On Wednesday, the NFL sent a memo to club decision-makers stating that players who left the league to try to return to college football in 2026 were ineligible to be signed or to visit NFL teams. This is specifically relevant to the Green Bay Packers, who made the choice to bring in defensive lineman Zxavian Harris on Tuesday.
Harris was one of the highest-rated undrafted free agents from the 2026 draft cycle, as the 6’8”, 330-pounder fell out of the draft due to character concerns. Notably, he was arrested for domestic violence, obstructing arrest, DUI, reckless driving, being a minor in possession, not using headlights and running a stop sign over two occasions during his time at Mississippi.
Harris signed as a UDFA with the New Orleans Saints but was waived by the team in early August. From there, Harris tried to join LSU’s football program, following former Mississippi head coach Lane Kiffin. Harris never practiced with the team, unlike tight end Dae’Quan Wright, a former Cleveland Brown, but both players did enroll at LSU. Ultimately, under pressure from the conference and other SEC programs, the Tigers didn’t add either Harris or Wright to their 2026 roster, which was only finalized 24 hours before their opening kickoff of the season.
For weeks, the NFL has stated that clubs cannot sign players who elected to join non-NFL teams, treating Harris and Wright similarly to athletes who signed with the CFL, for example. CFL players are not eligible to be signed until the completion of both seasons. On paper, Harris and Wright should be eligible to sign as free agents once reserve-futures deals get handed out when teams’ seasons end, but not until then.
Despite that, the Packers brought in Harris for a visit on Tuesday, and the NFL wanted to let clubs know that was against the league’s rules. Maybe there was no clarity on whether Green Bay could have brought in a player for a tryout, even if they knew they couldn’t actually sign Harris at the moment. Maybe they were just trying to pull a fast one.
Either way, the NFL made its stance clear, stating that it’s each club’s responsibility to verify player eligibility and that violations are subject to club discipline. So far, the league has not announced any punishment for the Packers.
