The 20 Most Annoying Players in the NFL Today

Even though we love it and literally live for Sundays in the fall, there are quite a few things that annoy us about the National Football League. For example, we can't stand the fact that it feels like the league is fining every single player who makes a big hit during a game these days. Even plays that don’t result in a penalty flag are earning defenders huge fines. Also, we don't understand why defensive players aren't even allowed to breathe on quarterbacks anymore without getting a "roughing the passer" penalty called on them. It's gotten pretty out of hand. But do you know what really grinds our gears when it comes to the NFL? Some of the actual players themselves.

Now, don't it twisted: We're cool with about 99 percent of the guys in the NFL. We truly believe that NFL players are like modern-day gladiators, and we respect the hell out of what they're able to do on the football field. But thanks to things like NFL Sunday Ticket and NFL RedZone, we now get an up-close-and-personal look at just about every single one of our gridiron heroes every single week during the regular season. And there are some guys who, quite frankly, we just can't stand. Some of them play dirty. Others of them frequently underachieve. And the rest? Well, there's just something about them that irks us (can someone please tell Mark Sanchez to get a haircut and shave?!). So with that in mind, these are The 20 Most Annoying Players in the NFL Today. These guys are the only thing that can ruin a Sunday afternoon for us.

RELATED: The 20 Most Annoying Players in NBA History

Years: 2009-Present
Career stats: 12,092 passing yards, 68 passing touchdowns, 71.7 QB rating
Team(s): New York Jets
Annoying highlight: YouTube

Haters haven't been cutting Sanchize much slack lately, and we certainly aren't about to start. But where to begin with the story of Sanchez? The Butt Fumble? The Flinch? Or maybe we could just talk about his countless interceptions, and the general ineptitude that has plagued him for basically all of his career. Sanchez is about as bad as it gets in the league when it comes to quarterbacks, and with a torn labrum sidelining him indefinitely, it looks like the nightmare has finally come to an end for Jets fans.

Of course, they'll probably still be paying for it for the next few years. We still don't know what the franchise was thinking when they gave Sanchez his lucrative, multi-year extension back in 2011. Then we remember that we're talking about the Jets, and that basically anything is on the table when they're concerned.

Years: 2008-Present
Career stats: 7,054 rushing yards, 4.7 yards rushing average, 44 rushing touchdowns
Team(s): Tennessee Titans
Annoying highlight: NFL.com

Few players in the history of the league have ever been more frustrating from a fantasy perspective than Titans running back, Chris Johnson. After breaking 2,000 yards in 2009, expectations were, and have always been, sky high for the Tennessee speedster. However, since that magical season, he's never managed to come close to those same numbers, and has been one of the NFL's most consistent disappointments.

Still, Johnson always maintains that he's one of the best running backs in the league, and even said in August of last year that he believed that he could beat world-champion sprinter, Usain Bolt, in a foot race. Maybe you should concentrate on breaking 1,500 yards again instead, Chris, or else it won't be long before people start calling your career year a fluke.

Years: 2011-Present
Career stats: 8,274 passing yards, 1,500 rushing yards, 65 total touchdowns
Team(s): Carolina Panthers
Annoying highlight: YouTube

What's annoying about the Panthers QB, Cam Newton, is that he's failed to deliver on all the promise and potential that we saw from him during his Rookie of the Year campaign back in 2011. In his sophomore campaign, Newton declined in nearly every statistical category, and with Carolina off to an 0-2 start this year, things don't appear to be getting much better for the former No. 1 overall pick. There should be a lot of things to like about Newton too. The kid has a cannon for an arm, the body of a linebacker, and the speed to take off when the pocket collapses. Until he figures out how to translate those skills into the win column, though, the only defenders that he'll be giving headaches to are his fans.

Years: 2007-Present
Career stats: 300 tackles, 31 pass deflections, 13 interceptions
Team(s): New England Patriots, Chicago Bears, Washington Redskins
Annoying highlight: YouTube

Brandon Meriweather's bad reputation goes back to his days at the University of Miami, when he played a large role in the Miami-FIU brawl that occurred during their game in 2006. Since then, Meriweather hasn't done much to dispel the notion that he's a cheap player, having been penalized and disciplined for a number of illegal plays over his six year career. The Redskins safety has amassed over $100,000 in fines during his time in the league, and recently added to his tab with a $42K slap on the wrist. That's nothing to sneeze at, Brandon. Better watch yourself, otherwise you're going to be getting charged that Ndakumong Suh money soon.

