There was a period of time, not all that long ago, where it felt like the Houston Texans couldn’t do anything right. On the field, this was most definitely the case, as they went through the period of 2020 through 2022 with an 11-38-1 record. It was disgraceful.
However, even during the lean times on the field, the Houston Texans were generally considered, by their player constituency, as a good employer, with largely good people (the Jack Easterby effect is acknowledged here). The only problem was the on-field record.
Nowadays, thankfully, the Texans can brag about both. They’ve won back to back AFC South titles, so things are certainly moving in the right direction on Sundays, but even beyond that, there is now a survey done by all of the players in the NFL Players Association each season to grade everything from the cafeteria food to the weight room, from the way they treat families to the travel accommodations, from the head coach to the owner.
The latest survey results for 2025 are out, and the Houston Texans rated a robust overall grade of 6th out of the 32 NFL teams. Here are their letter grades (ranking in parentheses) in each of the eleven categories:
Treatment of Families: B- (14th overall)
Food / Dining Area: A (2nd overall)
Nutritionist / Dietician: A (4th overall)
Locker Room: B (13th overall)
Training Room: B+ (8th overall)
Training Staff: B+ (8th overall)
Weight Room: B+ (14th overall)
Strength Coaches: B+ (17th overall)
Team Travel: B (22nd overall)
Head Coach: A (15th overall)
Ownership: A (7th overall)
These are some pretty stellar grades, particularly for DeMeco Ryans and Cal McNair at head coach and owner, respectively. In fact, according to the survey, players identify no major overall weaknesses. aside from the need to add a sauna to the facility as a potential improvement area. So, way to go, Texans!
In case you’re wondering the most noteworthy finishes on the other end of the spectrum, perhaps the funniest one is the New York Jets, who were already fairly sorry (21st in 2024) to begin with. They plummeted to 29th overall, and players reported concerns that team owner Woody Johnson was not willing to invest in improvements (ranked last in that area), did not contribute to a positive culture (last) and did not commit to building a competitive team (second to last).
“They talked about the culture – it’s a problem, top down,” NFLPA chief strategy officer J.C. Tretter said of the Jets’ response. “[They said,] ‘It’s a culture of fear here.’ And I think that stood out in those grades.” What a miserable experience it must be to root for the Jets.
As far as the overall rankings go, the Miami Dolphins were rated the league’s best workplace for a second straight year, followed by the Minnesota Vikings, the Atlanta Falcons, the Las Vegas Raiders and the Los Angeles Chargers. The Texans, Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers rounded out the top eight. The Arizona Cardinals received the lowest grades for their workplace, followed in ascending order by the New England Patriots, Cleveland Browns, Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers.
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