NFL & NFLPA Agree to Daily COVID-19 Testing To Begin Training Camp

The NFL and NFLPA agreed to test players for COVID-19 every day for the first two weeks of camp Monday. At that point, the league will look at the coronavirus positivity rate, and if it sits below five percent, then the league will move to testing every other day according to NFL reporter Tom Pelissero.

The NFL and NFLPA agreed to daily COVID-19 testing for the first 2 weeks of camp, after which they’ll look at positivity rates. If the rate drops below 5% for players and Tier 1/Tier 2 individuals, they’ll move to every other day. Important deal as talks continue on other issues.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) July 20, 2020

In order to report to training camp, players must test negative for COVID-19 twice with 72 hours separating the two tests. After two negative tests, players will be allowed into the facility, and then daily testing will begin.

A memo that just went out outlining COVID-19 testing pic.twitter.com/RnJHRXQOKA
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 20, 2020

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the NFL has also offered to play zero preseason games this August, which was another request from the players' association.

NFL offered the NFLPA today to play zero preseason games this summer, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 20, 2020

With the two sides agreeing on coronavirus testing and preseason games, the last remaining stipulation appears to be what designation players who test positive for the virus will receive. Last week, the NFL wanted the ability to place players who test positive for COVID-19 on the non-football injury list, which would enable teams not to pay those players. Obviously, that's a concern for the NFLPA.

Even with that topic still undecided, this is a huge win for the players and ultimately the fans. The NFL was never going to be able to begin training camp without the NFLPA agreeing to the league's coronavirus policy. The better equipped the league is against the virus, the better chance fans have at seeing a full season.

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