TLDR: The NFL told all 32 teams the two LSU commitments who tried to return to college football are locked out of the league for the rest of the season.
Zxavian Harris and Dae'Quan Wright spent this offseason bouncing between the NFL and a courtroom, and now the NFL has slammed the door shut on both fronts for 2026. According to Chris Vannini, the league told teams Wednesday that neither player can visit, try out for, or sign with any club through the end of the season -- because they went back to LSU, even though they never actually got on the Tigers' roster.
Chris Vannini @ChrisVannini · The NFL told teams Wednesday that Zxavian Harris and Dae’Quan Wright cannot visit or sign with NFL teams because they went back to LSU, even though they weren't rostered. So, no NFL or CFB for them this fall. t.co/Bevxz9HAf4
The backstory here is a genuine mess. Harris signed as an undrafted free agent with the New Orleans Saints and got waived in early August, while Wright had stints with the Philadelphia Eagles and Cleveland Browns after going undrafted himself. Once they were off NFL rosters, a Louisiana judge cleared both to return to college and play for Lane Kiffin at LSU. That set off a firestorm across the SEC over their eligibility -- but Kiffin ultimately locked his roster for the season without adding either of them, leaving both players stuck in limbo.
That limbo is exactly what pushed the Packers into an accidental controversy. Pete Nakos reported Harris actually worked out for Green Bay on Tuesday, seemingly testing the waters for an NFL return since LSU never rostered him.
Pete Nakos@PeteNakosZxavian Harris worked out for the Packers today. t.co/iFEC5zeKcE
One day later, the league made clear that workout meant nothing. Ross Dellenger confirmed there's no NFL route for either player this year, and Pete Nakos followed with the same read: both are barred from being signed by any franchise for the rest of the season.
Pete Nakos@PeteNakosZxavian Harris and Dae’Quan Wright are barred from being signed by NFL franchises for the reminder of the 2026 season.
The NFL's reasoning is straightforward, if unforgiving: both players were eligible for the 2026 draft and then practiced with a college team after training camps opened, which triggers the league's rule locking them out for the season regardless of whether LSU ever actually played them. It's a technicality that leaves Harris and Wright with no college eligibility left to use and now no NFL door to walk through until 2027 at the earliest -- a costly gap year created by a roster fight neither of them fully controlled.
