Everyone who plays or HAS played on a sports team knows what it’s like to deal with that one headache of a teammate. Rather than band together with everyone else, this one player just has to put themselves first and cause unnecessary tension with their antics and selfish play.
In the pros? It’s no different. Some of the NFL’s biggest stars are locker room cancers themselves. But mostly because of their talent levels, their teammates will reluctantly put up with them. Deep down, however, you just know certain guys wouldn’t shed a tear if these toxic teammates were let go.
With that, let’s dive into 10 notable NFL players whose teammates are fully sick of them here in 2023.
Deshaun Watson
None of the Cleveland Browns’ players spoke publicly about it, but surely plenty of guys couldn’t have been happy about the trade for the ex-Houston Texans QB. Ultimate good guys like Nick Chubb, Amari Cooper, Denzel Ward, Jack Conklin and Joel Bitonio being okay with Watson given all the significant baggage he carried? Please.
Unfortunately, the reality in the NFL is that players will forgive a player — no matter what they’ve done off the field — if they produce at a high level. Why do you think Antonio Brown got chances with three other teams after leaving Pittsburgh?
Well, here’s the issue with Watson. His production has been mediocre since joining the Browns last year. He’s playing nothing like a guy who deserves a fully guaranteed $230 million contract.
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In fact, Cleveland reporter Jason Lloyd reported that Browns players were “aggravated” with Watson for missing the club’s Week 4 game against the Baltimore Ravens with an injury…even though Watson emphasized that he WAS going to play.
Injuries, a burden of a contract, a suspension and all the off-the-field accusations and lawsuits continue to hang over Watson. How could anyone in the Browns locker room be okay and content with Watson…especially over a tireless worker like Baker Mayfield? Or another lovable good guy like Jacoby Brissett?
Stefon Diggs
Unfortunately, it’s common for star wide receivers to put themselves before the team. Terrell Owens did it. Randy Moss did it. Keyshawn Johnson did it. Antonio Brown did it. Dez Bryant did it. And now Stefon Diggs is doing it.
The frustrating part about Diggs is…why? The Buffalo Bills made him a top-five receiver in the game. They gave him a $96 million extension. They’re a Super Bowl contender every year. Yet he’s always angry and throwing tantrums.
He’s still with the Bills for one simple reason: Diggs is a key part of their championship quest. Despite his attitude problems, Diggs simply makes the Bills a better team.
His strange absence from the first day of 2023 mandatory minicamp…storming out of the locker room immediately after the Bills’ 2022 playoff loss to Cincy. You know, the same game where he was seen blowing up on Josh Allen on the sidelines…
Diggs is just seen all-too-often flipping out during games. We’re sure Buffalo would love to move on if they could somehow find a comparable replacement, but that’s obviously much easier said than done.
Buffalo is putting up with Diggs’ me-first antics for now, but you gotta wonder how much longer until they say enough’s enough.
Zach Wilson
Wilson may have been mercilessly benched for the New York Jets’ Black Friday game against the Miami Dolphins…but it doesn’t mean his teammates are suddenly “okay” with his atrocious 2023 performance.
The Jets traded for Green Bay Packers’ superstar QB Aaron Rodgers in the offseason, hoping he would be the final piece to make them a Super Bowl contender. That dream went to bed for the year when Rodgers suffered a torn Achilles minutes into his Jets debut.
Robert Saleh’s stingy defense, star wideout Garrett Wilson and running back Breece Hall held up their ends of the bargain and kept New York in the playoff race. After a 1-3 start, the Jets rallied with three straight wins.
That was followed by three straight L’s, due to Wilson’s horrible play. He was benched in favor of Tim Boyle of all games for the Black Friday contest, which the Jets lost soundly.
All the hard work put together by Saleh, GM Joe Douglas and the players…all for nothing. Why? Because Wilson single-handedly held back a super-talented team that could’ve still competed without Rodgers.
