The 25 Crappiest Contracts in the NFL
Part of an NFL general manager's legacy for any team is what kind of talent they select with each draft class that they are responsible for. They are also judged by the trades that they make, as well as those that they don't make.
Then there is the financial part. What kind of deals to they make with free agents, both of the internal and external variety.
Some general managers have the luxury of paying whatever it takes to land somebody because they have owners with deep pockets (Daniel Snyder of the Washington Redskins and Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboys come to mind). But when you sign a deal such as the one Washington entered into with Albert Haynesworth, that becomes a very difficult contract to move if the player doesn't pan out.
Similar to the Haynesworth deal, we want to look around the league and try to determine what are the 25 worst contracts out there right now in the NFL. Maybe the owner or general manager can convince the player and his agent to restructure the deal and take less money to remain with the team. But with this crazy NFL offseason of 2011, there may not be much time left to negotiate or play games with agents, or staging holdouts as we have seen in prior years.
Roy Williams
1 of 25
Wide receiver Roy Williams will have a $5.1 million base salary in 2011, and that is an awful lot of money to be paying a third receiver on your team. According to Dallas Cowboys.com, cutting Williams would result in a salary cap hit of 12.9 million.
If the Cowboys decide to keep Williams or can work out a better deal with him, they would like to see more production than the 37 catches he made in 2010. The days of 82 catches appear to be far removed from his resume as he has been content to be in the 36-38 range of catches for the last three consecutive years. The level of production does not match the level of his pay, which equals a bad contract.
Jeff Backus
2 of 25
Detroit Lions tackle Jeff Backus will be earning a combined $6.45 million in base salary and bonus. That seems like an awful lot of money to be paying somebody who has never been to the Pro Bowl in his previous 10 seasons.
There is already speculation that the Lions may try to find his eventual successor this offseason.
Nate Clements
3 of 25
If San Francisco 49ers fans ever thought that the tickets were a tad expensive, they can thank the agents for corner Nate Clements, who is due more than a whopping $15 million in 2011.
If Clements can't restructure a deal, he will be looking for a new home.
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Donovan McNabb
4 of 25
It is debatable if the Washington Redskins would keep Donovan McNabb on the 2011 roster if his contract was cheaper. It appears that whatever good will between the two parties has been abused sufficiently through the various comments thrown around surrounding McNabb's play in 2010.
In the 2011 season, he has plenty of incentive-laden bonus plans that elevate his contract beyond affordable. Start out with a base salary of $1.75 million, and then add in a $10 million roster bonus, in addition to $250,000 workout bonus and a per-game roster bonus of $750,000.
It appears that McNabb will just be a one-year blip in the annals of Redskins history.
Brian Dawkins
5 of 25
Denver Broncos safety Brian Dawkins has a number of things going against him. He is coming off a bad season in 2010, as his defense along with the rest of his Broncos' teammates left quite a bit to be desired. He is 37 years old and not getting any younger. Then you look at his compensation level, which is a base salary of $6 million, with the potential to earn millions more in incentive bonuses.
When you add it all up, either Dawkins will have to restructure his deal, or will be looking to start his second career.
Reggie Bush
6 of 25
Reggie Bush is set to earn a base salary of $11.8 million in 2011. If the drafting of Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram wasn't sufficient reason to be worried about job security, the fact that he is now part of a crowded backfield by committee should give Bush plenty of reasons to be losing sleep.
Bush had responded that he was gone after the Saints drafted Ingram. Since then, he has softened his stance, and come around to say that he would like to retire in New Orleans, and is willing to take a pay cut. How much of a pay cut will he have to take to stay?
That literally is the million-dollar question, because until the lockout is lifted and negotiations with players can begin in earnest, we have no way of knowing yet for sure if Bush will be back with the Saints or not. The one thing we know for sure is that in the current form, this is one bad contract.
