Falcons Become First NFL Team With All Players Vaccinated

ATLANTA, GA — The Atlanta Falcons are the first team in the National Football League to have 100 percent of its players vaccinated against COVID-19, the team announced Monday.

WSB-TV first reported the news Monday, crediting the information to "NFL league sources." There are 84 players on the Falcons roster, and all of them are said to be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus.

Falcons players can now work out and eat together; are no longer required to take a COVID-19 test daily; will not have to wear masks around the facility; and won't have to quarantine following a close contact with someone who tests positive, Falcons Digital Managing Editor Scott Bair said Monday.

All Falcons and Atlanta United employees — not players — are required to be vaccinated by Oct. 1.

As of publication, the NFL does not require players to be vaccinated. But league officials said in a memo if a game can't be rescheduled during the 18-week season due to a COVID-19 outbreak among unvaccinated players or staff, the team with the outbreak will "forfeit and be credited with a loss for playoff seeding," NFL Network's Tom Pelissero first reported in July.

The memo also said both teams would not be paid for the forfeited/lost game, and the team responsible for the canceled game will have to cover financial losses and be subject to potential discipline from the commissioner, NFL News reported. Also, the season will not be extended to accommodate a canceled game because of a COVID-19 outbreak among players or staff.

More than 78 percent of NFL players have had at least one shot, and 14 clubs have at least 85 percent of players vaccinated as of the end of July, WSB-TV reported. The season starts Sept. 9, with the first Falcons game slated Sept. 12.