NFL owners approved a change to the emergency quarterback rule in March that would allow teams to call up a player from the practice squad an unlimited number of times to be on the inactive list as a third quarterback on game days, but that change will not be in effect this season.
Per Tom Pelissero of NFL Media, the league sent a memo to teams informing them that the NFLPA vetoed the change. The veto means that any quarterback designated for the emergency role must already be on the 53-man roster. That is the same way the rule worked when it was adopted for the 2023 season.
The union likely saw the change as offering teams a way to stash a 54th member of the active roster on the practice squad.
Quarterbacks can still be elevated for games, but would still be subject to three elevations before they would have to be waived or released and they would have to be active for the game rather than in the emergency role.
The change could have some impact on decisions teams make about keeping third quarterbacks through Tuesday’s roster cuts.
