NFLPA Vetoes Emergency Third QB Rule

The NFLPA has vetoed the NFL’s emergency third quarterback rule change from this offseason, per Tom Pelissero. 

The rule would have allowed teams unlimited practice squad elevations for an emergency third quarterback who would otherwise not count against the potential gameday active players. 

Teams can still designate an emergency third quarterback but that player must be on the 53-man roster, not on the practice squad, per Pelissero. 

There is a significant difference between a player’s salary when they’re on the practice squad and not the active roster, which likely motivated the NFLPA here. The league and union collectively bargain player compensation, which gave the union jurisdiction to veto here. 

This has implications for a lot of teams as they proceed with cutting rosters down from 90 players to 53 by Tuesday’s deadline, with practice squads of up to 16 players being finalized in the following days.