The NFL has told its 32 teams they should offer COVID-19 vaccines to their rookies at upcoming minicamps, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports.
The league would like clubs to "highlight to all players that vaccinations may help players avoid missed practices and games, and therefore may have a competitive impact for the club."
In late April, the NFL and the NFLPA agreed to impose less restrictive measures on fully vaccinated players. Such players will be test weekly rather than daily and will not have to quarantine if deemed a high-risk close contact.
The league completed its 2020 season while instituting strict protocols that prohibited players from gathering outside of the facility and forced teams to impose measures allowing for social distancing.
Each franchise had at least one player test positive for COVID-19, but the NFL recorded a 0.08% positivity rate during the course of the season. There were 262 coronavirus cases among players and 463 among personnel from Aug. 1 to the Super Bowl in February.