Surely, Jets players are just waiting for the day that Rodgers gets the green light to play again…and for the news that Wilson has been waived or released.
What a miserable three-year tenure for the No. 2 pick of 2021 in Gotham. Yikes.
Eli Apple
The problem with Eli Apple is that he talks trash as if he can back it up like Deion Sanders or Richard Sherman…and therein lies the tragedy.
Apple has never been anything close to the level of those two all-time greats. So why have such a big mouth when you can’t back it up? You’d think Cooper Kupp taking Apple to school in Super Bowl 56 would’ve taught the latter a hard lesson, but nope.
How did Apple’s trash talk go when his Bengals lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2022 AFC Championship Game? Or how did it go when he told Rodney Harrison ahead of the Miami Dolphins-Philadelphia Eagles Week 7 game that it would be an “Eli night”?
The Dolphins are a good enough team as is. They don’t need Apple to put a bigger target on their backs. He’s nothing close to the level of superstar corners Jalen Ramey and Xavien Howard — who by the way can back up the trash talk with their all-world play.
Apple? It’s time to be quiet. You’re making a name based off of trash talk that doesn’t end well. You already ran afoul of the New York Giants and Bengals locker rooms…don’t’ do the same in Miami.
JuJu Smith-Schuster
Smith-Schuster’s never-ending obsession with TikTok has annoyed countless people across the NFL world. We’re sure 90-something percent of any teammate he’s had – be it in Pittsburgh, Kansas City or New England — would tell you about it.
It’s not just Smith-Schuster’s ridiculous TikTok and pregame rituals that draw the ire of his teammates. His inconsistent production can’t help matters, either. The New England Patriots gave this guy a three-year deal worth $33 million to…basically put up practice squad-level stats?
Kansas City was obviously fine dealing with it because Smith-Schuster performed well and helped them to a Super Bowl 57 title. But how can the Patriots’ mess of an offense be okay with it when he’s making eight figures to mostly no-show — while still getting away with the never-ending TikTok activity.
Surely, Patriots players are holding out hope that he’ll be traded or cut after this year.
C.J. Gardner-Johnson
Gardner-Johnson — who’s apparently in the process of legally changing his name to Ceedy Duce — is a great addition to any team who wants him. That is, if they are able to put up with his attitude and fiery nature.
A player of Gardner-Johnson’s caliber shouldn’t be on his third team in as many years…if you look at the talent exclusively.
The New Orleans Saints were happy to give him away to the Philadelphia Eagles for pennies. And then the Eagles were content to let him walk despite his efforts in getting them to a Super Bowl 57 appearance.
CJ then badmouthed the Eagles and their fanbase months after joining the Detroit Lions in free agency. What was the point of that, CJ? And how long until he starts ripping on the Lions? Any day now, really.
Oh, and an anonymous NFL player poll conducted by The Athletic had Gardner-Johnson down as the game’s biggest trash talker. NOT THE BEST — just simply the biggest.
The Lions have a tight and closely-bonded locker room under head coach Dan Campbell, so we can’t imagine that Gardner-Johnson’s antics and behavior sit well with the more mature guys on the team…
Kareem Jackson
For coaches, fans and players, few things are more frustrating than a selfish and careless penalty. Unfortunately for the Denver Broncos, veteran safety Kareem Jackson just can’t help but commit such infractions.
Jackson racked up four fines over the Broncos’ first seven games in 2022 — leading to a four-game suspension that was reduced to two upon appeal — for illegal hits.
In Week 11 against the Minnesota Vikings, Jackson delivered a dangerous headshot to QB Josh Dobbs. Though the hit went uncalled, the NFL handed Jackson a four-game suspension — and rightfully so for the repeat offender.
Can’t imagine what Broncos players are saying behind Jackson’s back in the locker room. He’s being totally selfish by dishing out dangerous and illegal hits which cost the team valuable yardage. And now he can’t be here for their second half push to the postseason because of the repeat offenses.
