The 10 Worst NFC East Contracts as Commanders Stack Three of the Top Five

The NFC East is home to some of the NFL’s biggest spenders — and some of its most painful salary cap mistakes. With the 2026 cap landing at a record $301.2 million, contracts that miss the mark stand out more than ever. From a record-setting QB extension in Dallas to a flurry of Commanders pass-rush splurges, these deals are already shaping roster construction across the division. Here are the ten worst offenders, based on PhillyVoice’s May 2026 ranking of the conference’s most painful contracts.

10. DaRon Bland’s Contract Has Yet to Pay Off

The Dallas Cowboys rewarded cornerback DaRon Bland with a four-year, $90 million deal in new money after his nine-interception, five-pick-six 2023 All-Pro campaign, making him the seventh-highest-paid corner in the league. Since then, Bland has missed 15 games and recorded just one interception over the last two seasons. The pay was understandable at the time, but the production hasn’t followed — leaving Dallas with another expensive question on its books.

9. Cam Jurgens’ Extension Came Too Soon

The Philadelphia Eagles signed center Cam Jurgens to a four-year, $68 million extension in April 2025 — making him the second-highest-paid center in the NFL at the time and now the third. Jurgens had a procedure in February 2025 to alleviate nerve pain after playing through a back injury during the Super Bowl run, missed most of training camp, and admitted he wasn’t fully recovered. Despite a Pro Bowl nod, his level of play slipped, raising fair questions about whether the Eagles misjudged the recovery timeline.

8. Patrick Ricard’s Pricey Fullback Deal

The New York Giants signed fullback Patrick Ricard this offseason to a two-year contract worth $7.6 million. It’s not a backbreaker, but Ricard plays roughly 40% of snaps when healthy and touched the ball just twice last season. Paying triple the veteran minimum for a part-time role is the type of small inefficiency that adds up.

7. Jake Elliott’s Restructured Kicker Deal

Jake Elliott’s four-year, $24 million extension made him one of the league’s highest-paid kickers after his near-automatic 2023. His field-goal percentage has slid to 77.8% and then 74.1%, including a brutal 4-for-8 from 50-plus in 2025, with critical late-season misses against Dallas, Chicago, the Chargers, and the 49ers in the playoffs. The Eagles restructured his deal this offseason, dropping his base from $6 million to $5 million but fully guaranteeing it for 2026.

6. Jevón Holland’s Giant-Sized Overpay

The Giants signed safety Jevón Holland last offseason to a three-year, $45 million deal. Across four seasons in Miami, Holland averaged about 75 tackles, one sack, six pass breakups, a forced fumble, and an interception per season — solid, but not $15 million-per-year solid. Compounding it: the year before, the Giants let Xavier McKinney walk; he signed with Green Bay for just $1.75 million more per year and made All-Pro in each of his first two seasons there.

5. Darius Slayton’s Curious Re-Up

Darius Slayton signed during the 2025 offseason on the same deal the Giants reportedly wouldn’t give Saquon Barkley the year before. Even with Malik Nabers missing 13 games in 2025 with a torn ACL — opening up targets — Slayton finished with just 37 catches for 538 yards and one touchdown. For a contract built on the idea of a steady WR2, the production hasn’t matched the price.

4. Daron Payne’s Diminishing Returns

Following an 11.5-sack 2022, Daron Payne signed a four-year, $90 million extension with the Washington Commanders. He has totaled just 11 sacks over the three seasons since and has slipped as a run defender. Payne carries a cap hit just under $28 million in 2026, and Washington could have saved more than $16 million by cutting him this offseason but chose to keep him.

3. Odafe Oweh’s $96 Million Bet on Pass Rush

The Commanders gave edge rusher Odafe Oweh a four-year, $96 million contract this offseason. Oweh’s 7.5 sacks in 2025 came almost entirely with the Chargers after an early-season trade from Baltimore, and he has been used primarily on obvious passing downs throughout his career. Washington also signed K’Lavin Chaisson for $11 million — meaning a defense that ranked 27th in run defense DVOA in 2025 is now paying more than $40 million in cash in 2026 to two situational pass rushers.

2. Javon Kinlaw’s Surprise $45 Million Payday

In one of 2025 free agency’s biggest surprises, Javon Kinlaw signed a three-year, $45 million deal with the Commanders despite producing just 9.5 sacks across five seasons in San Francisco and New York. After flopping on an $8 million prove-it deal with the Jets in 2024, he managed 43 tackles (only five for loss), zero sacks, and three QB hits on 724 snaps in his first Washington season. The structure and the production make it one of the league’s most quizzical signings.

1. Dak Prescott’s $60 Million-Per-Year Albatross

Dak Prescott’s contract — the league’s first $60 million per year deal — keeps him as the highest-paid player in the NFL by a comfortable margin. He had the best 2025 of any NFC East quarterback and made PhillyVoice’s First-Team All-NFC East, but he’s a borderline top-10 QB heading into 2026 with just two career playoff wins across 10 seasons. Combined with Dallas being roughly $4 million over the cap and carrying a Prescott cap charge near $75 million, the deal stands as the single most distorting contract in the division.