Most Overpaid NFL Free Agents in the Last 10 Years
By Jerry Trotta
With the NFL's new league year set to kick off on March 18, there has been no shortage of rumors indicating where this offseason's most coveted free agents could potentially land.
Fans will likely be delighted if their favorite team manages to corral one of the big names on the market. However, handing out lucrative contracts doesn't always yield success.
Let's highlight some of the most overpaid free agents of the last decade.
7. Sam Bradford, $40 million, Cardinals
$40 million might not seem like a lot at the surface, but it does when it's only for two years, AND for a quarterback coming off two ACL surgeries and other knee issues. Further, Bradford never established himself as a consistent starting QB in the NFL. This deal made no sense for Arizona from all angles.
6. DeMarco Murray, $42 million, Eagles
Murray was just four years into his NFL career when the Eagles doled out $42 million over five seasons in his direction. He averaged a career-low 3.6 yards per carry in his lone season with Philly, registering just 1,024 yards from scrimmage. He was traded to the Titans the following offseason. Yikes.
5. Nnamdi Asomugha, $60 million, Eagles
Asomugha was the cream of the 2011 free agency crop after a sensational run of seasons with the Raiders. The Eagles inked him to a monstrous five-year, $60 million deal and it proved to be a calculated calamity. Not only did Asomugha underperform, but his frail mentality was an awful fit for the City of Brotherly Love's renowned relentlessness. He was gone after two years.
4. Brock Osweiler, $72 million, Texans
In truth, we almost forgot about this one. A decent stretch from Osweiler with Denver in 2015 convinced the Texans that he was the answer at QB and they indefensibly gave him a four-year, $72 million deal, with $37 million guaranteed. We're not so sure that fans in Houston will ever get over this miscalculation by the Texans.
3. Kirk Cousins, $84 million, Vikings
Do we realize how sad it is just how much the NFL media lauded Kirk Cousins for finally winning a playoff game? Folks, that means he isn't worth anything close to the $28 million the Vikings are giving him per year. With ALL of his contract guaranteed, it's hard to call that contract anything but a mistake, barring a deep playoff run in 2020.
2. Albert Haynesworth, $100 million, Redskins
Given that his contract was signed in 2009 at the start of the decade, It's only fitting that Haynesworth lands at No. 1 on this list. The former Titan became the NFL's first player to ink a $100 million deal. The only problem? He lasted less than three season with Washington before he was out of the league. What seemed like a surefire home run in free agency turned into a disaster in D.C. almost immediately.
1. Ndamukong Suh, $114 million, Dolphins
To say that Suh failed to live up to his billing (he was the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history at the time of signing) in Miami would be underselling his shortcomings with the Dolphins. That, however, probably didn't phase the former No. 2 overall pick who was calmly raking in $19 million per year.