NFL Players: The Best and Worst Teams to Play for in the League

Bleacher Report surveyed 53 players who have spent at least five years in the NFL to get their opinions on the best and worst teams in the NFL. Each player was allowed to vote for three teams and had to name a No. 1. The split among the top teams was far more balanced than the bottom.

Here’s a look at the results of that survey and some thoughts from one of the voting players about each team:

The Best

1. New England (23 first-place votes, 47 votes overall)

Winslow Townson/Associated Press

"If you don’t play for the Patriots, you hate the Patriots. But it’s because we’re all jealous. We all want a chance to win. ... They’re better coached than anybody and they play the game right. You never see them blow timeouts or (screw) up a situation ... Do they cheat? I think we all want to believe that, but everybody tries to find an edge. Call that cheating if you want, but they’re better than anybody else at it. ... The only thing they don’t do is pay the players. They make it work, though. More credit to them."

   

2. Seattle (9 first-place votes, 31 overall)

Elaine Thompson/Associated Press

"I know a few guys on that team and all of them say they get treated really well. All first-class and the guys like playing for (Pete) Carroll. He pushes guys pretty hard, but he does it the right way, and if you’re good, they’re going to pay you. Look how they kept that defense together and still paid the quarterback (Russell Wilson). ... I’ve never been up there for anything more than a game, but it seemed nice."

3. Tampa Bay (5 first-place votes, 18 overall)

Jeff Haynes/Associated Press

"I like the team, I like the quarterback (Jameis Winston), but what I like most is Florida. Good weather, no state income tax and low cost of living. I think they’re going to win pretty soon—sooner than Jacksonville or Miami."

The Worst

3. Detroit (6 first-place votes, 17 overall)

Rick Osentoski/Associated Press

"They lost (defensive tackle Ndamukong) Suh and (wide receiver) Calvin (Johnson) in back-to-back years. That was a good team two years ago, and all of a sudden, the best guys don’t want to be there. That’s weird. That makes me really wonder what’s up with that place. Is it the organization? Is it the city? ... I remember going there for a game and it looked bleak, but I don’t know if that’s much different than a bunch of places. ... (quarterback Matt) Stafford is OK. I think he could be better, but at least you know he can sling it."   

2. San Francisco (12 first-place votes, 32 total)

Steve Dykes/Getty Images

"That place is messed up. They don’t know what a good coach is. They had (Jim) Harbaugh there and they won’t pay him even though they have all kinds of money. They hire (Jim Tomsula) and fire him after a year. Why did they hire him in the first place? Couldn’t they see he was in over his head? Then they hire Chip Kelly. Seriously. I’ve played against his teams. His stuff is way overrated. I know why fans and stat geeks love it, but it doesn’t work in this league. You get quarterbacks killed and you expose your defense. That’s a bad combo."

1. Cleveland (25 first-place votes, 46 votes)

Patrick Smith/Getty Images

"I think (head coach) Hue Jackson is cool. I think he has some swagger to him and I liked what he did (as offensive coordinator) in Cincinnati. But who’s in charge and how long is anybody going to be around? ... I don’t know anything about the owner (Jimmy Haslam), but it seems like he changes his mind every other year. He’s trying that analytics stuff, but this is football. You don’t pick players by numbers."