NFL teammates frequently endure grueling seasons, personal sacrifices and immense pressure together to achieve the dream of hoisting the Lombardi Trophy. While championships are often synonymous with collective success, behind the scenes, the relationships between players are not always harmonious.
Winning can mask deep-rooted conflicts, huge egos and personal differences that simmer beneath the surface. Some of the most iconic Super Bowl-winning teams in NFL history have been home to fractured relationships, where teammates who loathed each other still managed to put their feelings aside to achieve greatness on the field.
The following examples showcase the complex nature of professional sports, where the line between personal animosity and professional excellence is often blurred.
Read on for 20 NFL teammates who loathed each other yet still won a Super Bowl.
10. Joe Montana & Steve Young
GettyJoe Montana and Steve Young.
In 1987, the San Francisco 49ers acquired quarterback Steve Young from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Young, known for his mobility and strong arm, was initially brought in as starter Joe Montana’s backup. However, his presence created a competitive environment, especially as Montana faced injuries in subsequent seasons. The two QBs won two Super Bowls together while playing for the 49ers: in 1988 and 1989.
In the early 1990s, Montana suffered a severe elbow injury, sidelining him for the entire 1991 season and most of 1992. During this period, Young excelled as the starter, earning two NFL MVP awards and leading the league in passer rating multiple times. By 1993, it was clear Montana and Young could not co-exist on the roster. Montana requested a trade and was dealt to the Kansas City Chiefs.
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9. Tom Brady & Drew Bledsoe
GettyTom Brady and Drew Bledsoe.
Drew Bledsoe was the face of the New England Patriots franchise after being drafted No. 1 overall in 1993. By 2001, he was a three-time Pro Bowler and had signed a 10-year, $103 million contract extension. Week 2 of that year, Bledsoe suffered a severe injury (a sheared blood vessel in his chest), and relative unknown Tom Brady stepped in as the starting quarterback. Brady surprised everyone with his poise and led the Patriots to an 11-3 record as the starter, ultimately leading the team to a win in Super Bowl 36. The rest, as they say, is history.
In the offseason after the 2001 Super Bowl win, the Patriots traded Bledsoe to their division rival, the Buffalo Bills. This marked the end of his time with the Patriots and allowed Brady to officially take over as the franchise QB.
8. Warren Sapp & Keyshawn Johnson
GettyJon Gruden with Warren Sapp.
Wideout Keyshawn Johnson, a former No. 1 overall pick by the New York Jets in 1996, was traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2000 for two first-round draft picks. His arrival was highly publicized, and he quickly became one of the most vocal and controversial players in the locker room. Warren Sapp, a defensive leader and a future Hall of Famer, was a dominant personality himself. Known for his trash talk and fierce loyalty to the team, Sapp didn’t take kindly to Johnson’s outspokenness.
In 2002, the Bucs won Super Bowl with both players on the roster, but Johnson was traded after the 2003 season. Later, after both players had retired, Johnson accused Sapp of bullying a former teammate, while Sapp said Johnson “didn’t lead us at all,” and that while Johnson was a “good brother … as a teammate I’d never take him again, per the New York Post.
7. Mike Ditka & Buddy Ryan
GettyFormer Chicago Bears head coach Mike Ditka.
OK, technically these two were coaches on the same Super Bowl-winning squad, but their antics during the Chicago Bears’ legendary 1985 season are too outlandish to not include here. Then-Bears coach Mike Ditka was a fiery and vocal leader was focused on managing the team’s offense and overall strategy. Buddy Ryan, as the defensive coordinator, was the mastermind behind the revolutionary 46 defense, which terrorized opponents throughout the season.
Their clash of egos created an underlying tension that simmered all year, fueled by the question of who truly deserved credit for the Bears’ success. Players often found themselves caught in the middle, torn between their loyalty to Ditka and their reverence for Ryan. It got so bad that at one point, according to the Chicago Tribune, Ditka and Ryan “came close to a fight at halftime” during Chicago’s only loss of the 1985 season. Despite this well dynamic, the Bears still won Super Bowl 20, which is quite the feat considering what the team had going on by behind the scenes.
READ ALSO: 10 NFL Coaching Legends Still Snubbed From the Hall of Fame
6. Greg Jennings & Aaron Rodgers
GettyAaron Rodgers and Greg Jennings in happier days.
Wide receiver Greg Jennings and quarterback Aaron Rodgers won Super Bowl 45 together with the Green Bay Packers, after the 2011 season, but their relationship deteriorated after that. It started the following year in 2012. As recounted by Jennings to Golf Digest in 2019, Jennings, then in a contract year, recalled a moment when San Francisco 49ers cornerback Carlos Rogers questioned his frequent short routes. Jennings jokingly attributed it to his contract situation, and according to Jennings, Rodgers interjected, suggesting the 49ers should consider acquiring Jennings after the season.
