The offseason doesn't mean there's been a thawing of tensions in the AFC East.
Bills offensive tackle Dion Dawkins, who was involved in a postgame altercation the last time Buffalo played the New York Jets in November, recently made it clear there's still no love lost between the rivals.
"I hate them. All of them, bro," Dawkins said last week during a shirtless interview on VladTV. "When it comes to sports, right, there's people that play the sport because they love the sport, and then there's people that play the sport just to try to be cool. I feel like they play the sport to try to be cool. Like, those are a bunch of dudes that just want to take pictures on Instagram. That's whack."
There's decades of history to pull from to contribute to any brewing hate fest between the Bills and Jets.
For Dawkins, a three-time Pro Bowler who has spent all seven of his NFL seasons facing off against Gang Green with Buffalo, his inspiration stems from the Week 11 meeting in which the Bills defeated the Jets, 32-6.
"Weirdos being weird." Dawkins explained when asked what happened to cause a scene in the tunnel at the end of the contest. "I don't even want to give the man no credit talking about him. But number 72. Michael Clemons. B---- boy."
According to Dawkins, the Jets defensive end came over to Buffalo's sideline during the second half before pointing and yelling obscenities at multiple players.
As Josh Allen's blindside protector, Dawkins naturally drew the line at coming after his quarterback.
"First of all, why are you talking to my quarterback? Don't talk to my quarterback," Dawkins said. "Stay over there. Don't say nothing to none of my guys. Just stay over there, son. Don't talk to 17. I'm really serious about that. Don't talk to him. Don't say nothing to him at all, right?"
Three minutes into the fourth quarter, Dawkins made his discontent known by blocking Clemons to the ground before -- by his own admission -- "belly flopping" on his adversary.
Dawkins would draw an eventual fine for unnecessary roughness on the play, and it contributed to a chippy fourth quarter that resulted in teammates needing to separate the two in the tunnel following the game.
The incident still clearly burns for Dawkins, although he withheld his ire from a select few, such as New York's two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle, Quinnen Williams.
"Quinnen Williams, solid. I respect the dude," said Dawkins, who also voiced his respect for former Jets head coach Todd Bowles and Jets defensive assistant Ryan Davis.
"But the rest of them? Don't care. I don't like you," he added.
The Bills and Jets split their season series in 2023, but Dawkins is still talking his trash from a power position.
Buffalo has won the AFC East for four straight years, while the Jets' disappointing third-place finish in 2023 was still their best since 2019 -- a far cry from expectations when quarterback Aaron Rodgers initially came to town.
Rodgers, who tore his Achilles four snaps into the season during New York's shocking Week 1 upset over the Bills, will be back to reignite Gang Green's hopes of dethroning Buffalo in 2024.
Clemons, under contract through 2025, should also return.
Those two, along with the rest of the Jets, are sure to welcome Dawkins warmly the next time they square off.
