In a memo to teams on Wednesday, the NFL said that it anticipates a return to in-person work this offseason after last year’s programs were fully remote.
They did not specify any details of what that in-person work will look like, but it suggests it will look more like normal for teams that have a large number of vaccinated players, coaches, and other staff. The NFL and NFLPA have developed materials about the available vaccines and the memo asks teams to use them and other ways to educate individuals about them.
While there are no plans to mandate vaccines, the league does anticipate amending current protocols for those who have been vaccinated and for teams as a whole if certain vaccination levels are met.
“It is expected that the NFL-NFLPA COVID-19 Protocols will be amended in the coming months to eliminate a number of significant restrictions for vaccinated individuals, such as the need to participate in daily testing, quarantine periods due to close contact with an infected individual and/or refraining from social gatherings among other vaccinated individuals,” the league said in the memo. “It is also anticipated that clubs that achieve a certain rate of vaccination among its tiered staff and players may be permitted to relax restrictions that apply to meetings, mealtime and use of locker rooms.”
Teams were told to create a list of players and staff that have been fully vaccinated in advance of any changes to the protocols that have been in place since last year.