The NFL wants the player report cards to stop.
The league filed a grievance against the NFL Players Association asking the union to stop its annual team report cards, according to ESPN, arguing that the grading system violates the collective bargaining agreement by airing public criticism of teams.
“We have responded to the grievance with our intention to fight against this action and continue what’s clearly become an effective tool for comparing workplace standards across the league and equipping you to make informed career decisions,” the NFLPA wrote in its email to players.
The league claims the report cards violate a CBA clause stating that 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.
A team executive told ESPN that the grading system could be constructive but is not presented with enough solutions or context.
“It could make you better,” the team executive told ESPN, “but they don’t share how. They just take snippets to embarrass people without sharing the data.”
The clear impetus for this grievance, however, is how the 2025 NFLPA report cards reflected on some owners.
Jets owner Woody Johnson received an “F” ownership grade from his own team. The Steelers’ Art Rooney, the Patriots’ Robert Kraft, the Cardinals’ Michael Bidwill and the Panthers’ David Tepper all received a D or D-.
Johnson called the survey “totally bogus” and hinted that it violated the CBA.
In 2025, 1,695 players leaguewide responded to the surveys.
The Giants dropped to No. 20 overall out of 32 teams after finishing No. 8 in 2024.
They received a C for treatment of families, B for food and dining, C+ for nutritionist/dietician, C- for locker room, B- for training room, B for training staff, B- for weight room, A- for strength coaches, B for team travel, B+ for head coach and C+ for ownership.
The Jets, meanwhile, slid to No. 29 out of 32 after finishing at No. 21 the previous year.
They were graded a C- for treatment of families, C- for food and dining, B+ for nutritionist/dietician, D+ for locker room, C for training room, C for training staff, C+ for weight room, B for strength coaches, C+ for team travel, B for head coach and F for ownership.
It doesn’t take much for teams to listen to players’ feedback and improve their grades, though - if they care.
Last week, for example, the Giants’ equipment room ordered cushioned folding chairs with backs for every player’s locker to replace the hard stools they’ve been using for years.
That is an obvious upgrade that can happen with the snap of a finger and a quick budget approval. And in this case, it did.
One owner told ESPN that “the only owners who don’t care for (the report cards) are the ones who get the subpar grades.”
That adds up.
And in classic NFL fashion, instead of addressing the problems identified by the survey, those owners are more interested in silencing the voices holding them accountable.