NFL OK’s emergency 3rd QB after 49ers’ injury woes in NFC title game

EAGAN, Minn. — NFL owners approved a rule change Monday that allows teams to play an emergency quarterback from the inactive list if the first two are injured during a game, a decision that stems from San Francisco’s depth-chart challenge in the NFC championship game.

The bylaw was initially proposed by the Detroit Lions. The third quarterback designation will not count against the limit of active players — either 47 or 48 — that is determined 90 minutes before kickoff.

The emergency activation can only occur after injury or disqualification, not for a performance-related decision or other conduct. If either of the first two quarterbacks are cleared by the team’s medical staff to return to play, the third must be removed from the game and can only return as a quarterback if an injury scenario arises again.

If a team puts three quarterbacks on the active list for a game, it can’t use the emergency option. Game-day practice squad elevations are not eligible, either.

The 49ers had running back Christian McCaffery warming up his arm in the NFC championship game in Philadelphia, after Brock Purdy injured his elbow and Josh Johnson suffered a concussion. Purdy was forced back into the game but unable to throw the ball more than 10 yards as the 49ers scrapped their game plan for a run-heavy attack in their 31-7 loss to the Eagles on Jan. 29.

The 49ers had already lost their top two quarterbacks — Trey Lance in Week 2 and Jimmy Garoppolo in Week 13 — to season-ending injuries.

League owners convened in Minnesota on Monday for their spring meetings, with the pending sale of the Washington Commanders from Dan Snyder’s family to Josh Harris’ group remaining a prominent if not pressing issue. No vote on the record $6.05 billion transaction will occur this week.

“There’s certain criteria that has to be met, and that’s just the way it is. It’s not there yet, but it doesn’t mean that it can’t get there. It’s complicated. Put it that way. I could explain it to you, and it wouldn’t tell you anything,” said Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay, a member of the league finance committee.

Neither Snyder nor his wife, Tanya, came to Minnesota for the meeting. The league’s preference, Irsay said, is to have the deal approved prior to the start of the regular season. Irsay indicated the amount of money at stake and the amount of investors involved in Harris’ group — which includes National Basketball Hall of Famer Magic Johnson — has lengthened the approval process.

“We’re working hard. Everyone wants to get it done, and it’s seeing that it just complies with league policy. It’s a complicated deal, so we’re trying to just work through it and we’re hopeful we can get it done. It’s going to take probably several more weeks of discussions before we see if we can reach the goal line,” Irsay said.

Corral doesn’t desire trade

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Carolina Panthers drafted Matt Corral in third round of the 2022 NFL draft with an eye toward developing him to potentially be their starting quarterback.

One year later, Corral is buried on the depth chart and appears to be the odd man out in Carolina’s QB room.

The Panthers used the No. 1 overall pick this year on Alabama’s Bryce Young and signed veteran Andy Dalton in free agency to be his backup. With most teams keeping two QBs on their roster, Corral’s future in Carolina is cloudy.

But Corral said he’d rather fight for a position than be traded.

“If it was up to me, I don’t want to get traded,” Corral said Monday after minicamp practice. “I love the people here, I love the people that I’m around. I wanna play for (head coach Frank) Reich. I really like the coaches that we have around us.”

Corral’s comments come less than a month after he posted a cryptic message on Instagram the night of the NFL draft, which read: “Then the father said: I wanted to let you know that you are not worth anything if you are not in the right place. If you are not appreciated, do not be angry. That means you are in the wrong place. Don’t stay in a place where no one sees your value.”

Corral said Monday the post was not about the Panthers drafting Young, which he views as a business decision.

“It was just personal stuff, just my social life and my relationships with people that care about me and I care about them,” Corral said. “Had nothing to do with football.”

BRIEFLY

THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL: NFL owners have approved a flexible scheduling policy for Thursday night games on Amazon Prime Video. The rule covers Weeks 13-17, and teams would have their games moved only with at least 28 days’ notice. The league could push a Thursday night matchup in that range to Sunday afternoon if there is a more desirable game. The mechanism is currently in place for Sunday night and Monday night games.

SUPER BOWL: The Super Bowl will return to the Bay Area in 2026 at the home of the San Francisco 49ers. NFL owners approved the site at their spring meetings. This will be the third time for the big game in the Bay Area. Levi’s Stadium hosted Super Bowl 50 in Santa Clara when Denver beat Carolina. The 49ers won Super Bowl 19 at Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto when they beat Miami after the 1984 season. The 2026 game will be Super Bowl 60. The next Super Bowl is scheduled for Feb. 11, 2024, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

PACKERS: The NFL draft will be coming to Green Bay in 2025. The league made the announcement during its spring meetings. The draft and related activities will take place inside and around Lambeau Field and Titletown, the collection of shops and restaurants surrounding the stadium. The NFL began taking the draft out of New York and to various cities starting in 2015. More than 2.2 million people have attended draft festivities since then.

RAVENS: Baltimore signed quarterback Josh Johnson and waived linebacker Daelin Hayes. The 37-year-old Johnson returns to the Ravens after playing one game with them in 2021. He’s made nine starts in his NFL career — five with Tampa Bay, three with Washington and one with Baltimore. Hayes was drafted by the Ravens in the fifth round in 2021 and has dealt with knee problems, appearing in only one game since then.

DIVERSITY: The NFL has expanded a program for minorities and women in sports medicine. The league aims to increase diversity among athletic trainers and medical staff in line with similar initiatives for coaches and the front office. The pool will now match diverse students from 19 medical schools with NFL clubs and more than double the participants from the 14 who took part in the pilot last year.

RAIDERS: Las Vegas principal owner Mark Davis told ESPN that recently retired and seven-time Super Bowl champion quarterback Tom Brady will become a minority owner of the team. Brady and Davis also have a business relationship with the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces. Davis is the majority owner, and Brady has a stake in the club. At least 24 NFL owners will need to approve Brady’s deal with the Raiders.