One of the Dolphins’ top recruitment tools is squarely in the crosshairs of rival owners, who seek to have it discontinued amid a growing league dispute
Sunshine. State income tax. One of Miami’s other biggest recruitment tools is in the crosshairs.
The Miami Dolphins‘ pitch to free agents is usually pretty straight forward. You know the deal, you’ve probably heard it a million times by now. The location is great. No state income tax. Warm weather all year round. But one of the more attractive sales pitches in recent years for the Dolphins appears to be squarely in the crosshairs of some of the rival owners across the NFL.
The NFL Player’s Association puts out an annual “report card” of the team facilities, resources, and working conditions for players based on polled results from over 1,000 players all across the league. And the Miami Dolphins have twice been ranked in the NFLPA’s report card as the No. 1 team in the NFL based on the criteria polled.
Some team owners, including one from the AFC East, are apparently seeking for them to be discontinued as a possible violation of the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement.
Dolphins’ recruitment tool via NFLPA’s report cards may be in jeopardy thanks to some NFL owners
The news came out on Thursday that the NFL office, at the behest of several NFL owners, have filed a grievance against the NFLPA as a means to get the Player’s Association to stop releasing the annual polls.
“The league claims the report cards, which poll players on various aspects of working conditions, violate a CBA clause that says NFL owners and the union must “use reasonable efforts to curtail public comments by club personnel or players which express criticism of any club, its coach, or its operation and policy,” according to an August letter from the league’s management council to NFLPA general counsel Tom DePaso that was obtained by ESPN.”
— ESPN report by Seth Wickersham and Don Van Natta Jr. on NFLPA’s annual report cards
Dolphins’ rankings in annual NFLPA team report cards
- Ranked 1st among all 32 franchises in 2024
- Ranked 1st among all 32 franchises in 2025
- Dolphins owner Stephen Ross given an ‘A+’ grade for his willingness to invest in his franchise
Front row and center in ESPN’s report on the league’s issues with the report cards is Jets owner Woody Johnson. Johnson was quoted from the owner’s meetings in March as calling the report cards ‘totally bogus’ while inferring they may violate the CBA between the league and the NFLPA.
Unsurprisingly, Johnson’s Jets finished quite poorly in the survey, a far contrast to Miami’s glowing reviews from players. That includes Dolphins team owner Stephen Ross, who received an ‘A+’ grade for his part in Miami’s overall infrastructure. Sadly, Miami’s strong marks in both 2024 and 2025 haven’t yielded the kind of winning result that fans (or players) are looking for, but it’s hard to imagine having positive reviews about the team’s resources, travel, strength staff, amenities, and treatment of their families would be a bad thing.
If the ownership grievance gets it way, the Dolphins will lose it as a recruitment tool. They’ll still have warm weather and no state income tax in their pocket. But this franchise would be well served on furthering the most infallible recruiting tool of all — winning annually. That’s the charge this team is faced with the rest of the way in 2025 and beyond.
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