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.
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 a hefty contract with Taylor in free agency ahead of the 2023 season. It made him the highest-paid right tackle in the league in terms of average salary. The belief was that Taylor would move over to left tackle, but Kansas City instead opted to keep him on the right side. He rewarded that decision by committing 40 penalties in 45 games, either leading the league or checking in near the top through three seasons.
DL: Albert Haynesworth, Washington
- Contract: 7 years, $100 million
Haynesworth’s contract fiasco is well-documented and, until Watson, was considered the worst in NFL history. He would play in just 20 games for Washington after signing the massive deal, recording just 16 tackles in his second season with the team. It was a fall from grace (at least on the field) for the former All-Pro and Defensive Player of the Year candidate. Between issues with scheme fit, conditioning and a variety of other problems, Haynesworth’s time in Washington was nothing short of a disaster.
DL: Muhammad Wilkerson, New York Jets
- Contract: 5 years, $86 million
Wilkerson was paid to be a star. He instead looked like one on an overcast night after receiving his big payday. It was a payday that came after a 12-sack season for Todd Bowles’ Jets. Turns out, that would be the height of Wilkerson’s career as his production would fizzle out with just eight sacks in the final 31 games of his career. The Jets disciplined Wilkerson on multiple occasions for being late – a message that was never received. New York committed 11.1% of the salary cap at the time to Wilkerson, who gave no commitment to the team in the end.
Edge: Trey Flowers, Detroit Lions
- Contract: 5 years, $90 million
Leaving New England during this era as a player or coach wasn’t for the faint of heart. It took some real bravery, considering success was hard to come by away from Belichick’s Patriots. Flowers was just another example, opting to reunite with Matt Patricia in Detroit. And the move didn’t work for either of them. Flowers was fine in his first season with the Lions, but injuries took their toll in the next two when he totaled just 3.5 sacks. The Lions would elect to move on from Flowers, just three seasons after making him one of the highest-paid defenders in the league.
Edge: Olivier Vernon, New York Giants
- Contract: 5 years, $85 million
Vernon had one of those contracts that was bad the minute he signed it. The pass-rusher topped J.J. Watt in terms of average salary and received $52.5 million in guaranteed money – a record for a defensive end at the time. That was despite Vernon notching just 29 sacks in 64 career games. While his sack numbers improved with the Giants, Vernon never lived up to the deal. And, in fairness to him, he was never going to.
LB: Shaquille Leonard, Indianapolis Colts
- Contract: 5 years, $98.5 million
Injuries are an unfortunate reality of life in the NFL and Leonard is certainly no stranger to that. The linebacker didn’t just win the Defensive Rookie of the Year award, but he also was a first-team All-Pro in three of his first four seasons. It was enough for the Colts to make Leonard the highest-paid linebacker in NFL history. He rewarded the team another great season in 2021, but played just 17 more games after that. Leonard battled injuries that ultimately ended his career, officially retiring in 2025. He was a great player, but the contract was representative of past triumph.
CB: Nnamdi Asomugha, Philadelphia Eagles
- Contract: 5 years, $60 million
Asomugha finds himself alongside Haynesworth in the category of most talked about bad contracts in NFL history. Signed to be a member of the Eagles famed “Dream Team,” Asomugha’s time in Philadelphia resembled something along the lines of a nightmare. He was released just two seasons after arriving in Philly, plagued by a combination of scheme fit issues and aging. One of the best cornerbacks in the league during his time with the Raiders, Asomugha became a shell of his former self with the Eagles. It remains one of free agency’s cautionary tales to this day.
CB: J.C. Jackson, Los Angeles Chargers
- Contract: 5 years, $82.5 million
Another former Patriot. Jackson was a turnover machine in New England, producing at a rate that would make a bakery jealous. Yet those turnovers never found their way to Los Angeles. In a way, Jackson never made it there either. The cornerback played in just five games during his first season and was dealt back to the Patriots after appearing in two games the following year. He logged only one interception in that two-year span, surrendering nine touchdowns – more than previous four seasons combined. To make matters worse, Jackson was promptly released by New England after that season.
S: Jamal Adams, Seattle Seahawks
Contract: 4 years, $70 million
The Seahawks made Adams the highest-paid safety in more ways than one. While Adams received a contract worth $17.5 million a year, Seattle lost a pair of first-round picks and a few more assets in exchange for the right to give him that deal. It was much more than $70 million in total value, especially since one of those picks became Garrett Wilson. On the field, Adams struggled to remain healthy and never regained the form he showed early on with the Jets. Injuries and a loss of athleticism contributed to the downward turn, which didn’t do wonders for the narrative around positional value of safety.
S: Landon Collins, Washington
- Contract: 6 years, $84 million
To this day, Collins still owns the fourth-largest contract in total value for a safety in NFL history. Like many others on this list, injuries played a role in why the contract aged poorly. Collins appeared in 35 games over the course of his time in Washington before being released. The All-Pro didn’t come close to that level after leaving the Giants, partially due to a torn Achilles and foot injury. During his Washington tenure, Collins also found himself being converted to linebacker, a departure from his days as a star safety. He eventually returned to the Giants, appearing in six games before his career came to an end.
K: Younghoe Koo, Atlanta Falcons
- Contract: 5 years, $24.2 million
In terms of total value, Koo owns the fourth largest contract for a kicker in NFL history. Unlike the others above him, the kicker became a shell of himself after receiving the deal. After making at least 93% of field goal attempts in the two seasons before the extension, Koo’s accuracy dipped to just over 86% in the next two. From there, he bottomed out to 73.5% and eventually earned his release. Now Koo is likely best known for his lowlight with the Giants on “Monday Night Football” in 2025, when he kicked the ground instead of the ball.
You don’t see this every day…
— NFL (@NFL) December 2, 2025
NYGvsNE on ESPN/ABC
Stream on @NFLPlus and ESPN App pic.twitter.com/vBJ0NkiMgP
P: Michael Koenen, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Contract: 6 years, $19.5 million
Koenen became the highest-paid punter in NFL history when he inked his deal with the Bucs. Despite signing the contract in 2011, he remains the fourth-highest paid punter in NFL history. In other words, teams haven’t followed that trend. Koenen’s career ended before his contract did, primarily because of statistics that fell off during his time in Tampa. It was later revealed that Koenen was dealing with an illness, but that doesn’t erase the production the Bucs received in return for dishing out that contract.
HC: Matt Rhule, Carolina Panthers
- Contract: 7 years, $62 million
Rhule’s leap to the pros was unprecedented at the time, considering he had just one season of NFL experience at the time. Even more interesting, that one season came as an assistant offensive line coach for the Giants in 2012. Teams were willing to overlook that, given Rhule’s demonstrated ability to turn around the college football programs at Temple and Baylor. Having caught the attention of the league, Carolina swung for the fences with a seven-year deal to secure his services. The tenure was a disaster, headlined by a revolving door at quarterback – a room that included Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield. He lasted just 38 games in the NFL, posting a record of 11-27.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: From Deshaun Watson to Matt Rhule, meet the NFL’s Worst Contract Team
