How does it feel when you prove someone wrong who doubted you? How about when some bozo doesn’t take your advice, and you were proved right?! Do you gloat a little when you see an ex has a little misfortune or finds someone who can’t measure up to you…

Are you Mr. Highroad? Please, I know you’ve felt satisfaction in seeing a showboating athlete get dominated. C’mon, swing that leg down from the high horse bud. One of the great poets of our generation once said, “revenge is like the sweetest joy, next to getting cookies!” (or something like that from Mr. Shakur).

Maybe you’re one of those that is cringing at the above level of pettiness… please, spare us all don’t act like you don’t think a little thing called KARMA makes the world a better and more fair place!

We know you like it revel in it for a hot second. Let the tiniest of smirks slowly creep across your lips for three beats. Apparently, some of you agree.

The matchups below are no mere “player faces his former team”… OHHH NO!! We need better than that. MUCH better.

The Harbaugh Bowl doesn’t cut it. That’s going to be a brotherly love fest. Rams against Lions will not make this list. Stafford and Detroit have respect for each other. I can’t say the same for Goff, but it doesn’t scratch that itch quite enough.

Even after some of these players get paid a king’s ransom, a few will be driven by the powerful thirst for revenge.

These games are the ones packed with the most acrimony, and each figure will have malice in their hearts when they get a chance to enact some long-awaited vengeance on gameday.

Remember Baltimore Steve Smith Sr. promising blood and guts, then eviscerating the team that gave up on him, in the Panthers? One of the most dramatic revenge games I’ve ever seen was Seattle and the 12’s vs. Broncos QB, Russell Wilson. The DJ was playing an all-Future playlist before the game all to get in the head of a player that forced his way out, complaining about teammates, head coach, general manager, and trying to get the latter two fired.

There were many candidates for this list… but as I said, only the most toxic will do

10. Bears, D’Andre Swift @ Lions, David Montgomery (Week 13) – This man Swift chose Chicago so he could tear the Lions a NEW ONE for not letting him join the Detroit ascent, after all he sacrificed! Let’s not forget that Montgomery always looks angry, and his successor in Chicago (Khalil Herbert) has not lived up to his contributions. These two are in position to deliver some literal body blows to their former employers.

9. Texans vs. Titans (Week 12) – The Titans sure riled up the division rival Texans last year by wearing the Oilers throwbacks. Controversial because Tennessee owns the rights to the Houston throwbacks due to the move. (That’s terrible. I’m so relieved that Seattle retained the rights to the Sonics’ team colors, logo and history). You think owner, Cal McNair is just itching to use the new baby blue accent jerseys against Amy Adams Strunk’s team?

8. 49ers, K.J. Wright @ Seahawks (Week 6) – Our beloved legend, Kenneth Bernard Wright Jr. accepted a job with the hated Niners when the Seahawks declined to hire him. He said, this isn’t some revenge thing… yes, it is K.J. we can see right through the high-road talk so go on and try to prove what you need to prove big fella. May the Niners do terribly as a team (so Seattle can avenge a season sweep last year), but Wright’s coaching job allow him to get hired in a few years as a coach for SEATTLE (where he belongs).

7. Seahawks, Geno Smith / Leonard Williams / Tariq Woolen vs. Jets, D.J. Reed / Sauce Gardner (Week 13) – Geno and Williams both face former teams that got rid of them, while D.J. Reed is in the very same position on the other side. He absolutely is out to prove something against the Seahawks each and every time out. Meanwhile, the real battle may be centered around the ongoing debate about if Riq the Freak should’ve won DROY over Sauce after the 2022 season. There’s probably also still a little residual hate for the Hawks in the heart of Aaron Rodgers, marinating from his epic battles with the L.O.B. when he was with the Packers.

6. Chiefs, Hollywood Brown vs. Ravens (Week 1) – The very first game of the season is going to hit like processed sugar at an 8-year old’s birthday party. Baltimore was having a magical season, with DC, Mike Macdonald leading the top defense in the league, and Lamar tearing it up on offense to win a 2nd MVP title. The Chiefs knocked them off in an upset in the AFC ‘ship, and Kansas City went on to win the title that matters most: a Lombardi trophy Brown is happy about his escape from Baltimore, but the Ravens now have a Derrick Henry.

5. Chiefs @ 49ers (Week 7) – The team in Santa Clara lost two Super Bowls in four years to the same team… Youch! This includes the first ever Super Bowl to go to OT, just 3 months ago! Talk about heartbreak. This is a new season, and a chance to get up off the mat and exorcise some demons.

