Waivers

[mtpatton]

I have never understood about waivers. I don't mean the rules; those are easy enough to understand. I mean the concept. If a team no longer wants a player, why don't they simply cut him?

[conace21]

There is no difference between the two from a team's perspective. Whether a player goes on waivers depends on his years of service and the time of year.

From NFL.com

Waived: A non-vested player (less than four years of service) who is terminated goes through waivers. When he is released another team can claim him within a certain period of time. A vested veteran only goes through the waiver system from the trading deadline in midseason through the end of the season. During the offseason and all the way up to the trading deadline, a vested veteran gets released.

Released: A vested veteran is free when he is terminated and can sign with any club. Keep in mind, if the termination takes place between the end of the trading deadline and the end of the calendar year, the player goes through waivers. A vested veteran released this time of year is free to sign with any team.

[TodMaher]

There used to be a rule (back in 1950s if I remember correctly) where a team could NOT re-sign a player that they released. This was to prevent the better teams from stashing players - cutting players and telling them not sign with another team and then pay them under the table to be on the "taxi squad."

[mtpatton]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't there non-vested players (which I believe is less than four credited seasons) who simply get cut? Or does every non-vested player go on waivers regardless?

[conace21]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't there non-vested players (which I believe is less than four credited seasons) who simply get cut? Or does every non-vested player go on waivers regardless?

I checked a few other sites. Everything stated that all players with less than four credited seasons must go through the waiver wire if they are released. Now, if a player clears waivers, as I'm sure the majority do, then it is just like they have been cut; they are free to sign anywhere.