Every Player On These 2 NFL Teams Has Been Vaccinated Against COVID-19

With exactly one week remaining until the start of the 2021 NFL season, two teams have reached a 100% vaccination rate. Both the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons say every player on their roster has received a COVID-19 vaccine.

Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians announced Thursday that the entire organization, including players and coaches, has been vaccinated. Atlanta said it was the first team to become fully vaccinated in mid-August, well before making final roster cuts for the regular season.

"It's something I wanted to do, trying to put the team [out of] harm's [way]," Tampa Bay running back Leonard Fournette said. "People are still catching it, but it makes it a lot better to have the shot. We need every hand in here for these next couple big games we've got coming up."

Being completely vaccinated gives the Bucs and Falcons an advantage over the rest of the league’s 30 teams. Players who aren’t vaccinated have more opportunities to miss games, even if they don’t end up contracting COVID-19, due to more rigorous protocols.

Unvaccinated players who are deemed close contacts of someone who tests positive for COVID-19 must stay away from the team for five days. Vaccinated players who are close contacts will be tested daily, but they won’t have to quarantine unless they ultimately test positive for the coronavirus.

Through the first 21 days of August, unvaccinated NFL players tested positive for COVID-19 at a rate seven times that of vaccinated players.

The Bucs host the Dallas Cowboys on Sept. 9 in the NFL’s Kickoff Game. After winning last season’s Super Bowl, Tampa Bay has the best odds to win the NFC.

Atlanta opens the season at home against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Falcons missed last year’s playoffs, finishing seven games behind Tampa Bay in the NFC South.

In mid-August, the NFL claimed it had a 91.7% vaccination rate leaguewide.