Which is the most-hated team in the NFL? Ranking top 5 franchises on the spectrum

The NFL has 32 teams. Here, we are going to talk about the most hated team in the NFL. Each franchise has millions of loyal fans who follow their activities and root for them all season long. Most franchises have entire cities and, sometimes, whole states that back them as they compete for the ultimate prize in football, the Lombardi Trophy. However, having millions of fans doesn't mean they don't have just as many haters in the unforgiving world that is the NFL.

By looking at numerous surveys, social media comments, and the general apathy of league media, we have discovered the most hated team in the NFL.

Teams that are always in the race to become the most hated team in the NFL:

Here are the five most hated teams in the NFL. These are the teams that most people would simply love to see not succeed.

5. Pittsburgh Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers are a successful organization. They have beaten many teams in jaw-dropping fashion on their way to six Super Bowl titles.

Aside from that, they have had unpopular players like Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown on their rosters in the past decade. Opposing fans love to hate these players, so it's no surprise that the Steelers made our list of the most hated teams in the NFL

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were seen as a harmless franchise a couple of years ago, but that all changed in 2019 when the GOAT, Tom Brady, joined the franchise. You see, Tom Brady is not hated for off-field shenanigans like Big Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown. Instead, he's hated for his aura of perfection in a stellar 23-year NFL career.

A lot of that hatred for the GOAT was transferred from the New England Patriots to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when he moved. It didn't help that he won a Super Bowl game for the Bucs in his first season there. Let's hope things return to normal now that Brady has announced his second (and, hopefully, final) retirement from the NFL.

3. New York Jets

Working for the New York Jets must be an extreme sport, as it must be daunting to frequently underperform and still have a fanbase that remains delusionally confident. The New York Jets have not made the NFL postseason for the longest time, and they are currently courting the most polarizing QB in the league, Aaron Rodgers. It will further cement their place in the ranks of the most hated team in the NFL.

These are all recipes for fan hatred, but we doubt the Jets' front office cares. They will keep taunting the New York Giants, a franchise that is significantly more successful than them, even if they don't make the playoffs for yet another decade.

2. New England Patriots

From 2001 to 2018, the Bill Belichick and Tom Brady-led (Remember him from earlier in the list?) Pats won six Super Bowls and went to another three. As a result of the New England Patriots' penchant for winning, and their ability to look good, rival fans grew resentful, even jealous, of Brady's success, looks, and lifestyle.

This, coupled with avoidable Patriots scandals like Spygate and Deflategate, earned them even more haters when it was discovered that the Pats were using methods that stretched the boundaries of what is legal in the NFL. Tom Brady might be long gone, but the Patriots are still definitely on the list of the most hated team in the NFL.

Most hated team in the NFL: Dallas Cowboys

In 2021, BetOnline.ag reportedly tracked over 400,000 tweets from the pre-season through the first six weeks of regular season contests and measured the number of tweets containing taunts and other derogatory comments leveled at a particular team. The Dallas Cowboys were the most-hated team in the league via that metric, as they collected the most hate tweets and abuse from football fans.

Are you surprised? Remember, as the great Troy Aikman ran the show, the Cowboys won three Super Bowl games in four years. While they haven't won anything in 25 years, the antics of Cowboys' owner and GM, Jerry Jones, have not endeared him to rival fans and critics. Things like these place them as the most hated team in the NFL, even in 2023.