Bears rank 13th in the NFLPA’s Free Agency Guide Report Card

The National Football League Player’s Association (NFLPA) recently revealed their NFL Team Report Cards to educate the players on each franchise. Surveys were sent to 1,300 players to give insight into their current club and help free agents make “important career decisions, but also help raise standards across the league.”

NFLPA President JC Tretter issued a letter explaining their “Free Agency Guide,” where players ranked clubs in eight categories important to the players. Those categories are; treatment of families, food service/nutrition, weight room, strength coaches, training room, training staff, locker room, and team travel.

Tretter said they intend to make this an annual report so teams that address issues to improve a player’s experience in the workplace can have that improvement reflected with a better grade.

“We also believe that each club has the resources – and an obligation – to ensure that things like weight rooms are in the best possible condition, training rooms are properly staffed and each interaction with players from club personnel is a positive one,” Tretter wrote.

“We know our jobs are unique,” Tretter continued, “and for the first time, we are peeling back the curtain on issues that we talk about among ourselves as players but have been unable to organize and publish in a centralized way. Again, our hope is that transparency across the NFL can help lead to positive changes for players, which is what our union is all about.”

Here’s what the NFLPA had to say about the Bears.

The Chicago Bears were ranked 13th overall in the team surveys. The Club completed a major renovation to their practice facilities less than 5 years ago, and the players seem happy with the facility.

The complaints expressed by player respondents focused more on the treatment of the players and their families. Also, both the quality of the food and the timing of the meals were flagged as issues. While players’ opinions of the coaching staff in Chicago are generally positive, one major problem identified was the overall tempo and intensity of offseason workouts, which was reflected in an actual violation and punishment last offseason.

Bears ownership ranks 25th when respondents were asked if they believe ownership is willing to spend money to upgrade their facilities (76%), despite being in a relatively new facility.

The Bears will undoubtedly address several of these categories, with Team President and CEO Kevin Warren just starting this year and general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus now in year two.