Dashon Goldson Trade Further Highlights Bust Free-Agent Class of 2013

Another member of 2013's bust free-agent class is departing the team that once spent millions to acquire him. 

According to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have traded safety Dashon Goldson—who signed a deal worth over $40 million back in March 2013—to Washington. The compensation was as insignificant as it was telling: Per Albert Breer of NFL Network, the Bucs received back a sixth-round pick but also needed to send Washington a seventh-rounder. 

The move saves Tampa Bay money on the cap but provides little else. The team is probably lucky to receive anything in return for the 30-year-old safety. 

Goldson now joins a comically long list of busts from free agency in 2013. 

From Mike Wallace to LaRon Landry, nearly all the big deals from that fateful year have turned out to be misguided investments. It's another case study in the perils of free agency, which occasionally brings together a perfect fit of team and player but more frequently results in wasted money and early departures. 

Goldson lasted just two years in Tampa Bay. He played six seasons in San Francisco and made Pro Bowls for the 49ers in 2011 and 2012. When he became available as a free agent in 2013, Tampa Bay pounced. The Bucs lured him to the Florida coast with a five-year, $41.25 million deal, with $22 million guaranteed. 

Goldson repaid Tampa Bay with just one interception over 27 starts. And his failure wasn't just a lack of production. 

	INTs	Opp. Passer Rating	PFF Grade
2013	1	121.4	-14.4
2014	0	127.2	-20.0
Totals	1	123.4	-34.4

According to Pro Football Focus, Goldson has graded out as the worst safety in the NFL over the last two seasons. He allowed an opposing passer rating of over 120.0 in both seasons and contributed next to nothing against the run. 

The final result was Tampa Bay shipping him away and getting almost nothing in return. 

There'd be a temptation to point a finger at the Bucs and laugh, but so many other teams fell victim to the same swindling. 

The Miami Dolphins can certainly sympathize with Tampa Bay.

Back in 2013, then-general manager Jeff Ireland went on a wild spending spree in free agency. After signing seven big names, including Wallace and linebackers Philip Wheeler and Dannell Ellerbe, many considered Miami one of the offseason winners. 

Two years later, only two (quarterback Matt Moore and cornerback Brent Grimes) of the seven signings remain. 

Wilfredo Lee/Associated Press

Wallace signed a five-year, $60 million megadeal to come to Miami, but he lasted only two years. After a rocky 24 months, the Dolphins shipped Wallace to the Minnesota Vikings last month. To complete the circle of mistakes, the Vikings then released receiver Greg Jennings—who coincidentally signed a five-year, $45 million deal in Minnesota soon after Wallace agreed with the Dolphins back in 2013. 

Ellerbe met a similar fate in Miami. Far from a playmaker after signing a five-year, $35 million deal ($17 million guaranteed), Ellerbe was traded to the New Orleans Saints in March. 

A trade can often be the best ending for a bust free agent. Other times—such as with Jennings, Wheeler and offensive tackle Jake Long—a team is forced to simply cut ties without any kind of reimbursement. 

The Dolphins gave Wheeler $26 million over five years in 2013, but he started just four games last season and was cut last month. 

Long, who signed a four-year, $34 million deal with the St. Louis Rams, was released before the start of free agency. Still rehabbing his second ACL tear in as many years, Long is currently on the job hunt. And he could be at it awhile. 

	2013 Team	Contract Value	2015 Team
M. Wallace	MIA	$60.0M	MIN*
G. Jennings	MIN	$45.0M	?
D. Goldson	TB	$41.2M	WAS*
J. Long	STL	$34.0M	?
A. Levitre	TEN	$46.8M	TEN
D. Ellerbe	MIA	$35.0M	NO*
L. Landry	IND	$24.0M	?

Other teams haven't yet given up on bust-level signings. 

The Tennessee Titans continue to hold out hope for guard Andy Levitre, who arrived from Buffalo on a 2013 deal worth $46.8 million over five years. He's been serviceable in Tennessee but nothing more. The Titans were clearly expecting him to become a Pro Bowl-level player when they gave him almost $50 million, and it's possible he's now on his last lifeline at the club in 2015. 

The Chicago Bears probably weren't expecting left tackle Jermon Bushrod to become a liability when the team signed the former Pro Bowler to a five-year deal worth almost $36 million. Yet that's exactly what he's become in recent years. According to PFF, Bushrod ranked as the No. 58 overall offensive tackle last season after giving up 45 quarterback disruptions and committing six penalties. 

The Rams probably wouldn't consider tight end Jared Cook a bust, but it's hard to say his production has matched his salary over the last two seasons. Since signing a five-year deal worth $35.2 million in 2013, Cook has not produced a season with 60 or more catches or 700 or more receiving yards. 

The Indianapolis Colts are likely feeling buyer's remorse with right tackle Gosder Cherilus, who signed a five-year, $35.0 million deal in 2013. He bottomed out as a player last season, finishing at No. 70 among offensive tackles at PFF. He allowed 48 quarterback disruptions and a position-high 15 quarterback hits. 

Al Bello/Getty Images

The Colts also made one of the worst signings of the period in Landry. The bulked-up safety agreed to a four-year deal worth $24 million, but he went on to play in just 23 games—in part due to a suspension for performance enhancing drugs. Indianapolis released him in February. 

Occasionally, the wrong fit is realized immediately. 

Remember future Hall of Famer Ed Reed? He signed a three-year deal worth $15 million with the Houston Texans, but he didn't even last to December 2013 before being waived. 

The Lions probably thought they had a lockdown cornerback in Chris Houston, who signed in Detroit for $25 million over five years. He played in 12 injury-plagued games in 2013 and was released before the start of last season. 

Fellow cornerback Derek Cox agreed to a four-year, $20 million deal with the San Diego Chargers, but he was sent packing less than a year later. 

To be fair, not all the signings from 2013 were busts. Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett were smart, economically sound moves made by the Seattle Seahawks. Paul Kruger has given the Cleveland Browns a solid edge-rusher. Cornerback Sean Smith was a standout cover man for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2014. Safety Glover Quin produced a Pro Bowl season in Detroit. Connor Barwin was a strong pass-rushing find for the Philadelphia Eagles. 

Still, it's difficult to look past all the mega-busts that free agency in 2013 created. 

Goldson, who was traded for the value of moving up one round at the bottom of the draft, represents one of the biggest mistakes of a period that created so many. 

The free-agency class of two years ago is just another stark reminder of how dangerous spending on the scrap heap can be. It didn't take long for the group of 2013 signings to look like an unmitigated disaster. 

Zach Kruse covers the NFC North for Bleacher Report. 

Follow @zachkruse2