2019 RULES: Practice Squad Signing

[Goodell]

A GM brought this to my attention during the regular season that in the NFL practice squad players signed to another team must be paid 3 weeks minimum. From the CBA:

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...

There tends to be some frustration in the league at times when other teams sign another team's practice squad players. To me, practice squad players have been cut and are not under contract with anyone and available for any team to sign at any time, so if a team really wants them you need to have them on your active roster (not just practice squad) or can't cry about it. Plus teams have matching rights to offers on their practice squad players.

But I do find this real-world minimum requirement as perhaps a way to reduce some of that frustration, add a realistic rule and a way to ensure that teams going after other teams' practice squad players are in fact very serous about signing the player to their active roster and have to pay a higher price to do so.

If technically reasonably feasible and fairly supported by GMs, it's something we may implement in the new season.

[stevebarrett24]

If we are trying to be realistic this should be a no brainer Yes since the NFL does it.

[JonC]

If we are trying to be realistic this should be a no brainer Yes since the NFL does it.

The NFL does this? I feel like guys are cut and signed on/off the practice squads constantly. If this is an NFL rule, I'm in.

[RyanM]

The NFL does this? I feel like guys are cut and signed on/off the practice squads constantly. If this is an NFL rule, I'm in.

They do sometimes cut them on and off within 3 weeks, but they still have to pay them 3 weeks salary at a minimum.

[Goodell]

If we are trying to be realistic this should be a no brainer Yes since the NFL does it.

The NFL does this? I feel like guys are cut and signed on/off the practice squads constantly. If this is an NFL rule, I'm in.

I think they are too, but behind the scenes it looks like the psquad guys get some paycheck protection for 3 payday minimums as part of the bargained agreement.

From what I was reading, sounds like it's a bit of a deterrent (among some other rules) for teams intentionally just being in the practice of signing players off an upcoming opponent's practice squad for whatever insights they give them. Among the other rules about that for timing of such signings (which don't effect us because we don't have real players with real playbooks), I think this gives a little more financial cost toward that practice and a benefit to those players on the fringes traveling from one city to another on short-term stops sometimes. Not totally sure of salary cap implications of that, but I would assume that since it's salary being paid to a player that it all would go against NFL cap. Although there are some NFL rules where money paid to player benefit doesn't always correlate directly to the same money off the salary cap.

Here is a little more about that in an article that also had a link to the CBA: https://www.cincyjungle.com/2018/9/1/17 ... at-to-know

[Goodell]

CONCLUSION: With over 70% in favor, we'll work to implement this change for a 3 paycheck minimum cost for players signed off other teams' practice squads whether the player remains on the signing team 3 weeks or not.

So don't sign players off other teams' practice squads unless you really want them on your own active roster and willing to pay at least 3 weeks paychecks.