The beauty of being an NFL GM is that you can avoid making the colossal mistake of handing out contracts that your rival peers made. Sit back and let them set the market at each position, and then make your move.
With the 2024 NFL season drawing closer, it’s a good time to reflect on some of the worst contracts recently handed out by GMS across the league. So without further ado, let’s analyze the worst NFL contract at every position heading into 2024…
Which NFL players currently have the worst contracts at each position in the league?
Quarterback: Deshaun Watson
The Cleveland Browns are stuck with the burden of the $230 million fully guaranteed contract they handed Deshaun Watson in the 2022 NFL offseason. This came after they acquired Watson from the Houston Texans in a blockbuster trade that included three first-round picks.
The trade was also mind-numbing at the time because Watson was about to face a lengthy suspension by the league following 24 lawsuits of disturbing allegations. Cleveland made the trade anyway. Lo and behold, it’s been a disaster up to this point.
Watson was suspended for 11 games in 2022. The offense actually regressed after Watson replaced Jacoby Brissett, who did an admirable job running the group in a tough situation.
Watson played six games for the Browns in 2023 before suffering a season-ending shoulder surgery. So, through two seasons in Cleveland, Watson now had 14 touchdowns, nine interceptions, and a woeful 81.7 passer rating.
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To make Watson look even worse, the Browns offense actually improved drastically after they brought in Joe Flacco. The 38-year-old won Comeback Player of the Year honors after leading Cleveland to an 11-win finish and playoff berth.
The structure of Watson’s awful contract means the Browns are stuck with Mr. $230 million man until 2026. Good luck!
Wide Receiver: Calvin Ridley
When you look at the highest-paid NFL wide receivers right now, it’s hard to complain about what the top guys are making. Justin Jefferson, Davante Adams, Tyreek Hill, and Amon-Ra St. Brown have more than earned their nine-figure paydays.
But it’s hard to justify the $92 million contract the Tennessee Titans just handed Calvin Ridley in free agency. That’s the seventh-biggest contract for a wideout right now, and he carries the 13th-highest average annual value…when Ridley isn’t even a top-20 receiver.
Ridley missed the entire 2020 season due to suspension for violating the NFL’s gambling policy. He has only two 1,000-yard seasons on his resume, and he wouldn’t have hit the mark in 2023 if not for the 17-game schedule.
Ridley was a No. 2 receiver behind Julio Jones in Atlanta. He was a No. 2 behind Christian Kirk in Jacksonville. Yet the Jaguars are paying him like he’s a consistent 1,500-yard threat when Ridley has never come close to that.
And given the presence of DeAndre Hopkins, it’s hard to envision Ridley living up to that hefty $92 million deal.
Tight End: Josh Oliver
You can argue that expensive starting tight ends like David Njoku, Cole Kmet and Dalton Schultz are slightly overpaid. But they at least produce like TE1s and make their respective quarterbacks better.
But Josh Oliver is…not one of those guys.
In the 2023 offseason, the Minnesota Vikings signed Oliver to a three-year deal worth $21 million. That was a mind-boggling number for a guy with 26 receptions, 230 yards, and two touchdowns at the time he put the pen to the paper.
It was also baffling because the Vikings have a top-five tight end in football in TJ Hockenson. So why pay Oliver $7 million annually to be a rotational player?
The Vikings gave Oliver $21 million, presumably because of his elite run-blocking. Yet he only played 42 percent of their snaps in 2023, catching 22 passes for 213 yards and two touchdowns.
Running Back: Miles Sanders
After a career year with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2022, Sanders signed a four-year contract with the Carolina Panthers worth $25.4 million.
That’s the seventh-biggest active contract for an NFL running back, and his $6.35 million AAV ranks 12th at the position. That’s awfully high for a guy with only a single 1,000-yard season on his resume — which he accomplished by playing behind the league’s best o-line in Philly.
Sanders was awful in his first year with the Panthers, rushing for just 432 yards and one touchdown. He averaged a career-low 3.3 yards per carry and lost his starting job to Chuba Hubbard, who finished with 902 rushing yards and five touchdowns.
Offensive Tackle: Jawaan Taylor
After losing Pro Bowler Orlando Brown Jr. in free agency, the Chiefs pivoted to ex-Jacksonville Jaguars offensive tackle Jawaan Taylor — signing him to a massive four-year contract worth $80 million.
