NFLPA report card gives high marks to Mike Tomlin, low grade to Steelers ownership

They finished 28th in the NFL Players Association annual team report card.

INDIANAPOLIS — The good news for the Pittsburgh Steelers is that unlike the previous year, they received zero F grades in the NFL Players Association’s third annual team report card that was released Wednesday.

The bad news? For the second year in a row, they continued to rank No. 28 among the league’s 32 teams in the overall evaluation.

The lowest grades the Steelers received were for ownership, Art Rooney II’s regime was given a D, and locker rooms, which also received a D. That was a slight improvement from last year when ownership and locker rooms were awarded an F and the team’s treatment of families was given an F-minus mark.

The Steelers also received the worst grade, a C-minus, for the strength and conditioning staff, which was overhauled after the 2023 season yet still finished last in the league.

The NFLPA report stated, “The players feel that their strength coaches slightly contribute to their overall success, a rank of 32 out of 32 teams.”

On a 1-10 scale, Rooney II’s ownership received a 6 for “willingness to invest in the facilities,” which ranked No. 30.

“He’s a very conservative guy,” Lloyd Howell, the NFLPA executive director, told reporters at the NFL Combine. “I get the impression that he’s opening up right now. It’s probably not as big as changes as I would like, but I think he’s definitely listening to it. I know the GM is. Omar (Khan) is like, ‘Hey, OK, what else can we do? … That’s progress, right?”

The NFLPA survey was conducted from Aug. 26 to Nov. 20. The Miami Dolphins finished first for the second consecutive year, followed by the Minnesota Vikings, Atlanta Falcons, Las Vegas Raiders and Los Angeles Chargers. Ranked last were the Arizona Cardinals, who finished ahead of the New England Patriots.

As for the Steelers, the NFLPA wrote in its analysis: “When asked to identify the top improvement areas, players mention the locker room, which is in serious need of renovation, and the strength staff, which scores low on providing individualized training plans and contributing to the players’ success.”

On the positive end, head coach Mike Tomlin received an A for the second year in a row, ranking No. 7 overall. The team also received a C-minus in treatment of families, ranking No. 26, after the Steelers began providing day-care facilities at games in the 2024 season. They remain one of 10 teams that do not provide a family room during games.

Receiving B grades were team travel and the training staff. The team’s dining facilities at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex received a B-minus. Team travel was the only other category, aside from the head coach, that ranked in the top half of the league, coming in at No. 15.

The Steelers did not comment on the NFLPA rankings. They also did not comment last year when the rankings were unveiled during the NFL Combine.

At the NFL meetings in March, however, Rooney said he was displeased with the way the survey was conducted, saying he preferred to get feedback directly from the players.

J.C. Tretter, the chief strategy officer of the NFLPA and a past president of the organization, said Rooney’s wish is unrealistic.

“I think it’s a very rare person or player that is going to walk upstairs to their owner’s office and say, this place is a dump,” Tretter told reporters Wednesday. “You’re not going to find that person very often. They have other things to worry about. So, I think the importance of this survey is it allows players to share their feedback in a way that they’re protected as well.”