NFL Reportedly May Compromise with NFLPA by Providing Daily COVID-19 Tests

The NFL is reportedly "leaning toward compromising with the union and ordering daily tests, at least for a substantial period of time this summer" amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Peter King reported as much in his latest "Football Morning in America" column that delved into some of the remaining sticking points in conversations between the league and its players as training camp and the 2020 season approaches.

It may be something the league is willing to compromise on out of sheer desire to actually play a season while so many other leagues had to suspend and shorten their campaigns amid the pandemic.

San Francisco 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman suggested the league will do whatever it takes to finish the season if it starts, telling King, "No one knows. But I feel like the way this league runs, if this season starts, they'll fight tooth and nail to finish."

The Associated Press (h/t WTKR) reported the players association prefers daily tests for COVID-19, which is something that is still being debated as the two sides work toward a health and safety protocol.

"We believe daily testing is important, especially given some of these hot spots," NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith said Friday. "We don't right now plan on changing that position."

A number of the league's most notable players, including Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson and Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt, tweeted concerns about how the league is handling player safety issues with training camp right around the corner:

On Tuesday, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reported whether there will be testing every day as the players prefer or less frequently as the league prefers is one of "several issues [that] remain unsolved" alongside the players' desire to play zero preseason games.

King pointed to another issue with players preferring a longer acclimation period when they report to training camp with 21 days of strength and conditioning, 10 days of practice without pads and then 10 of the final 14 days of practice with pads.

"I could see some wiggle room in the 10 days without pads, because it seems impractical with no preseason games to not put on pads till the last few days of August," King wrote. "Whatever, I expect there to be some grudging agreements with players on those issues early this week."

There is also something of a sense of urgency timing-wise, as the Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans are scheduled to report to training camp Monday.