NFL free agency can be a fickle beast. Teams usually have to overpay to land the players they want. Likewise, they also occasionally have to overpay to keep the players they want off the market. The combination of the two variables can create some precarious situations for front offices to navigate. That’s why many of the best-run organizations are built through the draft rather than overpaying for top-of-the-market players.
Regardless of how every squad is built, nobody bats a thousand. Virtually every team has a contract they probably wish they could get off the books. A few unlucky (or, more appropriately, desperate) teams have a handful of them. It’s tough to narrow down a clear top choice for some of those squads, but I think I can make a strong case for the ‘best’ of the worst.. So, where does every team stand with their most questionable contract heading into the 2025 season?
Arizona Cardinals – Justin Jones
The fact that Justin Jones makes more than James Connor is something I can’t wrap my head around. Not only did he miss 14 games last year, but he played just 55% of the defensive snaps (the lowest since his rookie year) when healthy. While the contract Jones signed last offseason, which was a three-year deal worth $3.165 million, isn’t ridiculously expensive, it is still much more than a player of his caliber should be making. The Average Annual Value (AAV) ranks 34th at the position, but he is probably somewhere around the 50th-best DT in the league. Not great.
Atlanta Falcons – Kirk Cousins
Kirk Cousins is making $45 million per season. So is Patrick Mahomes. Let that sink in. His AAV is exactly twice as much as their second-highest-paid player, Jake Matthews, who makes $22.5 million per year. Try to let that sink in. If those sunk in, you should also consider the fact that they wouldn’t do any good in cutting him this year, and, barring an injury to Michael Penix Jr., he will probably never play another meaningful snap for Atlanta again. Oh, they’ve also got dead money on the books in both 2026 and 2027 if they cut him (which they will surely be doing as he is set to make $57.5 million for both of those seasons).
Baltimore Ravens – Rashod Bateman
The Ravens inking Rashod Bateman to a three-year, $36.75 million deal was probably the most surprising resigning this offseason. It’s not that it was a terrible value, as I gander he probably would’ve found a similar deal on the open market. However, he hasn’t lived up to expectations over four years in Baltimore. The 2021 first-round selection is coming off his best season with 756 yards and nine TDs, but he still has yet to eclipse the 800-yard mark. He also only had four career TDs before last year’s breakout. They’re banking on his ’24 season being the norm, and I’m not convinced it won’t be an outlier.
Buffalo Bills – Dawson Knox
I don’t know where Dawson Knox would be if we were in a world where he was the unquestioned number one tight end in his offense. Would he have a Pro Bowl under his belt? I don’t know, because we don’t live in that universe. He’s the second-best TE on his team in this one. He’s been squarely behind Dalton Kincaid in the pecking order since he was selected in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Knox, who restructured his contract last offseason, is still the league’s fifteenth-highest-paid TE with $9.83 million AAV, though. Woof.
Carolina Panthers – Tre’von Moehrig
This was a tough one. No one overpays for mid-level talent like the Panthers. Jaycee Horn might not fit that description, but he also doesn’t really deserve to be the league’s second-highest-paid corner. I also almost went with Robert Hunt and Tershawn Wharton here, since both are mid-tier starters getting paid like near-elite talent. However, I think their decision to sign Tre’von Moehrig to a three–year, $51 deal this offseason was the most egregious of them all. He’s the sixth-highest-paid safety in the league and is making more than Xavier McKinney. I don’t think that will age well.
Chicago Bears – Tremaine Edmunds
The Bears’ front office thought Tremaine Edmunds was still an ascending player when they signed him to a four-year, $72 million deal with the Bears ahead of the 2023 season. He showed strong coverage skills and playmaking ability in his first year in Chicago, when he grabbed four interceptions and forced and recovered a fumble. However, he looked lost (both against the run and the pass) last year. Not really the kind of play you want to see out of the third-highest-paid ‘backer in the league.
