NFL owners approved Monday a rule change to allow the use of an emergency quarterback from the inactive list if the top two are injured during a game.
The rules were amended by the experience experienced by the San Francisco 49ers during their duel against the Philadelphia Eagles in the National Conference Championship.
The Detroit Lions proposed a trade. The third quarterback designation will not count toward the active player limit of 47 or 48, which is announced 90 minutes before kickoff.
Emergencies may arise in the event of injury or disqualification, not because of a performance or conduct decision. If either of the first two quarterbacks is cleared to return by the medical team, the third quarterback must leave and may only return through injury.
If the team decides to consider a third quarterback on the active list, they will not be able to exercise the emergency option. Decisions to call players from the practice squad on game day are also ineligible.
San Francisco ran Christian McCaffrey to warm his arm during the championship game against Philadelphia after Brock Purdy suffered a hand injury and Josh Johnson was injured. Purdy had to return to the game, but was unable to pass for more than 10 yards and turned in 49 running games in a 31–7 loss on January 16.
The NFL owners’ spring meetings began Monday in Minnesota, and the sale of Dan Snyder’s Washington Commanders to a group led by Josh Harris remains a pressing issue. There will be no voting on transactions worth a record $6.05 billion this week.
“There are requirements to be met and things like that. We’re not there, but that doesn’t mean we won’t get there. It’s complicated,” said Colts owner Jim Irsay, a member of the league’s finance committee.
Neither Dan Snyder nor his wife Tanya attended the meetings.