And news flash: Me-first players in the NFL aren’t usually popular among their peers.
George Pickens
We talked about Stefon Diggs earlier. In Diggs’ defense, he’s one of the game’s most well-established premier playmakers.
Pittsburgh Steelers sophomore wideout George Pickens, on the other hand, has not hit stardom yet. As such, there’s no logical explanation or reasoning behind his behavior that has to be tiresome in the Steeler locker room.
Pickens isn’t even the No. 1 receiver in Pittsburgh. That honor goes to veteran Diontae Johnson — a selfless player and lovable teammate, by the way.
Pickens has too often expressed his frustration on the sidelines when the ball doesn’t come to him. That’s fine, you’re here to win George. And the Steelers would definitely give you the ball more if you, ahem, got open more often.
This isn’t a case of Baker Mayfield always failing to spot an open Odell Beckham Jr…
Remember Pickens’ ‘“Free me” post on Instagram? Or when he removed all Steelers references from his Instagram page after a win over the Tennessee Titans?
Since when is it ALL ABOUT YOU — a good-but-not-great second-year wideout — George? Learn to play like a team player, or else you’ll find yourself out of a comforting and welcoming locker room like that of the Steelers…
Derek Carr
After a nine-year run with the Las Vegas Raiders franchise, Carr was released into 2023 free agency. The four-time Pro Bowler then signed a four-year deal with the New Orleans Saints worth a whopping $150 million.
It felt like a win-win for all parties at the time. Carr suddenly made the Saints the heavy favorites to win the hapless NFC South. He was reunited with head coach Dennis Allen, and Carr was finally playing for a consistent playoff contender.
But Carr hasn’t done much to win over an otherwise tightly-knit Saints locker room. Keep in mind that those guys LOVE and go to bat for backup Jameis Winston, who selflessly took a pay cut in the offseason to stick around as Carr’s backup.
Carr’s play has been mediocre at best this season — certainly well below his standards. His constant freakouts and belittling of his teammates on the field certainly don’t help matters, either.
After that Week 7 home loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, Carr threw his teammates under the bus by stating, “There were some things that happened today that led to some pretty big negative plays that should never happen, and I think that’s where my frustration was coming from.”
Yeah, they shouldn’t happen, Derek. Maybe you shouldn’t miss open receivers or force terrible low-percentage passes. Ever think of that?
How much longer will Saints stars like Alvin Kamara, Chris Olave, Cameron Jordan and Marshon Lattimore put up with this? These guys never point the finger at one another, yet Carr has played the blame game since stepping into this locker room.
Something tells us Saints players wouldn’t mind if he got benched in favor of Winston. Just sayin’.
Mac Jones
What a fall from grace for Mac Jones in Foxborough. Two years ago, he looked like the ideal heir apparent to Tom Brady in New England. Fast forward to 2023, and the Alabama product will soon be handed his pink slip from the Patriots with the much-needed opportunity to start afresh with another team.
Blame Bill Belichick — the coach AND the GM. Blame Bill O’Brien. Blame the offensive line. Blame the receivers. Blame whoever you want. The bottom line is that Jones hasn’t stepped up when the Patriots needed it over the last two years — and he’s certainly on his way out of the freezing New England winters.
Jones’ teammates certainly can’t wait for that day to come. Has to be frustrating for notable guys like JuJu Smith-Schuster, Mike Gesicki, DeVante Parker, Rhamondre Stevenson and Ezekiel Elliott to be held back by such terrible quarterback play.
Jones’ frequent on-field and sideline outbursts can’t win points with his teammates, either.
According to former Patriots safety Devin McCourty, the locker room was actually divided between Jones or Bailey Zappe as the better QB play. Not exactly a glowing endorsement from the Patriot great.
Hang in there, Patriots players not named Mac Jones. His time here is almost up, and then you’ll hopefully learn to start winning again with your next starting QB.
Which other NFL players have teammates who are totally sick of them?