It was an astonishing amount of money for a player who committed 19 penalties and allowed 11 sacks over his last two seasons, per Pro Football Focus.
Playing on a Chiefs’ offensive line loaded with stars, Taylor’s play was inexplicably even worse in 2023. He committed a league-high 20 penalties and allowed five sacks while garnering a PFF grade of 51.6.
It’s absolutely ludicrous that Taylor has the ninth-highest AAV among all offensive tackles at $20 million. It’s also impressive that the Chiefs managed to win a Super Bowl even though one-half of Patrick Mahomes’ bookends was a giant liability.
Also Read: Brandon Aiyuk’s Insane Contract Demands Have Been Revealed, And NFL Fans Are Laughing In His Face
Center: Lloyd Cushenberry
Cushenberry might manage to prove us all wrong with his chance of scenery. But right now, it’s hard to understand why the Titans paid the ex-Denver Bronco $50 million over four years.
We know the Titans had to address their offensive line. That’s why they used a first-round pick on JC Latham — one year after using their first-rounder on another offensive tackle in Peter Skoronski.
Cushenberry has only finished with a PFF grade of higher than 65.0 in one of his four NFL seasons. He allowed 11 sacks as a Bronco and didn’t exactly crush it as a run-blocker, making him a mediocre to below-average center.
So it’s beyond us how he’s behind only Erik McCoy and Frank Ragnow for the biggest NFL contract among centers— and how he’s tied with one of the league’s best in Ryan Kelly of the Indianapolis Colts.
Guard: Robert Hunt
Make no mistake: the new Carolina Panthers’ starting guard will improve the offensive line considerably in 2024. He’s also making way too much money for a non-Pro Bowl slash superstar-level offensive lineman.
Carolina handed Hunt a five-year deal worth $100 million in free agency. That’s just a big-time overpayment, considering that he’s never earned a PFF grade higher than 73.7 in a full season.
Hunt had his “best” season in 2023, but the sample size was smaller since he missed six games. So the Panthers are paying him to be Quenton Nelson and Chris Lindstrom-like when he’s only been a slightly above-average guard in his career.
Defensive End: Dre’Mont Jones
The league’s best defensive ends – Nick Bosa, Myles Garrett, Maxx Crosby, et al — are all rightfully paid top-of-the-market value and exactly what they’re worth.
We may be nitpicking a bit here, but Seattle Seahawks defensive end Dre’Mont Jones simply makes way much more than he deserves — having signed a three-year deal worth $51.53 million in the 2023 offseason.
It was mind-boggling that Seattle gave the ex-Bronco that much money, considering he had a 2022 PFF grade of 51.8 and a horrid 41.8 run defense grade.
Seattle was clearly in love with the 6.5 sacks Jones put up in his final season with the Broncos. But aren’t defensive ends with his salary and contract value supposed to, ahem, be consistent threats for double-digit sacks?
It’s weird that Jones is ranked in the top 10 for defensive end contract value and AAV when he hasn’t topped 6.5 sacks in a single NFL season…and when he’s among the league’s worst run-stopping defenders.
But you do you, Seattle?
Defensive Tackle: Daron Payne
After tallying a career-high 11.5 sacks in the 2022 season, Payne was awarded a lucrative four-year contract extension from the Washington Commandes worth $90 million.
It’s too bad that Washington paid Payne like a superstar when he only had one Pro Bowl season under his belt up to that point. Prior to 2022, Payne only had five-plus sacks in a season once, with no All-Pro or Pro Bowl selections on his resume.
Sure enough, Payne only had four sacks in 2023. Through his first six seasons, Payne hasn’t graded higher than 68.2 at PFF in a single season. Yet he’s being paid like he’s in that top tier of defensive tackles with Chris Jones and Christian Wilkins….
Holy overpayment, Batman!
Off-Ball Linebacker: Tremaine Edmunds
The Chicago Bears signed the ex-Bills linebacker to a giant four-year deal worth $72 million in 2023 free agency, ignoring the obvious fact that he was the beneficiary of playing in a star-studded Buffalo defense.
Edmunds, who was last named to a Pro Bowl in 2020, was burned for 450 yards and three TDS in coverage during the 2023 season, per Pro Football Reference. Since PFR began tracking passer rating allowed when targeted in 2018, Edmunds has allowed a rating of 85.3 or higher in four seasons.