Cincinnati Bengals – Tee Higgins
Can the Bengals afford to roster two of the ten highest-paid receivers in the league? Shockingly, that’s where they currently sit. However, it’s all but certainly going to cost them one of the league’s premier pass-rushers in Trey Hendrickson. Tee Higgins might be a great player, but I’m not sure he should be making $28.75 million AAV over the next four years. It becomes somewhat egregious when factoring in the assets they could’ve gotten for him in a trade and the money they would’ve been able to allocate more strategically. Having SO much dough tied up at receiver isn’t a great recipe for success.
Cleveland Browns – Deshaun Watson
Remember when I mentioned that Kirk Cousins is making the same as Patrick Mahomes with $45 million AAV? What if I told you that Deshaun Watson was making $1 million more per year? What if I told you it was a fully guaranteed deal? On the off chance you just got out of your time machine from 2020, you probably wouldn’t be all that surprised to learn this information. However, in this universe, considering the previous allegations against him, the details are pretty jarring. Easily the worst contract in the league.
Dallas Cowboys – Dak Prescott
Dak Prescott became the first player to reach the $60 million per year plateau after resigning with Dallas on a four-year, $240 million deal last September. He proceeded to play only eight games and had the least impressive start to a season in his career. In the Cowboys’ defense, he was coming off his best year, but I still don’t think he was ever worth the (extremely) hefty price tag. He is, at best, a borderline top ten signal-caller. Highway robbery.
Denver Broncos – D.J. Jones
D.J. Jones is a good player who is vital to the Broncos’ run defense. However, with a three-year, $39 million contract, they are paying him like he’s a great player. That’s also a lot of money for a player who was only on the field for 40% of their defensive snaps last year. Barring a late-career resurgence, I just don’t think the 30-year-old will provide a great return on their relatively substantial investment.
Detroit Lions – Alim McNeill
Alim McNeill is in a similar boat to D.J. Jones. While he is a better player than Jones, he is still getting paid like a significantly better player than he is. There are levels to this. McNeill may be good, but he’s not $97 million over the next four years good. He’s not top-five defensive tackle in the league good. The contract will be a reach if he doesn’t ascend to that status. He’s Detroit’s fourth-highest-paid player despite being their tenth or eleventh best.
Green Bay Packers – Aaron Banks
I almost went with Jordan Love, whom they signed to a deal that pays him $55 million AAV after only one season under center, here. However, they were always going to overpay him based on his overall body of work, so that wasn’t that surprising. Their decision to sign Aaron Banks to a four-year, $77 million deal this offseason was much more egregious, though. The contract is just slightly less than Quinton Nelson’s, and he is making nearly $2 million more per year than Joe Thuney, who also signed a new contract this offseason. That’s a BOATLOAD of money for an average to slightly-above-average guard.
Houston Texans – Christian Kirk
The Texans’ decision to trade for Christian Kirk was one of the most head-scratching moves of the offseason. The Jags were in the process of cutting some of their more ill-advised contracts (something many of the players on the list might experience soon), and Kirk was reportedly next on the chopping block. However, Houston threw their AFC South friend a bone by sending a 2026 seventh-round pick their way for the criminally overpaid receiver. He is only under contract for one more year, but is set to cost $16.5 million against the books. Not great.
Indianapolis Colts – DeForest Bucker
A tough one, as the Colts honestly don’t have too many egregious contracts on their books. This is the first example where there is an asterisk by the worst of the bunch, because it isn’t a terrible deal. However, DeForest Buckner is in a similar position to many before him. He is a previously great player who is getting paid for name value despite the fact that he is now past his prime. He’s still a quality starter, but he’s no longer worth $26.6 million, which he’s locked in for in each of the next two years.
Jacksonville Jaguars – Trevor Lawrence
Remember when I said bad teams have to overpay for their talent? The Jaguars did that quite a bit this offseason.. I had options here. Most notably, Dymani Brown should NOT be making $10 million this year. However, Trevor Lawrence is one of the most overpaid players in the entire league. You’d think the 2021 first-overall pick lived up to the lofty expectations, considering the five-year, $275 million contract he signed last offseason. His career passer rating (85.0) is only one point better than Justin Fields’ (83.9), though. He isn’t fully to blame for the dysfunction around him, but he certainly doesn’t deserve to be tied for the league’s second-most lucrative contract.
