Even though the NFL Players Association is no longer making its Team Report Cards public following a grievance filed by the NFL, the results of the latest survey have become public. Kalyn Kahler of ESPN obtained the grades handed out in its newest installment, and they show that the New England Patriots continue to rank among the worst-graded teams in the league.
While improving upon their 31st position from a year ago, they still finished only 26th overall in the NFL.
In total, the NFLPA collected
responses from 1,759 players between November and December 2025, an average participation of 55 players per team. Those participants were asked to rate their respective teams in several categories on a 1-to-5 scale based on factors ranging from facility, to staff, to amenities provided by a team.
The Patriots, as not above, graded poorly yet again. After finishing 29th last year, they dropped all the way to 31st in the NFL in the latest survey. Their individual grades look as follows, with the league-wide ranking in parentheses’ grades look as follows, with the respective league-wide rankings in parentheses:
- Offensive Coordinator: A (t-1st)
- Head Coach: A (t-3rd)
- Strength Coaches: A- (t-20th)
- Special Teams Coordinator: B+ (t-15th)
- General Manager: B+ (t-19th)
- Treatment of Families: B (t-12th)
- Defensive Coordinator: B (t-21st)
- Nutritionist/Dietician: B (t-23rd)
- Training Staff: B (t-23rd)
- Position Coaches: B- (t-24th)
- Team Ownership: B- (t-24th)
- Locker Room: C- (t-21st)
- Training Room: C- (t-28th)
- Weight Room: C- (t-31st)
- Food/Dining Area: D+ (t-28th)
- Home Game Field: D (t-22nd)
- Team Travel: F (t-29th)
The NFLPA summary of the Patriots’ results is not exactly a flattering one, but it does provide some reason for optimism looking forward:
While the team has consistently ranked among the lowest in the league, players note signs of progress. A new facility is scheduled to open for the 2026 season, which is expected to address the team’s current facility shortcomings, including bottom-5 ratings for the weight room, training room and practice fields.
The Patriots’ travel remains a significant concern. The team airplane ranks last in the league, with players citing outdated conditions, lack of Wi-Fi and insufficient space, with one player describing the plane as feeling ‘borderline unsafe.’ Players also report ongoing issues with the food program, which receives low scores for quality, variety, and nutritional value due to reliance on offsite-meal preparation.
What exactly did player criticize, though? A closer look at the results shared by the NFLPA adds further information to the grades handed out by New England’s players.
Offensive Coordinator (A): The offensive coordinator category was among several added to the survey in 2025, and the Patriots hit it out of the park right away. Josh McDaniels is one of only four OCs to receive an A grade. | Last season: N/A
Head Coach (A): With Mike Vrabel now in charge, the Patriots’ head coach grade improved from a B+ under Jerod Mayo to an A. Likewise, the ranking jumped from 24th to third in the league. He graded particularly highly in regards to his willingness to take feedback, efficiency, player development, as well as practice organization. | Last season: B+
Strength Coaches (A-): The Patriots retained strength coaches Deron Mayo and Brian McDonough from 2024, while adding Frank Piraino as director of sports performance. The group’s grade improved from last year’s survey, and the ranking also went up from 26th to 20th. | Last season: B
Special Teams Coordinator (B+): Another new category saw solid grades for Jeremy Springer. He ranked average in a league-wide comparison. | Last season: N/A
General Manager (B+): As with the special teams coordinator, the general manager also received a good grade resulting in an average ranking. | Last season: N/A
Treatment of Families (B): The Patriots were ranked dead-last in that category two seasons ago, but a concerted effort to improve — starting by hiring Halle Ross as family services and football engagement coordinator — helped improve the grade. With Ross leading the charge, the team started offering daycare during home games as well as a family room. | Last season: C+
Defensive Coordinator (B): The lowest-graded among the three coordinators still got a B, good enough for 21st in the league. Nominal DC Terrell Williams was absent for most of the season following a cancer diagnosis, with inside linebackers coach Zak Kuhr serving as acting DC in his place. | Last season: N/A
Nutritionist/Dietician (B): A B-grade and 25th place last year was followed by a B-grade and 23rd place this year. The Patriots made no changes in this category, with head sports dietitian Ted Harper and his assistant, Samantha Couture, remaining in place. | Last season: B
Training Staff (B): The training staff grade saw some improvement compared to 2024, interestingly enough. Head athletic trainer Jim Whalen and his staff remained largely unchanged in between the two surveys, after all. | Last season: C+
Position Coaches (B-): New England’s position coaches received a solid grade, but they are still in the bottom third in the NFL. | Last season: N/A
Team Ownership (B-): The Kraft Family’s grade experienced a significant spike from the last two years when it was graded a D (2024-25) and D+ (2023-24). Its ranking improved as well, moving from 29th to 24th. What triggered the spike is not known; it could be anything between the club’s general improvement or the organization investing in a new training facility. | Last season: D
Locker Room (C-): There was virtually no change in the locker room category since last year. | Last season: C-
Training Room (C-): The same is true for the training room. In a league-wide comparison, players still view it quite unfavorably. | Last season: C-
Weight Room (C-): New England’s new facility has yet to open, but oddly enough the grade for the weight room already improved in 2025 — likely the result of a different composition of players handing out grades this time around. Also, the improvement in grade did not really change the league-wide ranking: it went from 32nd to 31st. | Last season: F
Food/Dining Area (D+): The only grade that went in the wrong direction since last year. The players on the 2025 team were not thrilled about the food and where to consume it. | Last season: C
Home Game Field (D): The field presents another new category, and one players are quite harsh graders in. The Patriots only registered a D for their field turf surface, but that still ranks them 22nd in the league. For comparison, eight teams’ players handed out an F, with five among them using F- to describe their home stadium’s playing surface. | Last season: N/A
Team Travel (F): Even though they have their own planes, the Patriots’ travel conditions are among the worst in the NFL. “AirKraft” is in serious need of an upgrade. | Last season: F
The Patriots did show improvement in some areas, with their coaching staff in particular a bright spot. They also have made an effort to get better in others as well but it will be interesting to see how the substandard travel conditions in particular will be upgraded.
Still, overall, the team is trending up, if only slightly when it comes to the NFLPA survey.
