The NFL just made it official in a memo to clubs: Unlimited players can return from a team’s injured reserve list in 2021 and they’re eligible after missing three games, rather than eight weeks, per source. A popular change spawned by COVID challenges stays for another year.







This is fantastic news.

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I love this rule, but I'm disappointed that the NFL is seemingly doing it year by year, why not just make this great rule permanent?

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Bargaining chip maybe?

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I've thought about that, but the Union wouldn't bargain for it... as more union members get paid without players being allowed back from the IR list.

Though maybe the NFL doesn't like that potential extra cost? But it's coming from the Union's cut either way, so that shouldn't matter either.

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makes sense to allow more players to return to the regular roster. I didn't like how they had it limited.

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I was really hoping the IR rules would be the same or similar as in 2020. Teams having very limited options of who to place on IR hurts the game overall - the team either has to carry an injured player and not sign a short term replacement, potentially resulting in lower quality football, or put a guy down for the year who could come back and contribute, again, lower quality football.

I imagine the only reason this isn't permanent is money - I don't fully understand the cap/game check implications but I think that this sort of rule means that teams end up paying more players, more money. And the NFL surely doesn't like that.

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