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Do waived NFL players get paid. Yes, but not in the way many fans assume. The money a player actually takes home after a waiver move depends on timing, guarantees, injuries, and whether another team claims his contract. Miss any of those details and you can misread the entire paycheck story. This guide breaks it down in plain English, so you can look at a transaction and know what the player will and will not collect.
The short answer
When an NFL player is waived, his old team stops paying his base salary the moment the transaction is processed. He keeps every dollar he already earned, including any signing bonus paid at signing. If another team claims him off waivers, that new team takes over the remaining contract and pays the rest of the season. If he goes unclaimed and becomes a free agent, he gets no more base salary from the old team unless he has guaranteed money or injury protections that still apply. That is the core.
Everything else flows from contract language, health status, and timing within the NFL calendar.
Waived vs released: why the label matters for money
Waived and released are not the same. They control how a player exits a team and who pays him next.
Waived applies to players who do not have at least four accrued NFL seasons before the trade deadline. After the trade deadline, almost all players, even veterans, are subject to waivers. A waived player enters a 24-hour claim period where other clubs can take over his existing contract. If claimed, he reports to the new team and that team pays him going forward.
Released usually applies to vested veterans with four or more accrued seasons prior to the trade deadline. When released then, they become free agents immediately, with no claim process. After the deadline, the league uses waivers for everyone, so the distinction blurs in late season.
For pay, the key is simple. If another team claims the player, the new team pays the rest. If no one claims him, salary from the old team stops unless guarantees or protections require continued pay.
How NFL pay actually works
Base salary and weekly checks
Base salary is paid in equal weekly installments during the regular season. If a player is on the roster in a given week, he earns that week’s portion. If he is waived midweek, he typically earns through the transaction date and then pay stops. The offseason does not use weekly base salary checks. That is why timing matters so much.
Signing bonus and proration
A signing bonus is paid to the player at signing, often spread in practice over a short period. The bonus is the player’s money. It does not get taken back because of a waiver unless there is a forfeiture clause triggered by specific conduct outlined in the Collective Bargaining Agreement. On the team side, the bonus is prorated on the salary cap over the contract years, which is why you hear dead money, but the player keeps the bonus once paid.
Roster bonuses and per-game roster bonuses
Some contracts include a lump-sum roster bonus due on a set date. If the player is on the roster that day, he earns the full amount. If he is waived before the date, he does not earn it. Per-game roster bonuses are different. They pay a small amount each game the player is on the active game-day list. If he is waived, he stops earning those per-game amounts going forward.
Guarantees: skill, cap, and injury
Guarantees are critical. A base salary may be guaranteed for skill, cap, injury, or a mix. If base salary is guaranteed for skill, the player gets it even if cut for performance. For cap guarantees, he gets it even if cut for cap reasons. For injury guarantees, he gets it if released while unable to play due to a football injury. Many guarantees include offset language, meaning any new salary the player earns with another club reduces what the old team owes.
Practice squad pay basics
Practice squad players are not on standard active contracts and are paid weekly at a practice squad rate. If a player is waived from the 53 and later signed to a practice squad, his pay switches to the practice squad weekly rate, which is lower than an active roster salary. If he is elevated to the active roster for a game, he earns the corresponding active game pay that week.
What changes the moment a player is waived
If another team claims him
The claiming team takes over the existing contract. That includes remaining base salary, future roster bonuses tied to dates that have not passed, and per-game bonuses going forward. The new team does not pay past signing bonuses or money already earned with the old team. For the player, that means his pay continues seamlessly, just from a new employer.
If he clears waivers and becomes a free agent
Base salary from the old team stops. He can sign a new contract anywhere. The old team may still owe guaranteed amounts, subject to offsets, but that depends on the contract and the player’s health. Without guarantees or injury protections, there is no further pay from the team that waived him.
If the waiver happens in the preseason
Preseason is a different cash environment. There are no regular season weekly base checks yet. Players receive per diems during training camp and preseason game checks if applicable. When waived in August, the main earnings at stake are signing bonuses already paid and any guarantees tied to the upcoming base salary. If there are no guarantees, there is typically no base salary owed because the season has not started. Once the regular season begins, weekly pay kicks in and the weekly math starts to matter.
