Ashtrays on planes, bad odors and ‘top-down problems’: Takeaways from the NFL Players Association’s annual report card | CNN

It’s that time of year where fans learn some hard truths about life playing for their favorite NFL franchise.

Wednesday saw the annual release of the NFL Players Association’s (NFLPA) report cards, which sees players across the league rate teams across multiple categories and grade how they feel about turning out for them.

Here are the main takeaways.

The report cards released by the NFLPA have now become an annual tradition, with 2025 the third edition of the initiative.

Almost 1,700 players from throughout the NFLPA provide feedback on the league’s 32 teams across 11 categories and the union ranks teams depending on those gradings.

The categories are:

According to NFLPA chief strategy officer and former NFL offensive lineman JC Tretter, the union conducts the exercise “to not only help them make important career decisions, but also help raise standards across the league.”

Last year’s top-ranked team retained its spot atop the NFL hierarchy as the Miami Dolphins reigned supreme once again.

The team was rated first in seven out of the 11 categories, with Stephen Ross once again the highest-graded owner.

The Dolphins made strides to upgrade their gameday locker room at Hard Rock Stadium. The NFLPA writes: “The quality of the facilities is matched by the quality of the people in the building, making for an extremely positive player experience.”

One of the biggest risers this year was the Washington Commanders. Under new ownership – Josh Harris took over from Dan Snyder in 2023 – the Commanders had a renaissance on the field in 2024.

And that improvement included off the field growth too. Washington was last for the past two years straight but rose dramatically to 11th this time around. According to the survey, the most important change was the hiring of head coach Dan Quinn in the offseason who was the highest-ranked head coach across all teams. Players said the team is “positively changing the culture – and it shows both in the survey results and on the field.”

The team also heavily improved its food program, improved treatment of players’ families and the transport for the players. The main issue holding the team back is its facility, with players saying it is “old and in need of major renovation.”

While there were upwardly mobile teams throughout the report cards, it is a different story for some other teams, including the bottom-ranked team.

The Arizona Cardinals fell from 27th a year ago to 32nd after a scathing review. The team was rated in the bottom three for seven of the 11 categories, and last in two of them – locker room and training room.

According to the players surveyed, the team is in need of an “updated, modernized and expanded team facility,” with the majority of the building being described as “too small.”

Players also highlighted that the smaller things the organization could improve on, including better food options and pre-game sideline passes for family.

The only shining light was their head coach Jonathan Gannon, who was given an A with many players praising the second-year coach for “fostering a strong team culture.”

Elsewhere, the New York Jets fell dramatically in the rankings after a tumultuous season for the franchise.

There was angst on and off the field for the Jets in 2024, with poor results and ownership interference causing a negative atmosphere. While the food program at the Jets was highlighted as the category that needed the most improvement, the union also referenced the leadership issues, with some describing it as “top-down problems.” The Jets were the only franchise to receive an F for ownership in the survey.

The New England Patriots were ranked 31st with team travel a major area of concern – the team’s plane is described as “dated,” with only 39% of players feel they have comfortable amount of space on flights when traveling to games. The plane also lacks Wi-Fi and still has ashtrays in the seats.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were rated 27th with one of the major negatives perceived to be the cleanliness of the locker room. Forty-four percent of players reported ongoing plumbing issues and “persistent bad odors remain a problem.”