INDIANAPOLIS – For the second year in a row, the NFL Players Association on Wednesday released it team-by-team report cardwhich assesses the working conditions and environment of the players during their seasons and offseasons.
The Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay Packers, Philadelphia Eagles and Jacksonville Jaguars rounded out the top five in terms of overall scores.
Meanwhile, for the second straight season, the Washington Commanders received the lowest mark in the league while the repeat Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs were ranked 31st overall. The Los Angeles Chargers (30th), New England Patriots (29th) and Pittsburgh Steelers (28th) round out the bottom five.
Team grade categories include their training room, training staff, weight room, strength coaches, team travel, head coach and ownership. Owners scored on players’ beliefs that their ownership groups operated with a willingness to invest in team facilities.
Survey data was gathered from August to November of the 2023 season. A total of 1,750 players (out of approximately 1,300 participants in 2022) took part in the survey. NFLPA leaders said they are encouraged by the increase in participation this year. About 77 percent of all NFL players took part in the survey. Players are instructed to score their teams and from there, scores are tallied and ranked.
Player Team Report Cards are back. Last year the report cards led to players feeling more informed about their workplace and this year several new categories were added including Head Coach, Owner + Dietician/Nutritionist.
See here: https://t.co/RV0ZNDNb2h. pic.twitter.com/vfEv6A7d2s— NFLPA (@NFLPA) February 28, 2024
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers received an F on team travel largely because players with four seasons or less and nonstarters are required to have roommates on road trips and are charged $1,750 per player if desired they have their own room.
The Chiefs received low marks as a result of player frustrations after ownership promised to upgrade the outdated locker room.
However, for the second year in a row, Clark Hunt and Kansas City did not upgrade the locker room beyond replacing the stools players were given to sit in front of their lockers with the seats facing away. The players’ leaders have been told there is no time to adequately upgrade the team’s facilities because their season stretches into February due to their run to the Super Bowl in 2022.
Kansas City is ahead of the Detroit Lions and Vikings in terms of head-coaching scores. Andy Reid, Dan Campbell and Kevin O’Connell received A-plus grades. The coach who received the lowest grade was Josh McDaniels, who was fired by the Las Vegas Raiders last season.
“I would say things have improved and we’re glad they have,” said NFL Players Association president JC Tretter, a retired offensive lineman. “Our whole goal with this … (involves) highlighting the good teams, highlighting the team that can improve and a drive for change to make things better for the players, immediately and long-term .
NFLPA leaders hope the report cards serve as a tool to ensure accountability and motivate team owners and leadership teams to provide their players with improved facilities, adequate nutrition, care medical, accommodations for families and more.
Lloyd Howell, the NFLPA’s new executive director, spent much of last season traveling to meet with the owners of all 32 teams and discuss working conditions. Some of those conversations centered on the findings of last year’s results. Howell said many owners would welcome improving conditions.
“It’s not a shameful exercise,” Howell said. “It’s really an opportunity to get to know teams and environments that work well – that do all the right things. It’s the players who talk about their working conditions and what they like and what they want they see improvement.
The findings of the survey, conducted by a third-party survey service, were fascinating, but interestingly enough, the union found no correlation between winning and losing and the quality of grades received by teams.
This year, the union added several categories, which include ownership, head coach, nutritionist and dietitian.
Dolphins owner Stephen Ross received the highest ownership score, while Hunt received the lowest.
A year after being ranked the worst team in the league, the Jaguars have opened a new team headquarters. The rat infestation that prompted complaints and low scores in 2023 is no longer an issue. The Cincinnati Bengals ranked worst in terms of cafeteria scores in 2023 because meals were not provided throughout the day. A year later, the team began offering three meals a day on Wednesdays but still has a ways to go before players feel adequately cared for.
The Commanders ranked worst overall under Daniel Snyder last season and now have a new owner in Josh Harris. The ownership grade increased, but the facility scores improved slightly, which is understandable given the fact that Harris, who bought the team in late July, had limited time to make upgrades.
Meanwhile, the Dallas Cowboys dropped from fifth to 12th, with frustrations over limited resources and a lack of training staff causing a drop in player satisfaction.
One of the greatest areas of concern for players is the adequate resources and staffing of training rooms. Many teams are understaffed in this department, and the NFLPA has spoken to the NFL about the need for a limit on the number of trainers a team employs to ensure an adequate trainer-to- players who will ensure players receive adequate care for injuries.
The NFL released a statement saying the league and teams “encourage and solicit player feedback to help improve all aspects of their NFL experience. We look forward to having the opportunity to review the union’s questionnaire, and the data that supports it.”
The league added that it invited the union to join it “in a rigorous, third-party scientifically-based survey like we have done in the past.”
Required reading
(Photo: Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
