The document was never supposed to go public. An NFL judge ruled the NFLPA’s annual report cards “insulting” and banned their release. Somebody leaked them anyway. When the 2026 results were released on ESPN, one team sat alone at the bottom of all 32 teams: Pittsburgh. Not a rebuilding project. Not a last-place team. A 10-7 playoff team with six Super Bowl trophies in the lobby and a locker room that earned an F-minus. The Steelers’ four-year slide had finally hit rock bottom.
Getting Worse
Feb 5, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; The NFLPA logo at press conference at the Super Bowl LIX media center at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
This collapse didn’t happen overnight. The NFLPA survey, completed secretly by 1,759 players across all 32 teams, placed Pittsburgh 22nd in 2023, then 28th, 28th again, and then the 32nd. That drop tells a story no single bad season can explain. Meanwhile, the Miami Dolphins earned first place for the third straight year despite finishing 7-10 on the field. Winning games and running a quality workplace, it turns out, are two different things. Pittsburgh proved that from the wrong side.
Dangerous Field
Jan 12, 2026; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) warms up before an AFC Wild Card Round game against the Houston Texans at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images
Aaron Rodgers called out the problem publicly in Week 6. “I just felt like it got really beat up,” he said of Acrisure Stadium’s surface. “I know the field gets a lot of play.” That wasn’t just talk. Miles Killebrew suffered a season-ending non-contact knee injury on that same surface, and players rated the home field worst in the league “by a wide margin.” Six Super Bowl banners hang above a playing surface that a Hall of Fame quarterback called dangerously bad. Apparently, success in the past doesn’t fix grass.
The Contradiction
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Calvin Austin III (19) is helped to his feet by the training staff in the first quarter of the NFL Week 13 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium in downtown Cincinnati on Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024.
Here is where the story gets strange. Pittsburgh’s training staff ranked first in the entire NFL. Best medical team in professional football. And the strength coaches? Dead last. Thirty-second of 32. The same organization had the league’s best medical team and its worst conditioning program simultaneously. That doesn’t happen by accident. It happens when ownership pays for what it chooses and ignores what it doesn’t. Art Rooney ranked last among all 32 owners in terms of willingness to invest in facilities. One owner. Every failure.
Five Stalls
Oct 16, 2022; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers chairman Art Rooney II looks on from the field before game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
The locker room grade was F-minus. Five bathroom stalls for a 53-man roster. One toilet per 10.6 players. Picture an apartment building with one bathroom per ten residents, except the residents make billions in revenue for the landlord. The NFLPA’s own language directly blamed ownership: “Art Rooney ranks last in the league for willingness to invest in facilities, a trend reflected in the Steelers’ poor facility ratings across the board.” With a franchise worth $6.5 billion, this was a choice, not a money problem.
Playoff Failure
Houston Texans safety Calen Bullock (2) intercepts a pass intended for Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth (88) during the second half of the NFL Wild Card game at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, PA on January 12, 2026.
The facility problems came to light on the biggest stage. Houston crushed Pittsburgh 30-6 in the Wild Card round. Rodgers completed 17 of 33 passes for 146 yards with a 50.8 passer rating, both career postseason lows across a 21-season career. Calen Bullock returned an interception for a touchdown. Sheldon Rankins recorded a sack, forced fumble, and fumble-return touchdown in the same game. The Steelers managed 175 total yards. The quarterback who warned about the field posted his worst numbers on it.
Players Leaving
Jan 4, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers running back Kenneth Gainwell (14) rushes for a touchdown against the Baltimore Ravens during the second half at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images
Kenneth Gainwell led the team with 73 catches and 1,023 yards from scrimmage. He made $5.6 million across his entire career before free agency. His projected market value is around $10 million per year, roughly 8.5 times his previous salary. Pittsburgh’s low ranking now hurts recruiting. Free agents directly mention NFLPA comparison data during contract talks. When your workplace ranks last, and your leading receiver can leave, the cost to keep talent goes up while the ability to attract new players drops.
Forced Changes
Jan 4, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin reacts against the Baltimore Ravens during the second half at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Mike Tomlin resigned after 19 seasons, the longest active tenure in the NFL, with 193 wins, tying Chuck Noll’s franchise record. His departure happened exactly when the organization hit rock bottom in player satisfaction. The Steelers replaced the field with Tahoma 31 Bermuda grass, the same surface that earned the Eagles an A-grade, only after the leaked report forced their hand. That order of events proved something bigger than one team’s shame: hidden accountability documents will leak out, and ownership only invests after public embarrassment, not when players ask privately.
Uncertain Future
Dec 29, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy on the sidelines against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
Mike McCarthy took the job at 62, the oldest head coach in franchise history, and walked into a workplace ranked worst in professional football. If Gainwell leaves without a good replacement, offensive production drops. If facility investment stops beyond the field resurfacing, the 2027 NFLPA ranking stays at the bottom. Other ownership groups watching Pittsburgh’s public shame are quietly rethinking their own spending ahead of the next survey. The Steelers became the warning example every front office now measures itself against.
The Reality
Feb 24, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Miami Dolphins coach Jeff Hafley speaks at the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
The Dolphins went 7-10 and ranked first. The Steelers went 10-7 and ranked last. Think about that. Winning football games and building a workplace that players respect are separate things, and Pittsburgh just proved it from the wrong side. Every fan who thought six Super Bowls meant the organization was well-run now understands differently: facility investment shows present-day ownership choices, not past success. Art Rooney’s players told 1,759 of their peers exactly what they think. The next free agent class was listening.
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Sources:
ESPN, “NFLPA 2026 report cards: See the results for all 32 teams,” February 26, 2026
Bleacher Report / Yahoo Sports, “NFLPA report cards: Home-field hatred, a Chip Kelly F, Steelers crushed and more,” February 26, 2026
Sports Illustrated, “The Steelers Did Not Do So Hot in the Latest NFLPA Survey: Report,” February 25, 2026
NFL.com, “Calen Bullock, Texans swarm Steelers in blowout win,” January 13, 2026
Sports Business Journal, “Steelers to resurface stadium as teams face pushback in NFLPA surveys,” February 27, 2026
Heavy.com, “Steelers’ Aaron Rodgers Speaks out on Acrisure Stadium After Miles Killebrew Injury,” October 12, 2025