Oh, and PFF graded him at 56.6 in 2023. So making him the third-highest inside linebacker is an interesting decision now, isn’t it?
Outside Linebacker: Von Miller
In the 2022 offseason, the Buffalo Bills signed the two-time Super Bowl champion to a six-year contract worth $120 million.
It made sense for a Super Bowl-devoid NFL franchise to add a future Hall of Famer with championship pedigree, but it hasn’t taken long for this contract to age like milk.
Miller was off to a strong start in 2022 before unfortunately suffering a season-ending ACL tear. He was virtually non-existent in 2023, recording zero sacks or forced fumbles while garnering a horrible PFF grade of 45.4.
So it’s obvious that Miller is past his prime. And though Buffalo has an easy way out of his deal in 2025, the fact remains that he carries a ridiculously high salary as a guy who’s past his best-before date.
And don’t forget that the cap-strapped Bills had to cut ties with Stefon Diggs, Gabe Davis, Mitch Morse, Tre’Davious White, Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde this offseason. Largely because they were overpaying guys like Miiller.
Oof!
Cornerback: Trevon Diggs
Diggs has two Pro Bowl nods and a first-team all-pro selection for one simple reason: He’s a great ball-hawker.
It’s hard to hate on 52 pass breakups and 18 career interceptions in 47 games. So, at first glance, he’s worth every penny of the five-year, $97 million extension he signed in 2023…right?
Wrong. Those INT totals are hot and all, but Diggs is also one of the worst man-to-man cover corners in the league. Numbers don’t lie.
From 2020 to 2022, PFR had him down for 2,247 yards and 12 touchdowns allowed in coverage. Despite being named a Pro Bowle in 2022, Diggs yielded a 64.7 completion percentage when targeted.
Dallas will tell you they’re paying him because they think he’s an elite shutdown corner. No, he’s a glorified interception specialist. That does not make Diggs worthy of the fourth-most expensive cornerback contract in football.
Free Safety: Marcus Williams
Williams is one of the best all-around free safeties in the game. He’s also overpaid, with a $14 million average annual value. Both can be true.
In 2022, the Baltimore Ravens signed the ex-New Orleans Saints star to a five-year deal worth $70 million. It’s just too much money for a player in a position that doesn’t demand that much money these days.
Injuries have limited Williams to 21 games over his first two years in Baltimore. And per PFR, he allowed 322 receiving yards and four TDS in coverage in 11 games during the 2023 season while allowing an opposing passer rating of 117.2.
$14 million AAV for that? Good thing the Ravens have Kyle Hamilton and Marlon Humphrey to bail him out….just saying.
Strong Safety: Amani Hooker
Hooker is in the midst of a three-year, $33 million extension he signed with Tennessee ahead of the 2022 season.
Sufficed to say, the contract hasn’t aged well for Tennessee. Hooker has yielded an opposing passer rating of over 100 and a completion percentage of 70-plus percent in each of the last two years.
Once renowned as a ball-hawker, he has just two interceptions in 22 games since getting that overly generous extension.
Kicker: Jason Sanders
Miami Dolphins kicker Jason Sanders is in the midst of a five-year, $22 million contract extension he signed in the 2021 NFL season.
Among all active kickers, only Younghoe Koo, Jake Elliot, Justin Tucker, and Matt Gay have higher contract values than Sanders. But get this: Those four guys all rank among the top 10 in field goal percentage among active kickers.
Sanders ranks just 19th on that list with a “meh” career success rate of 83.33 percent. He made 85.7 percent of his kicks in 2023, which is much better than the 2021 and 2022 rates of 74.2 and 81.3, respectively.
But by no means is he deserving of carrying the fifth highest-paid kicker in the league.
Punter: Jack Fox
After Michael Dickson of the Seattle Seahawks, Detroit Lions’ punter Jack Fox has the biggest contract at the position: A four-year deal worth $14.065 million, a slight drop from the $14.7 million pact Dickson signed with Seattle.
But Fox’s punting numbers are awfully mediocre for a guy whose 46.4 yards per punt placed him 22nd a year ago. His 26 punts inside the 20 yard-line placed Fox 16th overall, which again isn’t ideal.
The Lions are paying Fox to be a top-tier punter. But the numbers say he’s performing like a below-average guy. Someone make it make sense.
