NFL, NFLPA Reach Agreement to Expand Daily COVID-19 Testing Through Sept. 5

The NFL Players Association announced it struck a deal with the NFL that will see players undergo daily COVID-19 testing through Sept. 5. 

"We will continue to monitor positivity rates within each club and relevant information from each team community to inform our assessment of testing frequency ahead of the regular season," the union said.

Per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, the NFL said in a memo to teams the positivity rate among players and top personnel was under 1 percent:

The Washington Post's Mark Maske noted the original agreement between the two sides outlined daily testing only for the first two weeks of training camp. Once that window passed, testing would be conducted every other day.

The NFL had already amended the process to account for the possibility of false positive tests such as the one that occurred for Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford:

The 2020 regular season kicks off Sept. 10 when the Kansas City Chiefs host the Houston Texans.

It's unclear whether daily testing will carry on beyond early September, but it might have to based on how the MLB season is unfolding. Less than two full weeks into the schedule, the league was dealing with the fallout from outbreaks within the Miami Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals.

The longer breaks between games gives the NFL a bigger buffer than MLB, but nobody can know for sure what would happen in the event an outbreak hits an NFL squad midway through the season.

By virtue of Wednesday's agreement, the NFL can at least see whether the beginning of full-contact practices on Aug. 17 results in a spike of positive tests.