Why reports indicate Packers QB Aaron Rodgers has cleared COVID protocols

The big question before the showdown between the Seattle Seahawks and the Green Bay Packers was the availability of future Hall of Fame quarterbacks for each team.

For Seattle, Russell Wilson returned from the injury reserve to the 53-man squad on Friday afternoon and almost officially returned to the field on Sunday. In Green Bay, things were on hold as the Packers waited for Rodgers to clear the COVID logs, and according to reports from Saturday morning.

Packers QB Aaron Rodgers has remained asymptomatic from COVID-19 and has met NFL / NFLPA return-to-play protocols, according to sources. Now the Packers just have to officially activate it by 4:00 p.m. ET today.

– Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 13, 2021

As Schefter notes, Rodgers has cleared the logs and only needs to be moved to the 53-man list before 4 p.m. New York time to be able to contest the field on Sunday.

Well, this is sure to shake the feathers of some Seattle fans who were upset at the league’s inability to sort Seahawks tight end Gerald Everett back in time for the Seahawks Week 5 Thursday game against the Los Angeles Rams. The difference between the two is that Everett, who was vaccinated, had to show two negative samples to get clearance, while Rodgers just had to be asymptomatic and pass a cardiac exam after ten days.

The problem that resulted in Everett not being resolved in a timely manner is the fact that Team Everett performed some type of COVID test, which is not an approved test under the NFL-NFLPA’s collectively agreed return protocols. In particular, the Seahawks reportedly used RT-PCR tests, while NFL protocols require players to take negative PCR tests in order to play again. It may seem like a small detail, but the simple fact is that the league’s medical bureau had no leeway to allow Everett to play again if negative tests were presented that did not meet the requirements as these protocols were collectively negotiated will return to the game criteria. As a result, Everett had to miss the Los Angeles Rams loss, while Rodgers can return on Sunday without requiring a negative test as CDC guidelines state that a person is no longer contagious for ten days after a positive test.

In any case, Rodgers is now up against Wilson, and hopefully Wilson can deliver the first Seahawks win at Green Bay since the Clinton administration.