It’s not every day a player chases an NFL roster spot just to leave it. But after a series of court rulings restored a path to a fifth college season for some Class of 2022 athletes, several NFL signees are now exploring exactly that possibility.

“Now hearing of a few players going to their NFL teams and asking to be cut now (instead of likely being cut in two weeks) to go play in college again. What a time this is.” Andrew Brandt posted on X.

A federal judge shook things up in July, ruling that athletes from the high school class of 2022 who kicked off their college careers that fall are owed a fifth year of eligibility for the 2026 to 2027 season.

The federal ruling was followed by a wave of state-level challenges, including one in Louisiana, where more than 30 college athletes are now fighting to get their eligibility back.

On Wednesday, a Louisiana court sided with them, at least for now. It granted a temporary restraining order covering 33 athletes, including 16 football players, clearing the way for them to pursue a fifth college season even though several are currently sitting on NFL rosters.

Some notable names are in the mix. One is former Florida and LSU linebacker Jack Pyburn, now with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. So are Cleveland Browns tight end Dae’Quan Wright, Seattle Seahawks running back Anthony Hankerson, Arizona Cardinals signee Wydett Williams, and former Saints defensive tackle Zxavian Harris.

Several of these players aren’t waiting around for the legal dust to settle. Wright, Seahawks running back TJ Harden, former Ole Miss lineman Zxavian Harris, and former BYU offensive lineman Weylin Lapuaho have already jumped into the transfer portal, according to reporting from CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz and 247Sports’ Chris Hummer.

At the heart of it, the athletes argue the NCAA broke a “covenant of good faith” by denying them that extra season. The NCAA isn’t backing down either. Senior vice president Tim Buckley pushed back hard, saying the ruling “invites further chaos in college sports and irreparably harms thousands of student-athletes already on campus.”

NFL teams are already experiencing it firsthand. Take the Cleveland Browns, who’ve been quietly working out backup tight ends while Wright has been a no-show at training camp, according to Zac Jackson of The Athletic.

Then there’s the money question.

Wright, Williams, and Pyburn each got signing bonuses under $25K, plus guaranteed salaries of $100K for Williams and Pyburn and $25K for Wright. The bonuses are already paid out. The guaranteed money hits once they’re cut.

Nobody has ever gone from a pro football contract back to the NCAA. Not once. Yet Pyburn and Williams have already suited up in NFL preseason games, with Pyburn even racking up two sacks for Tampa Bay.

The clock is ticking. Teams must trim rosters to 53 by August 30, meaning if these athletes get released by September 1, they could be back on campus, assuming they win their case while the NCAA keeps appealing.