NFL owners want the NFLPA report cards to stop, according to a new report by ESPN.
In documents obtained by ESPN’s Seth Wickersham and Don Van Natta Jr., a grievance has been filed by the NFL against the Players Association, requesting the union end its annual team report cards. According to the NFL, the report cards violate the collective bargaining agreement by “airing public criticism” of teams.
Players are polled annually giving grades from A to F about various aspects of their working conditions, from reviews of the facilities and training staff to how the players and their families are treated. The NFLPA alerted players of the grievance last week, but said its “moving ahead with this year’s survey,” according to a union email obtained by ESPN.
“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 Dallas Cowboys are coming off a precipitous drop in their report cards over the past couple seasons. In 2023, they finished third in all of the NFL for overall ranking before dropping to 12th in 2024, the largest drop in the league that season. They bounced back slightly in the most recent report cards, finishing at 10th prior to the 2025 season.
In 2025, 1,695 players leaguewide responded to the surveys. The Minnesota Vikings and Miami Dolphins earned the highest marks for workplace environment, with Zygi Wilf of the Vikings, Stephen Ross of the Dolphins and Arthur Blank of the Atlanta Falcons receiving A-plus grades.
Jerry Jones was given a B by his players in 2025, 18th in the league overall.
One owner told ESPN that “the only owners who don’t care for [the report cards] are the ones who get the subpar grades.”
Click here to read the full report.