Not everyone is happy about the events that have transpired this offseason. Luckily for many of those who were traded, released, or spurned in free agency, a shot at retribution isn't far away.
The moves that have taken place since the end of the 2017 season have set up five juicy revenge games for 2018. The dates have yet to be determined, but that doesn't mean we can't get hyped now.
Richard Sherman vs. Seahawks (twice)
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The Seahawks released Richard Sherman at the first sign of decline.
After a seven-year marriage that included two trips to the Super Bowl and one championship, the team cut ties with its often confrontational corner following the only season in which he missed a game due to injury. It was also the first time since his rookie season that he didn't make a Pro Bowl or All-Pro team.
Sherman admitted he has vengeance in his heart, and his departure from Seattle helped in "re-igniting that gasoline fire."
By signing with the rival 49ers, Sherman ensured he'll see his former mates twice a year for as long as he remains in San Francisco.
He'll get two opportunities in 2018 to: 1. beat former head coach Pete Carroll, whose coaching philosophy he's since criticized, 2. steal a pass from Russell Wilson, the quarterback he was rumored to have bumped heads with, and 3. go one-on-one with friend and former college teammate Doug Baldwin.
Next season's Seahawks-49ers matchups will be appointment viewing.
Marcus Peters vs. Chiefs
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It's still hard to believe the Chiefs found the player with the most interceptions in the NFL since 2015 to be expendable. But such is the case with Peters, who was shipped to the Rams for a pair of draft picks.
The 25-year-old is a player fueled by emotion, and he's already envisioning how he'll respond to this latest slight.
"I'm expecting turnovers and I'm expecting a win," Peters said of next year's meeting against K.C. in L.A.
Peters and new running mate Aqib Talib against cannon-armed Patrick Mahomes and his shiny new toy Sammy Watkins (who also faces his former team). Is it September yet?
Michael Crabtree vs. Raiders
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It can't feel good to be released. It must feel even worse to be replaced ... on the same day ... by an older, more expensive option.
That's Crabtree's reality. The 30-year-old was cut by the Raiders on March 15 and watched as they signed 32-year-old Jordy Nelson the same afternoon. Nelson will earn $15 million over two years from Oakland, while Crabtree signed for $21 mil over three years with Baltimore.
Add to the equation that Crabtree was more productive than Nelson in 2017. He played in one fewer game and had better numbers in all major categories.
We'll get to see which was the better signing when the Raiders and Ravens meet in Baltimore next season.
Malcolm Butler vs. Patriots
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For two years, Bill Belichick made it known he was done with Butler.
There were the failed trade talks with the Saints last offseason, then Butler's unexplained absence from Super Bowl LII. There was no coming back from sitting a player for the biggest game of the season.
It's likely not a coincidence he signed with the Titans, a team stocked with former Patriots, including one at head coach. It might also be no accident he picked a team that will face Belichick and the Pats in 2018.
Colts vs. Josh McDaniels
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"The rivalry is back on."
That's what Colts GM Chris Ballard declared after Josh McDaniels reneged on his agreement to become the Colts' next head coach. Instead, McDaniels ran back into Belichick's arms and returned to his role as the Patriots' offensive coordinator.
The New England-Indy rivalry was once on the verge of becoming the league's best. It reached its boiling point in 2014 after the Patriots blew out the Colts 45-7 in the 2014 AFC Championship Game. That result spawned the Deflategate saga and the subsequent suspension to Tom Brady.
Andrew Luck's injuries have sapped the fun out of these meetings in the years since, but it looks like we're back.
The Colts will visit Foxboro next year, and both teams will be looking to run up the score.