Aaron Maybin
7 of 25
Two full years in to his NFL career, and Aaron Maybin is still looking to record his first career sack. The Buffalo Bills gave Maybin $15 million in guaranteed money. He will earn a base salary of $757,000 in 2011. If all of that isn't bad enough, he still has the ability to earn another $7.4 million in playing time and sack bonuses.
He didn't see much playing time in 2010, but it wasn't because of the bonus. It was because he hasn't shown the ability to learn the moves the Bills coaches want him to master. This could very easily be his final year with the team unless he pulls off a 180.
Ryan Grant
8 of 25
Ryan Grant had a very short 2010 season. One game to be exact, when he suffered an ankle injury against the Philadelphia Eagles and his season was over. Brandon Jackson picked up the slack and then University of Buffalo star James Starks emerged during the final month and playoffs.
The Packers drafted talented back Alex Green out of the University of Hawaii in the 2011 draft, so now the Packers backfield is starting to get a crowded look to it.
Grant's base salary of $3.5 million isn't that bad, but when you add in all of the bonuses that he has drawn up in to the contract, that number swells to $5.25 million. If his ankle isn't all the way back and the other young backs are looking good in camp, the Packers may struggle with what to do about Grant.
Steve Smith
9 of 25
Steve Smith is due to earn a base salary of $7 million in 2011. While Smith has been the leading receiver for the Carolina Panthers for years, the problem is that the Panthers don't really have a quarterback that can get the ball to him enough to justify that much money.
Jimmy Clausen proved that he wasn't capable last year, and with the lockout taking away valuable OTA and orientation time for Cam Newton, it is now up in the air that he will be ready for 2011 either.
Carolina may be better off trading away this contract to a team that has a solid quarterback in place, but needs a solid receiver. Until a trade is pulled off, this is a contract for Carolina that they probably would like to do over.
DeAngelo Hall
10 of 25
The Washington Redskins decided to sign corner DeAngelo Hall to a six-year contract inn 2009 that was worth $55 million. Of that amount, $22.5 million was guaranteed. In 2011, Hall will receive a base salary of $4.5 million and a $500,000 workout bonus.
The money is one issue, but his performance is something else. In a study conducted by Football Outsiders, Hall was one of the easiest corners to beat in 2010. His success rate was 39 percent, which meant that he finished the year in the bottom two.
Clearly this is not a very good contract or return on the investment for the Redskins.
Jay Cutler
11 of 25
Jay Cutler didn't exactly have the kind of ending to his 2010 season that he was hoping for. Cutler got his team in to the NFL Championship game, but an injury forced him out of the game. Bears fans questioned his toughness and willingness to play with pain. In a city like Chicago, you had better be able to demonstrate that you have tremendous heart and character.
Coming in to 2011, Cutler is due to make a base salary of $7.6 million, plus a $500,000. workout bonus.
If for any reason Cutler gets hurt early in the 2011 season, the Bears fans will be all over him once again. As it was, the Bears generated 3,015 yards in their passing attack in 2010, which placed them 28th in the NFL. Cutler will need to improve on that attack if the Bears are going to be paying him that kind of money.
Jake Delhomme
12 of 25
When quarterback Jake Delhomme signed a new two-year deal to join the Cleveland Browns, he and the team envisioned that he would be the starter for the duration of the contract. But as the 2010 season unfolded, it was clear that Delhomme was not the answer.
Colt McCoy fared much better in his audition, and right now it appears that McCoy is the answer at quarterback and Delhomme will be warming the bench in 2011.
The problem then comes back to his contract, which is due to pay him $5.4 million to sit on the bench. If he performed better that might something the Browns could live with, but when you realize that Delhomme threw two touchdowns to seven interceptions and had a QB passer rating of 63.4, it makes you think twice about blowing $5.4 million on him.
Bernard Berrian
13 of 25
The Minnesota Vikings paid out $16 million in guaranteed money to wide receiver Bernard Berrian. They expected him to produce big results for that kind of money. In 2010, Bernard rewarded the Vikings with a 28 catch, 252 receiving yards, and no touchdown catches season.
