We are 100% independent We are 100% independent
Find the top Canadian online casinos Find the top Canadian online casinos
Get the biggest welcome bonuses Get the biggest welcome bonuses
Online Casinos Canada

Select your language

Online Casinos Canada

Which NFL fanbases would actually make the best GMs?

It’s easy to be an armchair GM when the salary cap is imaginary and every trade sounds better from the sofa. But what if fans had to make the calls themselves? Would they build a contender, or blow the budget before the season even starts?

We put 14 front-office dilemmas to 4,000 NFL fans across all 32 teams. They had to decide what to do with the first overall pick, how to handle a star’s contract demands and whether an aging club legend should stay or go.

Their choices produced two 1-100 index rankings: the Best GM Index ranks fanbases on balanced decisions that could keep a team competitive for years, while the Most Ruthless GM Index ranks their appetite for aggressive moves and tough calls. A high Ruthless GM score means a fanbase isn’t afraid to pull the trigger. However, whether they should is another question.

Key findings

The fanbases we'd trust with the clipboard

The fanbases we'd trust with the clipboard

So, which fans could actually run the front office? The Fan GM Index rewards the decisions that help build a competitive team over several seasons: managing contracts, using draft picks wisely and knowing when to make a change without tearing everything down. We’ve drafted the top five fanbases below.

1. Atlanta Falcons: Index Score 97/100

Falcons fans are ready to move into the executive suite taking 1st place: 70% say they would make a good GM and 74% reckon they could make better calls than their current one. It seems there is substance behind the bravado. After being asked about a star quarterback demanding a record-breaking deal, 67% would negotiate a long-term contract with protections for the team. If a preseason Super Bowl contender missed the playoffs, 59% would make targeted changes and try again. They would make a tough call, too: 52% would trade a declining franchise icon before their value falls further. Falcons fans would protect the team’s future, but they’re willing to make a difficult move when it makes sense.

2. Tennessee Titans: Index Score 93/100

Titans fans take 2nd place. Only 50% of Titans fans think they would make a good GM, yet 60% believe they would make better roster decisions than the team’s current GM. In other words, some don’t think they’d be great at the job, they just think they’d do it better than the person actually in charge. Half say the priority is building a team that can challenge for several years. Faced with a disappointing playoff miss after entering as a contender, 80% would make targeted changes and try again; after two losing seasons, 80% would replace the head coach unless there were clear signs of progress. They can keep the long view without handing out an unlimited grace period.

3. Carolina Panthers: Index Score of 92/100

A striking 80% of Panthers fans believe they would make a good GM, while 76% think they would make better decisions than their current GM. When an elite free agent threatens to swallow most of the available cap space, 72% would sign only if the deal could be structured without creating future problems. And 80% would seek team protections in a long-term deal with a star quarterback. The Panthers' imaginary front office has big ambitions, but it reads the small print.

4. Denver Broncos: Index Score of 86/100

Fans aren’t about to let one flashy signing wreck the books. While 68% say a GM’s priority should be building a team that can challenge for several years, 73% would sign an elite free agent only if the deal avoided future salary-cap problems. The same proportion would negotiate a long-term contract with protections for the team if their star quarterback demanded a record-breaking deal. Denver’s fans want big names on the roster, but they want room to pay the rest of it too.

5. San Francisco 49ers: Index Score of 75/100

A disappointing season wouldn’t send 49ers fans scrambling for the reset button. If a team entered as a Super Bowl contender and missed the playoffs, 87% would make targeted changes and try again. They’re careful with contracts, too: 73% would sign an elite free agent only if the deal avoided future cap trouble, while 77% would negotiate protections into a long-term deal for their star quarterback. Their approach is clear: fix what went wrong without dismantling what still works.

The fanbases most likely to hit the trade button

The fanbases most likely to hit the trade button

Some fans would give a struggling team time. These fanbases are already working the phones. The Most Ruthless GM Index measures their willingness to trade valuable players, spend draft picks and make tough coaching calls. A high score means they’re ready to make a move, whether it turns out to be a winning one is a different story.

