Cardinals Rank Last, Slammed in Players Survey

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Arizona Cardinals ranked 32nd in the league's annual NFLPA survey, which evaluates all organizations on numerous factors and is voted on solely by players.

From the NFLPA's official site:

"One of our core jobs as a union is to improve the overall working conditions for our players, which includes the daily experience of players at the team facilities away from the lights and cameras.

"1,695 of our players provided information to share with one another about their current club, to not only help them make important career decisions, but also help raise standards across the league."

The Cardinals were graded as follows in these categories:

Cardinals Slammed in NFLPA Survey

Treatment of Famalies: D+
Food/Dining Area: D-
Nutritionist/Dietician: B
Locker Room: F-
Training Room: D-
Training Staff: C
Weight Room: F
Strength Coaches: C+
Team Travel: B
Head Coach: A
Ownership: D-

The Cardinals ranked in the bottom five in every category besides nutrionist/dietician, team travel and head coach.

Arizona ranked 27th last year and 31st in 2023.

From the team's summary in the survey:

"The Arizona Cardinals finish at the bottom of this year’s Report Card rankings. The top concern for many players is the need for an updated, modernized and expanded team facility. Nearly every space within the facility is described as too small, especially the team’s locker room.

"Many players also highlight non-construction related improvements that would enhance their workplace conditions, such as an upgraded food program with more variety and higher quality offerings, as well as pre-game sideline passes for their families.

"When asked what the team is doing best, many players praise head coach Jonathan Gannon for fostering a strong team culture."

Gannon finished top ten in head coaches voted on by their respective players.

Though the Cardinals have made strides on the field, it's still very clear the organization ranks near the bottom in most categories.

It's one thing for fans or media to make these suggestions - it's another for players themselves to highlight a lot of the shortcomings in Arizona.

The team's owner accounts for 15% of the team's overall grade for the NFLPA survey. Bidwill ranked 31st in willingness to invest in facilities, 28th in positive team culture and 27th in building a competitive team.

There's still plenty of work left for the Cardinals - on and off the field. We'll see if any change transpires from the anonymous player survey.