Miami Dolphins’ Jonnu Smith rips Buffalo, Bills fans and chicken wings
Jonnu Smith hasn’t caught a pass yet for the Miami Dolphins, but Buffalo Bills fans, the city of Buffalo and its culinary scene are catching strays from the tight end.
Smith took multiple shots at Buffalo as a guest on The Dive Bar podcast. Unlike the Dolphins in January, Smith went on the offensive.
“That’s why the fans be hating so much because they want to be down here. You ever went to Buffalo? Oh, my gosh, man,” Smith said. “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.
“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.”
Smith did not mention if he eats his wings with ranch.
Smith signed a two-year, $8.4 million contract with the Dolphins in free agency. He was released by the Atlanta Falcons in February, three years removed from signing a huge four-year, $50 million contract with the New England Patriots in 2021. He underwhelmed in two years with New England, which traded him to Atlanta for a seventh-round pick in 2023.
Smith has a 2-4 record when suiting up against the Bills, including a 47-17 loss playoff loss in Buffalo when he was a member of the New England Patriots. He had zero catches on zero targets in the postseason game. Smith has nine catches for 105 yards and two touchdowns in six career games versus the Bills.
He’s not on Bryan Cox’s level but Smith gave the proverbial finger to Buffalo.
Here’s a fact-check of Smith’s comments:
Jonnu Smith says Buffalo is the worst city
U.S. News and World Report listed Buffalo at No. 34 out of 150 cities in its 2024-25 Best Places to Live. Buffalo was sixth-best among 32 NFL cities. Charlotte and Green Bay were the highest-ranking cities with NFL teams at No. 5 and No. 12, respectively. Miami was ranked No. 123.
The city’s renaissance was partially attributed to its “rapidly developing waterfront and one of the nation’s most advanced medical corridors in the heart of downtown.” U.S. News and World Report praised Buffalo for its neighborly feel, tree-lined avenues, short distance to Niagara Falls and skiing less than an hour from downtown.
Buffalo was named one of the 50 best places to live in the United States for 2024 by Money.com, the former Money magazine publication. The city was ranked as one of the “10 New Boomtowns” in America. The rankings lauded “Buffalo’s impressive urban renewal plan and an influx of newcomers have shown that this Rust Belt relic isn’t letting the past determine its future.” Buffalo was hailed for its recent increase in population, $9 billion invested in development over the last decade, a hot affordable housing market, and museums, art galleries and burgeoning food scene.
Jonnu Smith thinks chicken wings aren’t good in Buffalo
He had to go there at the end. The city’s namesake wings. The birthplace of the Buffalo wing. It’s like saying New Orleans’ jazz scene is abysmal.
Buffalo owned four of the top 10 spots − including the champion − on The Daily Meal’s hierarchy of America’s best Buffalo wings. Duff’s was No. 1 along with Anchor Bar (No. 3), Nine-Eleven Tavern (No. 5) and Gabriel’s Gate (No. 10).
Food Network listed Duff’s as one of the best chicken wings places in America.
