NFL Reportedly Files Grievance to Stop NFLPA Report Cards amid Criticism of Teams

The NFL is aiming to halt the NFL Players Association's annual report cards grading each of the 32 franchises, according to ESPN's Seth Wickersham and Don Van Natta Jr.

"The league claims the report cards, which poll players on various aspects of working conditions, violate a CBA clause that says NFL owners and the union must 'use reasonable efforts to curtail public comments by club personnel or players which express criticism of any club, its coach, or its operation and policy,' according to an August letter from the league's management council to NFLPA general counsel Tom DePaso that was obtained by ESPN," Wickersham and Van Natta said in their report.

According to an email obtained by ESPN, the NFLPA told its members it intends to release the annual survey as planned. The union argued it has "clearly become an effective tool for comparing workplace standards across the league and equipping you to make informed career decisions."

The report cards issue letter grades in areas such as player amenities, travel accommodations, coaching and ownership. In 2025, the Miami Dolphins received the highest overall grades, while the Arizona Cardinals were dead last.

Wickersham and Van Natta reported that some NFL owners believe the grades "serve as an instrument to mock teams without telling them which areas need improvement."

That's not entirely true, though.

The Cardinals' report card, for example, cited concerns about the size of the locker room and weight room along with wanting "an upgraded food program with more variety and higher quality offerings."

The Buffalo Bills received an "F-minus" grade in team travel, with players pointing to a lack of personal space on flights and an "inefficient" schedule.

Members of the Cincinnati Bengals called out a lack of daycare or a dedicated family room on game days. The NFLPA noted the Bengals were "the only team in the NFL that fails to offer one of those two benefits."

In those three examples, the players provided a broad solution for the problem they outlined.

Back in March, New York Jets owner Woody Johnson expressed his issues with how the exercise is conducted and called the report cards "totally bogus."

"The whole thing," he said when asked what warranted that descriptor, per The Athletic's Zack Rosenblatt. "How they collected the information, who they collected it from. It's supposed to be a process where we have representatives and they have representatives so we know it's an honest survey.

"And that was violated in my opinion. So I'll leave it at that. But there's a lot of owners that looked at this survey and said this is not fair, not balanced, it's not every player, it's not even representative of the players."

In due time, Johnson and other critics within the ownership ranks may not have to see the report cards any longer.