The NFL is filled with immensely talented players, but sometimes their behavior off the field makes more headlines than their on-field performance, which, as a fan, coach, or even a teammate – can really wear on you.
Join us as we count down ten star NFL players in the game today who have the biggest proclivity to be crybabies.
These are players that, in spite of their undeniable talent, have gained reputations for their immature behavior, selfish choices, and routinely making decisions that are detrimental to their teams. Let’s get into it!
Who are the top ten NFL players who tend to throw a tantrum that can hurt their respective teams?
Odell Beckham Jr.
When it comes to NFL cry babies, Odell Beckham Jr. is probably one of the first faces that comes to mind for NFL fans.
Ever since he broke into the league out of LSU, he’s gained a reputation for two things: making spectacular catches and messes – both in the media and the locker room.
Especially during his time in Cleveland and New York, Odell Beckham Jr. was regularly in the spotlight for his emotional outbursts and sideline tantrums—that really took away from all of the great things that he was doing for his team between the lines. To say that his behavior has often taken the focus away from his on-field performance is a massive understatement.
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There was Beckham’s infamous fight with a kicking net, which he later “proposed” to, which is a classic example of his dramatic tendencies… And the teenage-like feud with former Carolina Panthers cornerback, Josh Norman…
He hasn’t been an angel off the field, either. He famously caused an entire flight to deplane because he couldn’t follow instructions and put himself in the crosshairs of the NFL when a video surfaced showing Beckham in a Paris hotel room with a pizza, a suspicious white powder, and a woman holding a credit card.
OBJ can play, but it will always come with more than his fair share of crybaby antics.
Aaron Rodgers
While Aaron Rodgers is a future Hall of Famer, his off-field drama has often made headlines, particularly in the latter half of his career.
The first indication that he might have cry baby tendencies started to appear when the weirdness around his apparently strained family relationship became a topic of public interest.
He also has not shied away from publicly criticizing teammates and coaches throughout his career. One notable instance occurred in 2018 when he openly questioned the play-calling and offensive scheme under then-head coach Mike McCarthy.
He parlayed this into a highly publicized standoff with the Green Bay Packers management over his contract and future with the team, creating significant offseason drama—and of course, the whole “immunized” controversy, which, regardless of what you believe about the topic was immature behavior regardless.
Rodgers’ ability to generate headlines with his unpredictable comments and actions keeps him in the spotlight for both the right and wrong reasons.
Baker Mayfield
Baker Mayfield has been one of the more polarizing players in the NFL ever since the Cleveland Browns took him number one overall out of Oklahoma.
His brash attitude and competitive spirit were flagged as a double-edged sword coming out of the draft and that has proven true.
Because while his ornery nature has made him resilient on the field, which has, at times, been tumultuous for him, it has also resulted in some erratic, immature behavior, both online and in real life which has put him in the spotlight for the wrong reasons. Like when he went back and forth on social media with perennial pot-stirrer Rex Ryan!
His immaturity has definitely overshadowed his potential as a quarterback and as a leader of a franchise—no one wants their QB1 to be a crybaby!
Jamal Adams
During his time with the New York Jets, Jamal Adams built up a reputation for being one of the best safeties in the game. He was fast, strong, and extremely versatile. New York put him in all sorts of positions, and he always seemed to deliver.
Unfortunately, over time, all of the attention seemed to go to the former sixth overall picks head and he started to get a little too big for his britches… and… you guessed it—the crybaby behavior ensued shortly after!
During the latter part of his tenure with the Jets, Adams was openly critical of head coach Adam Gase’s leadership and coaching style, which resulted in him eventually getting pushed out of town… Well… Technically, he demanded a trade, which is all the more crybaby-like!
Either way—the point is—he soured the relationship with the team that drafted him because of his immature and selfish behavior.
And in the time since, he has proven time and time again that he is far and away one of the biggest crybabies in the game today.
Maybe he should spend more time learning how to actually play in coverage instead of whining all the time! Because the defensive tackle allegations are valid!
Jalen Ramsey
Jalen Ramsey is one of the top cornerbacks in the league, but his frequent trash talk and public criticisms of teammates and opponents have made him a polarizing figure.
After all, you never want NFL players who make it more about themselves and their personal feuds than what the team as a whole is doing.
His hallmark controversy took place down in Duvall after his public request for a trade from the Jacksonville Jaguars, and subsequent feud with the team’s management created significant drama. So much so that it almost resulted in him throwing hands with his head coach—and, notably, a middle-aged man—Doug Marrone.
Ramsey’s ability to back up his talk with his play keeps him relevant, but his off-field antics often overshadow his on-field contributions. After all… You don’t want a player who throws such a tantrum that he’ll literally come within seconds of fist-fighting his coach on the sideline.
