Even Chargers’ Jim Harbaugh Couldn’t Avoid Bad NFLPA Report Card Grade

Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh is widely regarded as one of the most beloved player’s coaches in the NFL.

Just don’t tell the NFLPA report cards.

The report cards weren’t made public by the NFLPA this year after a grievance filed by the NFL. But as expected, they “leaked” public anyway.

While the Chargers generally did well on the report cards, an interesting thing stuck out more than most:

Jim Harbaugh’s decreasing grade.

Chargers’ Jim Harbaugh’s dropping grade, explained

Looking at the NFLPA report card grades for the Chargers, the biggest outlier is obvious:

Jim Harbaugh: C+

Given Harbaugh’s reputation, anything below an A is bad, really.

There is one very, very obvious reason for the grade, too. It’s perfectly reflected in another grade from the report card:”

Greg Roman: D-

No wonder Harbaugh made the tough call to fire Roman, a close friend he brought over upon arrival in 2024. Roman’s offenses never maximized Justin Herbert and, even worse, looked outdated and outmatched across two playoff appearances.

It is hard to imagine much else weighs heavily in this review of Harbaugh from players on the report cards.

While a little uncanny, his grade dipping from a B+ top a C+ doesn’t really have any other explanation. He’s still well-liked and /has the team contending despite the roster churn of the last two years.

This guy Jim Harbaugh is LOCKED in for this Combine.

(via @NFL)

pic.twitter.com/lrGEf494uN
— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) February 26, 2026

Sure to help Harbaugh in this department is the hiring of Mike McDaniel as the new offensive coordinator.

McDaniel is going to overhaul the blocking scheme and emphasize protecting Herbert from hero ball too much. Modern concepts installed around Herbert won’t just help the NFLPA grades improve…they have a serious shot at making the Chargers a serious contender.

Harbaugh said this about their next coordinator before hiring McDaniel:

“The person that teaches, installs (the offensive game plan), puts the players in the best position to be successful and, ultimately, scores points, number one. If we think we can better ourselves in an area, and I’ll tell you the same thing, Joe. If we think there’s a better head coach, then we owe that to our team.”

To his credit, Harbaugh didn’t need these report cards to make the decision to move on from Roman. These are just a little extra blowback from an obvious-feeling mistake to begin with that he’s since corrected.

Barring a shocker, things will trend majorly upward for Harbaugh on the report cards this time next year.

Full Chargers NFLPA Report Card Grades

Treatment of Families: C+
Home Game Field: C
Food/Dining Area: B+
Nutritionist/Dietician: A-
Locker Room: A-
Training Room: A-
Training Staff: A-
Weight Room: A-
Strength Coaches: B
Position Coaches: C+
Offensive Coordinator: D-
Defensive Coordinator: A+
Special Teams Coordinator: A-
Team Travel: B-
Head Coach: C+
General Manager: B+
Team Ownership: A-
Overall Rank: 15