The New England Patriots have reduced their 2024 roster from 89 to 53 players over the past two days. While some of them were placed on the injured list, the majority – 30 of 36 – were simply cut.
However, not every cut is the same: The NFL distinguishes between so-called vested veterans and those with less experience on their resume. While the first group goes straight onto the open market, all players in the second group are pushed through the waiver wire list and end up either with another team or as free agents.
But what exactly does all this mean for the Patriots and the other 31 NFL teams? Let’s find out.
How does the NFL Waiver Wire work?
The waiver wire allows teams to file claims for eligible players previously released by other teams, including most of the 30 the Patriots released on Monday and Tuesday. Normally, organizations have 24 hours to do so, but on release day, the window is a bit shorter: Because final releases occur at 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, teams only have until noon Wednesday to file claims for a player’s rights.
When a player is claimed, he is added to a team’s active 53-man roster, so the team must have an open spot on its roster or otherwise create one; they typically have one hour to do so after receiving personnel notification from the league that players have been claimed.
Who will be put on the waiver list?
Players with fewer than four accumulated seasons must pass through the waivers list to become unrestricted free agents. The NFL defines an accumulated season as six or more games either on a team’s 53-man roster, on injured reserve, or on the physically unable to perform list.
Any players who meet those criteria and were cut before Tuesday’s deadline have since landed on the waivers list and can be claimed by other teams. Clubs can make as many claims as they want, but of course roster and salary caps must be taken into account: You can’t have more than 53 players on your active team or spend more than the salary cap allows.
What is the waiver of claim notice?
During the first three weeks of the season, teams submit their claims in draft order, so the worst team in the league from last season can submit a claim first, followed by the second worst, and so on. Of course, traded or surrendered picks are not taken into account – the original draft order, determined by last year’s rankings, comes into play.
The Patriots are in a good position after finishing last season with a record of 4-13: They will be the third priority.
- Carolina Panthers
- Washington Commanders
- New England Patriots
- Arizona Cardinals
- Los Angeles Chargers
- New York Giants
- Tennessee Titans
- Atlanta Falcons
- Chicago Bears
- New York Jets
- Minnesota Vikings
- Denver Broncos
- Las Vegas Raiders
- New Orleans Saints
- Indianapolis Colts
- The Seattle Seahawks
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- Cincinnati Bengals
- Los Angeles Rams
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- Miami Dolphins
- Philadelphia Eagles
- The Cleveland Browns
- Dallas Cowboys
- Green Bay Packers
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Houston Texans
- Buffalo Bills
- Detroit Lions
- Baltimore Ravens
- San Francisco 49ers
- Kansas City Chiefs
So how does this work? For example, if the Patriots (No. 3) and the Cardinals (No. 4) are the only teams claiming a player, the player will end up in New England due to the organization’s higher ranking. The team with the lowest bid will always get the player.
As mentioned above, the order of waiver claims will be changed after the third week of the regular season. At that point, it will be based on the league-wide standings and will be adjusted weekly for the remainder of the season until a new draft order is determined after the Super Bowl.
Which Patriots were placed on the waivers list?
Of the 30 players New England released on Monday and Tuesday, 28 are subject to waivers due to their experience – or lack thereof – in the league:
LS Tucker Addington, WR Kawaan Baker, S Joshuah Bledsoe, DE William Bradley-King, DT Josiah Bronson, LB Steele Chambers, OT Kellen Diesch, RB Deshaun Fenwick, OL Liam Fornadel, RB Kevin Harris, CB Azizi Hearn, OT Zuri Henry, RB Terrell Jennings, ED Kobe Jones, WR Matt Landers, OL Atonio Mafi, ED Christian McCarroll, TE La’Michael Pettway, DE Sam Roberts, ED Jotham Russell, K Chad Ryland, S AJ Thomas, OL Charles Turner III, CB Mikey Victor , CB Shaun Wade, WR David Wallis, TE Jacob Warren, QB Bailey Zappe
Over the last six years, New England has claimed a total of 12 players off the waivers list. Of those who were not selected, several ended up on the Patriots’ practice squad.
Which Patriots were not placed on the waivers list?
Players with more than four accumulated seasons, as defined by the above criteria, do not have to go through the waiver system. A total of two such veterans were released by the Patriots on Tuesday:
LB Joe Giles-Harris, TE Mitchell Wilcox
Both Joe Giles-Harris and Mitchell Wilcox are free to sign with other teams immediately, but of course there is a chance that one or both of them could return to New England at a later date.
