NFLPA Survey: Vikings Shine, Vegas Rolls, Trouble In KC, Rats In Jacksonville

By Barry Janoff

March 1, 2023: The NFL Players Assn. today unveiled the results of a league-wide survey conducted among 1,300 players with the goal to “highlight positive clubs, identify areas that could use improvement, and highlight best practices and standards.”

“One of our core jobs as a union is to improve the overall working conditions for our players,” NFLPA president JC Tretter wrote in a letter posted to the union’s Web site.

“Often, you see our advocacy on ‘big’ issues — like our push for better field surfaces at stadiums or standardized safety protocols that limit the risk of workplace injuries — but it also includes the daily experience of players at the team facilities away from the lights and cameras.”

NFLPA said it created Club Report Cards, which contains “information that can help illuminate what that daily experience is like for players and their families from team to team.”

According to Tretter, “If knowledge is really power, then providing players with information about each club would not only help them make important career decisions, but it would also help raise the standards across each club.”

Club Report Cards asked players to respond to such topics as “Treatment of Families,” “Nutrition,” “Weight Room,” “Strength Staff,” “Training Room,” Training Staff” and Locker Room.”

Based on the results shared by the NFLPA, among the top-rated NFL teams in these areas are the Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers, Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans, Las Vegas Raiders, Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings, New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers.

Rated at the bottom among NFL teams: Arizona Cardinals, Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Chargers, Los Angeles Rams, Washington Commanders and the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.

According to Tretter, “We don’t want this to be a one-year project. Our intent is to continue to field player opinions and feedback every year. No problem can be fixed until it is identified and acknowledged as a problem. We hope that teams will take this feedback and improve the facilities and players’ experiences, where needed.”

The Minnesota Vikings are ranked as the No. 1 team in the survey. “Their facility was recently built and is considered state-of-the-art: 100% of the players feel like owner Zygi Wilf is willing to spend money to upgrade the facilities.

"The Minnesota Vikings are a shining example of what is possible when a concerted investment is made in both staffing and facilities.”

The Miami Dolphins ranked as the 2nd best team in the NFL according to the results. "The facilities grade out at the top of nearly every category, the staff is well respected, and the players feel like both the trainers and strength coaches add to their success.

“Our survey results showed that 97% of respondents believe that club owner Stephen Ross is willing to invest money into upgrading the facilities.”

The Las Vegas Raiders ranked as the 3rd best team. “With their new facilities in place now for nearly three years, we heard from multiple players on other teams the request to ‘make the facilities more like Vegas.’

“The workplace is mostly state-of-the-art, and 90% of players believe that club owner Mark Davis is willing to spend money to upgrade the operations if needed.”

The Houston Texans finished 4th in the Club Report Cards. ”Their team travel philosophy ranked the best in the league. On road games, they give the players plenty of room to be comfortable; and for home games, they allow veteran players to stay in their own homes instead of the team hotel.

“As one would expect for a team with ratings this high, 97% of the locker room believes the McNairs are willing to invest money into upgrading the facilities.”

The Indianapolis Colts were ranked 16th in the survey. “In general, the players feel well-supported by their team’s owner, Jim Irsay, as 97% of player respondents believe he is willing to spend the money necessary to upgrade the facility.

“The two main issues that players have are the food – so much that some players prefer to pack their own lunch rather than eat at the facility – and the feeling that the team should significantly improve its travel policies for players. “

The Kansas City Chiefs are ranked 29th overall in the Club Report Cards. “In general, the results show that the facility feels outdated and players would like to see upgrades across the board.

“Player respondents expressed beliefs/opinions that:

• They feel discouraged from reporting their injuries
• They do not feel they get the level of personal care that they should
• They fear retribution for speaking up for better care.”

The Washington Commanders ranked 32nd (last) in the survey. “Besides the strength coaches, who received great feedback and grades as one of the best groups in the league, the rest of the club’s operations and facilities were rated by player respondents at the bottom of every single category.

"The locker room does not have confidence that club owner Dan Snyder is willing to invest to upgrade the facilities."

The Arizona Cardinals ranked second to last in their overall score among the 32 NFL clubs. “The consistent sentiment in players’ responses was that ownership does not provide high quality workplace facilities, and club policies reflected the lowest rate of confidence that current ownership is willing to invest to make upgrades."

The Jacksonville Jaguars ranked as the 28th lowest team. “As one of the worst -

“When asked what the number one thing they want changed at their facility, the answer was unanimous — get rid of the rats! Players reported that for 3-4 weeks this season, there was a rat infestation in the locker room and laundry hampers.

“The second issue was the players’ feeling that the team can take better care of the players’ families.”

List By Rankings:

1. Minnesota Vikings
2. Miami Dolphins
3. Las Vegas Raiders
4. Houston Texans
5. Dallas Cowboys
6. Green Bay Packers
7. San Francisco 49ers
8. New York Giants
9. Buffalo Bills
10. New Orleans Saints
11. Seattle Seahawks
12. Carolina Panthers
13. Chicago Bears
14. Philadelphia Eagles
15. Detroit Lions
16. Indianapolis Colts
17. Baltimore Ravens
18. Tennessee Titans
19. New York Jets
20. Denver Broncos
21. Cleveland Browns
22. Pittsburgh Steelers
23. Atlanta Falcons
24. New England Patriots
25. Los Angeles Rams
26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
27. Cincinnati Bengals
28. Jacksonville Jaguars
29. Kansas City Chiefs
30. Los Angeles Chargers
31. Arizona Cardinals
32. Washington Commanders

See Club Report Cards here.

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