4. Lions @ 49ers (Week 17) – The Lions get to face the team that killed the wave of feverish, boundless optimism in Detroit. It was a bitter defeat at the hands of the 49ers after Detroit took a 24-7 lead in an NFC Championship game that had them dreaming of the Super Bowl (a place no Lions has ever been). You should’ve heard the crowd at the draft whenever any Niner stepped to the mic Yeah there’s some scorn in there.

3. Texans, Stefon Diggs @ Vikings (Week 3), vs. Bills (Week 5) – Here’s a 2-for-1 deal for ya’ll! Diggs may have had falling outs with two teams in his career, being traded twice despite his incredible talents. He may still have feelings about Minnesota, but his most recent exit from Buffalo might still be hurting. Look for him to come out with some competitive fire.

2. Eagles, Saquon Barkley @ Giants (Week 7) – Barkley heads back to Pennsylvania by joining a division rival, and everyone (including Tiki Barber) had something to say about it. It all felt a little personal, especially after the Giants repeatedly refused to pay him, choosing instead to pay one Daniel Jones. Saquon’s daughter dealt the most crushing blow, by saying, “Daddy, does this mean we are gonna win now?” HOO BOY, this is gonna get New York fans’ (assuredly the most reasonable fan base… right?) blood boiling.

1. Steelers, Russell Wilson @ Broncos (Week 2) – Now THIS is what we’re talking about people! Denver is deciding to pay Wilson $85M to not play for them, after trading the aforementioned king’s ransom, then subsequently casting him aside like trash. You know Russell will be motivated to show that he isn’t washed, and most of all to save his legacy. Sean Payton embarrassed and wrested control of the organization from RW3. This will be a fascinating game, and possibly one of the most memorable of the season.

Honorable Mention:
Vikings, Dallas Turner & J.J. McCarthy vs. Falcons, Cousins (Week 14) – Look, these are rookies, so they may not have a whole lot of spite in their hearts yet. But how about a chip on the shoulder? Turner was widely being mocked as the pass rusher (and defender, in general) off the board in the 2024 NFL Draft… but he watched as a record, 14 consecutive offensive players were selected. Then a different dude was taken by the Colts at 15. McCarthy may have something to prove for all who doubted him, desiring to get in on the action against a team who surprisingly took Michael Penix Jr. at QB. Of course, Captain Kirk will be motivated to show the Vikings that they should’ve given him a deal that would’ve kept him in purple.

I fully recommend travelling to and attending an NFL draft in a new city to anyone that enjoys football and the drama, comradery and fandom that comes with it. Or if you just enjoy the adventure of exploring a new city that you would otherwise maybe not visit. If you love both, go to one! It is quite the experience.

Some of the random happenings that my friend Tim and I encountered:

• In our ever-present side quest to find the city’s best BBQ, we found ourselves taking many a post-meal walk to regain our mobility and breathing functions. We once turned a corner searching for a corner mart and found ourselves in a very obvious and proud Latino neighborhood in Kansas City, Kansas — across the state line. A random store clerk popped out of nowhere while we stocked up on water, just so he could talk that trash to us while we were clad in our Seahawk colors. Guess we’re in Kansas now, Toto!

• Towards the middle of the first round, we decided to leave the throng of the actual draft area to watch the rest at a local watering hole. As we saddled up at a local margarita restaurant in Kansas City, Missouri more and more people started filling the place to the brim with noise and color. See below for one of the characters I met (I will finish the story below)…

• …At this point I’m people watching but also draft watching. All of a sudden, a man with a tiny yellow shopping cart full of ice bags bursts in. He yells some inaudible female name. The bartender swings into the picture, wearing a shirt clearly intended to show off her unreasonable proportions. The small-cart-pushing hombre starts tossing bags into the air, and she is catching the bags with one hand with no hesitation, even between the nervous heads of people sitting at the bar. As soon as he threw the last bag, almost on cue, a train outside blared its horn HELLA loud. It was an unbelievably zany moment in time that I could barely keep up with and process while trying to compare my mock draft to the real results.

• The reactions to my buddy Tim as we walked around were gold. He’s a crazy tall Nigerian man with a friendly smile, and a face that never conceals his emotions. I once pointed us to the wrong entrance of the draft, and I had both of us walking, huffing and puffing in silence. When we finally stop at the top of a god-forsaken hill, a girl looked at him and said, “ohhh you look tiiiired” he and I just busted up laughing. A change of pace after a slightly tense search for how to get into the actual draft. Another time someone called out to him repeatedly with clenched hands, yelling and calling him Geno over and over… but tell me why Tim took offense to this one the confidence of this man to take offense to being compared to an NFL quarterback!

• Tim stole a guy’s bird ride after the guy almost took Tim’s bird scooter before he could reserve it. I will not be elaborating, but let’s just say I took the other guy’s side. Maybe I feel a little bad… not bad enough to not laugh about it.

