Some results from the NFL Players Association’s annual team report cards have been leaked despite the league’s legal efforts to thwart their publication.
Once again, the Miami Dolphins ranked first, followed by the Minnesota Vikings and Washington Commanders, according to the survey results obtained by ESPN. The Pittsburgh Steelers ranked dead last in the report cards, which encompass everything from facilities, cafeterias, locker rooms, trainers, strength coaches, ownership, coaching staffs and even the treatment of players’ families.
ESPN has not released the full survey results.
The NFLPA, league spokespeople, the Pittsburgh Steelers and several other teams have all declined comment on the annual report cards.
Now in its fourth year, the annual survey was published by the NFLPA at the end of the last three seasons. But, earlier this month, an arbitrator agreed with the NFL’s position that the report cards are ‘disparaging NFL clubs and individuals’ in violation of the collective-bargaining agreement (CBA).
For its part, the NFLPA continues to collect the report cards despite being blocked from publishing them.
The Arizona Cardinals improved from 32nd place last year to a reported 31st place in 2026
Pittsburgh Steelers owner Art Rooney II and his team reportedly got poor grades from players
This was the first year the Steelers ranked dead last, and they did so by finishing near the bottom of several categories, according to ESPN.
‘[Steelers owner] Art Rooney ranks last in the league for willingness to invest in facilities, a trend reflected in the Steelers’ poor facility ratings across the board,’ read the survey excerpt published by ESPN.
A year ago, the six-time Super Bowl champions were 28th, while the Arizona Cardinals came in 32nd out of 32 teams. This year the Cardinals improved to 31st and, likewise, declined comment to ESPN.
Atlanta Falcons owner and Home Depot founder Arthur Blank received some of the highest marks from players, as did Dolphins owner Stephen Ross and the Vikings’ Zygi Wilf.
The Pittsburgh Steelers reportedly had a hard time with a new category: home field
New York Jets owner Woody Johnson has been among the most vocal critics of the annual survey. At a league meeting in New York last March, Johnson told reporters ‘there are a lot of owners that looked at that survey and said this is not fair, it’s not balanced, it’s not every player, it’s not even representative of the players.’
In total, 1,759 players submitted responses between November 2 and December 11, according to ESPN.
The Daily Mail has sought comment from Johnson through Jets spokespeople. The Jets ranked 19th in 2023 and 21st in 2024, but 29th in February of 2025 as Johnson fell to last place among owners.
ESPN did not share any of the results related to the Jets.
