As we are reminded time and time again, the NFL is a business, but it is not just the teams that operate with this in mind. Every offseason, we see players take their own liberties, speaking to the media and fans alike about what they are looking for in their next team.
There are some cases where a guys is really looking to join a contender… or maybe he wants a warmer climate… or a market where he or his family have access to other business ventures.
But usually—it all boils down to the dollars and cents and the player and their representatives are putting up a smokescreen to improve their leverage.
Let’s take a look back at 10 big NFL free agent signings and trades that players LIED leading up to for some big money!
Which NFL players finessed their way for a bigger payday?
Za’Darius Smith
In 2022, Smith agreed to terms with the Baltimore Ravens—not once, but twice—and had agreed to sign until, at the last second, he mysteriously went ghost and then backed out of the contract entirely.
Just the day prior, it looked like it was a done deal, and it was a nice story.
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A former fourth-round pick returning to the team that had drafted him? Seemed like a great schematic fit for the two-time Pro Bowler at the time as well.
But once a couple of other pass rushers in Vonn Miller and Chandler Jones got huge contracts, he realized there might’ve been a little bit more meat he could get off the bone in free agency and he elected to sign with the Vikings on a three-year $42 million dollar deal that increased his annual contract value by around $4 million.
“I really didn’t even know about Von Miller’s situation. I think during the time, I was actually getting a massage when my agent was on the phone going back and forth,” said Smith at the time. “I just received a text message saying that I had signed, and I never did agree to anything. And that’s how that worked out.”
Yeah… Sorry, Za’Darius– we are not buying that!
Aaron Rodgers
With all of the noise that has been made around Aaron Rodgers this offseason – it is easy to forget just a couple of years back how intense the hurricane was that the embattled future Hall of Fame quarterback caused on his way out of Green Bay.
In 2021, Rodgers went on ESPN and waxed poetic about culture, character, and doing things “the right way.” He said it was never about money. He said he loved his teammates, his coaches, the fans… and just wanted to be somewhere that valued him.
“It’s just kind of about a philosophy, and maybe forgetting that it is about the people who make the thing go,” Rodgers said during an interview with ESPN’s Kenny Mayne. “It’s about character, it’s about culture, it’s about doing things the right way.”
Then, of course, he forced his way out of town to the New York Jets of all places, where he promptly signed a three-year, $112.5 million deal with $75 million guaranteed to play in New York.
And while he tried to do right by the fans on the surface level with a couple of empty shoutouts, there wasn’t some teary-eyed goodbye—and he ultimately just tried to turn the page on his entire career there in short order, hoping people would ignore obvious truth that he just wanted to go somewhere that would pay him top dollar in the twilight of his NFL career and satisfy his massive ego.
Rodgers gave the Packers the “it’s not you, it’s me” breakup speech… while cashing in on the Jets’ desperation—and looking back now—it was as transparent as it gets!
Guess it wasn’t all about the legacy and “what’s right” after all. Who would’ve thought?
Myles Garrett
Oh, Myles… Tsk tsk…
Heading into this offseason, the 2023 Defensive Player of the Year went on and on about how he was done playing for the Cleveland Browns—and considering how the last couple of years have gone there, well, no one blamed him!
The organization has long been a dumpster fire from the top, with Jimmy Haslem all the way down… and it made sense that Garrett looked to be the latest superstar to push his way out of town.
Garrett made it known—through both media whispers and veiled public comments—that he wasn’t going to waste what’s left of his prime on another season where the Browns couldn’t get their act together.
To the point that it even extended beyond trade demands into talks, and he would even consider sitting out games if he were subjected to playing another season in The Land.
And then… he signed a massive five-year extension worth $200 million—with $123 million guaranteed—making him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history.
So much for holding out until he was traded to a contender! Once the brinks truck was truly backed up, Garrett suddenly had no problem sticking around!
Turns out, what Garrett really wanted wasn’t a new zip code—it was the leverage to hit a new tax bracket.
Deshaun Watson
The saga of Deshaun Watson’s exit from Houston and arrival in Cleveland might be one of the most disingenuous PR rollercoasters the league has seen in years—and that’s saying something.
But it wasn’t just all of the smoke and mirrors around his off-the-field conduct, which, understandably, got most of the attention that was dishonest… but also—his willingness to waive his no-trade clause to join the Browns!
Though there were allegedly four teams involved in the “sweepstakes,” if you dare call it that… Watson made it known through his camp that he wasn’t interested in the Browns. In fact, it was reported that he eliminated them from contention entirely. The word was he wanted structure. Stability. A place that aligned with his values. Whatever that meant.
Cleveland, meanwhile, was on its hands and knees trying to fix a quarterback disaster of their own making—and just when it looked like they were out of the running, they did the one thing no other team would do and reset not just the quarterback market, but the broader NFL contract landscape as well by offering a fully guaranteed, five-year, $230 million dollar contract.
Keep in mind… This is to a guy who hadn’t played football in a year—never mind all of the baggage. Just preposterous stuff.
In any case, once the guaranteed money came into play, all of a sudden, the Browns were not just back in the running, but they ran away from the competition entirely.
Something Watson attributed to a change of heart—he explained while detailing how “excited” he was to “lead the Browns.”
