The NFLPA began conducting surveys last year as a service to its members (i.e. NFL players) to help in identifying the teams that take the best care of their employees. The survey was started in part to help free agents choose their next destination, but it also provides a glimpse to the fans of how committed ownership is, both on and off the field, to building and maintaining a first-class franchise.
The results were released today, and the Bears fared very well. Out of 32 NFL teams, Chicago ranked 10th in overall worker satisfaction, up from 13th last year, with especially high marks in the areas of the locker room and training facilities. The Bears also improved their ranking from a year ago in how they treated player's families, adding a daycare and a family tent to training camp.
This ranking, plus the fact that the Bears obviously listened to player concerns from last year's survey, should serve the team well with free agency about to kick off.
Chicago has just under $80 million in cap room, the third-highest mark in the league, and figures to be active in pursuing other teams' free agents, and their own (Jaylon Johnson, I'm looking at you).
This should also help allay fears that Caleb Williams, the presumed No. 1 pick in the draft, would force his way out of Chicago if the Bears planned on selecting him. This was never more than an unsubstantiated rumor, with Williams even recently debunking it himself by saying, "If I get drafted by the Bears, I would be excited." Still, the fact that the team's current players think so highly of the way they're treated should only help in convincing any player to want to come to Chicago.
Mike Ditka once infamously said that team owner George Halas "throws around nickels like manhole covers," but that viewpoint no longer holds true today. Halas' daughter, current Bears owner Virginia McCaskey, received an average score of 8.9 (out of a possible 10) in regards to her willingness to invest in the team's facilities.
One area that still needs addressing is the team's cafeteria, which earned mediocre marks for taste, freshness, and the availability of healthy options. We'll see if that can be improved upon when next year's survey comes out.
The Bears are embarking on the most consequential offseason in franchise history. The team showed improvement in the second half last year and with so much cap space and two picks in the top ten of the draft (including, of course, No. 1 overall), the path is there to continue that ascent. Happier players are better players, and it seems the Bears are doing their part to provide a great work environment, which is yet another reason for Bears fans to be optimistic. The Bears are doing things the right way, now we'll have to wait and see if that translates to winning on the field.