Feb. 26, 2026, 7:09 p.m. ET
The NFLPA’s annual report cards are no longer being made public, but a few NFL reporters leaked this year’s grades and they don’t look good for Atlanta Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski. According to NFL insider Dianna Russini, Stefanski earned a “C-” grade in his final year coaching the Cleveland Browns.
That just so happens to be the lowest grade in the entire NFL. Stefanski, a two-time AP Coach of the Year winner, seemed like a good fit to work with the team’s young offensive talent. However, his teams did struggle in both 2024 and 2025.
Stefanski went 8-26 over the last two years, and was fired after a five-win season in 2025. The Falcons fired head coach Raheem Morris, who led the team to a 16-18 record over that same span.
Morris earned a grade of “B+” in this year’s NFLPA report card. The Falcons never took that next step under Morris, but he never came close to losing the locker room.
Atlanta closed the season on a four-game winning streak despite being eliminated from playoff contention. Check out the full NFLPA player coach grades, as shared by Russini below.
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The Browns have long been known as a dysfunctional organization, however, it doesn’t look good for Stefanski that the players gave him such a low grade. Cleveland’s plan last season was highly unusual from the top down.
From their decision to draft Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders, to their reluctance to move on from Deshaun Watson, the Browns didn’t seem interested in winning last season. Some of that undoubtedly falls on Stefanski, but the Falcons weren’t the only team interested in his services.
The fans will just have to trust that president of football Matt Ryan made the right call in hiring the former Browns coach.
