A league memo restated that players released from NFL contracts may return to college, subject to eligibility rules, but cannot sign with an NFL team again during the same season.
The NFL has told its clubs that a player who returns to college football during the 2026 season cannot later sign with an NFL team that same season.
The guidance, circulated in a memo Wednesday, reiterates an existing league policy amid a fast-moving dispute over whether former college athletes who briefly entered professional football can regain college eligibility.
Under the policy, a player who signs an NFL contract and is subsequently released becomes a free agent. He may sign with another NFL club, join the CFL or seek to return to college football, subject to applicable college eligibility rules. But a player who elects to return to college will not be available to sign with an NFL club for the remainder of the 2026 season.
The memo also bars clubs from reaching an agreement or understanding about bringing that player back after the college season, according to reporting on the document. The player would instead be a free agent for the 2027 season and would not re-enter a future NFL draft.
The issue has gained urgency after former Ole Miss players Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris, both undrafted free agents who were released by NFL teams, pursued returns to college football at LSU. Their efforts have unfolded alongside litigation challenging NCAA eligibility limits and new conference-level restrictions on athletes who have been on professional rosters.
The NFL’s action does not decide whether a player may compete in college. It addresses the separate question of when an NFL club may sign a player who chooses to return to school.
