‘I’m trying to destroy you every time’ — AFC East rival comes clean on holding onto a grudge against the Jets that’s several years in the making originally appeared on A to Z Sports.
The New York Jets are looking to right the ship and create a long-term winner that is capable of being in the conversation for a division title every year. The current reigning team atop the division, the Buffalo Bills, is squarely in the midst of quarterback Josh Allen’s prime — which makes chasing them down a complicated proposition.
Also complicating things for the Jets in their bid to chase down the Bills? At least one standout player on Buffalo continues to have it out for New York specifically — he’s holding onto a grudge that’s been several years in the making. Dion Dawkins, a four-time Pro Bowl left tackle in Buffalo, recently joined recently retired offensive tackle Terron Armstead on Armstead’s show ‘The Set’ and talked about rivalries in the AFC East and why it’s still very much personal for Dawkins any time the Jets show up on the schedule.
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Buffalo Bills offensive tackle Dion Dawkins is firmly holding on to his past history with the Jets
“You know people, (Terron). Right? We know players. You’re a lineman. When certain d-linemen say stuff, it throws the whole book of what the team is. And the Jets just had a couple of players, really one player that was too much, bro. It was was just too much. ‘Why you talking to me crazy, why you talking to my quarterback crazy, why you going up and down our line talking about ‘eff you, eff you, eff you, and your quarterback.’ Hold on, we are the protectors…now you just took it from us being a conference rival to now, like, I’m trying to destroy you every time. Bad.”
— Bills tackle Dion Dawkins on why it’s personal against the New York Jets
Michael Clemons’ ears must be burning. Dawkins has not shied away from his distaste of the Jets before, a rivalry that recently featured a blowup and scrum after a November 2023 game in Buffalo. Dawkins, at the time, referred to Clemons in particular as a “weirdo” — amongst other, less work appropriate names as well. Clemons, of course, is still in New York. He’s in the final year of his rookie contract in 2025.
It will be interesting to see if Dawkins’ extra hate for the Jets remains whenever Clemons is no longer on the team or if it will simply follow Clemons to his next destination instead.
The AFC East has been lopsided in recent years, with the Jets serving as one half of the teams that have failed to get a taste of a dominant run in the last 25 years. Buffalo is enjoying their stretch of dominance now. As Aaron Glenn’s Jets attempt to successfully stabilize and build a winner, they’ll have a chance to give this AFC East rivalry a little bit more juice on the field instead of the most prominent, intense part of the rivalry coming off of it via Dawkins and his grudge — and that starts with the 2025 campaign.
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This story was originally reported by A to Z Sports on Aug 16, 2025, where it first appeared.