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The NFL Players Association’s third annual club report cards on workplace conditions were released on Wednesday and provide a view into the daily lives of players and how they perceive their individual teams.
The Miami Dolphins retained their title atop the NFLPA report cards and were followed by the Minnesota Vikings, the Atlanta Falcons, the Las Vegas Raiders and the Los Angeles Chargers. On the bottom, the Arizona Cardinals (32nd), the New England Patriots, the Cleveland Browns, the New York Jets and the Pittsburgh Steelers were rated the worst among players.
Within each individual team’s report card were notes for 11 categories, including grades on ownership, treatment of families, food, travel and facilities. There were 1,695 players who participated between August 26 to November 20, 2024.
The Yahoo Sports team combed through all 32 team report cards and found a few interesting nuggets of feedback players gave as they assessed their teams.
Treatment of families
When it comes to game day, players want to be able to focus solely on the game. Players who have kids have to balance ensuring they are taken care of and have a place to go during games.
Three NFL teams do not offer daycare for players’ families during home games and 10 do not have a family room at their stadium. The Cincinnati Bengals (Grade: F-) are the only team to not offer either of those benefits, leading to one player to describe the situation as “almost disrespectful.”
You might assume that NFL teams provide a level of daycare to players’ families for free, but you’d. be wrong. The Los Angeles Rams (Grade: D) charge $75 for one kid and $50 for each additional child. (You can get a better deal in San Francisco (Grade: B+) where the 49ers charge $40 per kid.)
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Grade: C-) had been charging $90 for each child, but stopped making players pay this season.
Four teams received F-minuses in the NFLPA’s 2025 report card:
😬 Bengals: F- for treatment of families
😬 Browns: F- for locker room
😬 Cardinals: F- for locker room
😬 Bills: F- for team travel pic.twitter.com/5uVruipN6I— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) February 26, 2025
Top 5: Vikings (A+), Falcons (A), Dolphins, Cowboys, Seahawks (A-):
Bottom 5: Bengals (F-), Jaguars (F), Rams (D), Cardinals (D+), Browns
Food/Dining area
Players spend a lot of time at their team’s practice facility, which requires being there during meal times throughout the day. Quality food means happy players and better standard of performance over the course of a season.
In Cincinnati (Grade: F), this is an issue. Last year, the Bengals, “as an improvement,” offered dinner to players on Wednesdays. This year, players who came in on their off day were given breakfast as well. But the quality of the food offered hasn’t gotten any better. They received the only F grade in this category, putting them 32nd out of 32 teams. The taste of the food provided was rated 4.82 out of 10, while the freshness got 5.49 out of 10.
The Jets (Grade: C-) reacted to their D- grade in this category last year by cutting the food budget and firing their long-time dietician. Those decisions were perceived by players as being in response to poor feedback.
“Rather than addressing concerns, players believed that management responded to feedback by making conditions worse.”
Top 5: Dolphins (A+), Texans (A), Raiders, 49ers, Falcons
Bottom 5: Bengals (F), Saints (D-), Cardinals, Jets (C-), Buccaneers, Rams, Browns
Locker room
The Washington Commanders’ locker room was given an F- grade last year with players citing “multiple sewage leaks.” That issue didn’t improve much in 2024 considering the grade of F handed out this time around. The sewage leaks seems to have stopped but 37% of players still report “ongoing” plumbing problems.
The Buccaneers (Grade: C) can relate to plumbing issues. Players complained about the cleanliness of their locker room and the poor ventilation inside, which also features a “persistent bad smell.”
While the Atlanta Falcons received an A+ when it came to their locker room, there was still a reported ventilation issue that, like the Buccaneers, caused a “persistent bad odor.”
One team that improved its locker room in reaction to a poor grade last year was the Kansas City Chiefs. After receiving an F, ownership found the time in between extended playoff runs to make changes, which resulted in a D- grade. Baby steps.
The majority of Jets (Grade: D+) players feel their locker room is big enough and their space is adequate to use on a daily basis. But they would like to see updates throughout the room, especially with a carpet that is “stained and worn out as if it has been there for decades.”
Speaking of shoddy carpeting, one Patriots (Grade: C-) player is hoping to see an update in their locker room as the one currently in use “looks dingy with pieces missing.”
Top 5: Vikings (A+), Falcons, Bengals, Dolphins, Chargers (A), Cowboys
Bottom 5: Cardinals (F-), Browns, Broncos (F), Commanders, Chiefs (D-)
TEAM TRAVEL
How old is the Patriots’ (Grade: F) team plane? Players report some seats come with ashtrays in the armrests and there is also no Wi-Fi available during flights. So no binge-watching television shows or “Fortnite” battles amongst players then?
As mentioned earlier, the Chiefs made improvements based off last year’s criticisms, but one area remains lacking.
“Players say their home game hotel is below standard. They report that it is outdated, the beds are uncomfortable, and many players even keep their shoes on in their rooms because the floors—especially in the bathroom—are dirty and sticky. Leftover trash from previous occupants is also a common issue. It’s no surprise the Chiefs’ home game hotel scored the lowest across the entire NFL.”
Top 5: Dolphins (A+), Raiders (A), Vikings, Commanders, Saints, Broncos
Bottom 5: Bills (F-), Patriots (F), Eagles, Panthers (D), Browns
OWNERSHIP
Woody Johnson was rated poorly by Jets players as they are the only team to receive an F grade in this category. Players noted that they feel like he “does not contribute to a positive team culture” and that he is only “somewhat” committed to building a contending team. That’s down from a B- last year.
Jets’ Woody Johnson ranked worst among team owners, including:
*Last place in willingness to invest in facilities
*Last in contributing to positive team culture
*Second-last in committed to building a competitive team pic.twitter.com/lHG5AXM55X— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) February 26, 2025
“They talked about the culture – it’s a problem, top down,” NFLPA chief strategy officer J.C. Tretter said of the Jets’ response. “[They said,] ‘It’s a culture of fear here.’ And I think that stood out in those grades.”
Top 5: Dolphins (A+), Vikings, Falcons, Broncos (A), Chargers, Raiders, Texans, Commanders, Ravens, Saints
Bottom 5: Jets (F), Panthers (D-), Cardinals, Patriots (D), Steelers