The New York Jets' owner, Woody Johnson, made quite an effort to keep the NFLPA's annual report card under wraps. Despite a ruling in his favor, where an independent arbitrator agreed that the report cards violated the collective bargaining agreement, ESPN managed to get its hands on the grades for all 32 NFL teams in the 2026 report card and released them to the public.
This year's report card is a comprehensive deep dive, featuring feedback from 1,759 players who were on 2025 rosters. The survey, conducted between November 2 and December 11, expanded to cover 17 different areas, up from 11 categories the previous year.
The Detroit Lions, in particular, have shown a steady climb in these rankings. Starting at 15th place in the inaugural 2023 rankings, they moved up to 13th in 2024, and in 2025, they've cracked the top 10, landing at ninth.
Let’s break down the Lions’ report card:
John Morton, who served as the offensive coordinator, received the lowest grade for the team with a C-. However, he's been replaced by Drew Petzing, who previously earned a B- during his tenure with the Arizona Cardinals.
The Lions' next lowest grade was a B- for their home game field, which interestingly tied for the 12th-best grade in the NFL. When it comes to head coaches, 11 teams, including the Lions, Bears, and Jets, received an A or better.
Impressively, only the Las Vegas Raiders and Minnesota Vikings scored higher than Detroit for their treatment of families.
The Lions' upward trajectory in these rankings highlights a commitment to improvement and excellence across various aspects of the team environment. With these changes and upgrades, the Lions are setting a standard that other teams might want to take note of.