Top 10 Best NFL Trash Talk Caught On Mic

Football is a highly competitive sport, with each game worth more than those of any other major American sports league. So it’s not surprising that players can get wrapped up in their performance, which is exactly what happened with wide receiver Steve Smith and cornerback Aqib Talib in 2013. Smith’s Carolina Panthers and Talib’s New England Patriots were both in the midst of a playoff push, and it showed, with the two players getting into consistent tussles both during and after plays. Smith ultimately got the better of Talib, as the Panthers eked out a four-point win. In a post-game interview, Smith threw some further shade on Talib, adding insult to injury.

When it comes to trash talking, sometimes reverse psychology works as well as the direct approach. Chad Johnson, also known as Chad Ochocinco, was one of the biggest personalities in the game during his tenure in the 2000s. If you weren’t a Cincinnati Bengals fan at the time, you probably couldn’t stand him. Nor could some of his opponents. We could honestly make a whole video on his antics, but our favorite comes in a game against division rival the Baltimore Ravens. At one point, Johnson started conversing with Ravens defensive tackle Haloti Ngata. Until Ngata’s teammate Bart Scott broke up the tête-à-tête, that is, prompting Johnson to get indignant. From there, Johnson played up the innocent card, even claiming that he “loved” Scott.

Another former Carolina Panther, cornerback Josh Norman was mic’d up during a game against the division rival Atlanta Falcons in 2015. Back then, the Falcons star wide receiver was Julio Jones. But, considering this was the year the Panthers only lost one regular season game, Jones was on the wrong end of a 38-0 rout. And at the wrong end of a matchup against Norman. Norman’s enthusiasm is absolutely palpable, and when he wasn’t taunting Jones, he was doing so to fellow wide receiver Eric Weems. Honestly, we’re of the opinion that even if Norman was on the losing end of this one, he wouldn’t be able to help himself. And we wouldn’t have it any other way.

In college, safety Tyrann Mathieu earned himself the nickname “Honey Badger.” If you know anything about the real-life beast, you know that the honey badger doesn’t care. And, apparently, neither does Mathieu. Mathieu too was mic’d up during his Kansas City Chiefs’ contest with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2020, and he didn’t mince words with taunting the other team. From criticizing the size of the offensive players to threatening to play all eleven positions, Mathieu’s vocal performance was nearly as strong as his physical performance. Even if there had been fans in attendance in Los Angeles during this COVID-restricted game, we have a feeling Mathieu still would’ve been the loudest person in the stadium.

One of the most legendary linebackers ever to play the game, Ray Lewis is practically synonymous with Baltimore Ravens playoff success. He’s also well known for being one of the loudest trash talkers, and as such, we’ve been rewarded with countless minutes of him getting loud on the gridiron. From telling opposing players to “Get off the field” to shouting “This is a man’s game,” Lewis was football bravado at its very finest. We could try to pick out one particular moment, but it’s honestly hard to parse seeing as he was seemingly always “on.” We can see why Lewis was such an intimidating presence on the field, to say nothing of his physical acumen.

It’s not just opposing players that cornerback Jalen Ramsey has relished in giving an earful. He’s also clapped back at fans a few times, as evidenced by this playful clip. Back when Ramsey was suiting up for the Jacksonville Jaguars, a visit to the rival Tennessee Titans’ stadium resulted in some hometown fans giving him a hard time during warmups. They told Ramsey that he was in for a “long day,” but Ramsey retorted that he’s “never had a long day” when dealing with the Titans. It’s all in good, competitive fun, as the fans are clearly getting a kick out of the interaction. In case you’re wondering, the Titans fans had the last laugh as the Jags lost 30-9.

If this list is any indication, there seems to be a positive correlation between trash talking and defensive players. Philip Rivers meanwhile may have spent seventeen seasons as a quarterback on offense, but that didn’t stop him from garnering a reputation as one of the biggest trash talkers in the league. Over the years, several players have attested to Rivers being one of the funniest guys on the field. And watching clips of his delivery in his signature Southern twang, we can definitely see what they mean. Rivers wasn’t at all shy about celebrating even the game’s smallest victories. And when he scored big, you can bet he turned his schtick up to eleven.

Speaking of quarterbacks, Cam Newton definitely had something to brag about while in his prime, winning the league MVP award in 2015. While technically a free agent as of this writing, he was known for being as energetic with his words as his mobile playing style. We especially like this clip of him giving then-Buffalo Bills cornerback and former teammate Captain Munnerlyn the business during a joint practice in training camp. Not to mention Bills defensive tackle Ed Oliver. Then there’s this clip of Newton playfully ribbing a referee for his youthful appearance. We just hope that the ref took it all in stride and it didn’t backfire on Newton during important calls.

So far, most of these clips have come when the players were mic’d up and not necessarily directing their trash talk to media outlets. But we couldn’t pass up this infamous encounter with then-Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman. In the NFC Championship Game for the 2013 season, the Seahawks sealed a victory against the San Francisco 49ers when a Sherman tip resulted in an endzone interception. As great as the moment was, it somewhat got overshadowed by Sherman’s celebratory interview, in which he laid into the intended receiver on the play, Michael Crabtree. In a bit of irony, Sherman eventually signed with the 49ers upon being released. But he was public enemy number one in San Francisco for a while there.

Most of these instances of trash talk are momentary barbs, but this one is a full-on bit. In a game back in 1996, the Denver Broncos visited the New England Patriots and put up dozens of points. Confident in the team’s impending victory, Broncos tight end Shannon Sharpe had some fun with Patriots fans. With an important-looking red phone on the sideline, Sharpe pretended to call the president and send in the National Guard because they were “killing the Patriots.” He continually assured fans that “help [was] on the way.” Well, not fast enough for the Patriots, who eventually lost the game 34-8. But if we were Pats fans at that point, we’d probably find it hard not to chuckle at Sharpe’s antics.

Who’s your favorite trash talker in football? Chirp about it in the comments!