1. Arizona Cardinals: Ruthless Index Score: 98/100

Arizona fans top the Most Ruthless GM Index, and their response to disappointment explains why. If a team billed as a Super Bowl contender missed the playoffs, 46% would make major roster changes and 23% would fire the head coach. At 1-5, 62% would hold the coach most responsible. Their 31/100 Fan GM Index score shows the distinction: a willingness to make the call does not, by itself, mean it is the best call.

2. Dallas Cowboys: Ruthless Index Score: 95/100

Cowboys fans place 2nd for ruthlessness and joint 23rd for balanced judgment. At a 2-6 trade deadline, 30% would sell valuable veterans for picks and begin a rebuild. After a contender missed the playoffs, 23% would fire the coach, and 20% would make major roster changes. Even a franchise player is not automatically untouchable: 19% would immediately accept an offer of three first-round picks. Dallas fans are prepared to clear the desk, but their 36/99 Fan GM Index score is a reminder that boldness and balance are different things.

3. Jacksonville Jaguars: Ruthless Index Score of 90/100

Jaguars fans are willing to spend to fix a Super Bowl contender: 67% would trade a high draft pick for a proven starter if the team had one major weakness. They would make a tough call on a fan favorite too: 44% would trade an aging franchise icon whose performance is declining before his trade value falls further.

4. Los Angeles Rams: Ruthless Index Score of 87/100

Rams’ fans have little patience for a contender standing still. If the team had one major weakness, 27% would trade whatever draft capital it took to land an elite player. And after two consecutive losing seasons, 27% would fire the head coach immediately. They’re ready to push their chips in when they see a chance to win and make changes quickly when it doesn’t always pay off.

5. Green Bay Packers: Ruthless Index Score of 80/100

Packers’ fans may think long term, but a season that falls short would test their patience. If a team entered as a Super Bowl contender and missed the playoffs, 39% would fire the head coach. After a 1-5 start, 52% would hold the coach most responsible.

The other end of the front-office rankings

Kansas City Chiefs: Fan GM Index Score of 2/100

Chiefs fans finish last for all-round GM judgment, but they aren’t exactly campaigning to take over the front office, just 19% believe they would make better roster decisions than their current GM. Sometimes the most confident front-office decision is leaving the job to someone else.

Seattle Seahawks: Ruthless GM Index Score of 1/100

Seahawks fans rank last for ruthlessness, favoring caution over quick changes. When asked about a declining franchise icon on an expensive contract, the most common response was to keep the player but reduce their role (39%). And if offered three first-round picks for a franchise player, 39% would negotiate for more. They would consider a trade, but they would not rush to accept the first offer.

How the Index Scores work

The Fan GM Index scores responses across confidence, strategic priorities, roster and trade choices, contracts, and responses to underperformance. The Ruthless GM Index scores the appetite for win-now decisions, transactions, contract standoffs and accountability. Each team's average was adjusted toward the overall average to reduce the effect of small samples, then the adjusted scores were scaled from 1 to 100. These are relative index scores, not percentages. The percentages above describe answers to individual questions and should not be added together unless they are options from the same question.

Now you try: What kind of GM would you be?

Pick one answer for each question. There is no universal correct answer; the two index rankings judge different styles of decision-making. Would you play the long game, mortgage the future for a run, or keep another GM waiting on hold?

