Bucs Rank Low In NFLPA Scorecard

The NFL Players Association released their “Player Team Report Card” today, and the NFL world is abuzz.

I’ve never had so many players/coaches/staffers reach out about a story. Those NFLPA grades struck a chord.

— Kyle Odegard (@Kyle_Odegard) March 1, 2023

The report card does not bode well for the Bucs. Their overall ranking is 26th in the league. The report card grades teams across six categories: Treatment of Families, Food Service/Nutrition, Weight Room, Strength Coaches, Training Room, Locker Room and Team Travel. The Bucs rated best in the areas that have the closest relationship with on-field product getting an A in strength coaches and an A- in training staff. On the other hand they rated very poorly in team travel (F), Food Service/Nutrition (D) and treatment of families (D+).

This Report Card Could Affect Bucs In Free Agency

Bucs GM Jason Licht – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Over the past three years the Bucs were able to attract seemingly every free agent they coveted. Future Hall of Famer Julio Jones? Signed. Future Hall of Famer Rob Gronkowski? Signed. Former top-5 pick Leonard Fournette? Signed. The list continues, but I’ll spare you the redundancy. Over this three-year period Tampa Bay had a trump card. He is affectionately referred to as “the GOAT.” Tom Brady’s presence on the roster allowed the team to lure external talent who wanted a chance to win a title with the seven-time world champion.

Those days are gone, though, as the light the Bucs used to leave on for Brady has diminished to a desk lamp as general manager Jason Licht said Tuesday when asked by the press whether he thought Brady might make another return. Without their cheat code quarterback-recruiter extraordinaire, and with little in the way of cap room, the Bucs will need to re-focus their sales pitch to potential free agents on both off-field support as well as on-field opportunities. And based on this report card that sales pitch may be a hard sell.

If a potential free agent has a family, they may not like that the Bucs are one of 14 teams that do not offer an on-site family room or that they are one of 11 teams that do not offer daycare. 25% of the Bucs players that responded to the survey also mentioned there isn’t enough food in the cafeteria.

For players who find food important to their decision-making process this could be a turn off. But the worst area the Bucs rank in comes down to team travel, where players paint a picture of a team with a multibillion-dollar valuation making cost-cutting moves that they don’t appreciate. 25% of respondents said they did not feel like they had enough room to spread out. Additionally, they are one of only six teams that make at least some of their players room together on road trips and one of only seven teams that do not offer first-class seats to their players.

The Little Things Matter

While the contract offer will have the most predominant bearing on potential free agent decisions, it is not the lone factor. The Bucs have long taken advantage of being one of only five teams that play in a state that has no income tax. Fellow Florida teams Miami and Jacksonville, along with Las Vegas and Arizona also have no income tax issues to worry about. This provides these teams an advantage in recruitment as they can offer more after-tax income on the same contract offer as a team that operates in a state with income taxes.

Bucs HC Todd Bowles – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

These other factors, while not being the main focus for players when deciding which team will be their next employer, could be the difference between identical or similar offers between two teams. The Bucs would be wise to invest some of their substantial wealth into addressing the concerns of their employees.

A recent article in the Business News Daily shows that employers who listen to their employees and act upon employee input enjoy higher productivity. If the Glazers employ this strategy it should lead to higher engagement among their current players. Players throughout the NFL talk to each other and this would lead to a higher perception of the team among all players in the league.

This report card could be taken two ways by the team. On one hand they could look at it as a damning indictment of the team but do nothing. On the other hand they could look at it as valuable feedback that highlights ways they can continue to invest in their players and staff to elevate themselves within a community where there are very few secrets.