The NFL’s annual team report cards - once a source of transparency and, frankly, a wake-up call for some organizations - are officially off the table. Following a grievance filed by the league, an arbitrator has ruled in the NFL’s favor, ordering the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) to stop publishing the evaluations that had become a staple of offseason conversation since they launched in 2023.
The decision means that team owners, including Eagles chairman Jeffrey Lurie, won’t have to see their franchises publicly graded by the very players who suit up for them each week. The league informed all 32 clubs of the ruling in a memo earlier today.
The NFL argued that the union’s yearly report cards violated the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), and the arbitrator agreed. According to the memo, the report cards were deemed to have “disparaged” clubs and individuals - a key sticking point in the league’s case. The arbitrator ordered the union to cease publishing the results going forward.
Now, let’s be clear: these weren’t just fluff pieces or PR exercises. The report cards were built on player feedback, collected from training camp through November, and touched on everything from locker room conditions and travel accommodations to family treatment and food quality. They offered an unfiltered look at how players viewed their work environments - and in some cases, they didn’t hold back.
Take the Eagles, for example. In the 2025 edition, released just weeks after their Super Bowl LIX win over the Chiefs, Philadelphia ranked 22nd overall - a steep drop from their No. 4 finish the year before.
Players gave high marks to the team’s food and dining services, head coach, and training staff. But they weren’t as impressed with the locker room, travel arrangements, or how the organization treated players’ families.
Lurie himself received an “A” grade in 2025, following a “B” the previous year.
The NFLPA’s report cards didn’t just stir conversation - they sparked change. Some teams that scored poorly, like the Cardinals and Patriots, responded by investing in new practice facilities. Players saw the impact and appreciated the accountability.
But according to the league’s memo, the union’s process behind the scenes raised red flags. The NFL claimed the NFLPA ignored repeated requests to share data from previous surveys.
During arbitration, union representatives reportedly acknowledged that staffers handpicked which anonymous player comments made it into the final reports. They also admitted that the union decided how much weight to give each topic - and ultimately, how those grades were calculated.
In other words, the union controlled the narrative.
The NFLPA, for its part, isn’t backing down entirely. In a statement posted to social media, the union said it disagreed with the arbitrator’s decision and plans to continue surveying players and sharing that feedback with teams and players internally. The union also emphasized that the arbitrator rejected the NFL’s claim that the process was inherently unfair or unbalanced.
Still, the ruling has ignited a fresh wave of backlash - not just from media, but from players past and present.
Veteran Saints defensive lineman Cam Jordan didn’t mince words, calling out the league for being “upset” that the report cards forced teams to upgrade facilities and invest in player wellness. J.J.
Watt, a five-time All-Pro, pointed out the double standard: players can’t evaluate teams, but third-party grading services can rank them on national TV every week. That’s a tough pill to swallow for guys who live and breathe the day-to-day grind of NFL life.
Former offensive lineman Mitchell Schwartz offered a more nuanced take. He credited the report cards for prompting real improvements but acknowledged that the way the NFLPA handled the rollout - particularly the public shaming element - crossed a line.
So where does this leave us?
The NFL may have won the legal battle, but the fight over transparency and accountability is far from over. The report cards gave players a voice - and fans a rare peek behind the curtain.
They weren’t perfect, but they were impactful. And now that they’re gone, the question becomes: what replaces them?
Because if there’s one thing this saga has proven, it’s that players care deeply about their workplace conditions - and they’re not afraid to speak up. Even if the grades are gone, the conversation is very much alive.