Practice Squad Salary, Eligibility, Rules And More

Now that the final batch of NFL roster cuts are in, teams will begin creating their eight-man practice squads. These are generally rookies or second year players who were cut in the last round of roster cuts. Those on practice squad practice with the team all year but they're not treated as part of the 53-man roster.

The creation of practice squads can begin at 12 p.m. ET on Saturday.

Players who do not have an accrued season in the NFL or were on the 53-man roster for fewer than nine games during their only accrued season are eligible for the practice squad. Players can be on a practice squad for a third season but there are restrictions.

The weekly practice squad salary is $5,700, the same as it was in 2011. But that's not the maximum amount that some practice squad players will be played. Teams can pay practice squad players more than that $5,700 amount in the hopes that the player will join their practice squad and not another team's. It's not unheard of for a team to pay a practice squad player something closer to the minimum active roster salary just to keep them on their practice squad. Practice squad salaries do count against the salary cap so those types of payouts don't happen often.

Other teams can sign players off of other practice squads but if they must put the player on the active roster and commit to paying that play at least three weeks of salary whether he's on the roster for that long or not.

Read more about practice squad rules.