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The NFL Players Association has released its annual survey of how players feel about their respective teams and the people that run them.
While we parse all of the information from the survey, one interesting fact caught our eye: Only three NFL head coaches received an A+ grade from the players. Those three coaches are Andy Reid (Kansas City Chiefs), Dan Campbell (Detroit Lions) and Kevin O’Connell (Minnesota Vikings), per Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team.
Reid and Campbell are no surprise at all. Both have exemplary reputations for being player-first coaches and their players have bought into their systems fully. O’Connell is a slightly more surprising pick.
Reid led the Chiefs to their second straight Super Bowl win and has led them to the AFC Championship Game every year since 2018. They’ve reached four Super Bowls and won three in that span.
Campbell led the Lions to their first NFC North title and first trip to the NFC Championship Game in decades this past season, and his team will likely be among the top Super Bowl contenders in 2024.
While O’Connell did go 13-4 and lead the Vikings to the playoffs in his first year at the helm, things got a little hectic for his team in 2023 en route to a 7-10 finish. But if they get stability at quarterback next year, maybe they’ll be back in playoff contention.
Another nine coaches received a solid A grade while seven more received an A- grade. That’s a little more than half of the league that sees their coaches as top tier.