The 2026 NFL Draft was held in Pittsburgh this spring. Jason Miller / Getty ImagesAug. 26, 2026 Updated 5:03 pm EDTNFL rookies who sign a pro contract, are cut and later rejoin college football teams will not be eligible to return to the NFL this season, a league source with knowledge of the situation told The Athletic. The source spoke on condition of anonymity because the decision has not yet been announced publicly.Players who return to college would not be re-entered into next year’s draft pool. They would be considered free agents who had signed and then been cut.The league’s clarification comes amid turmoil in college sports, with dozens of football players filing lawsuits seeking a fifth season of eligibility, some of whom have won state court orders preventing the NCAA from barring their return. The NCAA this summer granted college athletes up to five years of eligibility as part of a rule change, prompting legal challenges from athletes who recently left college after getting only four years.
The hope on the college side is the NFL’s decision will further deter rookies from going back, knowing they won’t be able to leave their college teams to sign with an NFL team during the season.Will former NFL players play college football this season?Justin WilliamsESPN first reported the clarification.But whether those players can return to college sports remains unclear. The Big Ten and SEC on Tuesday passed rules prohibiting their schools from using football players who had signed a pro contract, made a pro roster or declared early for the draft and did not withdraw before the NCAA’s deadline. The ACC and Big 12 could pass similar bans soon. Those conference bans may also face legal challenges.Some schools, including LSU, have planned to add returning athletes who had signed pro contracts before being cut by NFL teams, such as Dae’Quan Wright (cut by the Cleveland Browns) and Zxavian Harris (cut by the New Orleans Saints).Players who participated in minicamps but did not sign contracts or make a roster are not affected by the conference bans, but they still need a court order blocking the NCAA rule from impacting them before they can become eligible to play this fall.With final NFL cuts coming Sunday and the deadline to finalize college football rosters set for the Friday before teams’ first games, more cut NFL rookies will soon face a decision of whether to attempt to go back to college.
