Could the Colts NFLPA 22nd ranking have any impact on free agency?

Will the less than stellar marks affect the team when free agency starts?

If the Indianapolis Colts franchise was enrolled in school, it would be passing right now, but it certainly wouldn’t be on the honor roll. The NFLPA grades came out a few days ago, and the Colts came up short. An overall ranking of 22nd was given to the team based on the player report cards. If you are following along at home, that is 22nd out of 32 teams which is definitely in the bottom half. The biggest question is whether these grades matter? When players are looking for a new home during free agency, will this type of grading factor in their decision?

I would say yes and no.

Some players will follow the money. If the contract is big enough, they will play on the concrete field in Washington. If, however, all things are equal, I cannot discount these surveys as unimpactful.

The Colts scored well on head coach and decently on locker room, training staff, and training room. After that, it gets dark quickly. A “C” for ownership and food, followed by a “D” for team travel and treatment of families. Look, the head coach is extremely important. It can be the absolute “X” factor between winning and losing. The importance cannot be understated, but when a team’s travel and treatment of families is so low, that is concerning.

Players spend a great deal of time on the road and many have young and growing families throughout their playing career. If those things are important to you, would you want to work for an organization that doesn’t seem to value them as much? Once again, provided most things are equal between money and playing time, aspects such as this could make a difference. Last year, team travel was an “F”, so at least it improved. Many other categories declined, however. There will always be some fluctuation. That is unavoidable, but to go from middle of the pack at 16th to 22nd is going in the wrong direction.

Will it make a major difference? Probably not, but would you want to hear a marquee free agent state they chose another team because of the survey? Of course not. This “silly little grade” would look mighty important then, and fans would be calling for heads. The best thing for the Colts to do is to not make it factor. Make the necessary changes and get the grade up next year.