NFL Free Agent Signings: Which Early Signing Will Be the Biggest Bust?

Shark Week, the Discovery Channel's hit television series, isn't supposed to air until Sunday night, but NFL teams are doing their best impersonation of the Great Whites on a feeding frenzy as the free-agency period continues to swim on.

Teams still can't "meet" with players on other teams until Friday, but we have already seen a number of signings and "agreements" between players and teams that will be finalized on Friday.

We have seen some shocking moves in free agency and in trades, but not all these players are going to make the most of their new contracts.

Every year we see some players make too much, some players make too little, some players excel and others who simply can't adapt to their surroundings.

This year will be no different, and here is a look at which early signing will be the biggest bust of 2011 free agency.

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Honorable Mention: DeAngelo Williams (RB) and Olindo Mare (K) Carolina Panthers

DeAngelo Williams was the No. 1 running back on the free-agent market, but at 28 years old and with only two "very good" seasons under his belt, the Panthers spent a lot of money to keep him.

On top of that, the Panthers already have another running back, Jonathan Stewart, and they are going to have to pay in a year's time as well.

Running backs overwhelmingly decline at the age of 30, and Williams is only two years removed from this age.

I applaud Carolina for keeping him, I think it was the right move, but they gave him a ton of money,—$21 million guaranteed—and there is a good chance he breaks down again relatively soon.

The Panthers do have to meet the spending floor under the new CBA, so that may explain the excessive contract, but it doesn't justify the move for Olindo Mare.

Mare signed a four-year, $12 million deal with $4 million guaranteed. Now the Panthers have an incredibly expensive kicker for a team that has trouble scoring points, and it smells like trouble.

The 38-year-old kicker will likely be gone within a year or two.

Again, I know the Panthers have to reach salary floor, but both these players could turn out to be busts.

5. Matt Hasselbeck, QB (Tennessee Titans)

It is actually remarkable that the Tennessee Titans have turned their quarterback situation from Kerry Collins, Vince Young and Rusty Smith into Matt Hasselbeck and Jake Locker—and they should certainly be happy about it.

Locker wasn't ready to start, not by any means, and for some inexplicable reason the Seahawks decided they were better off with a duo of quarterbacks slightly more formidable than Locker as a rookie, but we'll get to them later.

Hasselbeck comes to Tennessee from Seattle at the age of 35 and beyond his prime, but still very serviceable if given time in the pocket.

His contract runs for three years, but that is why he lands on this list. First and foremost, Hasselbeck won't last three years with this team if Locker wasn't on the bench. And even so, Locker is on the bench, and while he isn't ready to take over, this team isn't good enough to fend off scrutiny for not giving him a shot later this year.

I like Hasselbeck, and he's still serviceable, but the Tennessee offense is an uncertain mess, and Hasselbeck is not a magician. Without Mike Williams' timely appearance last year in Seattle, we would likely be talking about Hasselbeck taking over backup roles elsewhere.

4. Donte' Stallworth, WR (Washington Redskins)

This normally wouldn't register for me, but the Redskins need wide receiver help, and they actually think they'll get it from Donte' Stallworth.

The 30-year-old receiver hasn't been productive since 2007 for the New England Patriots and could very well be on his last stop in the league.

He struggled in Cleveland before missing an entire season, then made a whopping two catches last season for the Baltimore Ravens.

The fact that he actually found a job so quickly is surprising to me. The deal is only for one year, but I don't expect him to last the entire season.

3. Charles Johnson, DE (Carolina Panthers)

Any time a player breaks his career sacks number in one season after a superstar defensive end leaves, there will be eyebrows raised.

Charles Johnson is no exception, and a year after Julius Peppers left Carolina for nearly $85 million, Johnson has agreed to terms with the Panthers on a six-year, $72 million deal with $30 million guaranteed.

I like Johnson, he fills a major need for the Panthers and he has the potential to be very good, but not Julius Peppers good.

The circumstances were drastically different with a new salary cap floor, but Johnson has a serious contract to live up to now, and he's only been playing at a high level for one season.

He won't catch teams by surprise in 2011, and I wouldn't be shocked if we start hearing groans from Panthers fans early into his run as their new Peppers.

2. Paul Posluszny, LB (Jacksonville Jaguars)

Jack Del Rio has been hunting for linebackers, and it really wasn't shocking they went out and landed Paul Posluszny.

The 26-year old linebacker is coming off his third straight 100-plus tackle season and still has good football in front of him.

While I think the Jags needed a linebacker, I added Posluszny on the possible bust list for two reasons.

One, he signed a pretty large deal and has a ton of expectations heaped on him because of it.

And two, he made a ton of plays on one of the worst rush-defenses in the league. Somebody had to make the plays at some point, and Posluszny was the best they had.

He'll now enter a team with an upgraded defensive line and won't be some secret tackler nobody knows about.

Again, I like Posluszny, but I am not sold on him being a star linebacker in this league and think he will fall short of expectations in Jacksonville.

1. Tarvaris Jackson, QB (Seattle Seahawks)

Tarvaris Jackson has started six games over the last three seasons, and he's appeared in 20.

The 28-year-old quarterback has failed to establish himself as a legitimate starting quarterback during his time in Minnesota, and I fear it will be much of the same in Seattle.

However, somebody has to win between Charlie Whitehurst and Tarvaris Jackson, and I am not ready to see Whitehurst actually good enough to cover his magnificent head of hair with a helmet on a regular basis.

Unless they make another move for a quarterback—they were linked to Matt Leinart before he re-signed in Houston—Jackson has the best shot at starting for Pete Carroll in Week 1. That doesn't mean he is going to win though, and there is still a ton of work to do before he can be considered the long-term answer for the Seahawks.

With Jackson and Whitehurst it is one of those situations where somebody has to win, but whoever wins is going to lose anyway.

The Seahawks have made admirable moves in the draft and free agency, but this team is ready to compete in a legitimate division,—which they are not in at the moment, though—and eventually TJax and Whitehurst will be replaced by a promising rookie in another year.