The NFL has scored an important victory in its battle against the team reports issued by the NFLPA players’ union.

Success for the world’s best football league. The NFLPA players’ union will no longer issue team reports after the NFL won its complaint against the union.

“We are pleased with the arbitrator’s decision, which affirms the parties’ collective bargaining agreement and prohibits the NFLPA from disparaging our clubs and individuals through ‘ratings’ that are purportedly based on data and methodologies that it has consistently refused to disclose,” the NFL said in a statement.

“We remain committed to working with the NFLPA and an independent survey company to develop and implement a scientifically sound survey to obtain accurate and reliable feedback from players, as agreed by the parties in the collective bargaining agreement.”

The league originally filed the complaint in August, stating that the team reports were not consistent with the collective bargaining agreement. The ruling is a major victory for franchise owners.

NFLPA wants to continue program

The NFL argued that the team report cards violated the league’s bylaws and rules of procedure, which prohibit players from “publicly criticizing a member team or its management, staff, employees, or coaches.”

In the annual survey, players were previously able to give teams grades in various categories, after which the franchises were ranked on a scale of 1 to 32. The results were then always published by the NFLPA, which attracted a lot of media attention.

In response to the NFL’s statement, the players’ union also issued a statement clarifying that the program would “not go away.”

“The ruling affirms our right to survey players and share the results with players and clubs. While we strongly oppose the restriction on publishing these results, this restriction does not affect the program or its impact.”

Approximately 1,700 players rated NFL teams

Despite the complaint filed in the summer, the NFLPA conducted the surveys among NFL players for the 2025 report cards in November.

Since 2023, the 32 teams have been ranked from best to worst based on criteria such as treatment of families, catering, locker rooms, and ownership. Last year, nearly 1,700 players participated in the survey. Last year, the Miami Dolphins and Minnesota Vikings took the top two spots, while the Arizona Cardinals were listed at the bottom.