Updated November 1, 2026
Every week, NFL teams announce practice squad signings, releases and game-day elevations. The practice squad is the group of players who practice with a team but are not on its 53-man roster. They do not play in games unless they are elevated or signed up. This guide covers the 2026 rules: how many players a team can keep, who is eligible, how elevations work, when another team can sign a practice squad player, and what the job pays. The roster rules come from NFL Football Operations, and the pay figures are the 2026 amounts set in the collective bargaining agreement.
What the Practice Squad Is
A practice squad player signs a separate practice squad contract. He practices with the team but does not count against the 53-player active/inactive list. National Football Post describes practice squad players as paid by the week and, in one important sense, still free agents: another club can sign them to its active roster.
That makes the practice squad a holding area. Teams use it to develop young players, keep injury replacements close and stash veterans who know the system. Most practice squads are built right after final cuts. In 2026, teams could start signing practice squad players on August 31, after the waiver claiming period on players released at the cut to 53 ended at 1 p.m. ET, per the NFL's 2026-27 important dates. If you want the waiver side of that process, our explainer on how NFL waivers work covers claims and priority.
How Many Players and Who Is Eligible
NFL Football Operations states that the practice squad consists of 16 players as of 2026. A team may carry 17 if one of them is a member of the league's International Player Pathway program.
Eligibility is based on accrued seasons. A player earns an accrued season by spending enough of a regular season on a club's full-pay roster. Under the rules the NFL and NFL Players Association amended in May 2022, the eligible groups are:
- Players with no accrued seasons.
- Players who were on the active list for fewer than nine regular-season games in their only accrued season.
- Up to 10 players with no more than two accrued seasons.
- Up to six players with any number of accrued seasons.
That last group is why practice squads now include veterans with years of starts. Teams use those spots for depth at positions where an injury would otherwise force a rushed signing.
Gameday Elevations Explained
Every practice squad contract includes a standard elevation addendum. It lets a team move a practice squad player to the active/inactive list for one game. After the game, he reverts to the practice squad on the first business day without passing through waivers, according to NFL Football Operations.
Two per game, three per player
A team can elevate up to two practice squad players for a game, which is how a roster temporarily reaches 54 or 55. Each player can be elevated for a maximum of three regular-season games in a league year. After that, the team must sign him to the 53-man roster to use him again. If the team later waives or terminates his contract and re-signs him to the practice squad, he becomes eligible for three more elevations.
One wrinkle: the NFL Football Operations page still carries older two-game wording in one sentence alongside the three-game rule. National Football Post notes that the CBA text originally said two and the May 2022 amendment raised it to three. The Carolina Panthers' 2026 cut-week FAQ also uses the three-game limit.
What an elevated player earns
For the week he is elevated, a player is paid the minimum salary for a player with his number of credited seasons, prorated for one week of regular-season pay, or the postseason amount in the playoffs.
Can Other Teams Sign Practice Squad Players?
Yes, with limits. Any club can sign another team's practice squad player, as long as it signs him to its own active roster. He cannot move from one practice squad to another while under contract. Per National Football Post's summary of CBA Article 33, the signing club must count him against its 53-man roster for three games, with bye weeks counting, and he is owed at least three weeks of pay at the active-roster minimum even if he is released sooner.
There is also a timing rule. A practice squad player cannot sign with his team's next opponent after 4 p.m. ET on the sixth day before the game, or the 10th day if his team is coming off a bye.
Fans may have heard that teams can protect up to four practice squad players each week. That protection was introduced in 2020 as part of pandemic-era changes. Published explainers disagree on whether it still applies, and the NFL Football Operations practice squad page does not list it, so we are not treating it as a current rule.
Once the trade deadline passes at 4 p.m. ET on November 10, every released player goes through waivers for the rest of the season. That matters for practice squad decisions, because a player a team cuts in order to re-sign him can be claimed first. Our NFL trade deadline guide covers the date in more detail.
Practice Squad Pay
Practice squad players are paid weekly, and the scale is set by the CBA. For 2026:
- Players with two or fewer accrued seasons earn a fixed $13,750 per week.
- Other players, mainly veterans, earn a negotiated amount between $18,350 and $22,850 per week.
Those figures appear in National Football Post's table of 2026 pay and match USA Today's August 31, 2026 explainer. In 2027 the fixed amount rises to $14,500 and the veteran range to $19,200 to $23,700. National Football Post also notes that practice squad contracts cannot include guarantees, bonuses or incentives, and USA Today notes that the weekly checks stop if a player is released. That is a different structure from most active-roster deals; our piece on why NFL contracts are not guaranteed covers how those work.
Players keep drawing weekly practice squad pay in the postseason while their team is still playing.
International Pathway Spot
The 17th spot exists for the International Player Pathway program, which brings players from outside the United States into NFL clubs. A team can only use that extra spot for a player who is part of the program. If a team has no IPP player, its limit stays at 16. The Carolina Panthers' 2026 cut-week FAQ, for example, notes that the team had an IPP player in camp, English linebacker Mapalo Mwansa, which made it eligible for the extra spot.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many players are on an NFL practice squad in 2026?
Sixteen, plus a 17th if that player is in the International Player Pathway program, per NFL Football Operations.
How many times can a practice squad player be elevated?
Three regular-season games per league year. After that, the team must sign him to the 53-man roster to play him again. A team can elevate up to two players per game.
How much do NFL practice squad players make?
In 2026, players with two or fewer accrued seasons make $13,750 per week. Other players negotiate a weekly salary between $18,350 and $22,850.
Sources: NFL Football Operations, contract language (practice squads, standard elevation addendum); NFL.com, 2026-27 important dates; National Football Post, practice squad and waiver rules (Oct. 23, 2026); USA Today, practice squad explainer (Aug. 31, 2026); Carolina Panthers, cut week FAQ.
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