Injury situations that change the money
Waived injured
Teams can waive a player with an injury designation. During the waiver window, any club can claim him and take on his contract and injury status. If no team claims him, he reverts to the original club’s injured reserve. On injured reserve, the player gets paid per his contract, which may be at a split rate if his deal includes a split clause for injury. A split clause lowers the salary if the player is on injured reserve.
Injury settlements
Instead of keeping a player on injured reserve all season, teams and players often agree to an injury settlement. That settlement pays the player for the estimated number of weeks he would miss due to the injury. After the settlement period plus a short waiting period, the player can sign elsewhere. An injury settlement is common for short-term injuries so the player can get healthy and return to the field with another team the same season.
Injury protection for the next season
The CBA includes injury protection and extended injury protection. If a player gets hurt in one season and cannot pass a physical the following season, he may be entitled to a portion of his next year’s base salary, subject to limits and conditions. This protection is separate from guarantees in the contract and can create owed pay even after a player is waived, if the specific conditions are met.
Vested veterans and termination pay
Termination pay is a special protection for veterans with at least four accrued seasons. It can apply whether the transaction is called a release or a waiver, because the benefit triggers when that club ends the contract during the regular season.
Full-season termination pay
If a vested veteran is on the 53-player roster for the first regular season game and that club later ends his contract during the regular season, he can file for termination pay equal to the rest of his base salary for that season. He can use this full-season benefit once in his career. If he files, the old team owes the remaining base salary even if he signs elsewhere, though some contracts have offsets that can affect the net. The specifics on offsets vary by contract and CBA interpretation, so agents plan carefully around this rule.
Partial termination pay
If a veteran was not on the Week 1 53 for that club and is later let go in-season, he may be eligible for a smaller, partial termination pay benefit. The amount is limited compared to the full-season version and is subject to CBA rules that cap it. The key point for fans is simple. Full-season termination pay is powerful if the player makes Week 1 with that team. The partial version is less valuable but can still put money in the player’s pocket after a midseason move.
How termination pay interacts with a new team
Termination pay and guarantees can be reduced by offsets if the player signs elsewhere and the contract includes offset language. Often, the player can still collect some or all of what the old team owes while also earning new salary from the new team, but the net depends on the contract. Without seeing the exact terms, assume that new salary can reduce the old team’s obligation.
Guaranteed money: what the old team may still owe
Types of guarantees
Skill guarantees pay the player even if cut for performance. Cap guarantees pay if cut for cap reasons. Injury guarantees pay if cut while unable to perform due to a football injury. Contracts often combine these, sometimes with vesting dates during the offseason or at Week 1.
Offsets in practice
Offsets mean the old team’s guarantee obligation is reduced by the amount the player earns with another team that season. If the player had 2 million guaranteed and signs with a new team for 1.2 million, the old team owes 800,000 net if offsets apply. If there are no offsets, the player can collect the full 2 million from the old team and also collect from the new team. No offsets are less common, but they exist in some top-end deals.
Dead money vs what the player takes home
Dead money is a salary cap concept for teams, not a paycheck. When a player is waived, remaining signing bonus proration accelerates onto the old team’s cap as dead money. That does not affect the cash already paid to the player. Fans often confuse a large dead money hit with cash still owed. The team may have a big cap charge even if it does not owe the player any new money after the waiver.
Three clear scenarios
Scenario 1: Young player, non-guaranteed deal, waived in October
He has a 1.8 million base salary with no guarantees and a small signing bonus already paid. He is waived in Week 6 and goes unclaimed. He keeps his bonus and the weekly base salary earned for the first five weeks. He gets no more salary from the old team because there are no guarantees. If he signs to a new team’s practice squad, he starts earning practice squad pay going forward. The old team takes a dead cap hit from the past bonus. The player’s cash stops until he signs elsewhere.
Scenario 2: Same player but claimed off waivers
He is waived in Week 6, and another team claims him. The new team pays the remaining weekly base salary and any per-game roster bonuses from that point on. The old team owes nothing else except the accounting cap impact of the prior bonus. The player’s pay continues without a gap.
