Most Hated NFL Quarterbacks of All Time

These NFL quarterbacks alienated fans and teammates alike.

Sports hate can be hard to explain to average civilians because distinguishing between actual hate and sports hate doesn’t really make sense to them. But being a sports fan doesn’t always make sense. It’s a system of belief that exists in a pretty irrational space.

To that end, nowhere in the realm of sports hate are things more irrational than when it comes to quarterbacks.

Maybe we expect more out of quarterbacks because they get paid so much. Maybe it’s because most of us could only dream of being that talented at throwing a football. Whatever it is, when fans turn on a quarterback things can get ugly in a hurry.

Here’s a look at the most hated NFL quarterbacks of all time.

20. Tony Romo

Tim Sharp / AP Photo

Born: April 21, 1980 (San Diego, California)

High School: Burlington High School (Burlington, Wisconsin)

College: Eastern Illinois

NFL career: Dallas Cowboys (2003-16)

NFL highlights: NFL All-Pro (2014), four-time Pro Bowl (2006, 2007, 2009, 2014)

Bottom line: Tony Romo kept his nose clean off the field and was a model citizen in 14 seasons as a quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys. This did little to change the opinion established early on in his career of him as someone who had little to no respect for the game.

Romo’s indiscretion? Taking a trip to Cabo San Lucas with his then-girlfriend and pop star Jessica Simpson (tight end Jason Witten and linebacker Bobby Carpenter also went) during a bye week before Dallas played the New York Giants in the 2008 NFL Playoffs. The Cowboys lost to the Giants, who went on to win the Super Bowl. Romo’s rep never recovered, fair or not.

19. Scott Mitchell

Detroit Lions quarterback Scott Mitchell

Tom Pidgeon / AP Photo

Born: Jan. 2, 1968 (Salt Lake City, Utah)

High School: Springville High School (Springville, Utah)

College: Utah

NFL/WLAF career: Miami Dolphins (1990-93), Orlando Thunder (1992), Detroit Lions (1994-98), Baltimore Ravens (1999), Cincinnati Bengals (2000-01)

NFL highlights: None

Bottom line: There are guys on this list who have made it here almost solely for being bad at football and getting paid a lot of money. Guys like Scott Mitchell.

Mitchell parlayed a pretty average performance filling in for an injured Dan Marino with the Miami Dolphins into a lucrative free-agent contract with the Detroit Lions, where his play was so up and down one of his offensive linemen once claimed he missed a block on purpose in order to get backup Dave Krieg in the game. Mitchell was a “bum” in the most sports-centric way possible and it’s a shame Barry Sanders had to play his last few seasons with this guy at quarterback.

18. Kyler Murray

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray

Rick Scuteri / AP Photo

Born: Aug. 7, 1997 (Bedford, Texas)

High School: Allen High School (Allen, Texas)

College: Texas A&M/Oklahoma

NFL career: Arizona Cardinals (2019-present)

NFL highlights: NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year (2019), two-time Pro Bowl (2020, 2021), PFWA All-Rookie Team (2019)

Bottom line: Kyler Murray signed a five-year, $230.5 million contract before the 2022 season — after one of the worst performances in playoff history to end the previous year. The Arizona Cardinals had concerns about Murray’s commitment to football written into the deal — specifically that he needed to study game plans and opponents for at least four hours per week and play less video games. Murray bristled when this became public and the Cardinals took the wording out of the contract but the damage was done.

Murray moped and pouted his way through 11 games in 2022 as the Cardinals went 3-8 before he suffered a season-ending knee. He’s now the leader of one of the worst teams in the NFL, and that’s largely on his shoulders. Not a great look.

17. Baker Mayfield

Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield

Jeff Haynes / AP Photo

Born: April 14, 1995 (Austin, Texas)

High School: Lake Travis High School (Austin, Texas)

College: Texas Tech/Oklahoma

NFL career: Cleveland Browns (2018-21), Carolina Panthers (2022), Los Angeles Rams (2022), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2023-present)

NFL highlights: PFWA All-Rookie Team (2018)

Bottom line: Few quarterbacks have seen the public turn on them and their career come off the rails as fast as Baker Mayfield, who was on a fast track to being one of the NFL’s most popular — and highest paid — players after the Cleveland Browns selected him No. 1 overall in 2018. Mayfield had a pretty steep ascent through his first three seasons before things came crashing down in 2021 as he battle injuries and publicly bickered with teammates. The end result was the Browns giving Deshaun Watson the largest contract in NFL history and trading Mayfield to the Carolina Panthers before the 2022 season. Mayfield was eventually cut by the Panthers, ended the season with the Los Angeles Rams and signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2023.