Years: 2009-Present
Career stats: 146 receptions, 2,354 receiving yards, 19 receiving touchdowns
Team(s): Tennessee Titans
Annoying highlight: YouTube

Tennessee Titans wide receiver Kenny Britt has a pretty pedestrian game but, for whatever reason, a superstar ego to go along with it. Let's run through some of the boneheaded moves that Britt has pulled during his five season career with Tennessee: He threatened retirement, and cursed at Roger Goodell over Facebook (and then copped out by trying to claim that his account had been hacked), got pulled over for a DUI back in 2012, and then tweeted this week that he'd be leaving Tennessee after the season ended due to his disatisfaction with the team. Kenny Britt is out of his mind.

Years: 2008-Present
Career stats: 2,470 rushing yards, 4.1 yard rushing average, 24 total touchdowns
Team(s): Denver Broncos, Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Annoying highlight: NFL.com

Peyton Hillis deserves to make this list solely on the strength of him being the most unappealing Madden cover athlete of all time. After winning a fan vote in 2011 to earn the cover nod, Cleveland fans rejoiced for their success in campaigning for the then-Browns running back to make it onto Madden. However, the rest of the nation just scratched their heads and asked, "Peyton who?" Hillis wasn't able to capitalize on his shot at becoming a household name either. The former Cleveland rusher only mustered 587 yards that season, and was let go by the Browns at the year's end. After a non-descript year with the Chiefs in 2012, Hillis now finds himself on the Buccaneers, still as boring as ever.

Years: 2011-Present
Career stats: 119 tackles, 4 forced fumbles, 13 interceptions
Team(s): Seattle Seahawks
Annoying highlight: YouTube

The Seattle Seahawks are a brash, upstart team with a lot of personality and, for better or for worse, that attitude often starts with their star cornerback, Richard Sherman. A talented, but talkative, defensive back out of Stanford, Sherman has only played two full seasons in the league, but has wasted no time in establishing himself as one of its biggest mouths. Whether it's because he was taunting Tom Brady, talking trash to Calvin Johnson, or getting into arguments with ESPN analyst Skip Bayless, Sherman clearly just doesn't know when to shut up. Of course, his play has only backed up that talk so far. For his sake, he better hope that he can keep it up.

Years: 2008-Present
Career stats: 18,206 passing yards, 105 touchdowns, 86.0 QB rating
Team(s): Baltimore Ravens
Annoying highlight: YouTube

It's not like we have a problem with seeing Joe Flacco succeed, but the fact that a quarterback as boring as him is one of the highest paid signal-callers in NFL history just rubs us the wrong way for some reason. Yes, he was electric during last season's Super Bowl run, but what else can you really say about this guy that's at all appealing? For example, just look at his t-shirt line. Is there anything even remotely interesting about those shirts? They're so dull it hurts. At this point, it almost seems like Flacco is just playing up the boring angle as much as he can and trolling all of us.

Years: 2002-Present
Career stats: 617 tackles, 64 sacks, 5 interceptions, 29 forced fumbles
Team(s): Pittsburgh Steelers, Cincinnati Bengals
Annoying highlight: YouTube

If James Harrison wasn't such a cheap-shot artist, maybe people would be able to appreciate just how far the Cincinnati Bengals linebacker has come since his early days in the league. After failing to catch on with the Steelers during his first stint with the team in 2002, Harrison played in NFL Europe (remember that?) and with the division rival Baltimore Ravens before he got another shot in Pittsburgh in 2004. From there, the rest is history.

Harrison has had a long, storied career with the Steelers, but, unfortunately, has also gained something of a reputation for both his questionable style of play and his criticisms of commissioner Roger Goodell. If the guy could learn to shut his mouth and play the right way, then he likely wouldn't find himself to be a target of such frequent criticism. As is, though, Harrison will likely go down as one of the dirtiest players of his era.

