There is no limit to the number of trades or free agent pickups a team can make during the season.
After the draft, all players go into waivers.
Shortly thereafter, waiver claims are processed.
Players not claimed on waivers become first-come, first-serve free agents.
When the NFL season begins, free agents go to waivers beginning every Sunday at 1 p.m. EST.
Waiver claims are then processed each following Wednesday at 9 p.m. EST.
Players that are dropped from a team become first-come first-serve free agents, unless they are dropped during one of the above waive periods, in which case they go on waivers.
At the start of the season, the waiver wire order will be set in reverse order of the original draft order. (i.e. the team which won the Bacon Bowl will have the top priority, and the team which finished with the worst record will have the bottom priority. See Draft Rules.)
When a team claims a player off the waiver wire, they immediately move to the bottom of the waiver wire order.
Trades may involve any number of players (so long as no team’s roster limit is exceeded) at any position and any number of teams. Draft picks may also be used in trades. (See Trades Involving Keepers and/or Draft Picks, below.)
Trades are automatically approved when agreed to on both sides.
The offseason trading period begins when the Commissioner is ready, ideally on or around July 15 at 3 p.m. EST.
The deadline to submit a trade will be the Thursday after Week 11 of the NFL season, at 11 a.m. EST.
Only draft picks in the current calendar year or next calendar year can be traded.
Also see Keeper Rules.