Practice Squad Rules for the NFL
The National Football League Practice Squad offers a chance for NFL clubs to have additional players under contract beyond their typical rosters. The Practice Squad is typically populated by recent college graduates who went undrafted in the more recent National Football League drafts, although on occasion it may contain older players who the team wishes to have access to.
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Size of the Squad
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Currently each NFL practice squad is composed of eight players beyond the required 53-man roster.
Game Day
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Practice squad players are not allowed to play on game day without becoming an active part of the roster prior to the game. If a player is signed to the active roster, then one of the previously existing 53 players must be cut.
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Pay
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The minimum pay for practice squad players is $5,200 per week during the season. Teams can actually pay the players more than the minimum should they so desire, although typically the practice squad members do not warrant such consideration in the eyes of the team.
Free Agents
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All players on the practice squad are free agents and are available to be signed should another NFL team wish to sign them to their active rosters.
Limitations
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A player may only be a member of the practice squad for two years, unless the team for which the player has been under contract with during the previous two seasons never had less than 53 players during his time on the team. A term of three weeks qualifies as a season.
Rules for the Team
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Teams are not required to have the maximum eight players on their team. Teams are also allowed to have nine players if the ninth player is considered by the NFL to be an "international player."
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