7 NFL Free-Agency Moves Sure to Backfire

Albert Haynesworth. Neil O'Donnell. Javon Walker. Jeff Garcia.

These are the names NFL fans remember with dread, worried their favorite teams will fall victim to the latest free-agent bust. Someone—perhaps a few names—will join them after this offseason.

Some will be bitter disappointments relative to the big contracts they signed, whether because they were overvalued or they are simply in a worse overall situation. Others are injury risks liable to backfire right away.

Some of the worst moves, meanwhile, are the ones teams don't make—sitting on their hands at critical positions or letting key contributors go.

Let's look at some of the moves that will backfire for teams thus far through free agency in 2015.

Philadelphia Signs Byron Maxwell to a Massive Deal

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The Philadelphia Eagles needed help at cornerback, and they cleared out a ton of cap space to be able to spend money there. But they spent it all in one place—Byron Maxwell.

In fairness, the former Seattle defender was probably the best cornerback not named Darrelle Revis available in free agency. But was he worth $63 million over the next six years?

Maxwell made his money as a member of the Legion of Boom, perhaps more so in absence than otherwise. He held the line where his backups didn't—it seemed like teams picked on Tharold Simon with great success anytime Maxwell wasn't on the field.

The latter was pretty good in his first full season as a starter after Brandon Browner moved on. Opposing quarterbacks threw just one touchdown to receivers he was covering last year in 13 games, according to Pro Football Focus, and he allowed a modest 81.1 passer rating.

But PFF also rated Maxwell in the middle of the pack overall, and he was near the bottom of the league in cover snaps per reception.

Maxwell wasn't a weak link for the Seahawks, but he was hardly top-flight material. It's entirely possible his replacement, Cary Williams—who garnered the hatred of Eagles fans but ranked just below Maxwell in PFF's ratings—will have a better year or two in Seattle.

Signing Maxwell to that big contract is going to create some big expectations. What will fans in Philadelphia think when he doesn't live up to them?

Julius Thomas Gets His Payday

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There is plenty of reason to doubt Julius Thomas can match his past successes with the Denver Broncos on his new team. Jacksonville's $46 million man isn't going to be catching passes from Peyton Manning, after all.

But a far more sinister issue may be at play—complacency.

According to BSN Denver's Brandon Spano, Thomas may have been angling for one thing, and one thing only, last season—a big payday:

"

"Julius is here to get his money and get out," one teammate told me last week. "That's just how some guys are. He didn't grow up playing this game and it's just not in his DNA to put it all out there." When asked if Julius Thomas was soft like some say, he said, " where there's smoke, there's fire." According to the teammate, Julius Thomas was healthy enough to play multiple times last season but refused to. In one instance Julius Thomas was heard saying, "I'm about 90% – I'm getting close."

"

Hearsay should always be taken with a grain of salt, but those are damning words.

Sam Bradford as the New James Bond in Philadelphia

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Not to pile on the Eagles, but Chip Kelly has built quite the house of cards in Philadelphia.

It certainly has potential, but there is great potential for disaster in Philly. It's one thing to overpay for a cornerback; it's an entirely different kind of danger to stake your future on an oft-injured quarterback.

That's what Kelly did when he made a blockbuster trade to bring Sam Bradford over from the St. Louis Rams. The former No. 1 overall pick just never got things going in St. Louis, with injuries and anemic coaching short-circuiting his time there.

It's certainly fun to imagine what a healthy Bradford might do in a Kelly system, but that is the rub—he has played just seven games over the past two seasons because of devastating knee injuries. Maybe he just had serious bad luck, but he represents a massive risk.

That is not to mention the fact Bradford hasn't exactly been lights out on the field. A few great throws are the lipstick on the pig that is his career completion percentage of 58.6.

Trading Jimmy Graham and Kenny Stills Away

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The New Orleans Saints had to get under the salary cap. They also had to get rid of guys who didn't jibe with their franchise quarterback.

Trading away Jimmy Graham was an example of the former, cutting bait on their stud tight end just a year after signing him to a massive deal.