16. Russell Wilson

Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson

Jack Dempsey / AP Photo

Born: Nov. 29, 1988 (Cincinnati, Ohio)

High School: Collegiate School (Richmond, Virginia)

College: North Carolina State/Wisconsin

NFL career: Seattle Seahawks (2012-21), Denver Broncos (2022-present)

NFL highlights: Super Bowl champion (2013), NFL All-Pro (2019), nine-time Pro Bowl (2012-15, 2017-21)

Bottom line: What’s really wild is that Russell Wilson, up until three years ago, was one of the more beloved NFL quarterbacks in recent memory.

Wilson’s final season with the Seattle Seahawks along with a forced trade to the Denver Broncos and one of the worst seasons for a star quarterback, ever, in 2022, made us realize Wilson’s public persona wasn’t really who he was behind the scenes. What Wilson really was, we found out, was peak cringe (“Let’s ride”) and a staggering prima donna.

If your own teammates don’t like you — including one of the most likeable teammates of all time — that’s a bad sign. Let Russ cook? No thanks.

15. Vince Young

Judi Bottoni / AP Photo

Born: May 18, 1983 (Houston, Texas)

High School: Madison High School (Houston, Texas)

College: Texas

NFL career: Tennessee Titans (2006-10), Philadelphia Eagles (2011)

NFL highlights: NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year (2006), two-time Pro Bowl (2006, 2009), PFWA All-Rookie Team (2006)

Bottom line: After leading Texas to a national championship and establishing himself as one of the greatest college quarterbacks of all time, Vince Young seemed destined to become one of the NFL’s elite after the Tennessee Titans selected him No. 3 overall in the 2006 NFL Draft.

Young was named NFL Rookie of the Year and made the Pro Bowl twice in his first four seasons, but all was not well. Behind the scenes Young considered retirement after his rookie season because football wasn’t “fun” and while his athleticism masked a lack of preparation and desire, eventually the realy Young came out. And it wasn’t pretty.

As Young’s play went downhill, his off-the-field life came undone as well — at one point he disappeared early in the 2008 season after a bad performance and had to be located by the Titans and the police. The truth was Young didn’t want to do what it takes to be an elite quarterback but wanted the money — of which he blew through $64 million in salary and endorsements and filed for bankruptcy in 2014.

14. Art Foltz

Wikipedia

Born: March 31, 1903 (Chicago, Illinois)

Died: Aug. 18, 1965, 62 years old (Los Angeles, California)

High School: Englewood High School (Chicago, Illinois)

College: Chicago

NFL career: Chicago Cardinals (1923-25)

NFL highlights: NFL champion (1925)

Bottom line: Art Folz pulled off one of the more harebrained schemes in sports history.

Folz was the quarterback for the Chicago Cardinals in 1925 in an era before there were championship games and the NFL champion was determined by win-loss records. Teams were allowed to alter schedules during the season to a certain extent, Folz got another game for the Cardinals on the schedule against the Wisconsin Badgers after the regular season was over. He recruited players from a local high school to help fill out Wisconsin’s roster by telling them it was just an exhibition game, Chicago won in a 59-0 rout and were named NFL champions.

When Folz’s plot was uncovered he was banned from the NFL for life — the first lifetime ban in NFL history. The ban was lifted one year later but Folz never played football again.

13. Carson Wentz

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz

Matt Rourke / AP Photo

Born: Dec. 30, 1992 (Raleigh, North Carolina)

High School: Century High School (Bismarck, North Dakota)

College: North Dakota State

NFL career: Philadelphia Eagles (2016-20), Indianapolis Colts (2021), Washington Commanders (2022), Los Angeles Rams (2023-present)

NFL highlights: Super Bowl champion (2017), NFL All-Pro (2017), Pro Bowl (2017)

Bottom line: If there’s a profile for quarterbacks on this list it starts with two qualities — super talented and his teammates hate him. That’s Carson Wentz.

