NFL warns clubs they cannot sign any player who returns to college football for 2026 season, memo says
Multiple players in various sports are trying to return to college athletics despite going professional, which has led to quite the stir for the NCAA.Among them is tight end Dae’Quan Wright, who cleared waivers after being released by the Cleveland Browns this week.Wright was expected to sign with LSU, where he would reunite with his old Ole Miss coach, Lane Kiffin.CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COMNFL Commissioner Roger Goodell addresses the media during the Super Bowl Winning Team Head Coach and MVP Press Conference at the Mandalay Bay North Convention Center on Feb.
12, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada.(Don Juan Moore/Getty Images)The league issued a memo, obtained by ESPN, that reiterated rules already in place saying any player signed to an NFL contract who is subsequently cut will be a free agent.
While that player can sign with another NFL club or join the CFL, if they return to college, they will not be available for this season.Furthermore, any player cut by an NFL team who returns to college for the 2026 season will still be considered a free agent and won’t be able to put their name into a future NFL Draft.RAMS' SEAN MCVAY REACTS TO WILD COLLEGE FOOTBALL CONTROVERSY: 'FEEL LIKE I TOOK A FREAKIN' GUMMY'Other than Wright, Zxavian Harris, who was cut by the New Orleans Saints, is also expected to sign with Kiffin at LSU.He and Wright were teammates during Ole Miss’ College Football Playoff run last season, where Kiffin ultimately took the LSU vacancy mid-season after the firing of Brian Kelly.Both Wright and Harris received a temporary restraining order that allows them to return to college football, granting them an extra year of eligibility.Head Coach Lane Kiffin of the LSU Tigers speaks at SEC Football Kickoff Media Day at Tampa Marriott Water Street in Tampa, Fla., on July 23, 2026.
(Getty Images)But hours after Wright cleared waivers, he and the rest of the college football world saw the SEC and Big Ten, which will soon be joined by th...