For the 2011 season, he is due to collect a base salary of $3.9 million. If the Vikings lose Sidney Rice they might bring Berrian back, but there are no guarantees. If they sign Rice, that might mean that Berrian is expendable.
Max Starks
14 of 25
Max Starks had a rough year in 2010. He went on I.R. list due to aย bad disc in his upper vertebrae. Before the injury he hadn't played all that great, so nobody is sure right now what his job is for 2011.
According to the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, the tackle suffered a neck injury that should be healed in time for the 2011 season. But what other things like the size of his contract and his performance on the field?
For the 2011 season, Starks is due to see a $5.14 million dollar base salary. If he is not going to be a starter do you really want to be paying that much money to a guy that didn't play that great that is sitting on the bench?
Bryant Johnson
15 of 25
In his career, Detroit Lions wide receiver Bryant Johnson has caught 308 passes for 3,848 yards and 15 touchdowns. However, in 2010, despite appearing in 14 games, Johnson caught only 18 passes for 210 yards and no touchdowns.
Staring up at three wide receivers that will be ahead of him on the depth chart, Calvin Johnson, Titus Young and Nate Burleson, it is hard to justify why the Lions would be willing to pay $3.2 million to a fourth receiver.
Vince Young
16 of 25
Vince Young, Tennessee Titans quarterback, is due to receive a base salary of $8.5 million in 2011, and will also be eligible to collect a $4.25 million bonus. It appears the combined package of just under $13 million is far too rich for anyone to accept in a trade.
Expect Young to be released by the Titans and for his new employer to work out a deal that makes much greater economical sense.
St. Louis Rams Wide Receivers
17 of 25
Rather than make up separate slides, we will group the Rams wide receiver contracts in to one big slide.
According to a story by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the writers were polled to see which wide receivers appeared to be in jeopardy due to the drafting of two highly touted rookie receivers, Austin Pettis and Greg Salas. With Danny Amendola and Danario Alexander the most likely to be retained, along with the two rookies, that takes care of your top four wide receivers.
So, if the Rams retain six receivers in total, some of these guys (and their contracts) will have to go. Two are already free agents, so not sure if they will be brought back (Mark Clayton and Laurent Robinson). The contracts are: Donnie Avery ($638,000), Mardy Gilyard ($405,000) and Brandon Gibson ($480,000).
Clearly, these aren't the worst contracts in the league, but they are expensive for a sixth or seventh wideout on the depth chart.
Brian Robison
18 of 25
Somebody didn't seem to have a clear handle on the big picture when backup defensive lineman Brian Robison was signed to a three-year extension deal for $14 million. In the fallout after the deal was inked, the starter ahead of Robison, Ray Edwards, was furious to learn that Robison is earning so much more than he is.
To make matters worse, the Vikings only extended a first-round tender to Edwards, meaning that he will be looking at $2.8 million, so if you compare the numbers, Edwards is still getting a raw deal. No wonder he is starting to take up boxing to bring in some extra income.
This is one contract that might have created more harm than good.
Antonio Smith
19 of 25
According to a story at Chron.com, Houston Texans defensive end Antonio Smith was one of the league leaders in making hits on the quarterback, as he registered 19 hits. Unfortunately, the majority of those hits were on plays that the quarterback had already released the pass. He did pick up four sacks on the season.
Four sacks isn't terrible, but when you are paid a salary of $4.6 million like he will in 2011, that averages to $1.15 million a sack. Not sure if that is a great contract, but my guess is the Texans would like to scale that back some.
Derek Anderson
20 of 25
What in the world were the Arizona Cardinals thinking in 2010, when they signed Derek Anderson to a two-year deal? Anderson was just coming off a nightmare season in Cleveland in 2009, where his QB passer rating was so low (42.1) that he set the game of football two decades backwards in Cleveland.
He did actually improve to a QB passer rating of 65.9 in his first year at Arizona (which is still quite bad by the way), completed 51.7 percent of his passes (anemic) and threw seven touchdowns to 10 interceptions.
