Viktor
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- Mar 19, 2019
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ESPN's Seifert provides updates from virtual league meeting
The NFL held a two-day virtual league meeting earlier this week, and a few items of note were determined.
ESPN NFL reporter Kevin Seifert analyzed the news, which included an agreement from NFL owners to relax guidelines for league-wide players and staff who are fully vaccinated.
Seifert wrote:
Moving forward, players and staff who are fully vaccinated will not be subject to daily testing. They will have no mask requirements, will not have to quarantine if they are exposed to a COVID-19 positive person and won't have travel restrictions. They will be allowed to eat in the team cafeteria, won't be subject to weight room capacity limits, can use the team sauna and can interact with vaccinated friends and family during travel.
Players and staff who are not fully vaccinated, Seifert wrote, will follow a different set of rules.
Those who are not fully vaccinated, however, will not receive those perks. They must still test daily, wear a mask at team facilities, follow social distancing procedures and quarantine after exposure. They will have restrictions when they travel, will be subject to capacity limits in the weight room, won't be able to use the sauna and will be prohibited from interacting with vaccinated friends and family during travel.
Additionally, Seifert reported that the league and the NFL Players Association agreed to set the 2022 salary cap ceiling at $208.2 million. The actual 2022 salary cap will be announced at a later date, likely after the 2021 season.
The owners also approved a maximum of 90 players per roster for training camps. Seifert noted there will be three cutdown days, one after each of the three preseason games:
Aug. 17: 85-man roster limit
Aug. 24: 80-man roster limit
Aug. 31: 53-man roster limit
Another item of note from the virtual meeting is that blocks below the waist can now be called as penalties in an expanded area of the field.
Seifert explained:
They may now occur only within a newly created "tight end box," defined as within 2 yards of the traditional tackle position and 5 yards on either side of the line of scrimmage. Blocking, or taking on blocks, below the waist outside of that area will carry a 15-yard penalty.
Seifert's full story can be found here.