Patriots somehow get even worse in latest NFLPA report card
The New England Patriots already had a lot of room for improvement on their NFLPA report card. After emerging from the wreckage of the 2024 season, it’s gotten even worse.
According to the 2025 edition of the NFLPA report cards, the Patriots rank 31st overall, down from 29th heading into the 2024 season. Their “best” grade came in the “food/cafeteria” category, where they still ranked just 15th. Meanwhile, their most notable improvement came in the “treatment of families” area, where they got a C+ (18th) after getting an unfathomable F- in 2024.
For the second year in a row, the Pats ranked dead-last with an F grade for the weight room. They’ve already begun work on a new training facility, but it’s not expected to be ready until spring 2026. they also received a C- for both the training room (30th) and the locker room (22nd).
Despite the Patriots continuing to drop under now-former head coach Jerod Mayo, the players seem to have blamed ownership more than Mayo for their problems. Their “head coach” grade improved from B- (27th, based on Bill Belichick’s last season in 2023) to B+ (24th) under Mayo. Meanwhile, their ownership grade slipped from a D+ (27th) to a D- (29th). Just a tough look for the Krafts. No way around that.
Another notable area for the Patriots to improve is “team travel,” where they ranked 31st with an F grade. Players reported to the NFLPA that they “want an upgraded team plane,” explaining that the current plane is “too small.” In addition, the plane not only lacks Wi-Fi – a crazy detail in 2025 – but does have seats with ashtrays. Inflight smoking has been banned across the board for a quarter-century.
It was a nice story when the Patriots helped deliver N95 masks to the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic, but clearly, that means nothing for player comfort five years later.
So, one should expect the Patriots to upgrade their aviation capabilities in the near future. For ownership to improve their standing among players and across the league, they might have no choice but to pay players more. At the very least, tone it down at the negotiation table. Offer players more competitive, fair market values. Dinking around less with the money, on its own, could go a long way for them. New head coach Mike Vrabel is “confident” the team will be “aggressive” in free agency.
It will be hard for the Patriots to have a markedly improved NFLPA report card as soon as 2026, especially since they have to play at least one more season in their current team facilities. But under Vrabel, they have a chance for immediate improvement among their training staff, strength coaches, and nutritionists/dieticians.
Ultimately, no one has a more pressing need to improve his grade than Robert Kraft.
Matt Dolloff is a writer and digital content producer for 98.5 The Sports Hub. Read all of his articles here.
