The COVID-19 protocols in place for the 2020 and 2021 NFL seasons substantially altered day-to-day activities of NFL teams and led to numerous postponements, but all 554 games scheduled over those two years were ultimately played. Even though no games were canceled, the league's COVID-19 protocols still had a noticeable effect on the on-field product. Some of the lowlights included the Browns playing a game with playoff implications without 18 players -- including their top two quarterbacks, Baker Mayfield and Case Keenum -- in Week 15 of 2021 against the Raiders. Needless to say, Cleveland lost. The Saints also lost a crucial game without two quarterbacks due to COVID-19 in Week 17 against the Dolphins, while the COVID-19 protocols left the Commanders depleted for two losses to the Eagles in a three-week span that sunk their already-faint playoff hopes.
Prior to the 2022 season, the NFL and NFL Players Association (NFLPA) reached a joint agreement to halt COVID-19 protocols after two years of restrictions being in place. The 2022 agreement dictated that teams must still adhere to state or local laws regarding COVID-19, but the league would no longer be imposing any requirements regarding masks, tracking devices, surveillance testing, or capacity limits.
NFL teams aren't barred from taking protective measures, and are in fact still required to adhere to any state or local COVID-19 laws applicable in their respective jurisdictions, but top-down COVID-19 mandates from the league are no longer in effect. While individual teams still retain the right to impose internal mask requirements, league-wide mask requirements have been dropped, regardless of vaccination status. Mandated tracking devices and surveillance of players and staff have been discontinued, but teams are still required to provide spaces in club facilities that could be used for symptomatic players or personnel to isolate.
All individuals are still expected to monitor themselves on a daily basis before entering team facilities and report any COVID-19 symptoms to club medical staff immediately. Those experiencing symptoms can't return to team facilities without a negative test. Players or staff who test positive must isolate for a minimum of five days. This five-day isolation period is in line with the standard established by the NFL in December of 2021, which cut the isolation period for an asymptomatic player with a positive COVID-19 test from 10 days to five. This initial change was made to align with new CDC guidelines, which were updated to reflect evolving knowledge of the then-dominant Omicron variant.
For 2023, the NFL will retain the COVID-19 guidelines that went into effect prior to the 2022 season. While the league's guidelines are the same, that doesn't necessarily mean that COVID-19 will have the same minimal impact it did last season. State and federal guidelines remain in flux, especially with COVID-19 cases ticking up over the summer. A change in the CDC guidelines could lead to the NFL reinstating harsher COVID-19 policies, while individual teams continue to be at the mercy of their states and localities. The NFLPA website relays the latest COVID-related protocols, as well as state-by-state Coronavirus trackers and information.
