I'm not sure how much jdb is trying to have accurate rules.. just in case

the rules for waivers and cuts in the NFL are..

Any player over 4 years concurred is a vested veteran and up until (week 8) they are released straight to free agency without having to clear waivers.

Anyone 4 years or less has to clear waivers.

After ( week 8) any player released has to clear waivers no matter their Year

I'm probably going to keep it simplified as it currently is, part of the reason for the waiver wire is to prevent teams from dumping expensive players and then signing them to cheap long-term deals under the radar.

I cant remember how many days there are between final cuts and the first game, maybe another day could be added to allow extra time to set rosters. Which is a critical part of this game.

Also maybe on the players card there could be a "protection" box to check so players wont get cut. Limit it to 3 or abouts, so there's still a penalty for not managing the roster. Have the boxes cleared automatically at the season end stage.