Jennings perceived this comment as undermining, leading him to believe his tenure with the Packers was nearing its end. It was. The team chose not to re-sign him, and he landed with he rival Minnesota Vikings in 2013. Following his departure from Green Bay in 2013, Jennings openly criticized Rodgers’ leadership. He described Rodgers as having become increasingly self-centered after becoming the starting quarterback, suggesting that Rodgers struggled to accept constructive criticism and often deflected blame onto teammates. Jennings isn’t the only former Packer to have issues with Rodgers, either.
5. Jermichael Finley & Aaron Rodgers
Getty Jermichael Finley.
Another member of Green Bay’s 2011 Super Bowl-winning squad, former Packers tight end Jermichael Finley also had issues with Rodgers. Specifically, Finley, who played for the Packers from 2008 to 2013, went on record questioning Rodgers’ leadership abilities, character and commitment to the team.
In fact, in a blistering 2016 report, Tyler Dunne interviewed Finley, who flat out said Rodgers “wasn’t put on Earth to lead.” Also particularly damning is this quote from Finley about his former QB: “He wasn’t a vocal guy. He really wasn’t a hands-on guy. To tell you the truth, it was all about his game and his stats in my opinion. … He was a guy that kept it all in. He kept grudges close to his chest. If you did something, he never really let it go. He always kept it close to his heart.”
4. Jerry Rice & Deion Sanders
GettyJerry Rice and Deion Sanders clashed as teammates.
NFL legends Jerry Rice and Deion Sanders won Super Bowl 29 together when they both played with the San Francisco 49ers, but their time together wasn’t rosy by any means. In retrospect, the tension and rivalry between Rice and Sanders stemmed primarily from differences in their personalities and public perceptions about work ethic and flair.
Rice was known for his blue-collar work ethic and serious approach to the game. Sanders, on the other hand, brought a flamboyant personality to the NFL. His flashy style and self-promotion, including his nickname “Prime Time,” often clashed with Rice’s no-nonsense demeanor. One example came just before the team’s Super Bowl win, as former players recounted Rice chastising Sanders for partying too late and missing curfew. The two Hall of Famers are friends now, but they clearly rubbed each other the wrong way during the lone season they were teammates.
3. Percy Harvin & Golden Tate
GettyGolden Tate and Percy Harvin during their Super Bowl win.
Super Bowl 49 belonged to the Seattle Seahawks, but the team’s conflicting personalities that year led to multiple tiffs and inter-squad squabbles that seem to trace back to one player: former wideout Percy Harvin. In the week leading up to Super Bowl 49, Harvin punched Golden Tate after a locker room altercation. The blow sent Tate sprawling into a trash can, according to former teammate Cliff Avril.
Seattle traded Harvin in 2014, and Tate left the Seahawks after the Super Bowl victory, signing with the Detroit Lions in free agency. Harvin, who admitted to battling substance abuse and mental health issues during his playing days, also had an altercation with another former Seahawks teammate, which comes in at No. 2 on our list.
2. Percy Harvin & Doug Baldwin
GettyWide receiver Doug Baldwin and WR Percy Harvin talk after a play.
Former wide receiver Doug Baldwin was an undrafted wide receiver who developed into one of the Seahawks’ most reliable and outspoken leaders. Known for his work ethic, chip-on-the-shoulder mentality and strong rapport with then-QB Russell Wilson, Baldwin became a key figure in Seattle’s offense and a core member of their Super Bowl-winning squad in 2014. He also clashed with Harvin in a big way.
After a few years of tensions mounting between Baldwin and Harvin, it all came to a head in 2014 when the Seattle Times reported that Harvin had physically attacked Baldwin during a preseason practice. The brawl resulted in a gash on Baldwin’s chin. Considering all the fisticuffs Harvin was involved in during his tenure with Seattle, it’s no surprise he was traded a few months after the incident with Baldwin.
1. Peyton Manning & Mike Vanderjagt
GettyQuarterback Peyton Manning of the Indianapolis Colts celebrates winning the Super Bowl.
The feud between Peyton Manning, the legendary Indianapolis Colts quarterback, and Mike Vanderjagt, the team’s kicker, is one of the more memorable in NFL history. The tension between the two began publicly after the Colts’ 2002 playoff loss to the Jets, a game in which Indianapolis was shut out 41-0. Following the loss, Vanderjagt gave a now-infamous interview on Canadian television, criticizing Manning and coach Tony Dungy, saying the QB and head coach lacked the fire and passion necessary to win it all.
During the 2003 Pro Bowl, Manning delivered a swift and devastating response, describing Vanderjagt as “our idiot kicker who got liquored up and ran his mouth off,” per the Indy Star. Technically, Manning and the Colts won their Super Bowl after the 2006 season without him, as Indianapolis didn’t re-sign him after the 2005 season, but the public jabs the two had made us feel like they should be included here.
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