Scenario 3: Vested veteran on the Week 1 roster, cut in November
He has a 4 million base salary. He made the Week 1 53. In November, the team ends his contract. He files for termination pay. He is eligible for the rest of his base salary for the season from the old team under the termination pay rule, subject to offsets if applicable. If he signs with a contender the next week, his new salary may offset what the original team owes, depending on his contract language. Either way, he can secure significant money because he was on the Week 1 roster.
What happens to bonuses after a waiver
Signing bonus
Already paid to the player. No new cash is clawed back unless forfeiture rules apply, which are narrow and usually tied to suspensions or retirement without returning bonus money per contract terms.
Roster bonus due later in the year
If the player is no longer on the roster at the trigger date, he does not earn it from the old team. If a new team claims him and he is on that roster for the trigger date, the new team owes it if the contract says so. Claims take the contract as is.
Per-game roster bonuses
He stops earning them once no longer active for that team’s games. If a new team claims him and he is active there, he can earn them under the new club because the new club inherits the contract terms.
Practice squad angles after clearing waivers
Signing to a practice squad
After a player clears waivers, he can sign to any practice squad if eligible. Practice squad pay is weekly and lower than active roster pay. If a team elevates him for a game or signs him to the 53, his pay increases accordingly for that week or going forward.
Standard elevations
Teams can elevate a practice squad player to the active roster for a limited number of games without signing him to the 53. During those weeks, the player earns active roster compensation for that game week. If he returns to the practice squad the next week, his pay reverts to the practice squad rate.
Timing within the season matters
Before Week 1
The biggest financial items are signing bonuses already paid and any guarantees that vest at or after Week 1. Getting cut in late August usually means no base salary owed unless guaranteed. That is why many contracts have guarantees that vest only if the player makes the Week 1 roster.
After Week 1 but early in season
Weekly base checks are flowing. Being waived now stops those checks unless claimed. Vested veterans on the Week 1 53 can unlock termination pay if let go later by that same team.
Late season and after the trade deadline
After the trade deadline, almost everyone is subject to waivers. Late-season claims allow contending teams to add depth quickly and take on the remaining contract. A late-season waiver for a player without guarantees often means only a few weekly checks are at stake. For veterans with termination pay rights or guarantees, significant money can still be in play.
Playoffs, per diems, and benefits
Postseason shares
Postseason pay is a league-set schedule of per-game shares, not regular base salary. To collect, a player must meet eligibility rules for that team’s playoff roster or have been with the team long enough during the season to qualify for a share under the CBA and the club’s decisions about partial shares. Waived before the postseason, a player generally does not receive that team’s playoff shares unless he qualifies under those rules. If he joins a new team and is active for playoff games, he can earn shares there.
Per diems and daily money
Training camp includes per diems and housing rules. Those stop when a player is waived. If he joins another club, he follows that club’s camp and per diem plan. These amounts are modest compared to base salary but matter for camp bodies and undrafted players.
Health and long-term benefits
Waivers do not erase accrued seasons or credited seasons that count toward benefits. Retirement, 401k matching, and severance benefits are governed by the CBA and the player’s accrued season count. Those longer-term benefits sit outside the day-to-day waiver paycheck question.
Common myths and quick answers
Myth: A waived player keeps getting paid by his old team for the full season
False. Payment stops when the waiver is processed unless guarantees or protections say otherwise. If a new team claims him, that team pays going forward.
Myth: Dead money means the player still gets paid by the old team
False. Dead money is about the salary cap, not cash. The player already received the signing bonus that created the dead money.
Myth: Injured players always get paid the rest of the year after a waiver
Not always. If waived injured and unclaimed, he reverts to injured reserve and gets paid according to his contract, often at a split rate. If there is an injury settlement, pay lasts only for the agreed weeks.
Myth: Waived and released are the same thing
They are different processes with different consequences. Waiver claims transfer the contract; releases for vested veterans before the trade deadline create immediate free agency. After the deadline, waivers apply broadly to everyone.
How to read a transaction and predict the money
Step 1: Is it waived or released
If waived, ask whether another team could claim him. If released before the deadline and he is a vested veteran, he is a free agent immediately. After the deadline, assume waivers.
