Former Patriot has fighting words for longtime AFC rival

Throughout the New England Patriots' history, players have become very loyal to the team, even if they spend much of their careers with other teams. That could particularly be said about guys from the last two decades, who may have seen their most success when on the Patriots roster.

For the most part, it's understandable, especially if they won multiple playoff games or Super Bowls during their time in the AFC East. But it's a bit more fascinating when a player whose tenure wasn't so pleasant appears to still have a Patriots mindset years after their departure.

That description would fit Jonnu Smith to a T, as his arrival during Bill Belichick's spending spree of the 2021 offseason made headlines for weeks. He was one of the hottest free agent tight ends at the time after recording the best season of his career with the Titans the year before.

But the addition of Hunter Henry and a struggle to fully acclimate to the offense led to Smith's inevitable trade to the Falcons in 2023. In Atlanta, he put up the best stats of his career, even better than his best in Tennessee, which brought him to sign with the Dolphins this offseason.

Perhaps that's partially why he seems to have a disdain for the Bills, as he recently shared during an appearance on "The Dive Bar Podcast."

Jonnu Smith is not a fan of the Buffalo Bills or their wings

Smith's appearance on the podcast got many people in New England talking, even more so because of his continued dislike of the Patriots' longtime divisional rival.

He spoke about fans of the Bills sending him a lot of negative comments, stressing his belief it's because they're miserable in Buffalo, and declares it to be the 'worst place you could be in the country.

"That's why the fans be hating so much because they want to be down here [in Miami]. You ever went to Buffalo? Oh, my gosh, man. I don't know how those dudes do it. I don't know how they did it. I don't know how they did it, man. Going from anywhere in the country, man, and going to Buffalo. It got to be the worst place you could be."

To make Bills fans even more upset, Smith added more fuel to the fire by claiming their famous wings are not even good.

"And the Buffalo wings ain't even good. They ain't even good. I'm at Buffalo. I'm at them. All type of shots at Buffalo."

Maybe he's already adopted a Dolphins mindset, or maybe his time with the Patriots still fuels his hatred for the New York team. But it's fun to see a former New England player feel similar to a rival even after leaving the team.

More Patriots coverage: