they must be paid a weekly salary based on their NFL minimum for at least three weeks.
The most recent bargaining agreement added another stipulation, though.
Teams are allowed to elevate players from their practice squad to the game day roster without having to cut a member of the 53-man team. Accordingly, clubs can increase from the standard 53 to 55 players while game day active squads expand from a previous 46 to 47 players (or 48 if a team carries eight offensive linemen). Any practice squad player can be elevated and automatically reverts back to the developmental roster after a game.
Teams can use this method of promotion on the same player no more than three times a year. If the Patriots, for example, want to have one of their practice squad players on their active game day roster for a fourth game, they will have to go the standard route of promotion, moving him to replace another player on the 53-man roster and, if necessary, exposing him to waivers if the plan is to revert him back to the practice squad.
The emergency quarterback rule introduced in 2023, meanwhile, does not apply to players who were standard-elevated from the practice squad. The NFL actually tried to change this during the offseason, but the players association vetoed the modification.
How about international players?
For a second year in a row, NFL’s International Player Pathway Program is relevant for the Patriots. Defensive tackle David Olajiga, after all, spent parts of training camp on their active roster as a roster-exempt 91st player.
Olajiga was cut on Tuesday, but he could return via the practice squad if making it through waivers unclaimed. They either could sign him as a “normal” practice squad player, which means he would be eligible for roster promotion or game day elevation, or use his IPPP status. In the latter case, he would be on the practice squad as an exempt 17th player who is allowed to practice but not play in any games while on IPPP status.
Last year, the Patriots opted to use International status on edge defender Jotham Russell. Back in 2019, they opted to forgo it when signing fullback Jakob Johnson to their practice squad. Johnson later joined the 53-man roster and ended up playing in 38 games for the team between 2019 and 2021.
When can teams start signing practice squad players?
Every player who entered free agency and fits the eligibility criteria can sign with a practice squad. A player who is released from a practice squad is also free to sign with another practice squad.
When it comes to the final round of roster cuts, which took place on Tuesday, the league starts the signing process after the waiver period ends. That means that the Patriots and other clubs could start building their initial practice squads as of 12 p.m. ET on Wednesday.
Have the Patriots made any practice squad signings?
In order to stay on top of every transaction involving the Patriots on Wednesday, be they waiver claims or practice squad signings, make sure to bookmark and regularly revisit our Patriots practice squad and waiver wire tracker.
