Offensive tackle Jared Veldheer will reportedly become the first NFL player to play for two teams in the same postseason when he signs with the Green Bay Packers due to COVID-19 rules.
“New Packers’ OT Jared Veldheer now will become the first player in NFL history to play for two teams in the same postseason,” ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter captioned his post on Instagram Monday. (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football)
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“COVID practice-squad rules made it possible,” he added. “Veldheer, who started for the Colts’ on Saturday, is now signing with the Packers, per source. He is allowed to sign with GB because he was on the Colts’ practice squad. He played the Bills in round one, now will play the Rams in round two.”
According to ProFootballTalk.com:
Ordinarily, that wouldn’t be permitted. But Veldheer was on the Colts’ practice squad, rather than their active roster, and was moved up to the gameday roster as part of the league’s special rules this season to give teams more flexibility to field healthy players during the COVID-19 pandemic.
As the piece noted, after the Colts 24-27 loss to the Buffalo Bills during a Wild Card Round on Saturday, the offensive player reverted back to the Colts’ practice squad. (RELATED: ‘You Don’t Determine Who We Vote For’: Football Legend Herschel Walker Blasts Joe Biden Following ‘Ain’t Black’ Comment)
And since the Packers would be signing him off the practice squad he will most likely play every snap when the offense takes the field when Green Bay hosts the Los Angeles Rams during the Divisional Round playoffs on Saturday.
Given that Packers’ David Bakhtiari suffered a season-ending knee injury, and that Veldheer played for the Packers last year, it is hard to see how he won’t be on the field and make NFL playoff history, per the report.