In the year-round sport that the NFL has become, late February has traditionally been Combine time. Now, this portion of the calendar brings two events worthy of attention: the Combine and the NFL Players Association Team Report Card.
Under the "sunlight is the best disinfectant" theory, in 2023 the NFLPA began releasing report cards to hold their employers to account publicly. Strategically released before the opening of free agency each year, the NFLPA says the program has worked as intended.
“We saw overall improvement across all 32 teams,” NFLPA chief strategy officer JC Tretter said.
Nearly 1,700 NFLPA members responded, grading their team on A-plus to F-minus scale across 11 areas: treatment of families, food/dining, nutritionist/dietician, locker room, training room, weight room, strength coaches, team travel, head coach, and owner. Does the team provide an area for families and children during games? Is there enough personal space on the team flight? Does the team employ enough trainers, nutritionists, and strength coaches?
Last year's report made waves when the Kansas City Chiefs, 2-time defending champions on the field, ranked 31st by the NFLPA, ahead of only the sad-sack Washington Commanders. This year, the Chiefs improved to 26th, while the Commanders jumped all the way to 11th; new Commanders head coach Dan Quinn ranked first.
The Miami Dolphins and Minnesota Vikings topped the list -- the Dolphins earned straight As, while the Vikings brought home one B+ -- while the New England Patriots and Arizona Cardinals ranked 31st and 32nd. The Patriots earned two Fs, one D and no As, while the Cardinals garnered two Fs, four Ds, but an A for head coach Jonathan Gannon.
Speaking of head coaches, here is how each NFL team ranked their head coach in 2024. Keep in mind, in this context coaches are graded on two narrow criteria: how efficiently the use their players' time, and how receptive they are to the locker room's needs. Players ranked coaches by how they performed against the given criteria, not against each other. (Coaches no longer with their teams are in italics.)
A+
1. Dan Quinn, Commanders
2. Raheem Morris, Falcons
3. Kevin O'Connell, Vikings
4. Andy Reid, Chiefs
5. Mike McDaniel, Dolphins
6. Dan Campbell, Lions
A
7. Mike Tomlin, Steelers
8. Jonathan Gannon, Cardinals
9. Kyle Shanahan, 49ers
10. Zac Taylor, Bengals
11. Shane Steichen, Colts
12. Sean McVay, Rams
13. Pete Carroll, Seahawks
14. Mike McCarthy, Cowboys
15. DeMeco Ryans, Texans
A-
16. Antonio Pierce, Raiders
17. Dave Canales, Panthers
18. Nick Sirianni, Eagles
19. Brian Callahan, Titans
20. Matt LaFleur, Packers
B+
21. Brian Daboll, Giants
22. Jim Harbaugh, Chargers
23. Todd Bowles, Buccaneers
24. Jerod Mayo, Patriots
B
25. Robert Saleh, Jets
26. Sean Payton, Broncos
27. Sean McDermott, Bills
28. John Harbaugh, Ravens
B-
29. Dennis Allen, Saints
C
30. Kevin Stefanski, Browns
31. Doug Pederson, Jaguars
32. Matt Eberflus, Bears
As a point of reference, players awarded ownership one C-minus (Chiefs), five Ds (Bucs, Steelers, Patriots, Cardinals, Panthers) and one F (Jets) on willingness to invest in team facilities, positively contributing to team culture, and commitment to building a winning team.
See the full report here.