New Trade Deadline, IR Rules Agreed To By NFL, NFLPA

On Thursday, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that the NFL and the NFLPA agreed to some new revisions that will change the trade deadline and the rules for injured reserve.

The new ruling will push the trade deadline back to the Tuesday following Week 8 games, two weeks later than the old deadline which was the Tuesday following Week 6 games. SB Nation's Joel Thorman believes that the change of deadline could cause for more trades:

"The problem with having it early is that most teams still believe they have a shot in Week 6 and are therefore unwilling to part with star players. By moving it back two weeks we could see more action."

The other announced change is a new revision to the injured reserve rule that will allow a team to reactivate one player from the injured reserve later in the season. Per Schefter:

Only players with a "major injury" who are placed on Reserve/Injured after 4:00 p.m., New York time, on Tuesday, September 4, or thereafter during the season, will be eligible to be reactivated at a later time.

Teams can only use the new rule for one player in a season, but the rule could have saved much of Rashad Jennings's 2011 season if the rule was in place one season earlier. Jennings was placed on injured reserve despite not needing surgery and was reportedly cleared to return to the field in October.