PHOENIX — Kasim Edebali thought he had landed a job with the Chicago Bears until the team acquired Khalil Mack, the All-Pro linebacker, just before the season began. In an instant, Edebali was part of the N.F.L. unemployment line, joining more than 1,000 free agents who had been released or had their contracts expire.

“People say I finally made it to the N.F.L., but that’s when the hard work starts,” said Edebali, who in September returned to his home in Arizona, where he has been waiting for another team to call.

Edebali, who has played for four teams since he was picked up by the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent in 2014, now lives in a sports purgatory where he must stay in top shape to be ready for the next potential offer although he has been given few resources to do so.

For the past five years, however, The Trust, a group funded by the N.F.L. and run by the N.F.L. Players Association to help retired players, has tried to help free agents like Edebali. The group gives players with at least two years in the N.F.L. free membership to gyms for elite athletes run by EXOS, which has facilities in Arizona, California, Texas and other states. Previously, players received little more than a plane ticket to the next tryout. The memberships, which include access to trainers, physical therapists and nutritionists, are worth thousands of dollars a month.