That he is still under contract for $4.087 million in 2011 means that someone in the front office needs to have their job evaluation done asap. It is doubtful that Anderson will be invited back, as the Cardinals would be crazy if they didn't release him.
Glenn Dorsey
21 of 25
Glenn Dorsey was the fifth overall draft choice, taken by the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2008 draft. Dorsey and his agents were able to have the Chiefs fork over $22.5 million in guaranteed money. Dorsey also has another $18 million that he can qualify for in bonuses. In 2011, the Chiefs will see another $4.082 million fly out the door in base salary.
I suppose this is a good time to say that not only does Dorsey have a lot of 0's in his bank account, he also has four sacks to his credit in three seasons. Not exactly what the Chiefs envisioned.
Ouch!! That is one bad contract.
Derrick Harvey
22 of 25
Three picks after Glenn Dorsey in the 2008 draft, the Jacksonville Jaguars took defensive end Derrick Harvey in what turned out to be another big contract that blew up. Ironically enough, sandwiched in between Dorsey and Harvey was the New York Jets' selection of Vernon Gholston, who would have also had a slide on here, except the Jets beat us to the punch by releasing him earlier in the offseason.
Harvey signed a big deal, as you can expect for the eighth overall player to get, which was for $17.1771 million guaranteed. He also got a nice roster bonus of just under $1.4 million. He can make $6.2 million in bonuses, and oh yeah, we almost forgot his base salaries. In 2011, the base is $2.802 million.
If for some strange reason Harvey earns a Pro Bowl nod, that would cost the Jaguars another $3.4 million.
You might be wondering what Jacksonville got in return for all this green? In 2010 Harvey was credited with 12 tackles for the year, and he chipped in 2.5 sacks. He has made eight sacks so far in three seasons.
If the Jets, Jaguars and Chiefs only knew how bad those top 10 picks would turn out in 2008, they could have traded down in exchange for a seventh-round supplemental pick. Think of all the salary cap they would have saved! Genius move!
Chauncey Davis
23 of 25
After six years in the NFL, Atlanta Falcons defensive end Chauncey Davis has picked up all of 10 sacks. Not very impressive total, right? But for some reason, the Falcons decided in 2009 that Davis was worth a four-year, $14 million contract. They gave him $8 million in guarantees, and a $3 million signing bonus. In 2011 million he will earn another $3 million in base salary.
In 2010, Davis contributed one sack and 24 tackles. I think if there is one lesson to be learned, is that it is okay for moms to let their sons grow up to be defensive linemen in the NFL. You will be set for life.
Dominique Foxworth
24 of 25
Missing the 2010 NFL season due to a bad knee injury is one thing. Coming back to a team with a crowded secondary that also added a talented rookie corner with the first round draft selection of Jimmy Smith is another thing. Coming back to compete and having a non-guaranteed contract that calls for you to receive $4.4 million is something else all together.
Unless Foxworth is prepared to take a pay cut, he may not make it out of training camp, as his excessive base salary puts a target on his back.
Albert Haynesworth
25 of 25
If you are a free agent in the NFL you might as well ask your agent to make sure he has found out if the Washington Redskins are interested. If they are, you might find a number of unbelievable options available to walk away with a king's ransom.
Consider the following parts of the deal Albert Haynesworth signed with the Washington Redskins in 2009. He received a $100 million contract for seven years. Forty-one million dollars was guaranteed. He got a $5 million signing bonus, and his base salaries from 2009-2011 were guaranteed. He also got a $21 million guaranteed option bonus in 2010. He will receive a $5.4 million base salary in 2011.
For all of the riches that Daniel Snyder laid on Haynesworth, he repaid the generosity by extending himself to make 16 tackles and 2.5 sacks during the 2010 season. I am not a math major, but those 2.5 sacks sure cost a whole lot of money.
The Haynesworth deal is is by far the worst contract in the NFL and will be the one that all future bad contracts are compared to.
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