There is growing support within NFL front offices for the league and union to embrace daily COVID-19 testing for all team employees for the remainder of the season, but not much hope of that happening.
Each week teams are without key players on the reserve/COVID-19 list, and in many cases the clubs are unsure of when to project a player to return, as vaccinated players are tested just once a week and it's difficult to pinpoint when they first encountered the virus and, therefore, when their most likely window is to return with two negative tests opens. For instance, the Steelers operated all last week as if superstar TJ Watt would not play versus the Ravens after he first tested positive on a Monday, and they were pleasantly surprised when he was cleared that Saturday. But with depth an issue this late in the season, many general managers would prefer to have as much data as possible and to minimize any risk with daily testing.
"It just seems like a no-brainer, common sense thing to me," one general manager said. "We did it last year. The playoffs are coming up, the holidays are here, people are gathering together. Why not just go back to what we did last year to try to get through this now?"
Others agreed, though many expressed doubt that the NFL and NFLPA would alter their protocols now after already bargaining for the operating standards for 2021. "I think most if not all of the teams would be on board with daily testing, but I'm not planning on it. That's a tricky issue for the NFLPA. They are split on how to handle that, and there would be a lot of pushback from players. We're all for it, but I don't think we'll get it."
The NFLPA declined multiple attempts to comment on this story.
Another GM noted that many of his players ended up getting vaccinated as much to avoid the enhanced protocols and daily testing that non-vaccinated players face, and believes changing the rules now might create more issues than it solves.
"Personally, I think it's too late for that now," the GM said. "Where the league and union screwed up is not making it mandatory that any unvaccinated player who misses a game on the COVID list doesn't get paid. That's how you solve the problem. There would be at most one or two guys on each team who don't get it."
Every GM who was contacted agreed that trying to juggle the roster, sustain depth at key positions and brace for the inevitable player or two who will be lost late in the week due to COVID-19 has become one of the most difficult parts of the job. "You have no idea how much of my week is spent monitoring this stuff," one top executive said. And many believe daily testing might at least lessen that burden somewhat, especially with Christmas now just two weeks away.
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December 12, 2021 at 07:00PM
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Many GMs support return to daily testing for remainder of season with COVID-19 impacting games each week - CBS Sports
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