Years: 2006-Present
Career stats: 584 tackles, 9 sacks, 9 interceptions
Team(s): Kansas City Chiefs, Houston Texans, Baltimore Ravens, Tennessee Titans
Annoying highlight: YouTube

This is a no-brainer for Patriots fans. Throughout his playing career, Tennessee strong safety, Bernard Pollard, has become notorious for giving New England's roster nightmares, starting with the vicious knee injury he dealt to quarterback Tom Brady in 2008. On top of that, Pollard has gained a reputation for his dirty style of play, outspokenness, and general unwillingness to tone down his antics. Most recently, Pollard was fined $42K by the league for his helmet-to-helmet blow on Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson. Dude, are you ever going to learn?

Years: 2004-Present
Career stats: 32,339 passing yards, 216 touchdowns, 82.6 QB rating
Team(s): New York Giants
Annoying highlight: YouTube

A lot of people have disliked Peyton's younger brother ever since he forced the Chargers to trade him to the Giants back in 2004. But that's not why we find him annoying. Rather, we can't stand the way that Manning reacts to anything negative that takes place on the football field. He turns the ball over a little too often in the first place. And then he always manages to compound every turnover by giving us the same dopey "Uhhhh, Did I just do that?!" look every time he does it (he's done it so often that it's now known as the "Eli Face").

Whether you like the Giants or not, you know that look and you hate it. We don't expect him to smile or anything after he throws a pick. But couldn't he pick a different expression to use? Any expression but that one, please.

Years: 2008-Present
Career stats: 5,082 receiving yards, 290 receptions, 25 touchdowns
Team(s): Philadelphia Eagles
Annoying highlight: YouTube

Just two weeks into the 2013-14 NFL season, it's clear that Jackson is going to be a problem for NFL defenses this year. In Eagles coach Chip Kelly's new offense, Jackson is thriving and scoring a lot of touchdowns. And that annoys us to no end because, every time Jackson scores a touchdown, he acts like it's the first time he's ever done it. He dances, he runs around like a jackass, and he pisses off opponents who just got burned by him for long TD passes. It's infuriating if you're not a fan of the Eagles. Hey, D-Jax, when you score, ACT LIKE YOU'VE DONE IT BEFORE! Just hand the ball to the ref and keep it moving.

Years: 2007-Present
Career stats: 292 tackles, 3 sacks, 14 interceptions
Team(s): San Francisco 49ers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Annoying highlight: YouTube

If we had created this list two weeks ago, there's a pretty good chance that Goldson wouldn't even be on it. So why is he so high on it now? Well, for starters, he's somehow managed to turn himself into one of the dirtiest players in the league in just two games with the Buccaneers. In Week 1 of this season, he got hit with a $30,000 fine after a devastating hit on Jets tight end Jeff Cumberland. And in Week 2, he collected a $100,000 fine for a hit he put on Darren Sproles.

However, the larger issue here is that Goldson doesn't seem to understand that he's turning into one of the dirtiest players in the league right now—and that might turn into a problem for him. "I can't go out there and play timid," he said last week after the NFL fined him $100K to try and teach him a lesson. "I know I'm not a dirty player." Um, as of this week, yes, you are. So accept it and change it, or else...

Years: 2006-Present
Career stats: 21,850 passing yards, 141 touchdowns, 84.3 QB rating
Team(s): Denver Broncos, Chicago Bears
Annoying highlight: YouTube

Cutler is a crybaby, plain and simple. Whenever things don't go his way—he throws a pick, his running back fumbles, his offensive lineman misses an assignment—he walks over to the sideline with a puss on his face and whines. And when he's not doing that, he's yelling at his wide receivers, running backs, and offensive lineman for doing something to cause him to be sad. It's an annoying habit that he has, and it's a habit that's probably not going to go away anytime soon since he's been doing it his entire career. The only reason he's slightly less annoying than some other NFL quarterbacks on this list is that his piss-poor attitude inspired the amazing Smokin' Jay Cutler. But still, this guy continues to drive us nuts week in and week out.

Years: 2005-Present
Career stats: 96 games played
Team(s): St. Louis Rams, Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins
Annoying highlight: YouTube

Incognito is a defensive lineman's worst nightmare. We have absolutely no idea what he does at the bottom of piles, but this guy has made a habit out of getting defensive players so worked up that they go crazy and end up committing personal fouls. He's also known for picking up unnecessary roughness penalties on his own and for giving the "Who me?" look whenever he gets caught doing anything wrong. Yes, you, dude. You are annoying and you know it.

