As part of their roster cutdowns, the New England Patriots parted ways with an array of players over the last two days. However, not all cuts are the same as the NFL differentiates between veterans and less experienced players: If a player has less than four accrued seasons — more on that in a moment — on his résumé, he will not hit the open market right away but instead has to go through the waiver wire.
So, what exactly does this mean? Let’s find out.
How does the NFL’s waiver wire work?
The waiver wire allows teams to submit claims for younger players that have previously been cut by other teams.