There are no good villains left in the NFL. With Brady gone, who else is there that’s fun to hate AND can instill the kind of fear in a fan that no matter the lead, no matter how little time there is on the clock, your team can still get fleeced by the bad man?

There are plenty of players that fit into only one of these categories. Deshaun Watson is allegedly a despicable human being, and yet when he returned to play, he looked like liquid garbage. As a fan he’s fun to hate, but can’t threaten you on the field.

Patrick Mahomes has the kind of talent and history to really spook the opposing fanbase, but the man is too likeable to enjoy rooting against when he’s not playing your team. Even as a Broncos fan I was rooting for him to beat the Eagles in the Super Bowl. Josh Allen is similarly likeable, and his team’s inability to close the deal in big momentsakes him more of an underdog who is fun to root for than a powerhouse we all want to see fail.

Aaron Rodgers used to be scary and hateable before he became the face of alternative medicine. It doesn’t help that his last superman level performance is in the rear view mirror by a couple seasons. He’s more of a sad clown than a Boogeyman nowadays, and if he goes to the Jets that’ll be compounded even further.

The other classic villain, Bill Belichick, has been hamstrung by a poor roster and lack of offensive identity, to the point where it’s almost sad to watch the Pats these days. Almost. The defense is as sharp as ever but without an offense to complement it, their games lack the star power and pizzazz to strike fear in anyone.

Today’s fresh villains seem to be the team medical staffs. The scandals and retired player stories about mistreatment have provided ample fuel for the fan hatred engine, but similar to their counterpart Roger Goodell, they can’t be hated on the field, only in headlines.

That leaves us with only one viable candidate: the refs. They’re all powerful, can change the game at any time, and are a constant evil force both on the field and in the news. It’s sad to say that no player can match the villain power level of Tom Brady, but the refs can at least play the heel until we receive a new dark lord to hate and fear.