Years: 2000-Present
Career stats: 45,279 passing yards, 337 touchdowns, 96.3 QB rating
Team(s): New England Patriots
Annoying highlight: YouTube

At the beginning of his career, everybody loved Brady. He was the sixth-round draft pick who defied the odds, made the Patriots roster, and then somehow managed to lead New England to a Super Bowl. But his success brought him tons of haters, and we're not afraid to admit that we are right there amongst them. We appreciate how good he is on the football field, and we're still amazed by what he's been able to do in his life off it (One word: Gisele!).

But he has spent so much time hanging out with Bill Belichick in recent years that we can't stand to hear him talk about, well, anything anymore. Remember when Brady used to smile and look like he was actually having fun playing football? Yeah, neither do we. The old Brady wasn't annoying. But this new one definitely is.

Years: 2006-Present
Career stats: 480 tackles, 7 sacks, 17 interceptions
Team(s): Tennessee Titans, St. Louis Rams
Annoying highlight: YouTube

A lot of the guys who appear on this list annoy us but don't necessarily annoy other NFL players. Finnegan is one of the rare guys who manages to do both. He's earned a rep around the NFL for talking trash and saying and doing just about anything to opposing wide receivers in order to get a reaction out of them. And it's worked time and time again (outside of the fight he caused with Andre Johnson, which is highlighted in the "Annoying Highlight" above, who can forget when he pissed Redskins receiver Josh Morgan off and changed the ending of a game last year?). To be fair to Finnegan, we understand why he's so annoying—it's one of the main reasons he's been so successful in the league. But still, we wish he would tone it down a little. We would rather hear about him making a great play than hear about him inciting another riot on the football field.

Years: 2003-Present
Career stats: 26,298 passing yards, 180 touchdowns, 95.6 QB rating
Team(s): Dallas Cowboys
Annoying highlight: YouTube

Romo is a talented dude. Even though a lot of us here at Complex don't really mess with the Cowboys, there's no denying that their quarterback is good. Pro Bowl good even. But he's got two things working against him that automatically earned him a spot on this list: One, for as highly touted as he is, he's done absolutely nothing in the playoffs during his NFL career. And two, because he's the quarterback of the Cowboys, the spotlight is always on him when he's off the football field. So despite his shortcomings on the field, we're subjected to news about Tony Romo 24/7/365 and it's worn on us over time. It's annoying, to say the absolute least.

Years: 2010-Present
Career stats: 103 tackles, 22 sacks, 1 interception
Team(s): Detroit Lions
Annoying highlight: YouTube

We love the fact that Suh plays hard on every single possession. We love that he literally wants to kill the quarterback every time the ball is snapped. We even love that he has an "I don't give a fuck!" approach to dealing with the league office. But the guy has to learn how to keep his emotions in check and stop doing things that are downright dirty on the football field. Sacking the quarterback is okay; kicking him in the nuts is not! Likewise, he has to start realizing that the league is watching him on every play and act accordingly. We're tired of hearing about this guy picking up a fine every few weeks for doing something silly.

Years: 2004-Present
Career stats: 28,505 passing yards, 196 touchdowns, 95.0 QB rating
Team(s): San Diego Chargers
Annoying highlight: YouTube

Rivers isn't the most annoying player in the NFL because he has thrown almost 100 interceptions in his 10-year NFL career. He's also not the most annoying player in the NFL because he has taken over 200 sacks in his career. No, Rivers is the most annoying player in the NFL because, despite his own personal shortcomings, he's always quick to blame someone else whenever something goes wrong. Just look at him the next time the Chargers turn the ball over. You'll never see him hit his receiver with a "My bad!" Instead, he'll look at him like, "What the fuck were you doing on that route?!"

You'll never see him help one of his offensive lineman up off the ground. But he will chew him out for allowing his man to come in for a sack. Bottom line: Rivers rarely holds himself accountable for anything that goes wrong on the football field, at least from where we're sitting, and he's supposed to be the leader of the team. There's nothing more annoying than that.