The Buffalo Bills Travel Grade Is Embarrassingly Unacceptable
Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Airline travel is already bad enough. Now imagine you are a 350-pound lineman crammed into one of those economy seats. For Buffalo Bills players over the past couple of seasons, they didn’t have just to imagine it: it was a reality. To make matters even worse, when they looked up to first class, they saw coaches and other staff members sitting in those nice, cushy first-class seats.
The NFLPA’s Annual Report Cards were released last week, and although the Bills’ performance (much like their weight room) was positive, the areas in which they ranked lower could have a long-term negative impact on the team.
The Buffalo Bills took a tumble in the latest NFLPA Report Card, as voted on by the players. After ranking 9th and 11th in the first two polls, the Bills overall rank dropped to 23rd this year.
Team travel continues to rate poorly … getting the rare F- from players this year. pic.twitter.com/upw7AD7Lhq
— Nick Veronica (@NickVeronica) February 26, 2025
Unsurprisingly to anyone who knows what the Bills have to go through when flying, Buffalo ranked dead last in the NFL, with only 35% of the players believing they had enough room in the flight. Some teams’ planes have more room than others, but when Buffalo has to fly cross country, and the players’ have no leg room while Sean McDermott is sitting first class, it can start creating some negative feelings in the locker room.
“Last year the players were frustrated that they are made to sit in the smaller seats during travel while the coaches and auxiliary staff sit in first class,” the report said. “The players’ dissatisfaction with this issue has grown, with 65% of players saying they have insufficient space or discomfort when traveling to away games, up from 55% last year.”
Winning can cure a lot, but what happens when the Bills go through a rough stretch? These little problems suddenly become much bigger problems. This is in no way saying that the coaching staff is losing the locker room, but when things start to go south, players want to blame something, and the coaching staff sitting in the first-class seats is a great place to start.
Even more concerning than the report card is how General Manager Brandon Beane responded to the report at the combine. Instead of discussing ways to improve the issue and listening to the players, he made excuses about why it wasn’t a big deal.
“We put a lot of our players up [in first or business class] on the outbound [flights], we don’t put as many on the return, because depending on when we get back, some of the coaches are up there working on breaking down this film, getting ready for the next week,” Beane said. “So, if anyone’s complaining about not being up there, it couldn’t be on the outbound and maybe would be more on the return.”
Beane also said they weren’t getting that type of feedback from any of the players during the season, but even if that was the case, the team needs to make some changes quickly so this doesn’t become a bigger issue.
McDermott’s reputation also took a slight step back, with only 88% of players believing that he is efficient with his time. The 88% is a lot better than the players who believed the travel needed to change, so that’s a good sign. But you don’t want to see that grade starting to slip as a coach, especially for a coach who’s had trouble winning the biggest games. Maybe some small changes can help in that regard.
The only other real negative for the Bills was the training staff, which came in at C, which seems related to the travel in that it’s something that can have an impact on how comfortable players are as they get through their week. Players reported wanting an increase in the number of trainers/physical therapists, and maybe it’s just a coincidence that Eric Ciano, their longtime conditioning and strength coach, took a position with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Bills are true title contenders, and the organization should do everything in its power to ensure every detail is perfect on the field, off the field, and everywhere in between. If that means the Bills need to invest the money in a better plane with more first-class seats, they should do it. The Patriots have their own plane (even if the players have some issues with that one, too).
Imagine next season: The Bills win their first ten games but then lose back-to-back games on the road, and the season all falls apart because first-class seats are filled by the wrong people. Come on, Bills. We need everything to be perfect in 2025. Let’s change the things we can control.
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