The NFL trade deadline is here, with a lot of movement up to the last minute expected. Players who have not been traded could go through the waiver process.
NFL trade deadline 2025: What are waivers? What happens to waived players?
Player movement in the NFL is currently in the spotlight because of the trade deadline which has just passed. Some players may have gotten to move to the team they want to, but not everyone is so lucky- they may end up being cut by the organization.
A deal for Dallas: Cowboys are finalizing a trade to acquire Bengals MLB Logan Wilson, sources tell me and Todd Archer. Earlier Monday, Jerry Jones told Stephen A. Smith that the Cowboys have made a trade ahead of Tuesday’s NFL deadline. It is expected to be for Wilson, for whom… pic.twitter.com/lhQak0jaHG
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 4, 2025
Although the league franchises are powerful and have a lot of say in what happens to members of the team, the players are offered some protection in the form of the collective bargaining agreement or CBA which is drawn up by the NFL and the NFL Player Association.
The waiver process
One thing provided for by the CBA in its rules is the matter of waivers. NFL teams can waive players if they believe that the athletes’ abilities have diminished. A player can be waived when his contract has not yet run out, and he may find himself on a new deadline through the waiver process.
(Being waived is different from being released. Read more on the differences between the two.)
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The trade deadline has a part to play in what happens to a player who is waived. If the franchise subjects the player to it between February 1 and Nov. 4 (the cut-off date), then the player may hold talks with any team of his choice and agree on a new contract with them.
The NFL trade deadline is Tuesday at 4 pm:
— Jordan Raanan (@JordanRaanan) November 3, 2025
The #Giants have talked to teams in recent weeks about OL Evan Neal and WR Jalin Hyatt being available, per sources. Neal was active for his first game this year on Sunday and Hyatt returned kickoffs.
They've also had conversations…
However, if the team decides to waive after the deadline, the player will undergo the waiver claim process, which is carried out according to the standings in reverse order. This means that the NFL team with the worst record gets first pick on all waiver claims. This procedure gives players more rights, depending on whether or not their contracts contain a no-trade clause.
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