7 revelations from the NFLPA 2025 report cards, including the Commanders burying Dan Snyder

Three seasons ago, the NFL Player's Association began conducting wide-spanning surveys for its "report cards" on player working conditions for all 32 teams. I've been doing this annual review to coincide with these releases at the same time, and I gotta say: I've read some pretty appalling developments from professional sports franchises worth billions of dollars.

We've had rat problems. We've had bug issues. We've had comically small spaces for extraordinarily large human beings. We've had families and children outright neglected and overlooked. I'm not going to pretend that I believed NFL owners were all morally upstanding people who deeply cared about their players and teams. I'm not that naive. Nonetheless, with the release of the NFLPA's 2025 report cards on working conditions, I can now proudly proclaim that I've become more cynical.

Because the players surveyed on these report cards have shined a light we previously never had access to. We now know exactly which hapless owners pinch pennies everywhere they can because they don't respect the pillar of civic pride they own nearly enough.

There were no such eye-popping pest issues this time around, with the 2025 survey results based on the 2024 season. That makes me think that either these survey reviews were asked to be toned down, or some squads are genuinely getting their (expletive) together. You can decide which one applies more for yourself because I won't attack your worldview. Don't worry. We can do that another time.

Nonetheless, a lot remains to unpack. From a model coach to an owner whose players surprisingly love, I still furled my eyebrows more than expected.

Let's dive in and see which NFL organizations went above and beyond for their players in 2024, and figure out which ones really dropped the bar.

1. Jerry Jones let one of the only things Dallas Cowboys players truly loved walk away

The Cowboys' much-maligned reputation would suggest they have a smorgasbord of internal turmoil. But that's not what Cowboys players projected in the NFLPA survey. In fact, Dallas is actually 10th overall in the league in terms of player satisfaction with their working conditions. Across all 11 applicable categories, the Cowboys do not have a single failing grade. Which ... huh.

What's fascinating about Dallas's overall report card was its second-best category — head coach. However, seeing as how these surveys apply to the 2024 season, the coach, in this case, was NFL fan-favorite punching bag Mike McCarthy. Color me surprised. Despite an outside perception that McCarthy had no control over his locker room and that his players didn't respect him, he received an A grade from Cowboys players (good for just 14th in the league, but still commendable).

And inept owner Jerry Jones let McCarthy go anyway. Go figure. Even when the Cowboys think they have something going for them, they can't help but step on a bunch of rakes.

2. Detroit Lions players strongly believe Dan Campbell is a model NFL coach

When Dan Campbell took over the Lions in 2021, they were an abject laughingstock. No one took Detroit seriously. Quite frankly, no one had any reason to. Everyone understood the Lions were a cellar dweller. Four seasons later, Campbell has transformed the Lions into a marquee franchise that has averaged 12 wins per year since 2022. And even after losing both his offensive and defensive coordinator this offseason, it's evident Campbell has the coaching secret sauce to keep the good times rolling in Detroit.

Of all 32 NFL coaches evaluated, Campbell received one of only six perfect scores regarding time efficiency. Lions players also felt that Campbell was extremely receptive to their feedback, fostering a healthy back-and-forth culture of accountability and respect between players and coaches. As such, Campbell received an overall A+ grade, fifth among all coaches. That definitely tracks. It's how I'd personally evaluate Campbell's current standing in the league as a non-player. He's elite. No further questions asked.

Folks, the Lions, yes, the Lions, have a top-five coach. What a time to be alive.

3. The Las Vegas Raiders (surprisingly?) adore Mark Davis

Here, again, we have another example of the outside noise not matching what happens behind the scenes.

Ask any regularly dialed-in NFL observer about Raiders owner Mark Davis, and they will probably say he's a bumbling product of nepotism with a bowl haircut fit for a 10-year-old child, not a 69-year-old adult man. But that's not how Raiders players feel about Davis based on their answers on Las Vegas's report card. Not only were the Raiders No. 4 overall in player satisfaction, but Davis himself also ranked No. 6 overall amongst all owners. Across the board, Raiders players believe Davis wants to invest in them, that he contributes positively to their culture, and that he genuinely wants to win. Man, OK!

Personally, I'm not going to stop judging books by their covers. Because that's just how I roll sometimes. But this Davis-Raiders-fan disconnect is a good lesson of where that dynamic can go awry.

4. The Washington Commanders are GLOWING in the absence of Dan Snyder

There's no need to sugarcoat it. Former Commanders owner Dan Snyder was an odorous presence in his own organization, fostering a rotten and toxic culture on and off the field for nearly a quarter-century. In just the second year under current owner Josh Harris, the Commanders have managed to virtually eradicate the pungent stench of the Snyder era.

Washington's latest NFLPA report card is kinda staggering in proof of this.

