In recent years, we’ve seen the likes of Aaron Donald, Jalen Ramsey, Odell Beckham Jr., Darius Slay, and Saquon Barkley remove themselves from the list of “elite players without a Super Bowl ring.”
While several prominent ringless players are overdue for championship glory, there are some other big-named players who have become impossible to root for. Hence, we’ll be sick to our stomachs if they ever hoist the Lombardi Trophy.
With that, let’s dive into five NFL players we want to see win a Super Bowl before they retire, and five we hope never will.
Which NFL players are we rooting for to win a Super Bowl before they retire?
Want To Win: Josh Allen
The Buffalo Bills’ signal-caller has done everything except win a Super Bowl. His career journey up to this point is eerily similar to Peyton Manning’s tenure with the Indianapolis Colts.
Like Manning, Allen has put up all-world regular-season numbers. But Tom Brady’s dynastic New England Patriots kept getting in Manning’s way of Super Bowl glory, just like how Patrick Mahomes’ dynastic Kansas City Chiefs keep destroying Buffalo’s championship dreams.
It all came together for Manning’s Colts when they took down the Patriots in the 2006 AFC Championship Game en route to a Super Bowl 41 title. But we genuinely wonder if Allen’s Bills will ever beat Kansas City on the grand stage, considering the Chiefs have won each of the four playoff meetings this decade.
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Allen’s the easy guy to root for, the underdog hero of the story who just can’t find a way to solve the evil empire.
Chiefs fan or not, everyone can agree that Allen really deserves a Super Bowl ring more than any other active player. He’s embraced the city of Buffalo and its passionate fanbase, bringing new life to Bills Mafia after two decades of misery.
It’s hard not to feel for Allen and the Bills when they go through heartbreaking defeat after heartbreaking defeat each year. We don’t want him to be this era’s Dan Marino.
Allen’s still in his prime and has plenty more kicks at the can. Let’s hope he won’t be the next great quarterback to retire without a ring.
Don’t Want To Win: Deshaun Watson
This one doesn’t need much explanation.
Watson has a history of alarming off-the-field issues, with more than two dozen women accusing him of misconduct. Watson eventually settled 23 lawsuits with his accusers and was handed an 11-game suspension and $5 million fine from the NFL in 2022.
The Cleveland Browns faced significant backlash for making the blockbuster Watson trade with the Houston Texans in 2022, knowing the serious allegations against the Pro Bowl quarterback. That alone was enough to root against Watson and the Browns.
Cleveland drew more ire when they handed Watson a fully guaranteed five-year deal worth $230 million. Before ever playing a snap for them. Alright then.
Even if you want to take Watson’s off-the-field matters out of the equation and focus solely on football? Tell us why this guy deserves a Super Bowl ring when he quit on his old team, the Texans, and robbed the Browns of $230 million?
Baker Mayfield, Jacoby Brissett, and Joe Flacco all ran Kevin Stefanski’s offense better than Watson ever has. 19 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 19 games over three seasons as Cleveland’s starter.
And look at how great the Texans are with CJ Stroud now. How does it feel quitting on them now, Deshaun? Making all that money to be a worse quarterback than Jacoby Brissett and Joe freaking Flacco? Woof.
He got his money, so Watson’s a happy man. But by no means does he deserve a Super Bowl. Join us all in hoping that he never gets close to the Lombardi Trophy.
Want To Win: Derrick Henry
It feels like most Hall of Fame-caliber running backs in the 21st century never won a Super Bowl. Saquon Barkley erased himself from being a member of that list by helping the Philadelphia Eagles to football’s ultimate prize last season.
Hopefully, Derrick Henry will do the same before he calls it a career.
The NFL’s active rushing leader by a country mile, “King Henry,” finally left the Tennessee Titans to pursue a ring with the Baltimore Ravens in 2024.
The two-time rushing champion and proud 2K club member had a monster first year in Baltimore, rushing for 1,921 yards and 16 touchdowns. So much for hitting the “before 30” wall, huh?
Henry was loyal to a mediocre Titans team for eight years. He only got to taste three playoff wins in Music City. He’s a one-of-a-kind running back and just simply an all-around awesome dude who’s impossible to hate.
