RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Bang for your buck.
It’s the foundation of every transaction, establishing a market that deems whether something is truly “worth it” or not. That’s the reason why no one is parting with $50 for a used pencil or getting the newest iPhone for $1.
Of course, markets shift and today’s bargain might look like tomorrow’s overpay. Every NFL team is aware of that reality and will try to shield themselves from dishing out lucrative contracts they’ll only regret down the road. Like any other relationship, both sides are taking a leap of faith. Some are willing to leap are little further though.
Countless contracts have been dished out since the league was established. If you play the game long enough, you'll eventually be on the wrong side more than a few times. Look no further than the newly named starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns , Deshaun Watson . From Watson's perspective, it's a great contract. From the Browns' side, it's a deal that will handcuff them for years – even after he's off the roster.
Luckily for Watson, he's not headlining the worst team money can buy. Instead, he's earned a selection to the first, Worst Contract team.
Here's a look at the other players in the lineup, made up of the worst NFL contracts in recent memory.
NFL worst contracts team
QB: Deshaun Watson , Cleveland Browns
Contract: 5 years, $230 million
Watson doesn’t just have the honor of the worst quarterback contract of all time. He is also the holder of the worst NFL, and maybe the worst sports, contract of all time. To make matters worse, Cleveland had to part with enough draft picks to essentially rebuild the Houston Texans into Super Bowl contenders . As for the Browns, they couldn’t move on from Watson even if they wanted to. He is getting every penny, whether the United States Mint produces the physical coin or not. And that makes him the perfect $230 million option to quarterback our team.
ANALYSIS: Why Deshaun Watson's contract makes him a unique sunk cost for Browns
RB: Le’Veon Bell, New York Jets
Contract: 4 years, $52.5 million
Bell wanted to get paid, one way or another. The one-time Steelers star even took a stand (technically, a seat) for the running back position, sitting out the entire 2018 season as a matter of principle. When he emerged on the free agent market the following offseason, the Jets were waiting with a big bag of cash. And Bell was a shell of his former self once he got it. He played in just 34 more games the following three seasons with only one of them a full year with the Jets. Bell rushed for 1,218 yards during that time – which was fewer than his output in each of his final two seasons with the Steelers. As Bell's appropriately named album indicates, the Jets learned that hard way that "Life's a Gamble."
WR: Michael Thomas, New Orleans Saints
Contract: 5 years, $96.2 million
Thomas caught everything during his first three seasons with the Saints. It was enough to earn the star a $96 million payday as his stats seemingly trended in just one direction – up. Thomas went on to set a single season receptions record with 149 in 2019, while also leading the league with 1,725 receiving yards. Turns out, that was the high point. “Can’t guard Mike” quickly became guardable thanks to toe and ankle injuries that limited him to just 20 games in the next four seasons. The contract was part of a Saints cap situation that plagued the franchise for years. Extending Thomas was clearly the right move at the time. It just goes to show how quickly things can change.
WR: Kenny Golladay, New York Giants
Contract: 4 years, $72 million
It took some time for the Saints to have buyer’s remorse with the Thomas contract. That wasn’t the case for the Giants , who broke the bank to bring Golladay aboard in free agency. Golladay wasn’t just expected to be the team’s WR1. His presence was also supposed to help Daniel Jones develop as a quarterback. Neither of those things came to fruition. Golladay played like a receiver that was zapped of his powers – a storyline that typically happens in the movies. The former Detroit Lions star scored one touchdown in 26 games with the Giants, while hauling in just 43 of the 93 targets that came his way.
TE: Darren Waller , Las Vegas Raiders
Contract: 3 years, $51 million
Waller was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens as a wide receiver in 2015 before converting to tight end in 2016. Injuries and suspensions were the story for his first few seasons before bursting onto the scene in 2019 with 1,145 receiving yards for the then-Oakland Raiders. Waller successfully pulled off an encore performance the following year and eventually earned his $51 million extension ahead of the 2022 season. Unfortunately for the Raiders, and the Giants, it became clear that extension was paying for past production. Waller went from averaging 69.9 yards per game during his three-year peak to just 44.8 in the two after the extension. Plagued by injuries, he eventually retired to pursue a career as a rapper. He did end his retirement after taking one season off – opting for a return to the NFL in 2025 to join the Dolphins.
OL: Nate Solder, New York Giants
Contract: 4 years, $62 million
The Giants desperately needed help along the offensive line and found it in free agency with Solder – or at least they thought. Gettleman inked the tackle to a contract that made Solder the highest-paid offensive lineman in the league at the time. He responded by allowing 24 sacks in three seasons with the team, according to Pro Football Focus . He went from being considered among the game’s best at the position to earning a reputation for being a turnstile. It was just the latest example of someone failing to find success after leaving the Patriots during the Bill Belichick era.
OL: Jawaan Taylor , Kansas City Chiefs
Contract: 4 years, $80 million
Attempting to address a need, the then-defending Super Bowl champions agreed to...
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