The New York Jets are set to face off against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 1 of 2025. It's a highly anticipated matchup, with Aaron Rodgers playing his first game against the Jets after his controversial fallout with head coach Aaron Glenn. On the other side, Jets quarterback Justin Fields will be facing off against his former squad that benched him after a 4-2 start.
Now, star Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner is stirring the pot a little bit. Gardner flirted with the idea of messing with the infamous Terrible Towel in Week 1.
"I don't know. Pittsburgh, you get a little in the trenches in there," Gardner said when asked about possibly messing with the Terrible Towel. "I might have to tread lightly, but we play (in New York). We on home court. I don't know, I've got to think about it."
The Steelers' Terrible Towel has a long, cursed history for opponents in the NFL.
Before a playoff game against the Cleveland Browns in 1994, Steelers defensive tackle Brenton Buckner dropped one such towel during player introductions. Browns running back Earnest Byner wasted no time, stepping on the towel and yelling "We don't care about your towel. We're going to beat you this time." Spoiler alert: The Steelers mopped the floor with the Browns, winning 29-9.
Cincinnati Bengals' wideout T.J. Houshmandzadeh wiped his feet on the towel after scoring a touchdown in a 2005 regular season game. The Steelers came back to defeat Cincinnati 31-17 in the playoffs, en route to a Super Bowl XL victory, igniting a five-year playoff drought for the Bengals.
Before a 2008 matchup at Heinz Field, Ravens receiver Derrick Mason stomped on a Terrible Towel. The Ravens dropped all three of their matchups against the Steelers that year, including the 2008 AFC Championship game.
In 2009, at a public sendoff in Phoenix before the Arizona Cardinals headed off for Super Bowl XLIII, Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon pulled out a towel and called over Cardinals' mascot Big Red to the stage. Big Red used the towel to wipe his armpits, and Gordon blew his nose in the towel. The Steelers would go on to beat the Cardinals in the Super Bowl 27-23.
Most recently, in 2023, Jacksonville Jaguars safety Andrew Winged picked off a pass and proceeded to grab Terrible Towels with his teammates, waiving them around and mocking Steelers fans. At that point in the season, the Jaguars looked like favorites to win the division. Instead, Jacksonville completely collapsed and missed the playoffs. The Jaguars are 7-19 since.
So for Gardner, who plays for the most cursed franchise in the NFL, maybe stay away from the towel.