Steelers Defender Rips Entire Cleveland Fan Base On Social Media After Massive Win

The Pittsburgh Steelers were able to grow their lead in the AFC North by taking down the Cleveland Browns on Sunday during the teams first taste of in-division play in 2025. Pittsburgh won the game by a score of 23-9 as it was another complete game from the team as both sides of the ball played well. It was a true version of complementary football, and the team is clearly finding its groove as the season moves along. The team has another important in-division clash on Thursday night as Pittsburgh will take on the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Steelers and Browns have an existing rivalry that comes with playing in the same division. The two sides do not like one another, and neither do the two fan bases. One of the more underwhelming storylines going into the Week 6 matchup was the fact that the two sides inadvertently swapped safeties during the 2025 offseason. Damontae Kazee signed with the Browns in free agency, while Juan Thornhill signed with Pittsburgh.

Thornhill signed a one-year deal with the Steelers during the 2025 offseason, and almost immediately Browns fans tried to clown the move for Pittsburgh. There was one play from his time with the Browns that fans pointed at, which showed him jogging and kind of giving up on a play.

The safety wore the number one in Cleveland, and he can clearly be seen not giving a full effort. However, it is hard to stay motivated to give a full effort on a week-to-week basis when playing for the Browns. Pittsburgh has not has any issues with Thornhill since he arrived to the team, and he has been a pretty decent player through five games.

Thornhill is pretty active on social media, and he clear saw all the Browns fans clowning the Steelers for signing the safety during the offseason. It also means more for players to play their former teams, and that was certainly the case for Thornhill on Sunday. He took to social media to take a subtle jab at the Cleveland fan base.

The veteran safety had to reference his play with Cleveland, and he did so after posting seven total tackles against his former team. He also had a dropped interception in the fourth quarter that would have kept an additional three points off of the board for the Browns. He has been a sure tackler for the Steelers so far in 2025, and the signing has seemed like a good one after Cleveland decided to release him following the 2024 season.

Steelers' Juan Thornhill Was Looking For Some Payback Against Cleveland

Thornhill probably had a bad taste in his mouth after being released by Cleveland, especially since it is one of the worst organizations in the league as a whole. He needed this win on Sunday, and he spoke to reporters after the game about what getting the win against his former team felt like. 

He was asked whether this win meant a little more to him.

"It did," Thornhill said. "It felt good. I'm not going to lie to y'all. I wasn't really going to like talk trash to the media. I know people really wanted me to talk crazy in Cleveland, I'm not going to do that. But it felt amazing, getting that win against a former team."

The safety will get the chance to beat his former team again later on in the season, and that game might be more intense for him as it will be on the road in Cleveland. Thornhill has put together a solid season for Pittsburgh after reportedly being in the "dog house" early on, and he should still be an important part of the defense when the Steelers travel to play the Browns later in the year.

What do you think about Thornhill's comments after the game? Let us know in the comments below!

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