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When the NFL free agency legal tampering period begins on March 11, every team is going to be trying to upgrade as many positions as possible. Unfortunately for fans, some of our favorite teams will be unable to make many moves. The impact of terrible moves made in previous offseasons has constrained their options.
This list counts down some of the worst NFL contracts heading into the 2024 season. These overpaid players take up excessive space on their teams' salary caps and prevent them from finding value elsewhere. Some of them are good players who are just unable to live up to their big-money contracts. Others are bad deals at any cost. I am not including players who are entering free agency or who are all but guaranteed to be cut, like Russell Wilson and Jimmy Garoppolo.
The following are five of the worst NFL contracts heading into 2024.
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Deshaun Watson, QB, Browns
The ninth-biggest contract in total value and the seventh largest in terms of annual average value (AAV) with by far the most guaranteed at signing belongs to the 27th-best quarterback of 2023. Watson graded at 67.3 in PFF's analytics. That was better than his 54.7 grade in 2022.
Deshaun Watson now enters his 3rd year with the Cleveland browns.
2200 yds 14 TDs 9 Ints since he was traded
If he doesn't "get the rust off" in year 3 Cleveland will be in serious trouble 😬 pic.twitter.com/Frrb2PmxJk
— PICKETT 2 PICKENS SZN (@Gaige_Rage) March 6, 2024
Watson's decision-making was atrocious. He held the ball for an average of 3.1 seconds before getting sacked on 7.8% of his dropbacks. Some Browns fans claim they are excited to see what he'll do in 2024 if he's healthy. True, he spent almost as much time watching from the stands as he has throwing picks on the field over the past two years. Clevelanders have been used to saying, "Wait til next year," so I don't blame them.
Daniel Jones, QB, Giants
Another quarterback who frequently misses time with injuries, Jones earned himself a four-year, $160 million deal after a 15-passing touchdown and 700-rushing yard season in 2022. How'd that deal hold up?
In six games in 2023, he threw two touchdown passes and six interceptions. As a percentage, it was his worst season in both categories in his career. True, he did complete passes at his highest rate yet (67.5%), but those passes only went for an average of 8.4 yards per completion.
The #Giants are “absolutely done with” QB Daniel Jones, per @richeisen
“The words I heard at the combine multiple times were buyer remorse.”pic.twitter.com/D0DaSQU0MW
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) March 5, 2024
The Giants regressed as a team last season, and Jones still has few quality receivers to throw to, but he'll have to do much better this season if he wants to escape this list.
Xavien Howard, CB, Dolphins
Howard is a good player who has just not been playing up to his contract. In 2022, the Dolphins made him the highest-paid cornerback in the league. (By now, he is the ninth-highest paid CB after inflation at the position.) He was coming off a two-year stretch in which he made 15 interceptions.
The problem is that he's always been a bit of a boom-bust player whose production is heavily dependent on making interceptions, something that isn't sustainable. In the past two years, he had only made two interceptions, and he has allowed about 65% of the passes his way to be completed.
The Howard contract is made worse by the fact that the Dolphins are also paying over $18 million a year for Jalen Ramsey. Howard's contract is structured such that he will cost the team $25.9 million against the cap this season, more than Ramsey if his deal isn't restructured. Miami's two starting corners are slated to cost the team over $47 million. They're spending more on defensive backs than any other team.
Miles Sanders, RB, Panthers
With their top-notch offensive line and run-favorable scheme, the Eagles have found success with many different running backs over the past couple of years. So when Sanders' contract was up last season, the Eagles let him walk, despite the fact that he was coming off a 1,269-yard season, and traded for D'Andre Swift.
No scheme.. you cant run patient behind every line… he needs to run north and south. Stop running sideline to sideline looking for a hole. Put your foot in the ground go up field and watch how many ppl already over pursuing the play
— jang🍞 (@jangwitdabredd) March 6, 2024
David Tepper, who is known for his "skilled management" of the Panthers, jumped at the opportunity to sign Sanders to a four-year, $25.4 million contract.
Without Jason Kelce and Lane Johnson creating holes in front of him, Sanders ran for 432 yards and one score on 129 yards and lost his job to Chuba Hubbard, who averaged 0.5 yards per rush more than him. The Panthers will be stuck with $8.4 million in dead cap costs if they cut him this year, so he'll probably stay.
JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR, Patriots
After a decidedly mediocre and inconsistent five years with the Steelers, Smith-Schuster caught 78 passes for 933 yards and three touchdowns in one season with Patrick Mahomes throwing him the ball in 2022.
His first 900-yard season since 2018 made him one of the more highly coveted receivers of a disappointing free-agent class. The Patriots decided to sign him to replace Jakobi Meyers (who signed with the Raiders for more total money but less guaranteed). JuJu made it "worth" the $25.5 million by catching 29 passes for 260 yards and a touchdown.
One assumes it must be tougher for a receiver to produce when Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe throw him passes. But Meyers was able to make 71 receptions for 807 yards and eight scores (while throwing for a touchdown, too) in Las Vegas with Jimmy Garoppolo and Aidan O'Connell behind center.
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