When an NFL player gets cut, many fans and even media members often use terms like “waived” and “released” interchangeably. However, there is actually a distinct difference.
Since there’s so much confusion surrounding the difference between a player getting waived versus released, let’s break down how they differ, how the waiver wire works, and more.
What Does It Mean When an NFL Player Is Released?
When a player has accrued at least four seasons in the NFL, they are considered a vested veteran. When these vested veterans get cut, they are released and their contract is terminated.
When a vested veteran is released, they are an unrestricted free agent that can sign with any NFL team, and the team that released them doesn’t need to provide any additional compensation.
What Does It Mean When an NFL Player Is Waived?
If a player has accrued fewer than four seasons in the NFL, they are waived. The main difference is that these players aren’t free to sign with the team of their choosing. Instead, they must go through the waiver wire process (hence the term “waived” being used).
The waiver system allows the other 31 NFL teams to claim these waived players. Per NFL operations:
“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.”
The waiver system is based on priority. Teams have an ordered opportunity to claim a player or “waive” their chance. The waiver wire order is the same as the NFL Draft order. If all 31 teams decide not to claim the player, then the individual cleared waivers and becomes an unrestricted free agent, meaning they can sign with any team.
It’s worth noting that there is no limit on how many players a team can make a claim for and the waiver wire doesn’t reset once a claim is made (unlike in fantasy football). So, if the No. 1 team wants to claim multiple players, they will get all of them (as long as they have the roster space).
How NFL Teams Take Advantage of These Rules
When teams don’t want to waive a talented young player for fear that another team will claim the prospect, they release a veteran instead since veterans are free to sign with any team after hitting the free-agent pool.
Injured players must be on the 53-man roster to start the season. If the injury is severe enough for the player to land on injured reserve (IR), teams have an option to replace these players. Players on IR do not count against the 53-man roster number.
Rather than risk losing a young player via waivers, teams elect to release veteran players, who then stick around for a day or two until the injured players on the roster go on IR. Then, once these injured players go on IR and no longer count toward the 53-man roster, the veterans can be re-signed.