In the American school system, report cards tell parents what their student learned in the classroom. If it’s a good showing, they will pat themselves on the back. When the results are poor, parents sometimes blame the teachers, the student, or the group they run in.
Fans found the NFL Players Association report cards valuable because they offered insight into which organizations were run well. They may learn about some behind-the-scenes issues. Still, fans are usually told, [Player X] is happy here, and we will get them more involved.
“We just have to continue to find ways to allow Justin to impact the game,” Kevin O’Connell said last December about Justin Jefferson‘s down year: “We’re always going to try to find ways [to ensure] we’re not going to miss an opportunity.”
The Vikings have ranked in the top two spots in each of the last three surveys, but some fans thought that this might be changing. That remains to be seen as, last Friday, the NFL announced that it won an arbitration argument over the Players’ Association based on these annual reports. The results will no longer be made public.
As a fan, it’s fair to ask, what did each side want? What exactly is happening with this? And why does it all matter?
The owners
Let’s start with exactly what the owners wanted. Or, more specifically, what the owners didn’t want.
These report cards graded their organizations on a specific criterion:
- The treatment of families
- Food and nutrition provided
- Locker rooms
- Training room and staff
- Weight room
- Strength coaches
- Team travel
- The head coach
- And team ownership
However, the owners claim that these topics themselves are “cherry-picked.” They felt that the NFLPA didn’t validly collect this information, and that releasing these grades also violated the terms of the CBA, specifically Article 51, Section 6, which states:
The NFLPA and the Management Council agree that each will use reasonable efforts to curtail public comments by Club personnel or players which express criticism of any club, its coach, or its operation and policy, or which tend to cast discredit upon a Club, a player, or any other person involved in the operation of a Club, the NFL, the Management Council, or the NFLPA.
In layman’s terms, this means that both sides agreed to keep things in the building. Players aren’t supposed to publicly address any issues players or coaches may have with each other or any NFL team.
The owners were also unhappy that these had been fully released to the public, as it made some organizations look bad. So, while the owners cited the CBA bylines, questioning the publicity and methodology of the report cards, how did the NFLPA respond?
The players
Ultimately, the NFL is a business; businesses conduct management reviews and managers review their employees. These are to tell managers what their employees feel they can do better, not only to hold them accountable but also to improve work relations.
The players’ response to the NFL’s qualms was simply that this is to hold them accountable, like in any other business.
The main difference between private businesses and the NFL is that the NFL is has extraordinarily high visibility. The reason for releasing these to the public was not just for the parties involved but also for fans, giving them an inside look at how various organizations work and how the players felt.
We can also infer that the report cards were meant to help free agents and the process they use when deciding where to spend the next chapter of their careers. Free agents could use these as a guide to help in choosing which team to sign with
The verdict
After needing to go into arbitration, the arbitrator sided with the NFL and the owners…kind of.
While all reports and sites clearly state that the owners won in arbitration, the initial release of the reports lacked clarity. The initial report suggested that this grading system violated CBA policies. These grades will now be released only to other players and organizations to further encourage positive changes league-wide.
Why does it matter for the Vikings?
For the Vikings as an organization, who finished in the top three in all publicly available reports, maybe not much. The public release seemed to be for fans, getting them excited for the postseason.
Seeing that a big-name player is choosing between your club and a rival, fans might think, Why not come where players enjoy working?
With the CBA also not having an expressed social media policy section, Alvin Kamara asked, “What if the players made one and tweeted it out at the end of every year?”
When the Vikings had a down year, some might have thought, At least we have the report cards to show we’re a player-friendly organization. However, now that is no longer the case. Because no other sport gave us this much behind-the-scenes access, football was that much more entertaining.
After a tough 2025, Vikings fans no longer get even that.
