Antonio Brown’s rebuff of the Bills got us thinking: If money was equal, where do NFL players want to play? And where don’t players want to go?
For answers, I turned to 15 NFL agents whom I know and respect and asked the following: “If you polled your clients about the most and least desirable teams to play for, which teams do you think would end up in the Top 5 and which would be in the Bottom 5?”
The agents asked for anonymity to discuss players’ perceptions of NFL teams candidly. They listed a number of factors that make teams desirable or undesirable to their typical client. “There are so many factors to consider and every player is different,” one agent told me, “but typically we look at winning culture/tradition, opportunity [for playing time], income tax laws, market, area of the country, and sometimes weather.”
Said another agent: “It’s an interesting question because players don’t really know, so they just look at city and nightlife and a bunch of s--- that doesn’t matter.”
“I think most players take the most money regardless of location, as they should” said another agent. “But when it’s equal, that’s when this debate gets interesting.”
Without further ado, the Top 5:
1. Dallas, 11 votes
2. Seattle, 8
3. Miami, 8
4. L.A. Rams, 7
5. Atlanta, 5
Others receiving votes: Philadelphia (4), Houston (4), Indianapolis (3), New England (3), Arizona (2), Denver (2), L.A. Chargers (2), New Orleans (2), N.Y. Giants (2), Pittsburgh (2), San Francisco (2), Tampa Bay (2), Tennessee (2), Baltimore, Green Bay, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Minnesota
Atlanta squeaked past Philadelphia for fifth place, with one agent saying players from the SEC often see Atlanta as the “capitol of the south.” Another agent described the city as “America’s black mecca.” The Rams’ appeal is simple, said one agent: “Hot team, new stadium, new facilities.” Despite Miami’s floundering on the field of late, the attraction of the South Beach lifestyle is overwhelming for many. Seattle benefits from a popular city and what’s judged a “player-friendly” work environment, one agent said.
Our runaway winner, the Dallas Cowboys, are said to “spare no expense” when it comes to player luxuries. “They just treat the player first-rate,” one agent said.
And the Bottom 5:
1. Buffalo, 12 votes
2. Oakland, 11
3. Cincinnati, 8
4. Detroit, 7
5. Cleveland, 6
Others receiving votes: Jacksonville (5), N.Y. Giants (3), N.Y. Jets (4), Green Bay (3), New England (3), San Francisco (3), Washington (3), L.A. Chargers (2), Arizona, Denver, Minnesota, New Orleans, Tampa Bay
