NFL Releases Stunning NFLPA Report Card Statement With Direct Cleveland Browns Impact

The Cleveland Browns finished up an underwhelming season 5-12, which marked a last-place finish in a knock-down, drag-out AFC North division that saw the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Baltimore Ravens in game No. 272 to clinch a division title and the NFL's last playoff spot. It marked a stunning Week 18 conclusion during Sunday Night Football.

Although the Browns missed the playoffs for the fifth consecutive season, which led to the firing of former two-time NFL Coach of the Year Award winner Kevin Stefanski and to Todd Monken replacing him, recent league decisions could signal a change in the NFL and NFLPA's stance on team report cards.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the NFL took matters into its own hands after it filed a grievance against the NFLPA over the public use of team report cards. It came away victorious Friday.

Sources: The NFL informed all 32 teams today in a memo that it prevailed in its grievance vs. the NFLPA and its “team report cards.” An arbitrator determined that the NFLPA’s conduct violated the CBA and ordered it to stop making public any future report cards. pic.twitter.com/mss5WUQjhF
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 13, 2026

"Sources: The NFL informed all 32 teams today in a memo that it prevailed in its grievance vs. the NFLPA and its “team report cards,” Schefter's tweet read. "An arbitrator determined that the NFLPA’s conduct violated the CBA and ordered it to stop making public any future report cards.

What this means for the Browns

The Browns finished 30th in their report card rankings, as they only trailed the Super Bowl runner-up New England Patriots and Arizona Cardinals for the last two placements when examining the league as a whole.

The Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks, meanwhile, finished No. 15.

The core purpose of the report cards was seen as a positive. While they will continue, their non-public nature is the newest layer of the operation next season.

"One of our core jobs as a union is to improve the overall working conditions for our players, which includes the daily experience of players at the team facilities away from the lights and cameras," the NFLPA's website states. "1,695 of our players provided information to share with one another about their current club, to not only help them make important career decisions, but also help raise standards across the league."

Similar to a school system format, grades are given based on numbers (98%, etc.) and letters A-F. Regarding the rankings themselves, the lower the number, the better the franchise performance. The order is not factored in on-field performance, rather the conditions around the team the players play for on a weekly basis.

The highest grade the Browns were given was an A- for their weight room, while making subpar to poor marks in other areas. In contrast, the Browns received respective F- and F grades for their family treatment and dinning facilities.

With the player-lead venture not being made publicly available any longer, it will be interesting to see if some of these factors outside of football will influence players's decisions in trades, the draft and free agency moving forward.

For now, though, this coming fall has to play out before drawing any rash conclusions.