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Stefon Diggs
Stefon Diggs is a confusing one because there was a brief… extremely brief time, now that we are looking back at it, period where it seemed like the crybaby allegations he caught were more a result of his environment in Minnesota and the mismatch of personalities with his then quarterback, Kirk Cousins…
But after the recent falling out of love he had in Buffalo with the Bills, it is hard to believe anything other than that Diggs is immensely immature and prone to the same kind of diva behavior that has plagued oh so many wide receivers one before him.
It started back in the 2022 NFL season, as tensions between Diggs and the Buffalo Bills started to become evident. Then… there were reports of disagreements with the coaching staff and frustration over the team’s performance and, of course, play style, that began to surface.
This led to intense media scrutiny over Diggs’ visible frustration during games and post-game comments, which more than hinted at underlying issues.
The two sides worked to mend the fences in 2023, but the relationship was ultimately too far gone, and they lost him for pennies on the dime this offseason, which, considering his apparently close relationship with quarterback Josh Allen, is hard to believe.
But it is that kind of emotional volatility that puts Diggs, deservedly, in the classification of NFL crybaby – and, frankly, is probably what is keeping him from taking that next step in his career and getting to the Super Bowl.
Michael Thomas
Michael Thomas has shown flashes of brilliance in his career, but his peaks were pretty darned high—and considering his relevance in the national football discussion, he is still going to get the star designation.
In any case, in recent years, his behavior has drastically overshadowed his contributions to the field. Once a top wide receiver whose play outweighed his, let’s call it, “thorny” behavior, Thomas has really struggled with injuries and inconsistent play of late, but his off-field antics and complaints have remained constant.
Watching the Saints, it’s hard not to notice Thomas frequently expressing frustration—whether it’s about not getting enough targets, issues with coaching decisions, or conflicts with teammates. That is… when he is on the field!
And his emotional outbursts and social media tirades have become all too common.
Thomas’ controversies reached a peak in 2020 when he was suspended by the team for punching a teammate during practice. This incident, combined with his frequent injuries and public criticisms of the Saints’ management, has created ongoing tension within the organization.
If Thomas isn’t careful—and, more importantly, if his play doesn’t pick up soon—he will find himself out of work sooner rather than later.
Kyler Murray
There is no denying that Kyler Murray has had a good start to his NFL career… and that the young and talented quarterback is as dynamic as they come, but… here’s the but— Kyler Murray’s career has been more about his immaturity and questionable leadership than what he has done on the field.
There was his public contract drama with the Cardinals, which was bad enough, but when you factor in the now infamous “study clause” in his contract, highlighted concerns about his dedication to his craft—and the way that he was behaving—it is hard to see him as anything other than a massively overpaid cry baby.
As we said, Murray’s potential is immense, but his off-field behavior has caused more than his fair share of unnecessary distractions.
And, truthfully, it isn’t just off the field either. He can often be found on the gridiron arguing with teammates, coaches, and, unsurprisingly, referees—when something doesn’t go his way.
Lane Johnson
While you might not expect it from an offensive lineman, as they are usually gritty, unselfish, and hardnosed guys—Lane Johnson has slowly but surely earned the designation of being one of the biggest cry babies in the game.
One of the biggest controversies surrounding Johnson was his 10-game suspension in 2016 for violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing drug policy, which, of course, Johnson vehemently denied in true childlike fashion.
He even took it to the next level and went at the NFLPA, saying that he was unfairly targeted like all NFL players aren’t subjected to drug tests…
Johnson isn’t shy about the media, and it often rubs folks the wrong way. He’s publicly blasted the league’s handling of player safety issues, which… well… fair.
But that is just the tip of the iceberg with him. Johnson was always out there and creating distractions, whether it was half-heartedly calling out the Patriots, suggesting their success was due to a culture of fear and pathological no-fun, or making public comments about his team in the media after a tough loss—the reality is that Johnson always seems to say things that simply don’t need to be said publicly.
A quintessential trait of a crybaby!
Patrick Mahomes
Patrick Mahomes is undeniably one of the most talented quarterbacks in the NFL; we are not going to partake in the fool’s errand of trying to convince anyone of anything else…
But… if we are being honest—over the last couple of years, he has let the star treatment get to his head a little bit and he has become a bit of a crybaby. Especially when it comes to dealing with the refs!
If you watch the Chiefs play on offense, he can’t go more than two or three plays without complaining about something… It is insane!
He is, of course, an exception in this group in the fact that his occasionally immature behavior and public disagreements with teammates and coaches have frankly had zero negative impact on his play or his teams.
It is kind of like when LeBron would flop or jaw with the refs… Yeah, it might be unpleasant, but he is still far and away the best player in the game—and, overall, a good person—which his teammates know and appreciate, so they put up with it.
His most notable incident game in 2023 when he not only called the refs out in dramatic fashion after the game but also went straight to the source and ranted to Josh Allen on the field after the game about the refs, making him look like a complete chump and opening he and the Chiefs up to more scrutiny.
Scrutiny… which… ultimately didn’t mean a thing because they wanted to win the Super Bowl… again…
But still! Mahomes has earned his spot on the top 10 cry babies ranking, and you can’t convince us otherwise!
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