Report: Raiders 'Might Be the Best in the' NFL for Vaccinated Players, Coaches

The Las Vegas Raiders have reportedly achieved a high COVID-19 vaccination rate among players and coaches.

According to Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, a source close to the Raiders said they "might be the best in the league" when it comes to the number of players vaccinated while adding that the entire coaching staff has been vaccinated as well.

It could ultimately mean a loosening of restrictions for teams that reach a certain threshold by training camp.

Pro Football Talk's Peter King wrote last month in his Football Morning in America column that it's possible the NFL will adopt a rule similar to Major League Baseball in that teams with a vaccination rate of 85 percent or higher will have fewer protocols to follow.

King noted that teams with high vaccination rates may be able to avoid daily testing and the need to have all players wear masks. Vaccinated players would also be allowed to leave team hotels, a departure from last season when all players had to stay in their rooms.

If the NFL does indeed adopt a vaccination threshold, reaching it will give teams advantages over ones that don't, as they would be allowed to operate under the most normal circumstances possible.

The Raiders, oddly enough, violated COVID-19 protocols on multiple occasions last season.

In March, the NFL fined the Raiders organization $800,000. They were also stripped of a sixth-round draft pick initially, although it was reinstated upon appeal.

Head coach Jon Gruden was fined $150,000 last season as well in relation to protocol violations stemming from offensive lineman Trent Brown's positive COVID-19 test.

Brown was twice placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list last season, and on one of those occasions, the entire Raiders' starting offensive line was sent home because of contact tracing.

The Raiders finished 8-8 last season and have missed the playoffs the past three seasons with Gruden and general manager Mike Mayock at the helm. Overall, the Raiders have not made the playoffs since 2016 when Jack Del Rio was the team's head coach.

Having looser restrictions in 2021 could only be a plus for a team in a division with the Kansas City Chiefs and the potentially improved Los Angeles Chargers and Denver Broncos.