Humble and dedicated to his craft, Henry has a spot in Canton locked up. Hopefully, he can have a similar finish to Hall of Fame RB Jerome Bettis and win a ring at or near the end of his career.
Don’t Want To Win: Joe Mixon
There’s no denying the talents of the Houston Texans star and ex-Cincinnati Bengal. Mixon enters 2025 with the third-most rushing yards among active players, and playing on a top AFC club like Houston means he’s got a real shot at winning it all before retiring.
But Joe Mixon, the person, certainly doesn’t deserve that experience.
In 2016, disturbing video footage showed Mixon punching a female Oklahoma student in the face and breaking her jaw in a 2014 incident. Mixon got a slap on the wrist: 100 hours of community service and mandatory counseling.
Not learning from his mistakes, Mixon was hit with a misdemeanor charge for pointing a gun at a woman and threatening her during an incident in Cincinnati. Mixon allegedly told her, “You should be popped in the face. I should shoot you, the police (can’t) get me.” He was found not guilty in court.
Less than two months later, Mixon’s sister and her boyfriend were sued for shooting a teenager near the running back’s home.
Now, try telling us he deserves a Super Bowl simply because he’s good at football?
Want To Win: T.J. Watt
Unfortunately, TJ’s older brother, JJ Watt, walked away as one of the best players to never win a Super Bowl. I mean, both Peyton and Eli Manning got multiple rings. Could you imagine if neither of the Watt brothers gets one?!
Hard as it is to believe, T.J. Watt has never experienced a playoff win. The Pittsburgh Steelers have made the playoffs five times over his first eight seasons, but it’s been one-and-done each time. And they haven’t been close in EITHER of those five losses.
You feel for Watt, because he’s put up with a lot of crap in that locker room. The Antonio Brown, Le’Veon Bell, and George Pickens drama queen sagas. The lackluster quarterback play that has wasted the talents of Watt and the elite defense…we could go on.
The three-time sacks leader is a lock for the Hall of Fame. Not only does he deserve to experience playoff success for once, but a Super Bowl ring as well. He’s been loyal to a Steelers squad marred in mediocrity for the better part of the last decade. He’s put the team on his back. What more does Pittsburgh want from him?
Be it in Steel City or somewhere else, we all hope to see Watt win a Super Bowl before he rides off into the sunset.
Don’t Want To Win: Micah Parsons
We could say, “Parsons plays for the Dallas Cowboys, enough said,” and end this entry. But we’ll continue…
Parsons has rubbed many people the wrong way with his arrogant and outspoken personality. And we get it, it’s part of the game.
But his constant whining and insults on X/Twitter have become tiresome. That childish feud with former teammate DeMarcus Lawrence? Mocking the city of Detroit? Complaining about Britney Griner coming back home in a prison exchange? Starting beef with teammate Malik Hooker?
And he’s not the cleanest player either, as proven by his sucker-punch to New York Giants offensive lineman Nick Gates that led to an $11 K fine.
Did we mention he plays for the Cowboys, and we’d have to see Jerry Jones get to celebrate another Super Bowl if Parsons gets a ring? Please no.
Want To Win: Davante Adams
It’s definitely criminal that Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams never won a Super Bowl together during their eight-year partnership with the Green Bay Packers. It’s not like they weren’t close, though, having reached four NFC Championship Games together.
Adams went through plenty of playoff heartbreak in Green Bay. His highly anticipated tenure with the Las Vegas Raiders went nowhere, too. But it’s not Adams’ fault he was stuck with mediocre quarterback play before getting traded to the New York Jets in 2024.
Not Adams’ fault the Jets were a disaster, either, largely brought on by Rodgers’ drama-making tendencies.
After his release from the Jets, the six-time Pro Bowler signed a two-year deal with Sean McVay’s Los Angeles Rams. Adams is running out of time to add that elusive championship to his Hall of Fame resume. As a world-class talent, ultra-competitive player who’s been through so many heartbreaks and downs in his career, Adams truly deserves to taste Super Bowl glory before he walks away.