• Speaking of scooting, we unwittingly met Paris Johnson Jr. and his family while buzzed-birding (TM) downtown. I did make a proclamation to him and his family as we passed: “We’re division rivals, but I’ll say congratulations only tonight”! They laughed and when they realized we were Seahawks fans they reminded us that our squad drafted his former college teammate: Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Excited to see that boy do his thing.

• We attended a music festival called Kelce Jam Headlined by Rick Ross, Tech N9ne and MGK. This was a little way outside of downtown and overrun with KC Chiefs fans. We met a drunk dude who was ON ONE and wouldn’t stop talking to us during the concert, with his gf that was f***ing over it lol. We left them to get closer to the stage, then met another faded individual with whom Tim accidentally almost facilitated a fight between him and the security guard. He kept calling the guard soft for doing his job lolllll. Then, out of nowhere, the first drunk talker (you know the type) materialized and found us again to offer us some of his hand rolled joint. Our two rowdy and slightly annoyingly social ravers met and started belligerently yelling ideas at each other. These two dudes were the perfect counterbalance to each other!! we didn’t have to worry anymore as we looked at each other laughing with the same thought as we slowly slipped back into the crowd.

• While standing in line at another place that sold us ridiculously flavorful burnt ends we met family friends of Kentucky QB (and eventual 2nd-round pick), Will Levis. This father-son duo were actually sporting Patriots jerseys and had spent thousands on VIP passes close to the stage to see him get drafted. When he wasn’t taken in the 1st-round, he left Kansas City to go back home instead of sticking around. The family friends were very disappointed in that decision.

• I did make my way to a few jazz lounges while in KC, but sadly, I did not find Will Ferrell in any of them…

• I absolutely dominated this group of frat bros in Super Smash Brothers at this poppin’ downtown bar. Yes, this bar had a Nintendo 64 set up on a projector. I’m happy to report that there are some things that Gen-Z still can’t touch us in, my fellow millennials!! I was Star Fox so call it what you want… I called game. They eventually asked the bartender to switch to Mario Kart.

• My overwhelming takeaway was that EVERYBODY, no matter what background, had a pure excitement to enjoy the time there, interact and share knowledge/laughs/predictions. It felt like a lot of the social walls we are used to in our society evaporated there, being replaced by the jubilation of schoolkids on a field trip. Or of college kids on campus for the first time; ready to meet anyone and try anything new with a smile. It’s one of those events that remind you that sports unites a lot of different kinds of people.

This was my 3rd consecutive year traveling to the NFL draft. I had a blast. The draft in Cleveland showed off the large and loyal Browns fan contingent. I didn’t see as heavy of a favoring of Raiders jerseys when I went to the draft in Vegas. In Kansas City, the flood of red jerseys all around town, along with all the good vibes those fans gave us had me realized that we really might be in the height of Chiefs fandom in America.

We may be witnessing the birth of a legitimate Chiefs dynasty. It was iffy before, but c’mon. Two titles, while appearing in 3 Super Bowls in a 4-year span. They have been to the AFC ‘ship 4 years in a row. Patrick Mahomes has the impregnable accolades. It will be fascinating to see how long their reign lasts when compared to other dynasties (the most recent being in New England).

The Seahawks were on the verge of one with the Re-Pete back-to-back titles; which was nullified by a highly improbable and notorious interception on the 2-yard line that is still painful to think about. KC did what Seattle could not. It now seems that Mahomes is chasing Brady in a similar fashion to the way that LeBron has chased MJ his entire career. Let’s appreciate the unique talent and the dawn of a new power in the NFL.

With 2 MVP’s, 2 NFL Titles and 2 Super Bowl MVP’s, Patrick has a resume that rivals many of the QB greats already. The Chiefs will need to earn it moving forward, as the NFL’s crucible (salary cap, free agency, the draft, staff hirings) seeks to level the playing field each and every offseason. Joe Burrow and The Bengals may be Manning’s Colts as rival to Mahomes’ Patriots impression. That would make Josh Allen’s Bills the Roethlisberger-era Steelers. Count on Smith’s Seahawks to play the part of Eli Manning’s Giants in February 2025

Football came back, and that was great. CEH was a playmaker… but the above tweet perfectly encapsulates my biggest takeaway from watching the start of the NFL season between the the Chiefs and the Texans. The hyper-aggressive lack of empathy was disgusting to see, to say the least. Our country is broken to the point where people are booing a moment of unity between different teams and different races. We must keep pushing for change, and the strengthening of our communities.

I feel lucky that we have such an intelligent, talented and empathetic coach in Pete Carroll who supports and advocates for the things that impact his players’ lives. Among so many prepared statements by other heads of organizations, Pete’s words come across incredibly genuine and humble. Can’t wait to see the squad get down on Sunday!