Wentz looked like he was on the path to becoming one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks in 2017 when he led the Philadephia Eagles to an 11-2 record before tearing his ACL. As Philadelphia made a run to its first Super Bowl win without him, Wentz was open with his displeasure the team was succeeding without him. Which breaks perhaps the No. 1 unwritten rule in team sports — don’t be a hater.

Philadelphia running back Darren Sproles, one of the most beloved teammates in FL history, didn’t like that. He confronted Wentz, the two allegedly had to be separated and the rest is history. Wentz was shipped to the Indianapolis Colts in 2021 and was on his fourth team in four years with the Los Angeles Rams in 2023.

12. Jim McMahon

AP Photo

Born: Aug. 21, 1959 (Jersey City, New Jersey)

High School: Roy High School (Roy, Utah)

College: BYU

NFL career: Chicago Bears (1982-88), San Diego Chargers (1989), Philadelphia Eagles (1990-92), Minnesota Vikings (1993), Arizona Cardinals (1994), Green Bay Packers (1995-96)

NFL highlights: Two-time Super Bowl champion (1985, 1995), Pro Bowl (1985), NFC Rookie of the Year (1982)

Bottom line: In today’s world, the stuff Jim McMahon did that made people so incredibly upset seems pretty mild. But if you were around in the mid-1980s you know dude sparked some pretty angry feelings among football fans as the leader of perhaps the greatest team of all time with the 1985 Chicago Bears.

McMahon’s transgressions? He beefed with head coach Mike Ditka because he changed a lot of plays in the huddle — usually to the benefit of the Bears. He was fined for wearing an Adidas headband by NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle … then responded by wearing a headband that said “ROZELLE” on it, which the commissioner thought was “funny as hell.” Oh, and he mooned a news helicopter and some reporters after they kept asking him questions about an injury to his posterior.

11. Frank Filchock

AP Photo

Born: Oct. 8, 1916 (Crucible, Pennsylvania)

Died: June 20, 1994, 77 years old (Washington County, Oregon)

High School: Redstone High School (Republic, Pennsylvania)

College: Indiana

NFL/CFL career: Pittsburgh Pirates (1938), Washington Redskins (1938-41, 1944-45), New York Giants (1946), Hamilton Tigers (1947-48), Montreal Alouettes (1949-50), Baltimore Colts (1950), Edmonton Eskimos (1951-52), Saskatchewan Roughriders (1953)

NFL highlights: Two-time Pro Bowl (1939, 1941), ORFU MVP (1948)

Bottom line: Frank Filchock was one of the NFL’s first superstars and the highest-paid player in the league in 1946 with the New York Giants — he still owns the NFL record with a 99-yard touchdown pass. The day before the 1946 NFL Championship Game against the Chicago Bears, Filchock and Giants running back Merle Hapes were accused of taking bribes from gamblers to fix the game.

Hapes admitted the crime but Filchcock didn’t and was allowed to play, going 9-of-26 passing for 128 yards, two touchdowns and six interceptions in a 24-14 loss. Filchock was suspended for life and went to play in Canada, where he became the highest-paid player and the league’s biggest star. He was eventually reinstated in 1950 and played one more season with the Baltimore Colts.

10. Brett Favre

Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre

Morry Gash / AP Photo

Born: Oct. 10, 1969 (Gulfport, Mississippi)

High School: Hancock North Central High School (Kiln, Mississippi)

College: Southern Mississippi

NFL career: Atlanta Falcons (1991), Green Bay Packers (1992-2007), New York Jets (2008), Minnesota Vikings (2009-10)

NFL highlights: Super Bowl champion (1996), Three-time NFL Most Valuable Player (1995-97), Six-time NFL All-Pro (1995-97, 2001, 2002, 2007), 11-time Pro Bowl (1992, 1993, 1995-97, 2001-03, 2007-09), Pro Football Hall of Fame (2016)

Bottom line: One of the NFL’s greatest players of all time, Brett Favre’s “will-he-or-won’t-he” retirement dance wore Green Bay Packers fans thin over his last few years there and ended with him playing one season for the New York Jets, where he got caught up in a sexual harassment scandal, followed by two seasons with hated rival the Minnesota Vikings to close out his career.

Favre’s post-playing career has been defined by his involvement in a wide-ranging welfare funds scandal in his home state of Mississipppi, where he is alleged to have received or helped divert part of $95 million meant for the state’s most at-need residents to, among other things, a new volleyball arena for his alma mater, Southern Mississippi, investments in a biotech firm owned by Favre, and speaking engagements he was was paid for but never completed.