Don’t Want To Win: Stefon Diggs
Notice how many of the NFL’s all-time great wide receivers never won a Super Bowl? Randy Moss, Terrell Owens, Chad Ochocinco are just a few that come to mind.
Well, Stefon Diggs isn’t any different from them. Despite putting up all-world numbers and having the luxury of being his team’s top receiver every year, he’s still never happy. It’s all about him, not the team.
Diggs’ antics became too much for the Minnesota Vikings, who traded him to the Buffalo Bills in the 2020 offseason. Diggs emerged as an All-Pro receiver with Josh Allen feeding him the ball, exceeding the 100-catch and 1,000-yard marks in all four seasons with the Bills.
But it was never enough for Diggs, who constantly pouted and whined on the sideline. Remember that shot of him berating Allen on the sidelines during their humiliating 2022 Divisional Round loss to the Cincinnati Bengals?
After the 2023 season, the Bills decided they had had enough and traded Diggs to the Texans. They were so happy to get rid of him that Buffalo happily took on a dead-money hit of $31 million for 2024.
Diggs’ one-year stop in Houston was cut short by a torn ACL. He then signed a three-year deal with the Patriots in free agency, only to spark controversy in the offseason by carrying a mysterious pink substance during a boat party with several women.
So yeah, please don’t tell us this guy deserves a Super Bowl. If he put the team first and stopped being a headache everywhere he went, Diggs would probably have a Super Bowl by now. But he just wants his targets and his money. That’s not deserving of a ring if you ask us.
Want To Win: Jared Goff
When it comes to the top NFL quarterbacks, you can usually view two sides. They’re easy to love…or easy to hate. Just look at Tom Brady when he played. Or Aaron Rodgers. Or Patrick Mahomes.
But it’s hard to find anything to dislike about Jared Goff. He embraced the pressure of reviving the Los Angeles Rams franchise as the No. 1 pick in 2016, helping them to three playoff appearances and a trip to Super Bowl 53 during his five-year run there.
When Sean McVay and the Rams awkwardly decided they gave up on Goff and didn’t want him anymore? He was dumped to the Detroit Lions in the blockbuster trade that brought Matthew Stafford to LA. Nobody gave Goff a chance on a Lions team that just hired a head coach who said something about biting off kneecaps.
But Goff accepted the challenge with Dan Campbell and gradually helped the perennially losing Lions re-emerge as a winner in the NFC. In 2023, Goff led Detroit to their first playoff win and NFC Championship Game appearance since 1991. A year later, the Lions finished with a franchise-best 15-2 record.
Goff never complained about being dumped by the Rams or about entering a difficult situation in Detroit. He’s been better than ever with the Lions, making the Stafford a win-win trade for all parties.
And like Josh Allen, Goff has experienced enough playoff heartbreak that it’s overdue for him to win it all. The loss in Super Bowl 53. The 2023 NFC title game defeat. The shocking loss to the Washington Commanders in the 2024 Divisional Round.
A humble, committed, and lovable leader like Goff deserves a Super Bowl before he retires. So do the long-suffering Lions fans. If these guys ever hoist the Lombardi Trophy, it’ll be hard to maintain a dry eye, no matter which team you root for.
Don’t Want To Win: Nick Bosa
Bosa has been everything the San Francisco 49ers wanted when they took him second overall in the 2019 NFL Draft. Yes, he’s on a Hall of Fame trajectory. No, we don’t wanna see him win a Super Bowl.
Truth be told, it was hilarious to see Bosa pout after his 49ers lost to the Chiefs in Super Bowls 54 and 58. He’s never been humble or classy, in victory or defeat.
Before the 2019 NFL Draft, folks dug up social media posts “liked” by Bosa that contained racist and homophobic language. In 2021, internet detectives also found old tweets from his then-girlfriend containing racial slurs.
He’s arrogant, obnoxious, and acts completely entitled. Heck of a player, yes. But Bosa shouldn’t be as cocky as he is unless he ever wins a Super Bowl. He’s far from a likable fellow and is all too easy to root against. So yeah, go ahead and never win a Super Bowl, Nick…
