NFL News

Home

Teams

Quizzes

Watch

Newsletter

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The five least likable teams in the NFL

By Bruce Ewing | Last updated 10/22/23

Regardless of their records, these five NFL teams (in no particular order) won’t be winning any popularity contests.

New York Jets

Playing in the country’s largest city (or a nearby state) makes the Jets seem more relevant than they really are. The team is discussed ad nauseam on networks like ESPN even though they’ve had 29 losing seasons since joining the NFL in 1970.

After their seventh-straight losing season in 2022, the Jets convinced themselves they were one quarterback away from a championship. Enter four-time MVP and all-time narcissist Aaron Rodgers.

New York’s savior played all of four snaps before tearing his Achilles, but that hasn’t stopped him from spewing nonsense on the Pat McAfee Show and desperately trying to pick a fight with Taylor Swift’s boyfriend. Hey Rodgers, jealous much?

Cleveland Browns

Rodgers may be toxic, but not even his bromance with McAfee can compare to the drama surrounding Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson. Prior to joining the Browns, Watson faced 26 civil lawsuits related to sexual misconduct.

None of that mattered to team owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam, who broke the NFL’s salary structure by giving the troubled quarterback a fully guaranteed five-year $230M contract extension.

In turn, Watson has given the team five wins. Sorry Browns fans, you’re some of the best in the NFL, but that contract is a killer. The defense may be great, but as long as Watson is the quarterback, Cleveland rots.

Philadelphia Eagles

Know who isn’t concerned about their team being likable? Eagles fans. Your hatred is their lifeblood. Say you’re not a fan of their signature quarterback sneak play? They’ll gladly tell you what to do with that opinion. Spoiler alert: It also involves a “tush” and a “push.”

Eagles fans are rude, crude and even their best players get booed. After last year’s NFC Championship game, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said his wife will never visit the City of Brotherly Love again. Probably a good idea.

#Eagles fans are throwing eggs at #49ers fans in Philly pic.twitter.com/3ntwZntXv3
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) January 29, 2023

By all accounts, the actual Eagles team is filled with some genuinely good dudes like Jalen Hurts and Jason Kelce, but as Kelce said/sang in his victory speech following Super Bowl LII, “We’re from Philly, (expletive Philly) no one likes us, we don’t care.

New England Patriots

Patriots coach Bill Belichick has always been a miserable curmudgeon, mumbling his way through press conferences and now stumbling his way through weekly game plans. That’s fine if Tom Brady is your quarterback and you’re winning championships, but not with Mac Jones throwing passes on a 2-5 team.

Brady and Belichick won six Super Bowls together, but not without controversy. Who knows where the Patriots would be without “Deflategate,” “Spygate” and “The Tuck Rule?” Downplay them all you want, New England. Thirty-one teams know better.

Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys have long embraced the “America’s Team” label. Like the Jets, Dallas has always received more attention than it usually deserves. The Cowboys haven’t held the Lombardi Trophy since 1995, but they hold onto that memory as if it happened yesterday.

Since then, the team has finished .500 or worse 13 times, hardly the dynasty they’d have you believe they are. On the field, the team consistently finds ways to lose big games. Off the field, owner Jerry Jones will say anything to keep his team relevant.

Of course, former players like Michael Irvin and Tony Romo do the Cowboys no favors with their complete lack of self-awareness as commentators, but at least Troy Aikman has learned not to embarrass his former employer.

Barring a deep playoff run this year, expect Jones to clean house while insisting his team is still a Super Bowl favorite.

More must-reads: