The New Orleans Saints climbed seven spots up to 12th in this year's NFLPA team report cards, representing a positive outlook as the team embarks on a new head coaching era.
The team graded out at B+ or better in 8 of the 11 categories, including four A grades, which span a variety of areas.
Below is the grade breakdown for the Saints in 2024, with their rank among NFL teams in parentheses, followed by their grade from last year.
- Treatment of families: C (22nd); 2023: D+ (20th)
- Food/dining area: D- (31st); 2023: F (30th)
- Nutritionist/dietician: B+ (12th); 2023: B- (22nd)
- Locker room: A- (9th); 2023: B (12th)
- Training room: B+ (10th); 2023: B+ (4th)
- Training staff: B+ (10th); 2023: B (15th)
- Weight room: B+ (13th); 2023: B (14th)
- Strength coaches: A (10th); 2023: A- (14th)
- Team travel: A (5th); 2023: B (7th)
- Head coach: B- (29th); 2023: B- (29th)
- Ownership: A (10th); 2023: B+ (11th)
The grades were a product of the third annual NFLPA survey, which garnered feedback from 1,695 players throughout the league. It was not disclosed how many those players were distributed across the league's 32 NFL teams. The Saints were one of 22 teams that did not receive an F in any category. The Miami Dolphins were the only team to land As in all 11 categories.
Perhaps most positive in this report for the Saints is that the two lowest grades were familiar in the food dining area and head coach, both of which ranked 29th or lower for the second consecutive year. Those grades are not representative of two of the biggest changes of this past season, with the Saints investing significantly in a new and upgraded dining facility that finished construction midway through the season. The Saints also fired head coach Dennis Allen after Week 9 and have since hired Kellen Moore to be their new head coach.
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There's good reason to expect those two grades to climb significantly by this time next year. Moore was asked during his introductory press conference what he thought of the Saints' facility, which the Eagles used to prepare for their appearance in Super Bowl 59 in New Orleans.
“I like the facility," he said. "I enjoyed the new cafeteria, the indoor, walking around, obviously saw how tremendous it certainly was.”
The other low mark for the Saints came in the "treatment of families" category, with respondents noting that the team did not offer daycare during home games and the limited number of family events throughout the year. That grade was one of several that improved overall but not where it ranked across the league, likely representative of a rising tide as issues in these rankings are addressed.
The Saints overall got high marks for their team facility, drawing A grades for their locker room and travel, with their training room and weight room both clocking in at B+ marks. The Saints other A grade came for team ownership, with players noting that team owner Gayle Benson contributed to a positive team culture and showed willingness to invest in the team and its facilities.