After finishing No. 32 overall in the survey in each of the last two years, the Commanders made a massive jump all the way to No. 11 in player satisfaction in 2024. The list of improvements isn't ceaseless, but it does feel like you're reading a long ancient scroll. Head coach Dan Quinn, for one, is rated as the No. 1 coach in the sport by his players on this survey. In addition, player family treatment and the comfort of travel both jumped up significantly from previously failing grades to something more apt for a professional sports team. It's not hard to jump to the conclusion the latter two sentiments were never really a priority for someone like Snyder.

It's almost as if this report is an unofficial middle finger from Commanders players to one of the worst owners in American sports history. (It just might be!)

The Commanders still have a lot of work to do with outdated facilities and an archaic locker room. But those take time to build up, which coincides with their recent ascendance to Super Bowl contention. For now, it's abundantly clear Harris is championing Commanders players in a fashion Snyder never even dreamed of.

5. New York Jets players think the franchise is rudderless, and Woody Johnson is (unsurprisingly) to blame

In no way, shape, or form did I believe Jets owner Woody Johnson had a grasp of how to construct a modern, competitive NFL team with good vibes. How could you possibly think otherwise about the guy who consulted his Madden-playing sons for advice about a trade? How could you possibly think otherwise about the guy who traded for a washed-up, egotistical, malcontent quarterback to save his franchise?

Funnily enough, as the Jets' report card shows, it looks like Jets players agree. They've had it with Johnson's antics.

After a bottom-third ranking last year, Jets players seem to believe that Johnson and Co. responded to player feedback by actively making conditions worse. For one, the Jets made significant cuts to their food budget after players said the food was awful. For the other, they let go of the team's highest-rated staff member, the full-time dietician. Overall, some players mentioned "top-down problems" regarding overarching Jets leadership. Woof.

Knowing all of this, Johnson unsurprisingly received a well-deserved F grade, slotting him as the NFL's current worst owner. Jets players don't believe Johnson wants to invest in them, they don't believe he has created a healthy organizational culture, and they don't think he wants to field a good team. What a trifecta of fecklessness and incompetence for Gang Green. How the mighty have fallen, dearest readers.

Well, to be fair, at least the fall wasn't that high.

6. The New England Patriots team plane doesn't have Wi-Fi but still has ashtrays

There's something darkly funny about Robert Kraft trying to become a Pro Football Hall of Famer (why?) as Patriots players lambast his apparent neglect of the organization. We're now more than a half-decade removed from the Tom Brady-Bill Belichick era. Without the persistent winning and deep playoff runs, everyone now sees Kraft's Patriots for what they are: an embarrassing skeleton that doesn't nearly respect the players on the field doing the work enough as much as they should.

The Patriots ranked No. 31 overall in this year's NFLPA survey. That is not mind-boggling because it's not hard to see why. The catchiest example will be that the team plane, in the year 2025, does not provide Wi-Fi. It does, however, provide ashtrays. Because, you know, professional athletes in 2025 — most of whom genuinely treat their bodies like temples — are really passionate about taking drags off a few cigarettes while traveling to do their peak-condition, physically-oriented job. Make it make sense.

In each of the three main ownership categories — facility investment, a positive team culture, and commitment to building a winning team — Kraft was comfortably in the bottom five. I'm not saying this evaluation should be disqualifying for a wealthy person trying to get a bronze bust in the Hall of Fame because he serendipitously had the greatest quarterback and coach of all time on the same team for 20 years. But I'm not NOT saying it.

Maybe Kraft should better take of his players first before worrying about securing a legacy he had no significant part in aside from signing the paychecks. Just a thought.

7. Mike Tomlin remains the only genuinely reputable part of the Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers, for all intents and purposes, are stuck in NFL No Man's Land. Sure, they've yet to experience a losing season under the iconic Tomlin. That's commendable and speaks more to Tomlin's greatness than anything. However, at the same time, they haven't advanced past the divisional round of the playoffs since 2016. They've gone one-and-done in their last five playoff appearances. Without a difference-making quarterback in tow, that streak is very likely to continue whenever Pittsburgh next plays in mid-January.

This bizarre disconnect between a marquee franchise struggling to keep up with the times and a future Hall of Fame head coach is reflected in the Steelers' NFLPA report card. As an organization, the Steelers are ranked just No. 28 overall in working conditions. They have an average or failing grade in seven of 11 categories, including ownership. Yet, Tomlin remains a highly-respected figure by Steelers players, who gave him the No. 7 overall ranking among all active head coaches.

No wonder the Steelers and Tomlin didn't mutually part ways this offseason. He's the only thing they really have going for them.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: NFLPA report cards: 7 things we learned about NFL teams in 2025