NFL Management Council declares DT Zxavian Harris a free agent after failed LSU return
The NFL Management Council has informed defensive tackle Zxavian Harris — one of several players who attempted to return to college at LSU — that because he never practiced at the college level, he is now a free agent eligible to visit and sign with any NFL team
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The NFL Management Council issued a notable eligibility ruling Monday, clearing the way for defensive tackle Zxavian Harris to enter the free-agent market after a months-long limbo over his attempt to return to college.
Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero): The NFL Management Council informed DT Zxavian Harris — one of the players who attempted and failed to return to college at LSU — that it has established he never practiced and therefore he is now a free agent, eligible to visit and sign with any NFL team, sources tell @ringer @netflixsports.
Harris was one of a handful of players who declared for the NFL draft but later sought to return to LSU — a path that has created eligibility complexities under the league's rules. The Management Council established that Harris never actually practiced at LSU after the attempt, and therefore the standard restrictions that would bind a player returning to college do not apply. The ruling makes him a free agent immediately eligible to visit and sign with any team.
The decision follows a memo sent to clubs earlier Monday notifying them that Harris' eligibility for the 2026 season had been reinstated. With the ruling now on the record, Harris — a defensive tackle whose draft-eligibility saga has been closely watched in league circles — becomes an unrestricted free agent available to all 32 teams, adding an unusual midseason option to the veteran free-agent pool.