Let’s call it what it was: Watson didn’t choose the Browns because of the culture. Or the leadership. Or the locker room. He chose them because they offered him the most money and guaranteed every last dollar. No clauses. No contingencies. No conscience.
Eli Manning
Ah, yes, the infamous 2004 NFL Draft. The day Eli Manning became a New York Giant—and somehow, a sympathetic figure.
The story the public was sold was that Eli and the Manning family simply didn’t trust the San Diego Chargers’ ownership. That they were protecting his career. That it was about fit.
And to be fair, like with many lies there was a cornel of truth in at the center of it. After all, the Spanos Family did have a bit of a murky reputation at the time and the Chargers hadn’t been super competitive in recent years…
But anyone with half a sense of how the league works could smell the truth from across the country. This wasn’t about the front office. It was about the market—and, subsequently, the money.
Eli didn’t want to play in obscurity on the West Coast for a struggling team with an irrelevant fanbase. He wanted New York. The lights, media machine, marketing potential—and the money that came with it.
After two Super Bowls and a truckload of endorsements later, it’s hard to say he made the wrong choice, but let’s not act like this was some noble crusade against bad management.
DK Metcalf
When DK Metcalf started making noise about wanting out of Seattle, it was dressed up as two things…
One: it was framed as a competitive move. He wanted to be in a system that could maximize his prime years. He wanted to win. He wanted to play for a team that could compete for a Super Bowl… and Two—he wanted warm weather—not exactly something that Pittsburgh is well known for.
Now, on the former point—let’s be clear—the Steelers are a respectable organization. Historic franchise—with a loyal fanbase. But let’s not pretend they’re knocking on the Super Bowl door right now.
They did, however, hand him a five-year, $150 million contract—one of the richest deals in franchise history—with $30 million per year and a golden opportunity to pad his numbers next to George Pickens.
The truth in the matter is that DK found an NFL team willing to pay top dollar and still give him the bonafide wide receiver 1 treatment, which in the end, was all that he needed.
DeAndre Hopkins
While it seems clear that DeAndre Hopkins has officially entered the ring-chasing portion of his career, with the three-time All-Pro now jumping from Kansas City and Baltimore in subsequent seasons… he’s actually been beating that drum for a little while now.
It first really started to pick up steam ahead of the 2023 NFL season, when he was determined to get out of Arizona and play for a contender… only to sign with the Tennessee Titans, where he was set to be catching passes from Ryan Tannehill at the time.
“I feel like I’ve always had something to prove, and that’s how I play my game,” Hopkins said via the team’s official site. “The decision to come to Nashville, obviously, made a lot of people mad. But I kind of felt at home being here from the get-go, from early on.
Hopkins continued to validate the decision, explaining that he felt comfort and familiarity with the coaching staff there and that he believed they had his best interests in mind, but in reality—he was a 30 year old receive coming off a couple of down years and injuries—and the Titans were willing to pony up $26 million over two years!
Javon Hargrave
2022 was a big year for Javon Hargrave and the Eagles… Hargrave posted a career-best 11 sacks for one of the top-ranked defenses in the league—and the Birds stormed all the way to the Super Bowl on the strength of that fierce defense, narrowly missing a win against the Chiefs.
And once the offseason rolled around, whispers sparked regarding which members of that historically great defense they were going to be able to keep.
Many thought Hargrave would be one of them, as he had indicated that he wanted to be part of the Philly culture and keep building, but what those folks didn’t factor in was the San Francisco 49ers, who the Eagles knocked off in the NFC Championship Game the year prior would come calling with a four year, $84 million dollar deal—with $40 million guaranteed.
Credit to Hargrave for not just cashing in but also managing to join another solid NFL team in the process… but still! He definitely leveraged his interest in staying with Philly as leverage to drive up that offer.
Antonio Brown
At his peak, Antonio Brown was unreal. Five straight 100-catch seasons. Unstoppable footwork. Production that spoke for itself.
But when his relationship with the Steelers fully went sour in 2018, AB suddenly became deeply philosophical about where he wanted to go next.
He said he wanted a better quarterback. A better culture. More respect.
That is why you would leave the Pittsburgh Steelers to join the Las Vegas Raiders!
Granted, he had made a cool $33.79 mil in his final two years with Pittsburgh, but the deal with the Raiders came with an upgrade that locked in an extra 340 million.
Of course, he still played it off like it was about the culture of the silver and black, but it was clear looking back it was really just another NFL player looking for more money and place that he could run wild in true AB fashion.
Orlando Brown Jr.
After winning a Super Bowl in Kansas City and playing left tackle for the best quarterback in the world, Brown’s camp reportedly told anyone who would listen that he wanted to stay put.
Which made sense…. Kansas City was the kind of place where he could be part of building a dynasty and play with Patrick Mahomes.
Tough to imagine many better landing spots than that!
And then… the Bengals came calling with a four-year, $64 million frontloaded deal—including over $31 million in guaranteed money—and suddenly the Mahomes era was in the rearview mirror.
Look—we’re not saying he was wrong to take the money. Getting paid like that and playing with Joe Burrow is a nice option, too, but it is hard to think that his team didn’t know what they were doing, hyping up the idea that he was going to be a Chief going forward.
