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The Greatest Villain In the History of All 32 NFL Teams

By Erik Lambert

of the New York Jets of the Dallas Cowboys at Texas Stadium on November 22, 2007 in Irving, Texas
of the New York Jets of the Dallas Cowboys at Texas Stadium on November 22, 2007 in Irving, Texas /
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TAMPA, FL – FEBRUARY 01: James Harrison #92 of the Pittsburgh Steelers returns an interception 100-yards for a touchdown in the second quarter against the Arizona Cardinals during Super Bowl XLIII on February 1, 2009 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
TAMPA, FL – FEBRUARY 01: James Harrison #92 of the Pittsburgh Steelers returns an interception 100-yards for a touchdown in the second quarter against the Arizona Cardinals during Super Bowl XLIII on February 1, 2009 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

One thing all NFL teams share in common with each other? At some point or another in their existence, they’ve come into contact with a true villain.

The dictionary describes a villain as “the person or thing responsible for specified trouble, harm, or damage.” They don’t necessarily have to be evil, though some seem to relish that role, they all do share the common trait of inflicting suffering on a franchise and its fans. Sometimes it’s a player. Others it’s a coach. In some cases, it might even be an owner.

One thing is clear. They’re universally hated for what they did on or off the football field. So who were the greatest villains in the history of each franchise? Rest assured there were loads of qualified candidates that took serious research to sift through. In the end, every team has a guy and each guy was quite good at living up to his villainous status.

Get ready for a trip down memory lane. Try to avoid any PTSD along the way.

Arizona Cardinals

32. . OLB. Pittsburgh Steelers. James Harrison . 1. player

Is it possible for one play to make a man the greatest villain in franchise history? Given the magnitude of that play and that moment, the answer can be yes for James Harrison. The Arizona Cardinals were in their first Super Bowl in 2008. They had a chance to take the lead going into the second half, grabbing all sorts of momentum in the process.

Then James Harrison ruined everything.

The outside linebacker intercepted Kurt Warner at the goal line and proceeded to run it back for a 100-yard touchdown return. It was arguably the most gigantic swing of fortunes in Super Bowl history. Pittsburgh took a 20-7 lead into the half and though the Cardinals managed to battle back and take the lead, it wasn’t enough as the Steelers put it out of reach with one last touchdown.

Just for good measure though, to cement his villain status, Harrison delivered a big sack seven years later in 2015 to help Pittsburgh beat the Cardinals again. One of just three regular season losses they’d suffer that season.

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