Bills see drastic grade drop on NFLPA team report cards

For the third year in a row, the NFL Player Association released its team report cards for 2025, a league-wide survey asking players to evaluate different categories within their respective organization.

While the Buffalo Bills were ranked 11th in 2024, their overall grade dropped to 23rd in 2025.

"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 NFLPA explains.

For the head coach category, the Bills received a B, which was 27th out of 32 teams. The survey reported that "88% of Bills players believe their head coach Sean McDermott is efficient with their time, a rank of 24 out of 32." Furthermore, "the players feel that McDermott is moderately receptive to locker room feedback on the team's needs, ranking him 27 of 32 head coaches in the league."

Last season, McDermott received an A on the report card, the 12th highest overall grade for head coaches. This season, the only coaches ranked lower are John Harbaugh (Ravens), Dennis Allen (fired by Saints), Kevin Stefanski (Browns), Doug Pederson (fired by Jaguars), and Matt Eberflus (fired by Bears).

Jan 26, 2025; Kansas City, MO, USA; Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott against the Kansas City Chiefs during the AFC Championship game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

For the ownership category, the Bills also received a B, which ranked 17th out of the 32 teams. The survey reported that "Owner Terry Pegula's average rating for perceved willingness to invest in the facilities is 8.44 out of 10 from the Bills players, a ranking of 18 out of 32 owners in the league." In addition, Pegula had similar grades for contribution to team culture (17th) and committment to building a competitive team (18th).

Last season, Pegula received an A- on the report card, the eight highest overall grade for ownership

The team received an A in only one category, weight room. According to the survey results, the Bills have the seventh best in the league, with "high quality" equipment and "more than enough space."

By far the worst grade for the team was on team travel, receiving an F-, the worst score in the NFL. Only "35% of the Bills players feel they have a comfortable amount of personal space on team flights" and "players believe their team travel schedule is inefficient."

Dec 8, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Buffalo Bills owner Terry Pegula attends the game against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images