NFL wins grievance against NFLPA, putting an end to public team report cards

The NFL has won its grievance against the NFLPA, which claimed the annual team report cards were a violation of the collective bargaining agreement, according to CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones. The league initially filed the grievance in August, and this ruling was a big victory for the owners.

When it first filed its grievance, the NFL argued that the team report cards violated the league’s constitution and bylaws, which prohibit players from “publicly criticizing any member club or its management, personnel, employees or coaches.” The report cards allowed players to assign teams grades on a number of categories, and the teams were then ranks from 1-32. The NFLPA then published the results and worked with media to amplify them.

In a memo to team presidents obtained by CBS Sports, the NFL claimed that NFLPA witnesses at the hearing characterized the report cards as “union speech.” The league also asserted that NFLPA witnesses admitted to using “cherry-picked” topics, responses and quotes in the published results and said the players didn’t have a say in “drafting commentary,” a task left to union staffers. The NFL also maintained that the NFLPA chose to weight certain topics differently, which would tip the scales when determining the alphabetical grades.

“In essence, the record established that the Report Cards were designed by the union to advance its interests under the guise of a scientific exercise,” the NFL said in its memo.

The league claimed that the hearing highlighted “the numerous and significant limitations in the methodology and accuracy of the Team Report Card results.” The memo still advised teams to “solicit feedback directly from their own players” while evaluating their strengths and weaknesses.

In its response, the NFLPA said that while it disagreed with the ruling, it will continue the survey. The results will no longer be made public, but the NFLPA said players will still have access to them, and the union argued it’s a good chance for teams to hear from their players.

“The ruling upholds our right to survey players and share results with players and clubs,” the NFLPA said in a statement. “While we strongly disagree with the restriction on making those results public, that limitation does not stop the program or its impact. Players will continue to receive the results, and teams will hear directly from their locker rooms.”

“Importantly, the arbitrator rejected the NFL’s characterization of the process, finding the Team Report Cards to be fair, balanced, and increasingly positive over time. Our methodology is sound.”

In the 2025 edition of the team report cards, the Miami Dolphins finished as the top-ranked organization in the NFL, and the Arizona Cardinals finished last.