The NFL is preparing for the 2020 season with teams bringing players into their facilities with training camp just around the corner.
With every player and coach set to undergo daily testing fro COVID-19 before anyone takes the field, the NFL is expected to go through an insane amount of tests in the new few weeks.
How many COVID-19 tests will the NFL use?
As part of the agreement for the 2020 season between the NFL and NFL Players Association, players secured a huge victory for training camp. Amid growing concerns regarding the risk of playing in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, the NFL agreed to test its personnel every day for the first two weeks of training camp.
While the NFL will save on some testing with teams reducing roster sizes to 80, instead of the typical 90-man rosters for training camp, the league is expected to go through an incredible number of tests.
According to NBC Sports’ Peter King, the NFL is estimated to need at least 40,320 tests per week for players and staff during the daily testing period. The numbers could end up being even higher if any individual requires multiple tests.
While the NFL plans to reduce its testing protocols to approximately three per day after the first two weeks, the league is offering to test family members of players and coaches. It would further add to the extraordinary number of testing kits that the NFL will need this summer.
How much will COVID-19 tests cost the NFL?
The NFL is already anticipating it will lose billions of dollars in revenue this season with stadiums either empty or attendance greatly diminished. Now, team owners are bracing to foot the bill for the insane number of COVID-19 tests.
As of now, the NFL anticipates spending approximately $75 million on COVID-19 testing his year with the cost divided among all 32 clubs. Each test is expected to cost around $125 each and while there is a total flat rate for the league’s partnership with BioReference Laboratories to oversee the testing, the cost could increase even more if teams require more tests.
It is in the league’s best interest to test players and coaches regularly, given the risks that already face the upcoming regular season. However, with the NFL taking up so many resources, the league will likely draw even more criticism for taking up tests and time that could greatly benefit the general public.