RADIO
Every NFL fanbase has a most hated player. Who is the most hated player for your favorite team? Which NFL players do opposing fan bases love to hate? All 32 teams.
Every NFL Fan Base's Most Hated Player
Every NFL fan base has players that they love and hate. Sometimes those players are on their team, and sometimes they are on different teams. Divisional rivals often employ each fan base’s most hated player, but postseason rivals can also fit that bill. Additionally, players who cause internal turmoil on a team can transcend rivalries and lose the support of a fan base. Let’s dive in and take a look at the players who are the most hated by each NFL fan base.
Arizona Cardinals - Santonio Holmes
Santonio Holmes delivered one of the greatest catches in Super Bowl history at the end of Super Bowl XLIII. The catch sealed the win for the Steelers and sent the Cardinals on a continued search for their first Super Bowl title. Holmes had a solid career overall, but that catch cemented him as a Super Bowl legend, much to the Cardinals’ dismay.
Atlanta Falcons - Tom Brady
28 – 3 is a number that still haunts the Falcons’ fanbase. Tom Brady and the Patriots completed a massive comeback in 2016 that derailed the most magical season in Falcons history. The improbable comeback will go down in Super Bowl history as the worst blown lead of all time.
Baltimore Ravens - Patrick Mahomes
Ravens fans hate just about every Pittsburgh Steeler that ever stepped foot on a football field, but Patrick Mahomes holds a special place in the Ravens flock. Mahomes and the Chiefs have owned the AFC for years and kept the Ravens out of the Super Bowl two seasons ago.
Buffalo Bills - Patrick Mahomes
The Bills are in the midst of one of their most promising championship windows ever, but they have been ousted from the playoffs by the Chiefs in four of the last five postseasons. The most recent loss came in the AFC Championship Game in 2024. Mahomes always finds a way to propel his team to victory over the Bills.
Carolina Panthers - Von Miller
The Panthers have a lot of reasons to hate Drew Brees due to his consistent success over the team when he was in New Orleans. However, it is Von Miller who truly wrecked the team in Super Bowl 50. Miller sacked Panthers quarterback Cam Newton 2.5 times and forced two fumbles during that game. He was ultimately named Super Bowl MVP.
Chicago Bears - Aaron Rodgers
Aaron Rodgers owned the Bears during his tenure in Green Bay. However, the hatred does not only have to do with the fact that the Packers consistently beat the Bears while Rodgers was the quarterback. Rodgers publicly let the team know that he owned them in an effort to troll the Bears.
Cincinnati Bengals - Cooper Kupp
Patrick Mahomes may be the obvious choice here for his strangle hold on the AFC, but the Bengals have had plenty of postseason success against him. It was Cooper Kupp who crushed their dreams in Super Bowl LVI. Kupp earned Super Bowl MVP honors for his efforts and the Bengals squandered a late lead due to Kupp’s dominance.
Cleveland Browns - Deshaun Watson
Unfortunately, the Browns’ most hated player is one who is currently on their roster. After forcing his way out of Houston in 2022, Watson was traded to the Browns for three future first-round draft picks, a third-round draft pick, and two future fourth-round draft picks. To add insult to injury, the Browns handed Watson a fully guaranteed $230 million contract. Watson has been abysmal since that trade was made and the Browns set their franchise back by several years. All the while, Houston has emerged as a top team in the AFC due to their rebuild with the Browns’ picks.
Dallas Cowboys - Terrell Owens
Terrell Owens may have played for the Cowboys at one time, but that does not make his case any better for being liked by the fanbase. Owens infamously celebrated two touchdowns in 2000 by standing on the Dallas Star at midfield while he was a member of the San Francisco 49ers. Even when Owens played for the Cowboys a few seasons later, his antics were a bit much for the fanbase to handle.
Denver Broncos - Jerry Jeudy
Jerry Jeudy was drafted by the Broncos in 2020 with lofty expectations as a first-round wide receiver out of Alabama. Jeudy never broke out with the team and was accused of being lazy and disinterested. This angered the fanbase and made him a hated player despite being a member of the team.
Detroit Lions - Aaron Rodgers
The Lions have done so much losing throughout their history that any number of players could be hated by the team. However, much like the Bears, Aaron Rodgers owned the Lions in the NFC North for years. If you had Rodgers in fantasy football during his prime, you always knew you were going to have at least two otherworldly weeks from him every season when he would play the Lions.
Green Bay Packers - Russell Wilson
Russell Wilson effectively destroyed the Packers’ chance at winning a second Super Bowl with Aaron Rodgers in 2014. Wilson led an improbable fourth-quarter comeback against the Packers in the NFC Championship Game. The win propelled the Seahawks to their second-straight Super Bowl appearance. They ultimately lost to the Patriots, and the Packers probably liked their chances against that Patriots team.
Houston Texans - Derrick Henry
Derrick Henry looked forward to playing the Texans every year when he was a member of the Tennessee Titans. In 15 career games against the Texans, Henry has rushed for 1,578 yards and 13 touchdowns. He has single handedly dismantled the Texans’ defense over the years.
Indianapolis Colts - Tom Brady
A consistent repeat offender on this list, Tom Brady went toe-to-toe with Colts quarterback Peyton Manning during the 2000s. Manning and the Colts could not quite get over the Brady-sized humped during most seasons. They finally beat the Patriots during the 2006 AFC Championship Game, but Brady owned this team overall.
Jacksonville Jaguars - Tom Brady
While several intra-division players have wrecked the Jaguars over the years, it was Tom Brady and the Patriots who kept this team out of the Super Bowl in 2017. The Jaguars made an improbable run with Blake Bortles at quarterback to the AFC Championship Game. The team choked, and Brady and the Patriots went on to lose the Super Bowl to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Kansas City Chiefs - Joe Burrow
Joe Burrow is the only AFC quarterback not named Tom Brady to foil the Chiefs since Patrick Mahomes became the starting quarterback in 2018. The Bengals have also had solid regular season success against the Chiefs as well. If it weren’t for Burrow, the Chiefs would have likely been to the last six Super Bowls.
