What does 'Cancun on 3' from Bengals Eli Apple's tweet mean?
Mason Cooper
Updated on April 03, 2026
A tweet that contained the phrase “Cancun on 3” has gone viral as Eli Apple went on a trolling rampage after last night’s Cincinnati Bengals victory over the Buffalo Bills.
The Bengals, for whom Eli Apple has been a cornerback since 2021, beat the Bills in the AFC divisional final 27-10.
The team’s win, however, wasn’t the only thing from the game to make headlines. Apple’s online trolling of the Bills’ Stefon Diggs and Josh Allen ruffled some feathers too.
Let’s take a look at Eli Apple’s Twitter storm and what people are saying about the possible meaning behind “Cancun on 3.”
Eli Apple trolls Diggs and Allen
Bills’ wide receiver Stefon Diggs looked visibly frustrated with quarterback Josh Allen in the fourth down late in the game.
As per Fox News, Diggs was seen yelling in Allen’s direction while he looked over the previous drive on a tablet. Diggs was throwing his hands up in frustration, although no one could tell exactly what was being said.
The following day Diggs responded to criticism of his emotional reaction on Twitter. He tweeted: “Want me to be ok with losing? Nah. It’s easy to criticize my reaction more than the result.”
Eli Apple responded to the tweet, writing: “Cancun on 3.”
The Bengals player also continued to post inflammatory content on Twitter about his team’s victory, including a tweet in which he claimed Diggs and Allen should undergo couples therapy, for which he would happily pay:
What does Apple’s ‘Cancun on 3’ tweet mean?
Although Eli Apple hasn’t confirmed exactly what he meant by his “Cancun on 3,” tweet, many fans think the emoji he used is a reference to Bills safety Damar Hamlin.
As per Democrat And Chronicle, the emoji making heart hands, which Apple included in the Cancun tweet, has been Damar Hamlin’s signature salute since the football world rallied around him after he suffered a cardiac arrest earlier this month. Hamil’s number is also 3.
According to Urban Dictionary, the phrase “1,2,3 Cancun” is a “chant that a sports team, usually in the NBA, does when they get bounced from the playoffs in an embarrassing fashion. Reserved for teams that gave up during the series in which they were eliminated.”
Sports Illustrated explains the phrase “1,2,3 Cancun” as when “a team gets eliminated, and it becomes instant fodder for the “Gone Fishin’” segment—with players and coaches magically transported onto yachts, beaches, piers, and the occasional banana boat.”
“And then, invariably, someone will shout out Cancun, the vacation hot spot on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. And that’s because of Nick Van Exel.”
The inside joke comes from 1998 when the Lakers were trailing the Utah Jazz in the WCF. As per Basketball Network: “Instead of chanting “Lakers,” Van Exel shouted “Cancun” from a team huddle at the end of practice before Game 4. Translation – he had already given up on the series and was in a vacation state of mind.”
Fans react to Eli Apple tweet
Apple’s trolling has caused quite a stir on Twitter with some fans making “Cancun on 3” memes:
However, not everyone was impressed. Some Twitter users criticized Apple for his “level of pettiness”:
If Eli Apple’s game matched his Twitter swagger dude would be a Hall of Famer. The highest level of pettiness. Lol
— Ryan Clark (@Realrclark25) January 24, 2023
