Tight end Jonnu Smith is already diving headfirst into the rivalry between his Miami Dolphins and the Buffalo Bills, as he took several shots at the city of Buffalo on Thursday.
During an appearance on the Dive Bar Podcast (h/t NewYorkUpstate.com's Ryan Talbot), Smith made his feelings on Buffalo known, calling it "the worst place you could be."
"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."
Smith followed that up with perhaps the most spiteful critique of all by downplaying the quality of Buffalo's signature chicken wings: "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."
The 28-year-old Smith signed a two-year, $8.4 million contract with the Dolphins in free agency this offseason after spending 2023 with the Atlanta Falcons, but he is no stranger to the Bills and the AFC East.
Smith played for the New England Patriots from 2021 to 2022. Buffalo won the AFC East in each of those seasons, posting a 4-1 record against the Pats, including playoffs.
After spending his first four NFL seasons with the Tennessee Titans and showing flashes of brilliance, Smith signed a four-year, $50 million deal with the Patriots prior to the 2021 campaign.
The signing proved to be a bust, as Smith had just 55 catches for 539 yards and one touchdown in two seasons in New England before getting traded to Atlanta for a seventh-round draft pick.
Smith did enjoy a career renaissance with the Falcons last season, though, setting career highs with 50 receptions and 582 yards, while also scoring three touchdowns.
Now, Smith joins a Dolphins team that has made the playoffs in back-to-back years, but has also been under ownership of quarterback Josh Allen and the Bills for the past several seasons.
Allen is 10-2 in 12 career regular-season starts against the Dolphins, and he also has a playoff win over Miami to his credit.
Last season, it seemed as though Buffalo's streak of consecutive AFC East titles was going to end at three, as the Dolphins led the division by three games with five contests left to play.
However, the Bills closed the gap and beat the Dolphins 21-14 on the road in Week 18 to secure their fourth straight division title.
Smith clearly has some bad blood with Buffalo, and it could have something to do with his lack of success against the Bills over the years, as he has recorded just nine receptions for 115 yards and two touchdowns in seven career games against Buffalo, including playoffs.
Smith's first chance to back up his trash talk will come in Week 2 when the Dolphins host the Bills on Sept. 12 on Thursday Night Football.
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