It was a necessary evil, but one that is going to ultimately bite the Saints. Graham was paid well for good reason, even if he didn't live up to that contract in 2014. How could he while playing through injury?

In his place is Josh Hill, an unknown quantity who scored a handful of touchdowns in limited playing time last season as opposing defenses focused on Graham and his cohorts.

Kenny Stills wasn't far behind Graham on his way out of town as the Saints shipped him southeast to the Miami Dolphins. His was an attitude problem, or so we are led to believe—he didn't have a good relationship with his old quarterback, as tweeted by the Miami Herald's Adam Beasley.

The 22-year-old is a speedster just coming into his own in the NFL, and the Dolphins will be the beneficiaries of his talent, while the Saints offense turns toward a run game spearheaded by Mark Ingram.

Detroit's Ham-Fisted Attempt to Keep Ndamukong Suh

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The Detroit Lions could have kept Ndamukong Suh if they really wanted to. But was that the case?

According to MLive.com's Kyle Meinke, general manager Martin Mayhew is glad he doesn't have Suh's contract to worry about:

"

There are probably 1,000 things I would do differently. But you make decisions in real time, with the information you have, and I feel good about every decision we made along the way.

Anytime you lose a quality player like that, especially in the short term, that is to your detriment. In the long term, I think we're going to be glad we don't have that contract on our books.

"

Those hollow words come from a guy trying to salve the wounds of a million fans. After all, Mayhew did offer Suh $58 million guaranteed, according to NFL.com's Albert Breer.

Suh himself was surprised at how his hometown team seemingly dragged its feet, fully expecting to re-sign with Detroit until the eve of free agency, as he told Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.

Why did the Lions wait so long to negotiate with Suh? Was matching Miami's offer—or at least getting closer to it—really going to handcuff the team?

The latter is probably true, given quarterback Matthew Stafford and receiver Calvin Johnson combine for a $46.5 million cap hit for 2016, according to Spotrac. Of course, we all know that contract structures can be changed—the Lions could have probably found a way to get Suh that money.

At the very least, they could have made a good-faith effort to re-sign him earlier than March.

49ers Ink Torrey Smith to a Huge Contract

Janie McCauley/Associated Press

Wide receiver has been a big position of need in San Francisco for years. The 49ers certainly tried to remedy the situation, but once promising solutions have failed down the road while others couldn't get out of the gate.

It's no wonder they went after one of the top free agents available. But is it deja vu all over again with Torrey Smith?

The speedster, who scored 11 touchdowns last season, should be an upgrade over Michael Crabtree—though the latter could be back given the dearth of interest he has gotten on the open market—but Smith is not a No. 1 receiver.

The 6'0", 205-pound wideout has averaged less than 900 receiving yards a season, despite having little competition for targets most of his career. Granted, he was catching balls from Joe Flacco, who hasn't exactly been a regular-season hero throughout his career.

Much like Mike Wallace—though without the attitude—Smith won a big contract he probably won't come close to matching on the field.

Giving Charles Clay $20 Million Guaranteed

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Somehow, Charles Clay became the most interesting man in the NFL, if only for a few days.

The versatile tight end saw his name in free-agency lights as the Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills played tug of war with an invisible rope. The division rivals ratcheted up the drama as Clay visited the northeast while Miami still held a trump card in the form of a transition tag.

It was this trump card that forced Buffalo's hand—the Bills signed him to a massive deal that included $20 million guaranteed, making him one of the top-paid tight ends in NFL history.

Contracts are getting fatter every year as the salary cap goes up, but where on earth did Clay's value come from? The Bills needed an upgrade at the position, and they had to pay a premium to pry him away from the Dolphins. But that contract is insane.

Clay has 1,809 yards and 14 touchdowns to his name through four seasons in the NFL. Rob Gronkowski had 1,124 and 12 last season alone.

Granted, Clay isn't supposed to be Gronk, but the former Dolphin is getting paid like it. Unlike Gronkowski, Clay is an H-back who is closer to Aaron Hernandez in his skill set. He has promise, to be sure, but Clay hasn't shown he can compete with the top guys at his position yet.

Add to that his injury history and there is a recipe for disaster brewing in the kitchen.

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