9. Ben Roethlisberger

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger

Gene J. Puskar / AP Photo

Born: March 2, 1982 (Lima, Ohio)

High School: Findlay High School (Findlay, Ohio)

College: Miami (Ohio)

NFL career: Pittsburgh Steelers (2004-21)

NFL highlights: Two-time Super Bowl champion (2004, 2008), NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year (2004), six-time Pro Bowl (2007, 2011, 2014-17), PFWA All-Rookie Team (2004)

Bottom line: The good will built up by Ben Roethlisberger after winning two Super Bowls with the Pittsburgh Steelers in his first five seasons was entirely wiped away after he was accused of raping a 20-year-old college student in the bathroom of a bar in Milledgeville, Georgia, in 2010.

Roethlisberger Houdini’d his way out of criminal charges — largely because the accuser didn’t want to go through a trial and starstruck cops who were dispatched to the scene of the crime — and was eventually suspended for six games for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy. Football fans were left with 12 more seasons of Roethlisberger as Pittsburgh’s quarterback and getting the ick every time they watched him play. And no more Super Bowls.

8. JaMarcus Russell

Oakland Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell

Gail Burton / AP Photo

Born: Aug. 9, 1985 (Mobile, Alabama)

High School: Williamson HIgh School (Mobile, Alabama)

College: LSU

NFL career: Oakland Raiders (2007-09)

NFL highlights: None

Bottom line: Perhaps the greatest draft bust of all time, regardless of sport, the Oakland Raiders paid JaMarcus Russell $43 million after he was selected No. 1 overall in the 2009 NFL Draft — he was out of the league for good after three seasons and just 25 starts.

Fans hated Russell because he was a bad quarterback, and he was a bad quarterback because he was perhaps the laziest player in NFL history.

Russell was addicted to “lean” or “purple drank” during his time in the pros — he was arrested for codeine syrup possession in 2010 — and was legendary in his unwillingness to prepare for games. When Oakland’s coaches suspected Russell of not watching game film, they sent him home with a stack of blank DVDs they said contained details for an upcoming gameplan. When asked by coaches what he thought of the gameplan, Russell insisted everything “looked good to him.”

7. Ryan Leaf

San Diego Chargers' rookie quarterback Ryan Leaf

Kent Horner / AP Photo

Born: May 15, 1976 (Great Falls, Montana)

High School: Charles M. Russell High School (Great Falls, Montana)

College: Washington State

NFL career: San Diego Chargers (1998-2000), Dallas Cowboys (2001)

NFL highlights: None

Bottom line: Few quarterbacks in NFL history have tanked their careers like Ryan Leaf, the No. 2 overall pick in the 1998 NFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers.

Everything about Leaf was terrible — his play, his attitude, and his work ethic. Hated by teammates and fans alike, Leaf was out of the NFL after four seasons and saw his life descend into a terrible spiral of drug arrests and convictions that eventually landed him a seven-year prison sentence of which he served two years. Leaf was arrested again in May 2020 for domestic violence.

6. Zach Wilson

Bryan Woolston / AP Photo

Born: Aug. 3, 1999 (Draper, Utah)

High School: Corner Canyon High School (Draper, Utah)

College: BYU

NFL career: New York Jets (2021-present)

NFL highlights: None

Bottom line: Once thought of as a franchise savior, the only thing No. 2 overall pick and New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson proved to be a prodigy at was making teammates and fans hate him.

Wilson went 3-10 as a rookie in 2021 and largely got the benefit of the doubt from fans and coaches alike despite seeming totally lost against NFL defensese. In 2022, Wilson entered the pantheon of the Most Hated Teammates of All Time after he went 9-of-22 passing for 77 yards in a 10-3 loss to the New England Patriots and refused to shoulder any of the blame for the loss.

5. Jameis Winston

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston

Jim Mone / AP Photo

Born: Jan. 6, 1994 (Bessemer, Alabama)

High School: Hueytown High School (Hueytown, Alabama)

College: Florida State

NFL career: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2015-19), New Orleans Saints (2020-present)

NFL highlights: PFWA All-Rookie Team (2015)

Bottom line: The powers that be at Florida State put up with Jameis Winston’s bad behavior in college because he won a Heisman Trophy and led Florida State to a national championship in 2013 — bad behavior that included shoplifting, harassing fellow students and FSU eventually paying a $950,000 settlement to a woman who accused Winston of sexual asault. That didn’t stop the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from picking him No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft.

