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Winning a Super Bowl in the NFL isn't simply pinned onto the shoulders of the most talented players on the field. Nor is it solely the responsibility of a brilliant head coach. The best teams, more often than not, are a combination of both.
With that in mind, no matter how hard certain players and coaches try to come together for the betterment of the squad, they simply can't get along. NFL history is littered with players who were unable to get on the same page as their coaches. Whether it was due to a lack of playing time, questionable play calling, or off-field theatrics, sometimes relationships between players and coaches cannot be fixed.
But while there are a ton of dysfunctional connections, which of those were the absolute worst? With countless poor relationships to choose from, it was no easy task. Here are five of the worst NFL player and coach relationships.
#5 Aaron Rodgers & Mike McCarthy
There’s no denying that Aaron Rodgers and Mike McCarthy had a ton of success with one another for the Green Bay Packers. Rodgers bided his time on the bench behind Brett Favre and soaked up enough knowledge to be well prepared to take over the Packers in 2008 when he was 25-years-old.
In just their third season together, McCarthy and Rodgers were on top of the NFL world as they nabbed a Super Bowl title in 2010. It was a magical run and the two appeared to be a match made in Heaven. From there, a long list of Super Bowl victories was expected to materialize, but it never happened.
Rodgers and McCarthy helped orchestrate incredible regular-season success for Green Bay, but time and time again, they were shown the door earlier than expected in the NFL playoffs. During their time together, the two began slowly butting heads. Secretly, Rodgers believed that McCarthy was slowing them down. Their relationship had deteriorated to the point where Rodgers attempted to put his own spin on it, going as far as to say that the back and forth drama between them was a good thing at times.
Regardless of Rodgers' words, McCarthy was let go in 2018. Even with new head coach Matt LaFleur pushing the Packers to three consecutive seasons with at least 13 victories and despite Rodgers winning back-to-back MVPs, the Packers haven't made it back to the Super Bowl. Maybe McCarthy wasn't the problem.
#4 Jeff Hosteler & Bill Parcells
No matter what Jeff Hosteler did on the field, he strongly believed that the then head coach of the New York Giants, Bill Parcells, simply had something against him.
Hosteler’s issue with Parcells stemmed from a lack of playing time. While Hosteler was originally a third-round pick, he was afforded little to no actual playing time on the field under Parcells. In five seasons with Parcells, Hosteler started in only four games. His record in those games? A perfect 4-0.
Hosteler was convinced that with his ability to sling it down the field, he should be on the field more. Nevertheless, Parcells continued to win without him. During their five years together, Parcells nabbed two Super Bowl titles.
Once Parcells officially left town, Hosteler was given his time to shine but failed pretty miserably. Not only did his teams miss the postseason time and time again, but Hosteler played poorly.
#3 Randy Moss & Brad Childress
In 2010, after being sent back to the Minnesota Vikings, Randy Moss appeared to be on his last legs. The once dynamic receiver could no longer separate from defenders for huge chunk yards. Moss was also incapable of taking the top off a defense. Still, even with Moss as a shell of his former great self, he simply couldn’t get along with head coach Brad Childress.
Openly, Childress believed that Moss was single-handedly destroying the team’s chemistry, even going as far as to say that Moss threw up in the locker room.
Irate over their bad blood, Moss demanded that Childress be fired immediately. However, the tables were turned on Moss less than 24 hours after making his request, when he was subsequently let go by the team.
Moss would ultimately hang up his cleats the following year before quickly changing his mind and returning the following year. His comeback was short-lived, as he had another subpar year, this time with the San Francisco 49ers. It would be his last appearance in the NFL as Moss truly retired the following season.
#2 Terrell Owens & Steve Mariucci
On most occasions in the NFL, whether a player is right or wrong, more times than not, a player’s head coach will defend them against anything. Terrell Owens, on the other hand, didn’t receive that same treatment. At least not on this occasion.
As a member of the San Francisco 49ers, any victory over the Dallas Cowboys will be treated glowingly. Both franchises have a deep hatred for one another, and both fans and players have attempted to rub their respective successes in the faces of the other.
During a mid-season game against the Cowboys, Owens ripped them apart on a crucial drive. The NFL Hall of Fame receiver broke loose in the secondary, caught a beautifully passed ball, and proceeded to bang his head on the goalpost. Scoring the touchdown wasn’t the problem, it was the celebration.
Owens flamboyantly ran to the middle of the field and slammed the ball onto the middle of the Dallas star. All hell broke loose as a fist fight between the players ensued. Steve Mariucci reprimanded Owens, suspending him immediately after.
Though their NFL days are far behind them, the two have long since hated each other.
In an interview in 2019 Owens had this to say:
"I'm not really open to [burying the hatchet] because that's a guy from where I sit, and I think people that witnessed some of the things that transpired in that locker room, people want to say that I was a selfish person, this, that, and the other, and I created a lot of division and headache in the locker room. But there are a lot of players that you've never heard that from. Some of the things that have been said about me, I'm pretty sure a lot of it probably came from him."
#1 Keyshawn Johnson & Jon Gruden
Have you ever wondered why Keyshawn Johnson, a current ESPN NFL analyst, continues to rip Jon Gruden every chance he gets? This one is simple: Johnson blames Gruden for not allowing him to sign with another team during the 2003 NFL season and ultimately forcing his exit from Tampa.
Once a proud member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Johnson, who’s well-known for his flippant trash talk, was told to pipe down by his then coach. Johnson, unsurprisingly, continued to go back and forth with his opponents and whomever he felt needed a tongue lashing.
Having grown sick and tired of his theatrics, Gruden deactivated Johnson with seven games left in the NFL season. For the rest of the year, Johnson languished unhappily at home on his couch, unable to sign with another team. The Buccaneers would finish the season poorly and Johnson was eventually traded to the Dallas Cowboys in 2004.
Despite his fresh start and regardless of the feud taking place almost 20 years ago, Johnson has continually ripped Gruden publicly. Some feuds are only transient, in the case of Gruden and Johnson, however, we doubt that they’ll hug, kiss, and make up anytime soon, if ever. Some feuds really do last a long time in the NFL.