  1. Do you think you would make a good General Manager of your favorite NFL team?

    A. Yes B. No

  2. Do you think you would make better roster decisions than your team's current General Manager?

    A. Yes B. No

  3. What should be an NFL General Manager's main priority?

    A. Building a team capable of challenging for several years

    B. Winning the Super Bowl as soon as possible

    C. Reaching the playoffs consistently

    D. Keeping the team competitive without creating future salary-cap problems

    E. Developing young players and draft picks

  4. Your team is 2–6 at the NFL trade deadline. What should the GM do?

    A. Listen to offers but only trade players who are unlikely to return

    B. Make a few smaller moves with next season in mind

    C. Trade valuable veterans for draft picks and begin rebuilding

    D. Keep the roster together and reassess after the season

    E. Trade draft picks for immediate help and attempt to make the playoffs

  5. Your team is one game outside the playoff places at the trade deadline. How aggressive should the GM be?

    A. Trade a mid-round pick for a clear upgrade

    B. Make a move only if the player could help for several seasons

    C. Trust the current roster

    D. Avoid making any move that sacrifices future draft capital

    E. Trade multiple high draft picks for an established star

  6. Your team holds the first overall pick, with an elite quarterback prospect available. Another team offers an established superstar for the pick. What would you do?

    A. Ask for the superstar and additional draft picks

    B. Accept only if the player is under contract for several seasons

    C. Keep the pick and select the quarterback

    D. Trade the pick to another team for several future selections

    E. Accept immediately; the proven superstar provides a better chance of winning

  7. Your team is a genuine Super Bowl contender but has one major weakness. What should the GM do?

    A. Trade a high pick for a proven starter

    B. Make a smaller, lower-risk upgrade

    C. Sign the best available free agent

    D. Trust the existing roster

    E. Trade whatever draft capital is required for an elite player

  8. An elite free agent wants to join your team, but signing them would use most of its available salary-cap space. What should the GM do?

    A. Sign them only if the deal can be structured without creating future problems

    B. Sign them only to a short-term contract

    C. Pursue a less expensive alternative

    D. Keep the cap space and develop the existing roster

    E. Offer whatever is necessary to sign them

  9. Your team's star quarterback wants a record-breaking contract. What should the GM do?

    A. Negotiate a long-term deal with protections for the team

    B. Use the franchise tag and continue negotiating

    C. Agree immediately; elite quarterbacks are too valuable to lose

    D. Explore the quarterback's trade value

    E. Refuse the demands and prepare to move on

  10. Your team starts the season 1–5. Who should be held most responsible?

    A. Nobody; it is too early to assign blame

    B. The players

    C. The head coach

    D. The General Manager

    E. The owner

  11. Your team misses the playoffs after entering the season as a Super Bowl contender. What should happen?

    A. Make targeted changes and try again

    B. Make major changes to the roster

    C. Keep the team together for another season

    D. Fire the head coach

  12. Your head coach has recorded two consecutive losing seasons. What should the GM do?

    A. Replace them unless there are clear signs of progress

    B. Give them one final season

    C. Keep them and change the coaching staff around them

    D. Keep them and focus on improving the roster

    E. Fire them immediately

  13. Your team has an aging franchise icon on an expensive contract whose performance is declining. What should the GM do?

    A. Ask the player to restructure their contract

    B. Trade them before their value falls further

    C. Reduce their role but keep them on the roster

    D. Release them and create salary-cap space

    E. Keep the player because of what they mean to the franchise

  14. Another team offers three first-round draft picks for your franchise player. What would you do?

    A. Accept only if the team is already rebuilding

    B. Negotiate for additional players or picks

    C. Reject the offer and keep the player

    D. Accept immediately and build for the future

    E. Refuse to consider trading a franchise player under any circumstances

So, would your fanbase hand you the keys or take away your phone before the trade deadline?

Methodology

We asked 4,000 NFL fans across all 32 teams how they would handle 14 GM decisions, including trades, contracts, draft picks and coaching changes. Their answers were used to create two 1-100 scores for each fanbase: the Best GM Index measures balanced, long-term decision-making, while the Most Ruthless GM Index measures willingness to make aggressive moves and tough calls. A higher Ruthless score does not mean better management.

Fair Use

Feel free to use the data or visuals on this page for non-commercial purposes. Please be sure to include proper attribution linking back to this page to give credit to the authors.