Always a disaster off the field, Winston quickly became a disaster on the field once he made it to the NFL. In five seasons with the Bucs, Winston threw 89 interceptions, never made the playoffs and went 26-42 as the starter — he also landed a three-game suspension before the 2018 season for groping a female Uber driver.

4. Deshaun Watson

Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson

Jason E. Miczek / AP Photo

Born: Sept. 14, 1995 (Gainesville, Georgia)

High School: Gainesville High School (Gainesville, Georgia)

College: Clemson

NFL career: Houston Texans (2017-21), Cleveland Browns (2022-present)

NFL highlights: Three-time Pro Bowl (2018-20), PFWA NFL All-Rookie Team (2017)

Bottom line: Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson made the Pro Bowl in three of his first four seasons in the NFL and was rewarded by the Houston Texans with a four-year, $177.5 million contract before the 2020 season.

Houston went 4-12 in 2020, Watson led the league in passing and demanded a trade, which didn’t play well with fans. Then things really got bad. In 2021, Watson was sued in civil court by over two dozen female massage therapists for sexual harrassment and/or sexual assault. Watson denied the claims, avoided criminal charges and settled all but one of the lawsuits.

The Cleveland Browns traded three first-round picks, a third-round pick and two fourth-round picks to get Watson, who they rewarded with the largest contract in NFL history at five years and $230 million guaranteed. The NFL suspended Watson for the first 11 games of the 2022 season and fined him a record $5 million for violating the league’s personal conduct policy.

3. Jay Cutler

David Duprey / AP Photo

Born: April 29, 1983 (Santa Claus, Indiana)

High School: Heritage Hills HIgh School (Lincoln City, Indiana)

College: Vanderbilt

NFL career: Denver Broncos (2006-08), Chicago Bears (2009-16), Miami Dolphins (2017)

NFL highlights: Pro Bowl (2008)

Bottom line: The “Smokin’ Jay Cutler” memes are funny. We get it. But Cutler’s outfight apathy toward his NFL career lands him on this list because you know what fans really hate? Apathy. Like when you openly act like you could care less about getting paid tens of millions to play football. Cutler was the poster boy for the disconnected, out-of-touch pro athlete for a decade and when he was finally out of the league, it was a good thing for everyone.

2. Michael Vick

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick

Ric Feld / AP Photo

Born: June 26, 1980 (Newport News, Virginia)

High School: Warwick High School (Newport News, Virginia)

College: Virginia Tech

NFL career: Atlanta Falcons (2001-08), Philadelphia Eagles (2009-13), New York Jets (2014), Pittsburgh Steelers (2015)

NFL highlights: NFL Comeback Player of the Year (2010), four-time Pro Bowl (2002, 2004, 2005, 2010)

Bottom line: You know what people really love? Dogs. Do you know what Michael Vick did that landed him two years in federal prison? Bred pit bulls, trained them to fight, and killed the ones who didn’t perform well. Vick was three years into a nine-year, $130 million contract with the Atlanta Falcons when he was convicted along with four other men and returned to the NFL after he got out of prison and signed another $100 million contract — this one with the Philadelphia Eagles.

1. Jeff George

Curtis Compton / AP Photo

Born: Dec. 8, 1967 (Indianapolis, Indiana)

High School: Warren Central High School (Indianapolis, Indiana)

Colleges: Purdue/Illinois

NFL career: Indianapolis Colts (1990-93), Atlanta Falcons (1994-96), Oakland Raiders (1997-98), Minnesota Vikings (1999), Washington Redskins (2000-01), Seattle Seahawks (2002), Chicago Bears (2004)

NFL highlights: PFWA All-Rookie Team (1990)

Bottom line: It’s pretty amazing Jeff George can top this list considering what some of the guys ranked lower than him have done to their lives, but here we are.

No quarterback had more talent and was more of a pain to be around or work with than George, the No. 1 overall pick in the 1990 NFL Draft out of Illinois. Truly one of the worst teammates of all time, George ended up playing 14 seasons for seven different teams and burned bridges everywhere he went, including being suspended for the entire 1996 season after a heated sideline argument with Atlanta Falcons head coach June Jones. Just an incredibly unpleasant human being.