NFLPA to Continue Owner Report Cards, But Won't Publish Results

Arbitrator rules report cards violate CBA, but NFLPA says they will still survey players and share results with teams

Published on Feb. 13, 2026

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The NFL Players Association (NFLPA) announced that they will continue their annual report cards on NFL team owners, but the results will no longer be made public. This comes after an arbitrator ruled that the report card process violated the collective bargaining agreement between the NFLPA and the NFL. While the NFLPA disagrees with the ruling, they say they will abide by it and continue the report cards, sharing the results only with players and teams.

Why it matters

The NFLPA's owner report cards have been a way for players to provide feedback and put public pressure on teams to improve conditions. The decision to keep the report cards private removes that public accountability, though the NFLPA says players will still receive the results and teams will hear directly from their locker rooms.

The details

An arbitrator ruled in favor of the NFL in a grievance over the NFLPA's annual release of 'Team Report Cards' that grade NFL teams on various categories. The arbitrator found the report cards violated the collective bargaining agreement. As a result, the NFLPA will no longer be able to publicly disclose the results of future report cards, though they will continue the survey process and share the findings with players and teams.

  • The NFLPA has usually issued the owner report cards after each NFL season.
  • The arbitrator's ruling came on February 13, 2026.

The players

NFLPA

The labor union that represents professional football players in the National Football League.

NFL

The National Football League, the professional American football league.

Woody Johnson

Owner of the New York Jets, who criticized last year's report card grades for his team.

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What they’re saying

“The ruling upholds our right to survey players and share the results with players and clubs. While we strongly disagree with the restriction on making those results public, that limitation does not stop the program or its impact. Players will continue to receive the results, and teams will continue to hear directly from their locker rooms.”

— NFLPA (clutchpoints.com)

“Importantly, the arbitrator rejected the NFL's characterization of the process, finding the Team Report Cards to be fair, balanced, and increasingly positive over time.”

— NFLPA (clutchpoints.com)

What’s next

The NFLPA says they will continue to conduct the owner report cards, but the results will no longer be made public, per the arbitrator's ruling.

The takeaway

While the NFLPA disagrees with the decision to keep the owner report card results private, they will abide by the ruling and continue the survey process. This removes a key public accountability measure, though players and teams will still receive the feedback directly.