Las Vegas Raiders - Franco Harris
The Raiders and Steelers rivalry runs deep into the past. It began with the “Immaculate Reception” in 1972 when running back Franco Harris caught a deflected ball for a touchdown to seal the AFC Divisional Round win for the Steelers. The win kicked off the beginning of the Steelers’ postseason success in the 1970s. These two teams battled for control of the AFC for the entire decade.
Los Angeles Chargers - Ryan Leaf
While the Chargers have been blocked from the Super Bowl by several players, Ryan Leaf is the most scarring player for this fanbase despite having played for the team. Leaf was the No. 2 pick in the 1998 NFL Draft. He was never healthy, and he battled a myriad of off the field issues. Leaf was a huge draft mistake and only brought turmoil during his tumultuous three seasons with the team.
Los Angeles Rams - Brock Purdy
This selection really boils down to who the 49ers’ quarterback is at any given point in time. The Rams and the 49ers hate each other, and their quarterbacks are the poster boys for that rivalry.
Miami Dolphins - Tom Brady
When Tom Brady played for the Patriots, he owned the AFC East. The Dolphins were at a weak point in their history when Brady was playing in the division, and he did not allow them to emerge until he left the Patriots. You could always count on a huge game from Brady whenever he met up with the Dolphins.
Minnesota Vikings - Brett Favre
Both Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers enjoyed great success against the Vikings during their careers. However, Favre and his Packers truly held a stranglehold over the team and the entire NFC in general in the 1990s and 2000s. He made things better by guiding the Vikings to the NFC Championship Game in 2009. However, Favre broke down the next season and was a detriment to the team on the field.
New England Patriots - Eli Manning
Eli Manning may not have enjoyed consistent postseason success, but his two Super Bowl appearances against the New England Patriots were special games. Manning made unbelievably escape plays and throws during both of his Super Bowl wins that can only be admired. Unfortunately for Patriots fans, it came at the expense of a dynasty that would have been .unlike anything we have ever seen in the NFL.
New Orleans Saints - Nickell Robery-Coleman
During the 2018 NFC Championship Game, Nickell Robey-Coleman committed an egregious pass interference and head-to-head penalty on Saints wide receiver Tommylee Lewis. The penalty went uncalled, and the Saints went on to lose the game. Had the flag been thrown, the game would have effectively been over in the Saints’ favor. A win would have given Saints quarterback Drew Brees a chance to ride off into the sunset.
New York Giants - Odell Beckham Jr.
As one of the Giants’ own, Odell Beckham Jr. was once one of their most beloved players. Odell was an electrifying player complete with acrobatic catches and swagger on the field. Unfortunately, he was a bit of a cancer in the locker room and earned a reputation as being selfish. He has never been the same player since leaving New York.
New York Jets -Tom Brady
As another lowly AFC East team that Tom Brady tortured for years, Jets fans are tired of hearing the NFL sing Brady’s praises. Brady lit the Jets up during his time with the Patriots, and he kept them from emerging as an AFC powerhouse despite them coming close during the Rex Ryan-era.
Philadelphia Eagles - Emmitt Smith
Emmitt Smith ran wild on the Eagles in the 1990s as the teams formed a rivalry rooted in deep hatred. The Cowboys got the best of the rivalry back then as they won three Super Bowls during a dominant era. Many players have gone through the rivalry, but Smith is one of the more disliked players among the Eagles’ fanbase.
Pittsburgh Steelers - Ray Lewis
Back in the 2000s, Ray Lewis and the Ravens led a strong rivalry against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Lewis was an absolute animal on the field, terrorizing opposing offenses. His competitive spirit especially propelled him when these two teams met up twice a year. Steelers fans will never find redeeming things to say about Lewis.
San Francisco 49ers - Richard Sherman
Richard Sherman was one of the best cornerbacks of his generation. He made the biggest play in Seahawks history when he deflected a pass from Colin Kaepernick to Michael Crabtree in the 2013 NFC Championship Game. The play pushed the Seahawks to their second Super Bowl appearance and first win. Sherman is infamously remembered for calling Crabtree mediocre after the game.
Seattle Seahawks - Malcom Butler
Malcom Butler ended the Seahawks’ bid for a dynasty when he intercepted Russell Wilson at the goal line during Super Bowl XLIX to seal a win for the Patriots. The play put Butler on the map and effectively ended Seattle’s hold on the NFC. Nothing was ever the same for the Seahawks following that play. It begs the question; why not hand the ball off to Marshawn Lynch?
Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Drew Brees
Drew Brees marched the Saints right through the Buccaneers during his tenure with the team. Brees and the Saints held a strong hold over the NFC South in the 2010s, one that they really only ever traded with the Atlanta Falcons. As such, Buccaneers fans are not happy with Brees and his dominance.
Tennessee Titans - Peyton Manning
As a consistent divisional foe back in the 2000s, Peyton Manning wrecked the Titans. There was nothing the team could do about it. Despite being solid for some seasons during Manning’s Colts era, the Titans could never fully break through and have consistent success in their division.
Washington Commanders - Lawrence Taylor
Lawrence Taylor was a wrecking ball in the NFC East back in the 1980s as a member of the New York Giants. If that was not enough of a reason for Washington fans to hate him, Taylor is also the reason beloved Washington quarterback Joe Theismann’s career ended. Taylor sacked Theismann which resulted in a major leg injury. In his defense, Taylor was distraught after the play and was completely remorseful for what had happened.
