.jpg)
1 hour ago
3
The NFL Players Association conducts a yearly survey among the players in the league. They are asked a variety of questions about their team and teams around the league, pertaining to everything from facilities to how well the teams treat their families and guests.
The survey was first held about the 2022 season. The top teams were praised for how well they conduct business, but the bottom teams received ample backlash on social media and the report card results ended up being an unknown PR aspect that teams had to deal with.
After only three full seasons of report cards being released publicly, the NFL filed a grievance that was upheld, which claims the survey violated the current collective bargaining agreement by "disparaging NFL clubs and individuals." Despite the ruling, the NFLPA said it would continue to conduct the surveys and it just wouldn't publicize the results.
Despite this goal, ESPN's Kalyn Kahler released a brief overview of the results, with some specifics. She noted that the Miami Dolphins finished first overall in the report cards, but the Pittsburgh Steelers finished as the worst graded team in the league.
Here is more about what is known about the 2026 NFLPA report cards.
MORE: Vinnie Iyer's latest 2026 NFL Mock Draft
NFL team report cards 2026
In years past, the report card results had an overall ranking, but also had a letter grade ranging from A+ to F- for each team in treatment of families, food/dining area, nutritionist/dietician, locker room, training room, training staff, weight room, strength coaches, team travel, head coach and ownership.
Unfortunately, with the results not being released in full after the league's grievance was upheld, we know very little about the results outside of the top and bottom teams. The Dolphins finished as the top team, followed by the Minnesota Vikings in second and the Washington Commanders in third.
The Steelers were ranked as the worst team in the league, with the Arizona Cardinals coming in at 31st and the Cleveland Browns finishing in 30th. The results were based on responses from 1,759 players.
While full results were usually released, here is the very sparse information that has been released.
| Overall Rank | Team | Willingness to invest in facilities | Home Field | Locker Room | Strength Coaches | Training Staff | Head Coach |
| 1 | Miami Dolphins | -- | 4th | -- | -- | -- | B |
| 2 | Minnesota Vikings | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 3 | Washington Commanders | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 30 | Cleveland Browns | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 31 | Arizona Cardinals | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 32 | Pittsburgh Steelers | F | 32nd | F | 32nd | 1st | -- |
MORE: 2025 NFL report card results
Why aren't the NFLPA report cards made public?
When the NFLPA team surveys were first released in 2023 regarding the 2022 season, all grades were made public. The NFL, likely led by owners whose franchises consistently finished toward the bottom, filed a grievance about the surveys, claiming that they "violated the collective bargaining agreement." In early February, an arbitrator agreed with the league and ruled that the report cards violated the league's policy by "disparaging NFL clubs and individuals."
Despite the ruling, the NFLPA said it would continue conducting the survey for its players but complied by not releasing the results to the public.
The NFL asked the NFLPA to stop the surveys in 2024 and in 2025, but the union declined. At the NFL league meetings in March 2025, Woody Johnson (New York Jets), Art Rooney II (Steelers), Robert Kraft (New England Patriots), Michael Bidwell (Cardinals), and David Tepper (Carolina Panthers) called out the survey for being "totally bogus." It is worth pointing out that all five owners received a grade of D or worse in the 2025 report card.
MORE: Tracking latest 2026 NFL Combine results
Why were Steelers voted worst?
According to the results, the Steelers finished as the worst team in the league. The survey said, "[Steelers owner] Art Rooney ranks last in the league for willingness to invest in facilities, a trend reflected in the Steelers' poor facility ratings across the board."
The NFLPA added a new category this year about the quality of the home field. Pittsburgh's Acrisure Stadium finished in last place "by a wide margin." About the low rating, the survey said, "Players cite inadequate maintenance and excessive wear from hosting local college and high school games. Players across the league note the poor condition of the field and emphasize the need for investment to bring it up to standard."
The Pittsburgh locker room also got an F rating. One of the main reasons was that the bathroom "has only five bathroom stalls for the entire team."
The strength coaches ranked last in the league, despite the training staff ranking first. The survey also reported that the training room lacks "updated recovery technology and modalities," which is a surprise given the high-caliber health care available in Pittsburgh.
MORE: Tracking 40-yard dash times from 2026 NFL Combine
Why were Dolphins voted best?
The Dolphins ranked first overall in the survey results. Unfortunately, since they aren't made public, it is unknown what their individual grades were that resulted in the overall ranking. It has been reported that Miami ranked fourth in the new home field category because of the natural grass at Hard Rock Stadium, "with players highlighting their preference for quality grass fields like this one."
Mike McDaniel, who was fired after the regular season when the surveys were conducted, dropped from an A+ rating to a B. The reasoning was, "players identify scheduling, communication, and leadership as key areas for head coaching improvement."
English (US)