10 NFL Players Fans Love to Hate

“Hate” may be a strong feeling, but some players just bring it out of NFL fans.

Sometimes a hated player is on a fan’s favorite team but playing poorly or otherwise proving detrimental to the group; other times he’s on an opposing team and becomes a target thanks to excellent performance or other factors.

For example, while revered by casual and Patriots fans alike, there was no greater villain in the league for nearly two decades than future Hall of Fame quarterback and GOAT Tom Brady.

In the post-Brady era there is a new generation of hated players, for a combination of jealousy over their success, on-field demeanor or off-the-field bickering and incidents with opposing teams.

Let’s get into the 10 NFL players that fans most love to hate:

10. Tyreek Hill – Miami Dolphins

Tyreek Hill‘s an easy target to hate. The Miami WR’s array of off-the-field issues include the gruesome to the plain bizarre, off-the-cuff statements about former teammates and their families, and famously declining in a hypothetical question to guarantee himself another Super Bowl ring if it meant being handcuffed to former quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ brother Jackson for 24 hours. But perhaps it is his on-the-field prowess and swagger that makes him all the more anger-inducing — even if his natural charisma can’t help but shine through at times.

9. Odell Beckham Jr. – Miami Dolphins

Another Dolphins receiver despised for a combination of status and larger-than-life persona, it is fair to say that Odell Beckham Jr. has also had his fair share of moments that have made him less than likeable to fans — from criticizing his quarterbacks to the infamous “Boat” photo. While injuries have, cruelly, both stopped him from being fully despised and prevented him from reaching legendary, Larry Fitzgerald-esque status, Beckham is certainly hated at least as much as he is revered.

8. Chase Claypool – Free Agent

Currently a free agent and last with the Buffalo Bills, the ultra-talented former Pittsburgh Steelers‘ second-round pick showed excellent promise in his first couple of years in the league, including unique playmaking ability. Unfortunately, hubris and a poor attitude derailed his career and made him easily one of the most hate-able players in the NFL who claimed to be a Top 3 receiver in the league after just two seasons despite having never reached the 1,000-yard receiving mark nor made a single Pro Bowl or All Pro team.

7. Jalen Ramsey – Miami Dolphins

One of the better man-coverage cornerbacks this millennium, Jalen Ramsey has managed to keep himself in the headlines for not necessarily the best reasons. From accusations that he dumped his pregnant girlfriend months before she was due to give birth, to throwing shade at younger quarterbacks that assuredly did not age well, the seven-time Pro Bowler and three-time All Pro has given fans multiple reasons to enjoy hating on him. Along with, obviously, his consistently outstanding play on the perimeter.

6. Travis Kelce – Kansas City Chiefs

If you don’t know the root of fans’ hatred for this player, then you have not been paying attention to the sport over the past year. The backlash to the regular television appearances at Kansas City Chiefs games by worldwide pop star phenom Taylor Swift has been intense to say the least. Combined with the animosity accrued by Travis Kelce in being the No. 1 weapon for the three-time Super Bowl champions in four years, currently looking for their would-be record-breaking “threepeat,” and it is not hard to see why fans love hating half of one of the biggest podcasts in the nation.

5. George Pickens – Pittsburgh Steelers

Another player to add to the cacophony of controversial but exceptionally talented Pittsburgh wideouts, George Pickens is quickly turning into one of the league’s most elite, dangerous receiving weapons. And, simultaneously, one of the NFL’s dirtier players, dragging Dallas Cowboys’ corner Jourdan Lewis down by his facemask after the end of a play in Week 5 and repeatedly showing up late and making frustrated gestures on the field. All this makes him a prime candidate to rile up fans, which he most certainly succeeds in.

4. Patrick Mahomes – Kansas City Chiefs

A player, who, given his achievements and pedigree, should be higher on this list. One of the most impressive talents that the world has ever seen at the position — and currently on track to become one of the Top 2 quarterbacks of all time — Patrick Mahomes specializes in last-second, incredible comebacks in the playoffs. It is a wonder he’s not No. 1. But while vitriol is certainly aimed at some of his more controversial family members, and many accuse the NFL of “rigging” games to ensure a Chiefs victory, he is actually a pretty likeable player with few personal flaws and teammates who say nothing but good things about him.

3. Russell Wilson – Pittsburgh Steelers

Had this question been posed two years ago, Russell Wilson would have likely made it to the summit of this list. As it stands, a reduction in his off-the-field appearances and his “Mr. Unlimited” facade over the past two years in Denver and Pittsburgh have made him perhaps more palatable to the average fan — or at least less present in their minds. Wilson famously asked for — and received — his own office while quarterback of the Denver Broncos under head coach Nathaniel Hackett, and acted in ultra-cringeworthy commercials for Subway. And with such terrible on-the-field performances in his two years in Denver, he has been a clear-cut hate target for NFL fans.

2. Dak Prescott – Dallas Cowboys

Being the franchise quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys will always come with its fair share of critique and fan resentment. Being a quarterback in the highly paid, excellent-in-regular season tier without the adequate subsequent postseason success will also come with understandable anger. Combine the two, and you have the super-sized game of tug-of-war played by differing factions of the Cowboys fanbase, making Dak Prescott — ostensibly one of the more digestible, well-liked players in the league — into a polarizing, hated-on star QB.

1. Aaron Rodgers – Green Bay Packers

It’s not exactly difficult to understand the reasons behind this selection. From disdain toward the Chicago Bears to controversial viewpoints on a variety of socio-political topics, to unfavorable coverage in the media and an “annoying” vibe, Rodgers has pretty much all the bases covered — including being a four-time NFL MVP and one-time Super Bowl champion. If you had to make a player in a lab that fans adored hating, Aaron Rodgers would be about as close as you’d come.

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