Much was made last week when internal grades of teams by players were leaked to the public after a court ruling said the NFL players’ union was no longer permitted to publish those annual grades.

Little clarity was provided.

For example, the players graded each team in 18 categories “from Nov. 2 to Dec. 11.” of 2025, per the ESPN leak. So the Bucs’ record was 6-2 at the start of the survey while the team was comfortably loving life on a bye week. Bye the end of open voting period, the Bucs were reeling with a 7-7 record following utter humiliation on Thursday Night Football.

When were most of the surveys answered? That sure seems like an important question for the Tampa Bay locker room. But there were no specifics offered.

Specific questions were not releaved, nor any players’ comments shown, among other things, so Joe struggles to evaluate the Bucs grades seriously.

Here they are, as leaked by ESPN:

Treatment of Families: D
Home Game Field: F-
Food/Dining Area: D+
Nutritionist/Dietician: B-
Locker Room: D-
Training Room: C
Training Staff: C+
Weight Room: A-
Strength Coaches: A
Position Coaches: B
Offensive Coordinator: B
Defensive Coordinator: A-
Special Teams Coordinator: C+
Team Travel: F
Head Coach: B
General Manager: A-
Team Ownership: D
Overall Rank: 29

Looking at extremes in the grades, the “F-” for the hoe playing field is somewhat understandable. Grades for grass fields were down around the league, and the Bucs field was too often chewed up by a college game, and the Bucs’ played a home game in steady rain on Dec. 7, against the Saints. That couldn’t have helped.

As for Team Travel getting an “F,” Joe knows other clubs travel fancier. Bucs players gave the team a “C-” grade in 2025.

Did the Bucs have a bad delay or a crappy hotel last season? Warm beer after the win in Seattle? Poor air circulation after burritos were served?

The Bucs’ “A” grade for the strength coaches is ironic considering the Bucs let go of their head strength coach following last season.

The Bucs’ “defensive coordinator” got an “A-,” and the head coach got a “B.” This tells Joe a lot of Bucs players voted early in the season. For those wondering, yes, they’re both the same person: Todd Bowles. Those results also speak to how well-liked Bowles is.

The “A-” for Buccaneers Ring of Honor general manager Jason Licht is impressive. He’s known around the NFL for being close with players and highly-respected by them. That’s difficult when you’re controlling who gets paid.

Team Glazer getting a “D” after a earning a “D+” grade last year is somewhat funny. Joe suspects most players hang the quality of travel and the game field on ownership, so those are probably major factors.