NFL Free Agency 2012: 6 Most Overpaid Players of the 2012 Offseason

The Buffalo Bills paid too much to land Mario Williams during NFL's free-agency period in 2012, but they weren't the only team to overpay for a player they coveted.

Some teams are willing to break the bank for players they're convinced will get them over the hump. I don't blame the players or their agents for taking the opportunity to cash in, but the truth is that teams end up paying more for players than they are actually worth.

Championships are rarely won due to a free-agent signing.

Teams that are known for being contenders year-in and year-out like the New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens don't subscribe to the philosophy of bringing in big-name, big-money players. They develop their teams through the draft and supplement their rosters via free agency.

That doesn't stop teams from hoping they can buy a championship, though, and every year we see players hauling in massive contracts with ever-increasing guaranteed cash. 

Here are the players that were overpaid this offseason.

Martellus Bennett, TE, New York Giants

The New York Giants keep hoping to land a big target in the middle for Eli Manning, but they keep striking out. Heaven forbid they actually do find a rock-star tight end someday: They'll be unstoppable on offense if they do.

Martellus Bennett didn't land an enormous contract this spring. In fact, his one-year, $2.5 million deal doesn't seem that exorbitant at all on the surface. That being said, there are two specific reasons I include him on this list.

The first reason Bennett is on this list is that the Dallas Cowboys weren't afraid in the least to let him go. They had been hoping for a few years that he'd be the heir-apparent to Jason Witten, but despite their best efforts to give him every opportunity to shine, Bennett floundered.

The second reason he's on this list is that Bennett showed up to Giants OTAs recently weighing in at a whopping 291 pounds, causing tight end coach Mike Pope to say he was "probably a little too big for his legs to carry," according to Rotoworld.com.

Poor production in the past, plus showing up for team activities overweight doesn't give me any confidence that Bennett will be worth the $2.5 million the team signed him for this year.

Laurent Robinson, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars

Laurent Robinson had a breakout year for the Dallas Cowboys last season, catching 54 passes and 11 touchdowns.

He made the most of his sudden success by landing a lucrative five-year, $32.5 million contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars, including $13.8 million guaranteed, according to Rotoworld.com.

Robinson's big 2011 season with the Cowboys could very well end up being a one-year blip on the radar, though, as he'd never before come close to producing similar stats.

In fact, before last year, Robinson's best production came in his rookie season with the Atlanta Falcons, when he caught 37 passes for 437 yards and one touchdown.

Tony Romo had a lot to do with Robinson's success last year. Despite his inability to come through in the clutch for the Cowboys in the playoffs, Romo is still one of the league's best quarterbacks.

He made Robinson better in 2011, but neither Blaine Gabbert nor Chad Henne has the kind of game that is going to turn Robinson into a star in the next few years.

I give the Jaguars front office an "A" for effort, here. They had to try to bring in talent at the wide receiver position, but Robinson isn't going to come close to producing the same kinds of stats for them that he did for the Cowboys last year.

John Carlson, TE, Minnesota Vikings

This one is a head-scratcher. 

The Minnesota Vikings signed John Carlson to a five-year, $25 million contract that includes $11 million in guaranteed money, according to Rotoworld.com.

Granted, Carlson had a couple of nice seasons with the Seattle Seahawks back in 2008 and 2009, but he's coming off of a season-long absence due to a shoulder injury. Furthermore, the Vikings already have an up-and-coming star in Kyle Rudolph, who showed flashes of brilliance in his rookie campaign last year.

Carlson isn't worth the contract they doled out. He may help their offense to a point, but the real future lies with Rudolph and the running game. Carlson isn't a blocking tight end, and he isn't going to come in and be Aaron Hernandez to Rudolph's Gronk any time soon, either. 

The Vikings made a poor decision to sign him to this large contract, and they are certain to regret it sooner rather than later.

Vincent Jackson, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Vincent Jackson is a terrific receiver and deserves to get paid, but the contract the Tampa Bay Buccaneers doled out to him this offseason was a bit extreme. 

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, via Twitter, Jackson will earn $26 million in his first two seasons with the Buccaneers.

Forgive me as I pick my jaw up from the floor. 

The thing that bothers me about this contract is that Jackson isn't an elite wide receiver. During his time with the San Diego Chargers with Philip Rivers and Norv Turner—two of the best in the business—he never caught more than 68 passes and nine touchdowns in a season.

I don't see Jackson coming anywhere near those kinds of totals with the Buccaneers. Josh Freeman doesn't equal Rivers, and Jackson won't have the benefit of playing with Antonio Gates in Tampa Bay—making his job even harder as safeties will be able to shift their coverage to his side of the field.

I don't dislike Jackson, but the Bucs clearly paid too much to land the hottest name on the wide receivers market this spring. In all reality, the Chargers had better luck, landing Eddie Royal and Robert Meachem for a little more than half the money the Bucs paid for Jackson.

Carl Nicks, OG, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Carl Nicks is a heck of a football player. He is one of the best guards in the NFL, and there is no doubt in my mind that he'll give the Buccaneers a boost in both the passing and running games.

That being said, the Bucs paid way too much for his services.

According to Rotoworld.com, Nicks' monster five-year, $47.5 million contract includes $31 million guaranteed and is the highest in both guaranteed money and overall money for any guard in the NFL. In fact, Nicks is now getting paid more like a starting left tackle than a guard.

The Buccaneers made two bold moves to try to significantly upgrade their roster going forward. I commend them for their efforts, but in the end they were foolish to have given away so much to both Vincent Jackson and Nicks. 

Mario Williams, DE, Buffalo Bills

The Buffalo Bills paid Mario Williams a boatload of cash to move up north and play for them for the foreseeable future—a six-year, $96 million contract with $50 million guaranteed to be precise, according to Rotoworld.com.

That's the kind of cash that the elite quarterbacks of this league are pulling in. 

As good as Williams is, he's not worth that much money. If any defender deserves that kind of paycheck, it would be Jared Allen or DeMarcus Ware—both of whom put up massive sack totals year-in and year-out.

Williams isn't even in the same zip code as either or them, and they are getting paid less from their respective teams. 

In six years, Williams has only reached double-digit sack totals twice, back in 2007 and 2008, whereas both Allen and Ware threaten to reach 20 sacks every year.

Williams is a tremendous player, but he isn't worth the massive contract the Bills handed him this spring.

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