The Practice Squad- How does it work?

Often times we read where posters suggest a player be moved to or from the Practice squad.  We often don't understand it or realize if a player is eligible for the squad.  Here is a short Primer on the practice squad.  After the jump I have copied the terms from the collective bargaining agreement as well as discussed the make-up and duties of the practce squad.

Labor Unions want all of their members to be paid well.  Owners want to pay as little as possible. With the minimum salary of $340,000 this year the owners certainly don't want to pay that kind of money on training people who are not yet ready for the NFL.  Thus the creation of the practice squad.  8 football players that get paid by the week.  $5,200 per week for each week of the league year they are on the squad.  Figure $65,000 per year as a rough number.  That is a big savings for the owners.  It also gets 256 players an opportunity to make a team that normally would be cut.  For a league with no real minor league system it makes sense. An affordable Farm system if you will.

Who can be on the squad?  It is a squad for  8 newer players only. One additional foreign player may also be added if that player resides in another country.

1) If you are under contract to a team for longer than 3 weeks ( a season minimum) they cannot sign you to their practice squad without cutting you and putting you through waivers.  At that point you are only eligible if you have been on the roster for less than 9 games.  If you have been on a roster for longer than 9 games you may not go onto anybody's practice squad, ever.  You may only be on a team's active or inactive regular roster.

2) If you have been on the practice squad for 2 years your time is up.  Move on to a roster or find other employment.  There is a third year exception but a team has to have had absolute full employment on their roster for 2 years to qualify for a player to be eligible.

 

Can other clubs sign the player?

 

Every practice squad player is totally unprotected. Any team can sign any practice squad player anytime they want.  The only exception is that a team must decide at least 6 days before game day to take a player.  Since the practice squad member knows the calls,schemes, and nuances of their original team the NFL doesn't want PS members to be used as weekly spies for their opponents.  The new team must not only have to take a player early but they must keep him on their regular active or inactive roster for 3 weeks.  And pay that player three weeks of regular NFL minimum pay .  I think that totals around a years pay for a PS member.

What does a Practice Squad member Do?

 

Everything a regular member does.  They practice with the squad.  Workout with the squad.  Mingle with the squad.  They work just as hard as any other team member. They receive the same coaching and instruction.  The only difference is they can not suit up during the games.  That is it.  They are simply the underpaid grunts trying to make the team.  And it works. Several players on today's NFL teams have moved up from the practice squad. Two of last years starting offensive line for the Bengals were PS members.  It is quite an advantage in training camp to have had a year or two practice time with the team instead of being an untested rookie.

 

Hopefully the Vikings can find or train a few decent players from their squad as well.

Hope the information was helpful. Please feel free to correct me on any errors or misinformation.

 

 

 

FROM THE CBA:

 

Section 1. Practice Squads:
(a) The League may elect in any League Year in accordance with this Article to establish practice squads
not to exceed eight (8) players per Club. The League’s election in any one season shall not determine or affect
its election in any subsequent season.
(b) The League may elect to allow some or all Clubs to add to their practice squads one additional player,
who shall not count against the limit above, whose citizenship and principal place of residence are outside the
United States and its Territories (“International Player”). The League’s election in any one season shall not
determine or affect its election in any subsequent season. Such International Players shall be subject to the same
terms and conditions of employment that apply to other practice players except that they (1) may not, during the
term of their practice player contract, negotiate or sign an NFL Player Contract with any Club; and (2) may not
practice with any Club following the last Conference Championship Game unless both Conference
Championship teams have such a player. In addition, notwithstanding the provisions of Section 4 below, such
International Player shall be eligible to serve on a Practice Squad for three additional seasons after the
completion of the player's year(s) as an International Player. As set forth in Article XXXIV, Section 3, the
weekly salary for such international players shall not be included in the employing Club's Team Salary and shall
be deducted from the calculation of the Salary Cap in the same manner as any Player Benefit. Section 2. Signing With Other Clubs:
(a) Any player under contract to a Club as a practice squad player shall be completely free to negotiate
and sign a Player Contract with any Club at any time during the League Year, to serve as a player on any
Club’s Active or Inactive List, and any Club is completely free to negotiate and sign such a Player Contract
with such player, without penalty or restriction, including, but not limited to, Draft Choice Compensation
between Clubs or First Refusal Rights of any kind, or any signing period, except that such player shall not be
permitted to sign a Player Contract with another Club to serve as a practice squad player while under contract
as a practice squad player.
(b) Notwithstanding Subsection (a) above, a practice squad player may not sign an NFL Player Contract
with his Club’s next opponent later than 4:00 p.m., New York time, on the sixth day preceding the game
(except in bye weeks, when the prohibition commences on the tenth day preceding the game). Section 3. Salary: Minimum salary for a practice squad player shall be $4,700 per week for the 2006-07
League Years, $5,200 per week for the 2008-10 League Years and the 2011 League Year if it is an Uncapped
Year, and $5,700 per week for the 2011 League Year if it is a Capped Year and the 2012 League Year,
including postseason weeks in which his Club is in the playoffs.
Section 4. Eligibility:
(a) The practice squad shall consist of the following players, provided that they have not served more
than two previous seasons on a Practice Squad: (i) players who do not have an Accrued Season of NFL
experience; and (ii) free agent players who were on the Active List for fewer than nine regular season games
during their only Accrued Season(s). An otherwise eligible player may be a practice squad player for a third
season only if the Club by which he is employed that season has at least 53 players on its Active/Inactive List
during the entire period of his employment.
(b) A player shall be deemed to have served on a Practice Squad in a season if he has passed the club’s
physical and been a member of the club’s Practice Squad for at least three regular season or postseason games
during his first two Practice Squad seasons, and for at least one regular season or postseason game during his
third Practice Squad season. (A bye week counts as a game provided that the player is not terminated until after
the regular season or postseason weekend in question.) Section 5. Active List: If a player on the Practice Squad of one club (Club A) signs an NFL Player Contract
with another club (Club B), (1) the player shall receive three weeks salary of his NFL Player Contract at the 53-
player Active/Inactive List minimum even if he is terminated by Club B prior to earning that amount, and (2)
Club B is required to count the player on its 53-player Active/Inactive List for three games (a bye week counts
as a game) even if he is terminated or assigned via waivers to another club or is signed as a free agent to another
club’s 53-player roster or another club’s Practice Squad prior to that time. If the player is terminated from Club
B’s 53-player roster and signed to Club B’s Practice Squad, he shall continue to count on the club’s 53-player
Active/Inactive List but shall not count against the eight-player Practice Squad limit until the three-game
requirement has been fulfilled. If a player is terminated prior to the completion of the three-game period and is
signed to Club B’s Practice Squad or is signed or assigned to another club’s 53-player roster or Practice Squad,
any salary (as that term is defined in Article XXIV, Section 1(c)) that he receives from any NFL club applicable
to the three-game period shall be an offset against the three weeks salary that he is entitled to receive from Club