The 9 Best and Worst Contracts of Early NFL Free-Agency Action

We are still less than one month into the NFL’s new fiscal year, but we will take the opportunity here to rank what we feel are the best and the worst when it comes to the newest dealings.

Here’s a sampling of the positives and negatives when it comes to free agency, the 2015 edition.

Remember, we are talking contract here, not whether the player is a good or bad addition. We hope all these players pan out for their new teams or perform well for the clubs that opted to re-sign them.

Here, the focus is on the deals signed once free agency began on March 10. It doesn’t include contracts that kept players from hitting the market or extensions signed by players who would have become free agents one year from now.

Best: RB Justin Forsett, Baltimore Ravens

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Contract Terms: Three years, $9 million ($3 million guaranteed)

Last offseason, with the specter of Ray Rice's off-field situation staring them in the faces, the Baltimore Ravens added journeyman running back Justin Forsett to a one-year deal.

The veteran performer responded with a career year, finishing fifth in the league in rushing while making his first Pro Bowl.

Earlier this year, the Ravens re-signed Forsett to a three-year contract, with one-third of his $9 million guaranteed. The cap hit this season is a modest $1.6 million and accelerates to $3.7 million in each of the next two years.

Forsett's return gives the Ravens a little proven insurance, which is even more important due to the release of Bernard Pierce.

Worst: DT Ndamukong Suh, Miami Dolphins

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Contract Terms: Six years, $114.375 million ($59.955 million guaranteed)

Make no mistake: The Miami Dolphins made a major statement with the addition of four-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. Now a team that has not made the playoffs since 2008 must make it pay off in a major way.

Not surprisingly, Suh signed the biggest contract of this offseason, and we could debate all day if any player is worth that kind of money. The major issue here is the second year of the deal and how it could affect the rest of the payroll.

Suh’s base salary in 2015 is $985,000 and his cap hit is $6.1 million. Those numbers skyrocket to $23.485 million base and a $28.6 million cap hit in 2016. That’s a lot to digest for any club.

Next year’s offseason should be fascinating for the Dolphins. But it will be a lot easier to deal with if the team is coming off a playoff year.

Best: DE Greg Hardy, Dallas Cowboys

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Contract Terms: One year, $11.311 million (0 guaranteed)

Depending on your point of view, this was one of the better free-agent additions by a team or arguably the worst. And the latter has absolutely nothing to do with Greg Hardy the football player.

While we all have our personal feelings about Hardy’s off-the-field issues, that discussion is for a different time and forum.

As far as the team and the player, the Dallas Cowboys are taking a low-risk chance on a player who in 2013 racked up 15 sacks and was part of one of the best defenses in the league. Hardy’s deal includes no guaranteed money but is incentive-based. It’s a far cry from his 2014 salary in which he earned $13.116 million, the franchise tender from the Carolina Panthers. He played in only one game.

Since we are not sure yet how many games Hardy will be available for, it’s hard to call this a great move. For now, it shapes up as a smart contract.

Worst: TE Charles Clay, Buffalo Bills

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Contract Terms: Five years, $38 million ($24.5 million guaranteed)

The worst-kept secret this offseason was that the Buffalo Bills wanted Miami Dolphins tight end Charles Clay.

Bills general manager Doug Whaley and head coach Rex Ryan got their man when they signed the underrated performer to a lucrative deal the Dolphins (who had given Clay the transition tag) refused to match.

Basically, two-thirds of Clay’s contract is guaranteed. In 2015, he’ll cost the Bills $5 million against the cap with a $3 million base salary and $2 million signing bonus.

Due mainly to a hefty $10 million roster bonus, Clay’s cap hit more than doubles to $13.5 million in 2016. That’s when things should get interesting for Whaley and co.

Best: G Clint Boling, Cincinnati Bengals

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Contract Terms: Five years, $26 million ($5 million guaranteed)

He is a player on the rise with the Cincinnati Bengals, and the organization, which has drafted well in recent years, made sure he wouldn’t further develop elsewhere.

Boling’s new five-year deal is a far cry from his first one, a four-year, $2.52 million contract the fourth-round draft pick signed in 2011.

The former University of Georgia product has been the team’s starting left guard the past three seasons, save for the final four games of 2013 after suffering a torn ACL that landed him on injured reserve for the remainder of the season.

Worst: DT Jared Odrick, Jacksonville Jaguars

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Contract Terms: Five years, $42.5 million ($22.5 million guaranteed)

We knew the Jacksonville Jaguars were going to open up their wallets this offseason, but somehow, we were still hesitant to believe them.

Our bad…

Eventually, we will find out if it was money well-spent. But Odrick came at a hefty price, and while the Jaguars had the cash to give (they entered free agency with the most cap room), it’s still a big commitment with more than half of his contract guaranteed.

Perhaps the versatile five-year pro will prove to be an answer to Jacksonville’s struggling defense, which has faltered against the run in recent years. It is a sizable investment, to say the least, and perhaps one general manager David Caldwell felt he had to make.

Best: CB Byron Maxwell, Philadelphia Eagles

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Contract Terms: Six years, $63 million ($25.5 million guaranteed)

When your defensive unit totals 49 sacks and you still give up 30 touchdown passes, changes will be coming.

The Philadelphia Eagles opened up their wallets and gave former Seattle Seahawks cornerback Byron Maxwell a hefty deal that will keep him in cheesesteaks and scrapple for a number of years.

But was it a wise move financially? It is, because it's a back-loaded deal where the biggest cap hits take place over the final four years of the contract.

Maxwell has started just 17 games in four seasons, but all of them came within the past two seasons. Over the next two years, head coach Chip Kelly can determine if he has a rising star or a performer who was surrounded by talented teammates the previous four years.

Worst: CB Chris Culliver, Washington Redskins

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Contract Terms: Four years, $32 million ($16 million guaranteed)

After making his share of news off the field, cornerback Chris Culliver made plenty of noise on the field with the San Francisco 49ers in 2014.

Now he’s a member of the Washington Redskins, a team desperate for secondary help after the defense allowed an NFL-high 35 touchdown passes in 2014. 

Culliver had a terrific year for the disappointing Niners, although the San Francisco defense was a top-five unit overall and against the pass. But after this year’s modest cap number ($4.25 million), he will cost Washington $9.25 million against the cap each of the next three seasons.

Best: SS Nate Allen, Oakland Raiders

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Contract Terms: Four years, $23 million ($11.8 million guaranteed)

Even numbers are great when it comes to pieces like this, but we prefer to go out on a high note.

Prior to this offseason, we have seen the Oakland Raiders spend plenty of money on defense. And the majority of that has been on players whose best days were arguably behind them.

In 2014, LaMarr Woodley and Antonio Smith were signed to help the defense. Now they hope to do that for the Arizona Cardinals and Denver Broncos, respectively, in 2015.

Nate Allen was a second-round pick by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2010 and signed a somewhat modest deal with the Raiders this offseason. More importantly, he has played only five seasons, which makes the four-year investment more than sensible.

And if Allen can do what he did this past season with the Birds, he will prove to be a great buy. In 2014, the Raiders were near the bottom of the league in terms of forcing turnovers with 14. Allen totaled seven takeaways (four interceptions, three fumble recoveries) with the Eagles this past season.

All contract terms are courtesy of Spotrac. Depth chart information comes via Ourlads. Unless otherwise noted, all player and team statistics come from Pro Football Reference and ESPN.com.