Kansas City Chiefs – Jawaan Taylor
Jawaan Taylor is entering the back end of his four-year, $80 million deal, and he is set to make over $27 million in each of the next two years. Protecting Patrick Mahomes is paramount for Kansas City, so I wasn’t surprised to see them overpay for a quality young tackle at the time. However, Taylor has never been anything other than an average starter. He shouldn’t be the league’s fourth-highest-paid RT.
Las Vegas Raiders – Christian Wilkins
It’s safe to say Christian Wilkins entered the open market at the perfect time. He signed a four-year, $110 million deal with the Raiders last offseason, and his $27.5 million AAV ranks second at the position. While he is undoubtedly a good player, Vegas made the mistake of signing a good player like an elite one. They paid for the guy who finished the ’23 season with nine sacks and 61 pressures, and will probably get the guy who combined for 11.5 over the first four years of his career.
Los Angeles Chargers – Khalil Mack
This was another difficult one. The Chargers only have four players on the books who are making more than $10 million AAV. Khalil Mack is no longer getting paid like one of the game’s premier edge rushers, but $18 million is nothing to shrug at. That’s a lot of money for a 34-year-old coming off a 6-sack season. He may only be one year removed from a 17-sack season, but that was the only year since 2018 he reached the double-digit sack mark.
Los Angeles Rams – Tutu Atwell
Tutu Atwell is only under contract for one year, but I can’t make sense of that one year being worth $10 million. He has just over 1300 receiving yards and only five total touchdowns through his first four years. While he is coming off his best season with 562 yards, that still doesn’t really move the needle for me when it comes to that type of compensation. That production doesn’t scream sixth-highest paid player on the team to me.
Miami Dolphins – Tua Tagovailoa
Tua Tagovailoa is the NFL’s sixth-highest-paid QB. I know contract negotiations are a next-man-up business, but something about that doesn’t sit right with me. He’s somewhere between the twelfth and sixteenth best signal-caller in the league. You can win with him, but you need to surround him with a quality supporting cast to get the most out of him. Ironically, that becomes much more difficult to do considering how much they will be paying him.
Minnesota Vikings – Will Fries
Will Fries deserves his flowers. The former seventh-round pick massively outperformed expectations during his time in Indy, and he cashed in with the Vikings on a five-year, $87.72 million deal this offseason. That’s a lot of money (and a long-term commitment) for a player who has only one year as a full-time starter under his belt. Likewise, it’s also a lot of money for someone recovering from a fractured tibia. Too much projection there for the league’s ninth-highest-paid guard.
New England Patriots – Rhamondre Stevenson
This was a tough one.. in a bad way. I question the value of a few players on the Patriots’ books, including their prized free agent acquisitions, Milton Williams and Stefon Diggs. However, their front office is probably losing sleep over the fact that they have Rhamondre Stevenson locked in for roughly $34 million over the next four years. They can luckily get out of the deal with only $3.25 million in dead cap next offseason (and they will probably go that route), but this is still the worst contract on their books as it stands right now.
New Orleans Saints – Chase Young
Death, taxes, and Chase Young being overpaid based on early-career dominance and pre-draft hype. His $17 million AAV currently sits at nineteenth amongst edge rushers, and he’s locked in for the next three years. While he was disruptive off the edge, he often failed to finish the job, and only had 5.5 sacks. He also looked checked out at times and was a non-factor against the run (which was previously a strength of his game).
New York Giants – Paulson Adebo
I almost went with Darius Slayton, who signed a three-year, $36 million deal this offseason, but I’m confident he will still provide low-level starting play for New York. However, the signing of Paulson Adebo, who they locked in for $54 million over three years, was much more egregious. Adebo is a sure tackler with good ball skills, but the best ability is availability. Adebo hasn’t had much of that. He’s missed 15 games over the past three years and suffered a broken femur last year. Not usually the type of guy you want to break the bank on.
