Nov 27, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; A Minnesota Vikings helmet sits idle on the field before the game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Chicago Bears at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports.
Last year, the Minnesota Vikings checked in at No. 1 on the NFLPA’s “report card,” grades that evaluate a team’s culture, facilities, coach, ownership, and general workplace atmosphere.
But in 2024, the Vikings fell to No. 2, ousted by the Miami Dolphins
Minnesota’s placement at No. 2 is still a wonderful spot, especially two weeks before free agency. On March 11th, players can begin legally talking to teams about 2024+ contracts, and the Vikings undeniably host an accommodating environment.
NFLPA president JC Tretter described the process, “The second annual NFLPA Club Report Cards are here. For many years, our players brought up the idea of creating a ‘Free Agency Guide’ that would illuminate what the daily experience is for players and their families at each team. Last year, we created the first version of that guide, and it was a success on several levels: Players were more informed about how their workplace compared to others across the NFL; some clubs made immediate improvements based on the information we published; it gave our union a platform to advocate for raising workplace standards across the NFL.”
Over 1,300 players were asked to vote on these criteria for each NFL team:
Here is the grading scale:
Here’s how the Vikings fared (with NFL ranking):
Tretter also said the Dolphins and Vikings were “far and above ahead of everyone else” regarding the grades. The report card noted, too, “98% of players feel Kevin O’Connell is efficient with their time (5th overall). The players believe Kevin O’Connell is very willing to listen to the locker room (1st overall).”
Minnesota has about $36 million available to spend on free agents in two weeks, by far its most in about a decade. The club is expected to add new players at a more generous clip as the team completes the final stages of its self-described “competitive rebuild” phase of team building.
“Our goal as a union is always to bring value to our members, and getting feedback from them is a classic union tool to get a better understanding of what membership feels about certain issues. We hope this can be a resource for all players,” Tretter wrote about the report card’s intent.
Strangely, the Kansas City Chiefs’ top boss, Clark Hunt, was named the worst owner in the NFL.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.