The Biggest Betrayals in NFL History

No one likes a betrayal. When you put that word in front of the faces of rabid NFL fans, it begins to take on a life of its own.

NFL betrayals have been around since the dawn of time. We've seen owners, head coaches and players all turn their backs on various franchises, leaving pieces of the puzzle scattered across the tundra.

Looking back at some of the biggest betrayals in NFL history, we were able to settle on eight iconic ones. Here now are those devious acts in the form of revisionist text and imagery.

Art Modell Moves the Cleveland Browns to Baltimore

TED MATHIAS/Associated Press

The city of Cleveland has suffered a lot of damage over the years. Perhaps the worst moment of all was when then-owner Art Modell moved the team to Baltimore in 1996.

Relocating the Browns was a massive undertaking that turned the city upside down. After a tenuous back-and-forth battle, the decision was made to change the Browns to an expansion franchise dubbed the Baltimore Ravens. In the meantime, a deal was struck to allow the Browns to remain in Cleveland after an initial three-year hiatus.

Modell moving the Browns turned out to be an unforgettable betrayal that shook up the sports world.

Bobby Petrino Leaves the Atlanta Falcons

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

When Bobby Petrino came to coach the Atlanta Falcons in 2007, he was rewarded with a five-year deal worth $24 million.

Leaving the college ranks for the pros, Petrino was hired to turn the club's misfortunes around. Unfortunately, this coaching fairytale started to disintegrate.

In the middle of his first year, with a 3-9 record, Petrino abruptly resigned from his duties and took the head-coaching gig at Arkansas. The going got tough and Petrino bailed. He found solace back in the college ranks—albeit for a short period of a time.

The whole timeline leading up to this sudden resignation irked not just Falcons fans, but football fans in general—for additional insight on this, Pete Volk of SB Nation reviewed his entire coaching career in a must-read piece.

In summation, Bobby Petrino bailing on the Falcons was a serious betrayal—one that Falcons fans will never forget.

Brett Favre Joins the Minnesota Vikings

Ann Heisenfelt/Associated Press

Brett Favre running out of an NFL tunnel wearing purple and white still has to be a weird sight to process for fans of the Green Bay Packers.

Favre, the longtime Packers great, left Green Bay in 2008 amid retirement rumors. Rather than walk away, he was dealt to the New York Jets, which set off the "when will Brett retire?" debate.

After a year of fumbling around in a Gang Green uniform, Favre left and signed with the Minnesota Vikings. You know, the same Vikings who are considered to be turbulent rivals with the Packers.

Favre went on to have arguably the best season of his career, completing 68.4 percent of his passes for 4,202 yards, 33 touchdowns and only seven interceptions. Minnesota also went to the NFC Championship Game on Favre's dime.

When your favorite player goes to a rival club, it's tough to be objective. Nostalgic memories are wiped away for no reason at all. Favre underwent this period of purgatory until the Packers retired his jersey earlier this season.

Bill Belichick Leaves the New York Jets

JOHN T. GREILICK/Associated Press

When Bill Belichick resigned as the New York Jets head coach in 1999—a day after he was given the job—it didn't feel like the ultimate betrayal.

It only became magnified when people processed that Coach Belichick bolted for the New England Patriots. That's the place where he has made history. Four Super Bowl titles, a couple of controversies and unleashing a man named Tom Brady on the Jets was all it took to get people's blood boiling like a cast-iron pot chalked full of tea.

New England's success has deemed Belichick public enemy No. 1 in New York, and for good reason. His betrayal is always lurking in a city that never sleeps.

Robert Irsay Moves the Colts to Indianapolis

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The story of Robert Irsay moving his Baltimore Colts to Indianapolis is complicated. It's not anyone's fault, but for those who loved the team, it had to feel like a substantial betrayal.

Phillip B. Wilson of USA Today reminisced about the 1984 move, detailing why and how it went down. In his piece, you get to relive every nook and cranny of that historic decision.

"The Colts left Baltimore because they had a terrible stadium, they weren't drawing crowds and, most importantly, the city of Baltimore and Maryland Legislature sought to take the Colts away from Bob Irsay by using eminent domain," David Frick, former Indianapolis deputy mayor, mentioned.

Where the truth lies is still up for debate—as the article points out. Either way, this move was shocking to the outside NFL community. Good thing it all worked out in the end. Baltimore got the Ravens franchise in 1996 and the Colts eventually went on to achieve great things with Peyton Manning at the helm.

Darrelle Revis Flips Between the Patriots and Jets

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Darrelle Revis earned his mercenary reputation when he first left the New York Jets in 2013.

Jets management decided to trade the franchise's star cornerback to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That turned out to be a difficult transition. Revis played one season in Tampa before he was released. 

What came next was a monumental betrayal. Revis signed a deal with the New England Patriots, shunning Jets fans in the process. The standout corner was excellent in New England, helping the club secure a Super Bowl victory last season.

As hard as that must have been for the Jets' faithful to stomach, Revis did return to his NFL home last offseason, inking a long-term deal with Gang Green.

Despite being back in the fold, Revis winning a Super Bowl ring with the Patriots can still be deemed a betrayal. It's the Pats for football's sake.

Nick Saban Leaves the Miami Dolphins

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Although it wasn't nearly as untamed as Bobby Petrino leaving the Atlanta Falcons mid-season, Nick Saban bailing from the Miami Dolphins clearly needs to be on this list.

Saban was first introduced as the Dolphins head coach back in 2005 after a lengthy, productive stay as LSU's lead man. That initial season under Saban's watch, Miami went 9-7 and looked darn good.

But after a difficult 6-10 campaign the following season, Saban swore that he wouldn't leave the Dolphins. He was in it for the long haul. Until, well, he wasn't.

We all know what went down after those denials. Saban fled the sunny state of Florida and became the head coach at Alabama, scorning the hearts of each and every Dolphins fan in the process.

Eli Manning and the Curious Case of the San Diego Chargers

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It's strange now to go back and think that Eli Manning's NFL draft story was historically confusing.

The days leading up to the 2004 draft were filled with Archie Manning telling the media that his son, Eli, wouldn't suit up for the San Diego Chargers if the team decided to draft him. San Diego's management called Archie's "bluff" and took the youngest Manning No. 1 overall.

It didn't take long for that decision to implode. Chargers management dealt Manning on draft day for another rookie QB, Philip Rivers, and a handful of additional picks.

Luckily the deal worked out for both parties involved. Rivers has become an elite NFL gunslinger and Manning has two Super Bowl victories with the Giants.

Any way you slice it, it was still a betrayal to the city of San Diego. NFL rookies dictating where they'll play shouldn't be considered acceptable behavior.

All stats and information via Pro-Football-Reference.com unless noted otherwise.