The NFL just dropped a bombshell that’ll impact a whole new crop of players looking for a second chance, including a couple of guys who wore the Seahawks blue and green in preseason. The league has put its foot down hard, declaring that any player returning to play collegiate football in 2026 cannot sign another contract with an NFL team this year. Talk about a curveball nobody saw coming!
The NCAA Mess and the League’s Clear Message
This whole situation boils down to the crazy eligibility rule changes in the NCAA. We’ve seen lawsuits from the Class of 2022 trying to snag that elusive fifth year, and now NFL players who’ve exhausted their four seasons of eligibility are trying to pull a reverse uno, seeking to go back to college if their pro careers get cut short. It’s been a total uproar among college sports fans, with conferences like the Big Ten, Big 12, and SEC already scrambling to ban these kinds of moves or finalizing policies to prevent them. And the NFL isn’t messing around either. Adam Schefter reported that the league is making sure its clubs know the rules: go back to college, and you’re off limits for an NFL contract *this year*. Plus, here’s the kicker: those players will be considered free agents and absolutely cannot be selected in a future draft. So, if you’re cut, you can sign with another NFL team, a CFL or UFL franchise, or return to college. But that last option now comes with massive strings attached.
Former Seahawks Preseason RBs Caught in the Crosshairs
This firm stance from the NFL isn’t just theoretical; it’s already affecting real players. This whole move comes after former Ole Miss tight end Dae’Quan Brown, who was signed by the Cleveland Browns this preseason, started looking to return to the college level and follow his old coach, Lane Kiffin, to LSU. He, along with 15 other players, including former Ole Miss defensive lineman Xzavian Harris (signed by the Saints as an UDFA), got a temporary restraining order in court for an additional year of eligibility. And here’s where it hits home for the 12s: among those 15 players are Oregon State running back Anthony Hankerson, who played during preseason with our Seahawks, and SMU running back TJ Harden, another guy who suited up for the Emerald City in preseason. The NFL’s rules are crystal clear about discouraging these moves. They don’t want the league to be a backup plan later in the year for these guys, nor do they want players using another collegiate year as a springboard to become a higher draft pick *next year*.
So, for Hankerson and Harden, who got a taste of NFL action with the Seahawks just weeks ago, their immediate path back to the professional gridiron has just become incredibly complicated. The NFL is standing firm, and the door to signing an NFL contract in 2026 if they return to college looks bolted shut.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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