Step 2: Are there guarantees
Check reports about guaranteed base salary, injury guarantees, and offsets. Guarantees keep money flowing after a termination, but offsets may reduce what the old team pays if he lands a new job.
Step 3: Was he injured
If injured, look for injury designation or injury settlement. That tells you whether he will continue to be paid through injured reserve or through a settlement.
Step 4: Was he on the Week 1 roster with that team
For vested veterans, this activates the possibility of termination pay if the club ends the contract later that season.
Step 5: Did another team claim him
If yes, the new team now pays the remaining contract. If not, pay from the old team stops unless guarantees or protections apply.
Advanced details that often drive outcomes
Offset language
High-profile contracts often include offsets. They prevent a player from double collecting full guarantees and full new salary. Public reports may not always specify offset terms. When in doubt, remember that offsets are common and mute the old team’s remaining obligation when the player signs elsewhere.
Split salary clauses
Some contracts reduce a player’s base if he lands on injured reserve. If a player is waived injured and reverts to IR, the split salary determines his pay while on IR. This can significantly lower his weekly checks compared to the active roster salary.
Vesting dates
Guarantees sometimes vest on certain dates, such as the third day of the league year or Week 1. Teams will time moves before those dates to avoid triggering guarantees. When you see a late-August waiver of a veteran, it often attempts to avoid a Week 1 vesting guarantee.
Putting it together with two practical examples
Example A: Rookie on a standard four-year deal, waived in Week 4
Contract basics: small signing bonus already paid, non-guaranteed base salary, per-game active bonus.
Outcome if unclaimed: he keeps all money earned through Week 4 and his signing bonus. He stops earning base salary and per-game bonuses. No further pay from the old team unless there is a hidden guarantee. If he signs to a new practice squad, he earns practice squad pay starting that week.
Outcome if claimed: the claiming team pays the rest of his base salary and any per-game bonuses when active. The old team owes nothing further except dead cap accounting from the signing bonus.
Example B: Vested veteran, made Week 1, waived in Week 10
Contract basics: 5 million base salary, no offsets in guarantees, minimal signing bonus.
Outcome: he files for termination pay with the old team and can collect the remaining base salary for the season. If he signs with a new team, no-offset terms let him keep both the termination pay and the new salary, which is rare but possible depending on the deal. If offsets exist, the new salary reduces what the old team owes.
FAQs in plain language
Do waived NFL players get paid after the waiver
They are paid up to the waiver date. After that, they are paid only if a new team claims them or if their contract includes guarantees or injury protections that still apply.
What if the player is claimed off waivers
The new team pays the rest of his contract for that season and beyond unless the contract has options or voids. The original team owes nothing else except cap accounting related to past bonuses.
What happens if nobody claims him
He is a free agent. The old team stops paying base salary. Guarantees or injury protections may still require the old team to pay, but that depends on the contract.
Do signing bonuses change because of a waiver
No. Signing bonuses are already paid to the player. The team may take a dead cap hit, but the player does not have to give the money back unless forfeiture rules are triggered by specific conduct.
Does a player get paid in the playoffs after being waived
He only gets playoff shares from a team if he meets the eligibility rules for that team. If he joins a new team for the playoffs and is eligible, he gets that team’s shares.
Key takeaways you can trust
Waived means the old team stops paying base salary once the transaction is processed. Money earned is kept. If claimed, the new team pays the rest. If unclaimed, the player gets no more base salary from the old club unless guarantees or protections require it. Signing bonuses are already in the bank. Vested veterans on the Week 1 roster can protect their season’s base with termination pay if cut later by that club. Injuries can keep pay flowing through injured reserve or a settlement. Dead money is a team cap issue, not a player paycheck.
Conclusion
Now you can look at an NFL waiver and see the money clearly. The old team stops paying base salary at the transaction. The player keeps what he has earned. The new team pays if it claims him. Guarantees, termination pay, and injury protections can keep money flowing even after a waiver, but those are contract specific and often include offset language. If you remember these pillars and watch the timing on Week 1, roster dates, and injuries, you can decode who actually pays the player and why. The headline may say waived, but the paycheck answer sits in the details you now know how to read.