NFLPA Report Cards: Dolphins Love Owner, Commanders Dislike Facilities

The NFLPA’s second annual player team report cards were released Wednesday, revealing how the league’s stars and journeymen alike feel about their workplace. A total of 1,706 players gave feedback on their current club, with the union detailing grades across 11 key categories: treatment of families, food/cafeteria, nutritionist/dietitian, locker room, training room, training staff, weight room, strength coaches, team travel, head coach, and ownership.

Below are the top and bottom three teams, based on overall ratings, and some color into what those clubs’ players are happy and not pleased with:

Best in Class

1. Dolphins: Players gave the team straight A’s in all 11 key categories, and Stephen Ross (above) was the highest-ranked owner, receiving a rating of 9.9/10 “when considering his willingness to invest in the facilities.”

2. Vikings: Zygi Wilf (9.7) ranked second among owners, and the team’s worst grade was a B for the training staff. But players “unanimously believe that their strength staff contribute to their success by supporting each player with the best possible individualized plan.”

3. Packers: The majority of their key categories received B grades. While the “belief is that the club invests in making their workplace better year-over-year, [players do] call out a desire for the club to address the locker room and treatment of families.”

Time to Shape Up

30. Chargers: Three F’s were handed out, including for food, which “ranks last in taste and freshness.” Travel received a D-, as the Chargers use the “unique practice of sending equipment along with players and staff, which leaves the team sitting on the tarmac for an extended time waiting for the plane to be loaded or unloaded.”

31. Chiefs: Andy Reid got the only A grade as the league’s top-ranked head coach. Otherwise, there were four F’s for the two-time defending Super Bowl champions. Players are “frustrated by their workplace offerings, especially after the team’s sustained success in recent years.”

32. Commanders: First-year owner Josh Harris inherited a club that also finished last in the 2023 NFLPA rankings. When asked what the number-one issue respondents want to prioritize for fixing: “Most players couldn’t come up with just one. Instead, the common answer was the entire facility.”