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The Buffalo Bills earned an F grade for home field in the 2026 NFLPA player survey, per sources.
The Buffalo Bills just got slapped with a straight F for home-field conditions in the NFLPA’s 2026 player survey, a leaked annual assessment that’s already sparking facility-grade fallout across the league and putting cold-weather scrutiny squarely on Orchard Park. That’s not a D-minus or a “needs improvement” — it’s a rock-bottom rating from the players themselves, putting the Buffalo Bills alongside the Tennessee Titans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New York Jets, and New York Giants as the worst home-field environments in football.
Buffalo Bills Home Field Among Worst in NFLPA Survey
ESPN’s Kalyn Kahler posted the worst home-field grades from the annual survey, with the Buffalo Bills earning an F alongside the Seahawks and Panthers. Tennessee, Tampa Bay, the Jets, and the Giants fared even worse at F-minus. The survey was conducted in November through December, with more than 1,700 players participating across the league, per Kahler. Players graded everything from locker rooms and training staffs to — for the first time this year — home field conditions as a standalone category.
That new category exposed some ugly realities. The worst-graded home fields belong to teams where players have cited field wear concerns and facility investment shortfalls from ownership groups.
In Buffalo’s case, the Bills have played on artificial turf at the old Highmark Stadium since it opened in 1973, and players across the league have been vocal about the toll synthetic surfaces take on their bodies.
Full Buffalo Bills NFLPA Grades
Here’s the full category-by-category breakdown for the Bills in the 2026 NFLPA survey, per ESPN’s Kahler:
Treatment of Families: B
Home Game Field: F
Food/Dining Area: B-
Nutritionist/Dietician: B-
Locker Room: B
Training Room: B+
Training Staff: B+
Weight Room: A
Strength Coaches: A
Position Coaches: A
Offensive Coordinator: A-
Defensive Coordinator: B
Special Teams Coordinator: B+
Team Travel: B-
Head Coach: A-
General Manager: A-
Team Ownership: A-
The home field F sticks out like a sore thumb. Outside of that single category, the Bills are a largely well-regarded organization in the eyes of their own players — the coaching staff earned across-the-board A-range marks, and ownership earned an A-minus, a massive jump from the B they received in 2025.
What This Means for the Buffalo Bills in 2026
The franchise is already building the answer. The new Highmark Stadium, set to open for the 2026 season, will feature a natural grass surface with heated field technology that keeps the playing surface at 60 degrees even in brutal Western New York winters. Bills GM Brandon Beane told USA TODAY Sports the decision was driven by a “player-centric” philosophy, per reporter Jarrett Bell.
will be posting full NFLPA survey grades by each category shortly
here are the worst “home field” grades:
TEN: F-
TAM: F-
NYJ: F-
NYG: F-
SEA: F
CAR: F
BUF: F
CIN: D-
NE: D
Colts: D
The NFLPA itself was barred from publicly releasing these grades after the NFL won a grievance ruling that deemed the report cards a violation of the CBA. But the results leaked anyway, per Kahler’s reporting. And for a Bills franchise that ranked 23rd overall with an F-minus for travel in 2025’s survey, this home-field F is yet another embarrassing data point players will remember.
The Bills are banking on the $2.2 billion venue flipping this narrative entirely by next year’s survey. With the CBA grievance ruling unable to stop the grades from leaking, every team knows where it stands. Buffalo’s ownership knows the clock is ticking. If the new stadium delivers on its grass-and-technology promise, the Bills could go from home-field embarrassment to league model in a single offseason. If it doesn’t? That F isn’t going away.
Justin Carlucci brings 13+ years of journalism experience to Heavy. A veteran of multiple industry-leading companies, he has hosted SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio shows and contributed to the New York Post, combining traditional sports and news reporting with expertise in sports betting and fantasy sports. More about Justin Carlucci
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