As a kid, a bad report card meant a grounding. In the NFL, it means being mocked, something most billionaires forgot about a long time ago.
On Wednesday morning, the NFL Players Association released its 32-team report card. Each team was graded on 11 topics, including the following:
- Treatment of families
- Food/dining area
- Nutritionist/dietician
- Locker room
- Training room
- Training staff
- Weight room
- Strength coaches
- Team travel
- Head coach
- Ownership
Of the 352 individual grades handed out across the league, only a dozen were doled out as an F or F-. However, some teams earned multiple failing grades including the Cincinnati Bengals, Arizona Cardinals and New England Patriots, who each earned two.
Among the biggest complaints? Cincinnati still doesn’t provide gameday daycare or a family room, being the only franchise to treat the families of its players as such. It might be an Ohio problem, as the Cleveland Browns make players’ families wait outside in a parking lot tent to greet the players after the game.
The AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs got the lowest marks of any team in regards to their home hotel, where they stay before games at Arrowhead Stadium. Players complained of their feet sticking to the floors, leading some to leave their footwear on.
Then there are the New England Patriots, who don’t provide Wi-Fi on the team plane, an airliner that has ashtrays in some seats. And the only owner to earn a failing mark? Woody Johnson of the New York Jets. No surprise there considering the deluge of stories that came to light during last season’s 5–12 debacle.
On the positive side, the Miami Dolphins and Minnesota Vikings finished first and second, respectively. Both franchises have consistently ranked well since the NFLPA began giving its report card in 2023, largely because of the investments made by the respective ownership groups.
Moving forward, the big question is how much do the report cards impact change from the teams? In some cases, there have been improvements made after complaints went public in the report cards. For example, the Bengals now rank third with an A+ for their revamped locker room, something that was 24th last season with a D+.
The Chiefs also saw a big bump in the nutritionist category from 31st with an F grade to an A- after the team hired a new full-time dietician prior to the 2024 season. Still, Kansas City lags behind many teams overall, ranking 26th of 32 clubs.
The best way to see true change might be whether the floor is being raised compared to previous years. Last year, there were 29 failing grades. In this survey, only 12.
While the NFLPA has lost negotiating battles with new collective bargaining agreements for years, its idea of a report card has been a home run.
The 2025 draft is about to get defensive
Opinions will always range about a given draft class, but a trend in Indianapolis has emerged when talking to personnel staffs within the league.
While the running back and tight end classes are very good, this draft is going to be heavy on defensive talent compared to its offensive counterparts.
Unlike recent years, it would be stunning to see a litany of quarterbacks, offensive tackles and wide receivers go on the first night. Looking at the landscape, there’s a real chance Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders are the only quarterbacks selected in the first round. Will Campbell is the lone true tackle (Kelvin Banks Jr. and Armand Membou could kick inside) ensured to go in the first round, and the combination of Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan and Ohio State’s Emeka Egbuka are the only great bets to be Day 1 wideouts.
For comparison’s sake, those positions produced the first 12 picks of last year’s draft. Alone.
Between 2022 to ’24, they accounted for 44 of the 95 first-round picks. This spring, they probably won’t crack double digits.
To that end, it could mean bigger contracts than expected for some of the best-available offensive talent in free agency. Although the talent isn’t overwhelming at those spots on the open market, the price could be driven up for left tackles such as Alaric Jackson, Cam Robinson and Ronnie Stanley. It could also help the trade market for teams such as the Los Angeles Rams, who are actively discussing the notion of trading Super Bowl–winning quarterback Matthew Stafford and receiver Cooper Kupp.
Speaking of Stafford …
Rams and Stafford could be headed for split
While the smart money might still be on the Rams and Stafford eventually ironing out their contractual differences, there’s a growing sentiment that the two could be headed in opposite directions.
In Indianapolis, the Las Vegas Raiders and New York Giants are reportedly emerging as the two top teams attempting to pry the 37-year-old quarterback out of Los Angeles with two years left on his deal.
Again, trace this interest, and potential leverage for the Rams, back to the upcoming draft class.
New York is picking third, with Las Vegas three spots behind the Giants. However, with both Ward and Sanders not seen as generational talents but hedged bets, landing a veteran quarterback before figuring out the long-term future is more interesting than it normally would be.
The question is—should the Rams and Stafford decide there’s no middle ground—which team will be willing to give up more? A second-round pick seems like the best choice Los Angeles could garner, but is that enough to eat $22.6 million each of the next two years if the trade is given a post–June 1 designation? Perhaps the acquiring team would be asked to relinquish more capital, including multiple Day 2 picks or even a future first-rounder.
Importantly, the Raiders hold an extra third-round pick this spring, while New York has two fourth-rounders.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as NFL Combine 2025: The Good and the Bad of the NFLPA Report Card.