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Washington ranked 11th out of 32 teams after finishing dead last in the first two editions of the the NFL Players Association survey. Illustration: WSJ, Patrick Smith/Getty Images
For years, Washington wasn’t just a wretched NFL team that didn’t come close to sniffing a Super Bowl. Somehow, the franchise was even more miserable off the field.
There was the controversy over the team name, a series of scandals under former owner Dan Snyder and facilities that had become dilapidated, all of which contributed to players grading Washington as the worst club to play for in the entire league for two straight years.
But this season, the Commanders have engineered a pair of turnarounds. First, led by rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, they made a surprise run to the NFC Championship. Now, even more stunningly, it turns out players actually enjoy playing for them again.
In the third annual survey conducted by the NFL Players Association, Washington ranked 11th out of 32 teams after finishing dead last in the first two editions. Players pointed to the hiring of Dan Quinn, who rated No. 1 among all head coaches, as one of the keys behind the turnaround. Other improvements included the food program and new owner Josh Harris’s willingness to invest in the facilities and improve the culture.
Washington Commanders owner Josh Harris, right, has been credited with improving the culture of the team. Photo: Stephanie Scarbrough/Associated Press
The survey reflects how the superstars of the NFL players have many of the same gripes about their working conditions as those of us who are holding down a desk job. The difference is that their offices happen to be NFL stadiums.
And while the Commanders improved across the board in 2024, one of the curious parts of the union’s annual survey is that there is no correlation between a team’s performance in the standings and the grades it receives as a place of work. This year’s two Super Bowl teams, the champion Philadelphia Eagles (22nd) and runner-up Kansas City Chiefs (26th), both finished in the bottom half of the league.
“This is about their experience at work, and it’s not what happens on the field,” said former offensive lineman JC Tretter, the NFLPA’s chief strategy officer. “There is no connection to those things.”
For the second consecutive season, the Dolphins and Minnesota Vikings topped the survey, with Miami the only team to receive an “A” or better in each of the 11 categories, which range from the treatment of families to the training staff to the quality of travel accommodations.
The Arizona Cardinals, meanwhile, took over in last place, with players describing the facility as outmoded while also giving poor marks to the food they’re served. The team noted in a statement that it has plans for a state-of the art facility that it hopes to complete in 2027.
“Our goal is to provide the best possible environment, facilities and resources and to give our team the greatest opportunity to succeed,” the Cardinals said. “We are working hard to achieve that.”
Report Card
How teams fared in a survey conducted by the NFL Players Association
Source: NFLPA
Past editions of the survey were marked by horror stories such as malfunctioning toilets, showers that didn’t work, and a rat infestation. But this year, Washington’s improvement was part of a broader theme of positive change that union officials saw as welcome response to their feedback. Overall, there was a 41% increase in grades of A- or above, with the Los Angeles Chargers (30th to 5th) and Atlanta Falcons (25th to 3rd) also making notable year-over-year jumps.
The same couldn’t be said for the team that has long wrestled with Washington for the title of the NFL’s most hapless franchise: the New York Jets.
The Jets’ Woody Johnson received an ‘F,’ the lowest grade among team owners. Photo: Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images
Their ranking fell from 21st to 29th in the survey, and while other teams were praised for addressing player concerns from previous years, Jets players felt the opposite—that management responded by making their working conditions worse. Players thought the team cut the food budget and gave Woody Johnson an “F,” the lowest grade among team owners.
After a season that saw the Jets’ playoff hopes with crash to a 5-12 finish, Johnson himself acknowledged that he has to “look in the mirror” and “be a better owner.” That rings especially true after the team stood out last year for reasons that had nothing to do with their on-field flameout.
Union officials said most team owners used last year’s feedback as an impetus to make changes in the right direction—and the Jets were the lone exception.
