The NFL league sent a memo in July that said if a game cannot be played due to an outbreak among unvaccinated players and cannot be rescheduled during the season, the team with the outbreak will be credited with a loss in a forfeit. On top of that, no players — from either team — will be paid for the canceled game. The team with the outbreak will then have to cover financial losses and be subject to possible discipline from the league.
There is no vaccine mandate for NFL players, but the league has created strict guidelines surrounding the coronavirus. Vaccination status also has an effect on free agents, who must wait five days before they can join a new team, while vaccinated players are allowed to join immediately. A five-day stretch is almost the full time between games for NFL teams during the season, so the waiting period creates another obstacle for free agents, as well as the teams.