New York Jets – Allen Lazard
I have questions about the contracts of two members of the Jets’ secondary, Michael Carter II and Brandon Stephens. However, Allen Lazard is by far the worst contract on the books. Aaron Rodgers’ old running mate is the fifth-highest-paid player on the team with $11 million AAV. While the team has an out next offseason, the fact that they are paying him as much as they are this year is enough to warrant a spot on this list. Fun fact – Lazard, who entered the league in 2018, has 3077 career receiving yards while catching passes from Aaron Rodgers. His teammate Josh Reynolds, who entered the league in 2017, has 3127 career receiving yards while catching passes from Jared Goff. Reynolds is only making $2.75 million this year…
Philadelphia Eagles – Devonta Smith
First off, I need to say this is not as much of a demerit against Devonta Smith as it is a testament to the Eagles’ squeaky-clean checkbook (shocker). He is one of the best number-two receivers in the league. However, I had to pick someone. I understand they had to pay Smith to keep him around, but $75 million over three years is a lottttt of money for a number two option. His $25 million AAV ranks twelfth among receivers.
Pittsburgh Steelers – Alex Highsmith
Alex Highsmith turns 28 next month, and we still don’t really know who he is. He was one of the league’s most disruptive pass-rushers in 2022, when he had five forced fumbles and finished sixth in the NFL with 14.5 sacks. He promptly signed a four-year, $68 million extension after the breakout season. However, he has failed to live up to the lucrative deal, as he only has 13 combined sacks over the previous two seasons (albeit with only 11 games played last year). He’s still a quality starter, but it seems like they paid him for a peak performance he might never reach again.
San Francisco 49ers – Brandon Aiyuk
The 49ers have done a masterful job at managing their cap despite having a slew of superstars (and a few other players who are paid like they’re superstars). I almost went with Bryce Huff here, because he definitely shouldn’t be making $17 million per year. Nonetheless, Brandon Aiyuk is somehow tied for seventh among receivers with $30 million AAV. He’s also locked in for the next three years. After the social media tirade he went on last year, I just can’t make sense of that. The 27-year-old is talented, but he’d be hard-pressed to repeat his 2023 campaign. He sure is getting paid for it, though.
Seattle Seahawks – Uchenna Nwosu
The Seahawks have a few bad contracts on the books. Noah Fant is the eleventh-highest-paid tight end despite being one of the worst starting TEs in the league. They signed Sam Darnold to a three-year, $100.5 million deal this offseason despite him only having one season of high-level play in the league’s most QB-friendly offense. Uchenna Nwosu has only played in 12 games since signing a three-year, $45 million deal in the 2023 offseason, though. He has also only had three sacks in those games. Total highway robbery after the optical illusion that was his 9.5-sack 2022 season.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Jamel Dean
The Bucs are another team with a relatively clean contract situation. Jamel Dean has been rock-solid whenever he’s on the field, but they can’t rely on him to stay healthy. He has missed at least two games every year of his career and is coming off a season in which he played a career-low 12 games. His $13 million AAV (tied for 21st amongst corners) is relatively fair for how good he is when healthy, but the consistent injury issues put a damper on his overall value.
Tennessee Titans – Dan Moore Jr.
It seems like the Tennessee Titans hired a high school economics class to manage their finances. Calvin Ridley was never worth $23 million per year, and L’Jarius Sneed is the league’s eleventh-highest-paid corner. With that said, they signed Dan Moore Jr. to one of the worst contracts across the entire NFL this offseason. He is the seventh-highest-paid left tackle with $20.5 AAV over the next four years. That’s a LOT of money for a guy who let up more sacks (12) than any other offensive tackle in the league.
Washington Commanders – Marshon Lattimore
I’ve got to give Washington props. There is no denying that they are trying to get the most out of their Super Bowl window while their elite young QB is still on his rookie deal. They pulled off trades for three former Pro Bowlers in Laremy Tunsil, Deebo Samuel Sr., and Marshon Lattimore in the previous eight months. Naturally, they also inherited their hefty contracts, and that could come back to bite them. Specifically, Lattimore didn’t look like someone worth $18.5 million last year (he technically made a lot less, but is locked in for $18.5 million and $18 million over the next two years). He’s also only played in 26 total games over the past three years. They might have buyer’s remorse on that one.
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