The NFL and the NFL Players Association have reached a deal that allows teams to place players who test positive for the coronavirus on a special unable-to-play list for three weeks.
Those players would continue to be paid their normal salaries, NBC Sports said. The agreement could be finalized as early as Friday.
The move would allow for the creation of a roster spot that could be filled with a player who has tested negative. It marks a change to the league’s injured reserve rules. If those players who tested positive were put on the league’s non-football injury list, their season would be over.
According to NBC Sports, it is unclear what will happen if a player on the COVID-19 list is unable to return after three weeks.
The goal is to avoid shutting players down for a full season while keeping teams’ rosters strong, according to NBC Sports.
Meanwhile, data from the players association shows that 72 players were known to have the coronavirus as of July 10, ESPN reported. Not every player in the league has been tested.
Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.