Since it’s a dead time in the NFL and there are only so many times that we can write about the speculation of how the Jacksonville Jaguars might use rookie WR/CB Travis Hunter, let’s take a look at some rivalries for the 2025 NFL season. Since the Jaguars were only established in 1995, most would assume they don’t have any deep-rooted hatred of another team.
Apparently, that isn’t true. Bryan Anthony Davis of Sports Illustrated writes that the animosity between the Jags and AFC South division foes the Tennessee Titans is like “cats vs. dogs.”
“This story of strife began back in 1995, when the expansion Jags joined the Houston Oilers, Pittsburgh Steelers, Cincinnati Bengals, and Cleveland Browns in the old AFC Central,” Davis writes. “Jacksonville started ruffling feathers right away with the 4-12 newcomers beating every division mate except Cincy for those initial victories.
“Something more unheard of occurred during that time as the Head Coach Tom Coughlin’s team won two division titles and earned trips to the AFC Championship Game in their second season in 1996 at New England and then at home in 1999. That loss in Duval was to a newly minted rival, the Tennessee Titans.”
It’s probably tough for the average (or even passionate) fan to understand and believe that an expansion franchise and a team that just realized its current identity in 1999 could possibly have contempt for one another. It’s not like you see a lot of t-shirts that say “I’m a fan of two teams: The Jacksonville Jaguars and anyone playing the Titans!”
Jon Shipley Says the Hatred Is Real
In a recent edition of the Jacksonville Jaguars Insider Podcast, Sports Illustrated beat reporter Jon Shipley said that there is indeed mutual detest between the two teams.
“The Titans are the team that I’d say is probably, when you look at the DNA of the Jaguars, the biggest rival in franchise history,” Shipley said. “They are just two teams that {former Jaguars lineman] Leon Searcy put it best as ‘two teams that hate each other’. The players get brought into the franchise. They get taught the history of the hate between the two teams.”
The history of the two teams? It’s good for the NFL to have new rivalries for sure, but let’s not act like this is the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears. There were never any seasons where the Jaguars had to endure leather helmets and/or clothesline tackles. They were never even allowed to use stickum!
Apparently, Their Fan Bases Hate Each Other Too
It’s understandable that someone would be skeptical about this supposed bitter rivalry given the new nature of the franchises. But, according to Shipley, it’s very real and even the folks in Jacksonville and Nashville can’t stand each other.
“There is no love lost at all between Tennessee and Jacksonville. No love lost between their fan bases, as optimistic as each, particularly the one in Nashville, is every off-season, despite all the signs that tell them not to be,” Shipley said.
It remains to be seen if rookie quarterback and No. 1-overall NFL Draft pick Cam Ward will be able to handle the heat from the raucous social media posters in England. Perhaps he’ll battle with Hunter the cornerback (they were selected back-to-back in the draft) to rekindle a rivalry that really is kind of dead until they both aren’t picking at the top of the draft every year.
Jacksonville Jaguars’ Bitter Rivalry Like ‘Cats vs. Dogs’