Every NFL offseason, the teams around league break the bank trying to lure players into town with bags of cash hoping that they will be the missing piece to take their team to the next level.
Unfortunately, not all free-agent signings are created equally… and every team has had their fair share of strikeouts.
Some, of course, more so than others… But we are not here to get into who is typically best in free agency—quite the opposite. Let’s take a look back at every NFL team’s WORST free-agent signing of all time.
Which free-agency signings from each NFL team did not pan out as expected?
Arizona Cardinals: Emmitt Smith, RB
When you get a big name like Emmitt Smith, particularly when you are a franchise like the Arizona Cardinals, which has traditionally struggled to lure stars into town, I understand the urge to make the move.
But signing the Hall of Fame running back well past his prime in 2003 was a huge mistake. He played just 25 games across two years, posting numbers that were well below his career averages before turning to Dallas to retire on a one-day contract.
Atlanta Falcons: Kirk Cousins, QB
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There isn’t much that hasn’t been said this point about what a disaster the Kirk Cousins free agency signing was for Atlanta… really since its conception.
35-year-old NFL quarterback, perennial underachiever, coming off a torn Achilles? This thing was doomed from the start—and only gotten worse as the situation has continued to unfold.
Baltimore Ravens: Earl Thomas, S
Baltimore was ablaze with excitement when longtime Seahawks great Earl Thomas agreed to come on board in 2019.
Thomas, however, proved rather quickly that his best days were behind him—and did so with emphasis. He lasted just one season in Baltimore, had some wild off-the-field issues arise—and was ultimately cut after punching a teammate.
What a trifecta!
Buffalo Bills: Dwan Edwards, 2010
Kind of have to put the blame squarely on Buffalo for this one… Dwan Edwards came over from Baltimore as a rotational guy and was paid like a starting defensive lineman—and when they tried to make him fit the mold, he wilted under the increased workload.
In two NFL seasons, he managed just 3.5 sacks before the Bills realized they’d made a mistake and cut him loose.
Carolina Panthers: Matt Kalil, OT
Carolina is far from the gold standard when it comes to free agent signings—and decisions like inking Matt Kalil to a five-year $55 million dollar deal after a relatively underwhelming run with the Vikings is case and point.
In his first season, he allowed one of the highest pressure rates of any tackle in the league. In Year 2, he didn’t play a single snap due to injury. And by Year 3, the Panthers cut him outright, eating a $14 million dead cap hit just to get him out of town.
Chicago Bears: Mike Glennon, QB
Leave it to the Chicago Bears to convince themselves that a guy who had started five games in three years in Tampa was worth $45 million.
The final stat line for Glennon’s Bears career: Four starts, four losses, five interceptions, and one incredibly expensive lesson in why you don’t hand out starting QB money to a backup.
Cincinnati Bengals: Laveranues Coles, WR
After a bitter contract dispute, the Bengals tried to replace T.J. Houshmandzadeh by giving Laveranues Coles a four-year, $28 million deal. In return, Coles gave them… 500 yards, five touchdowns, and one of the most forgettable NFL seasons of all time.
The Bengals quickly realized their mistake and cut him after one year, eating a nice cap hit in the process. Just a classic case of paying a guy for what he used to be instead of what he actually was—or actually paying the guy they should’ve paid to keep him in-house!
Cleveland Browns: Andre Rison, WR
This one deserves special recognition because it dates back to a time when an NFL franchise could be so cash-poor that they actually need to take out a loan to sign a big free agent… which is exactly what Cleveland did to afford Andre Rison’s five-year, $17 million contract.
Cleveland finished with just five wins, and Rison struggled, catching less than half of his targets. He ultimately left the team at the conclusion of the season when they departed for Baltimore.
Dallas Cowboys: Mike Vanderjagt, K
If you’re going to pay big money for a kicker, he better be automatic—and he better not be a distraction in the locker room. Unfortunately, Vanderjagt failed to check either of those boxes.
Fresh off missing a crucial kick in the playoffs with Indianapolis, the Cowboys signed him to a three-year deal… and he immediately became one of the least reliable kickers in the league.
He lasted 11 games, missed five easy kicks, and got cut before he could even finish out the season.
Denver Broncos: Kyle Fuller, CB
After signing with Denver, Fuller had the worst statistical season of his career, allowing career highs in nearly every category, and was benched multiple times.
By the time the season ended, Denver let him walk without even considering bringing him back for a second act.
Detroit Lions: Trey Flowers, DE
Matt Patricia tried to bring a little of the “Patriot Way” to Detroit, both with his hard-nosed coaching style and the acquisition of Trey Flowers, but he just burned a whole lot of cap space and bridges.
His first season was fine—seven sacks, 21 QB hits—it all fell apart quickly.
Injuries derailed Flowers’ next two seasons, and Detroit paid him $90 million for a grand total of 10.5 sacks in three NFL seasons.
Green Bay Packers: Martellus Bennett, TE
Bennett was coming off a Super Bowl win with the Patriots and looked like a perfect fit for Green Bay’s offense. The Packers gave him a three-year, $21 million deal, hoping he’d be their first real playmaking tight end since Jermichael Finley, but he lasted just seven games, catching 24 passes for 233 yards—and butting heads—seemingly with everyone in the building.
Houston Texans: Ahman Green, RB
After a Pro Bowl career in Green Bay, Houston handed Green a four-year, $23 million deal to be their workhorse running back, but all they got was what remained as his body continued to deteriorate.
Green played just 14 games in two years, rushed for a grand total of 554 yards, and never scored more than two touchdowns in a season, pushing the Texans to cut him before Year 3, making this an expensive, injury-riddled mistake.
Indianapolis Colts: Devin Funchess, WR
One game… That’s how long Devin Funchess lasted with the Colts after signing a one-year, $10 million deal in 2019.
Funchess broke his collarbone in Week 1, went on injured reserve, and never played another snap in Indianapolis.
Tough to do much worse than that in the NFL.
Jacksonville Jaguars: Nick Foles, QB
Just a year removed from his big Super Bowl run, Jacksonville gave Nick Foles a four-year, $91 million contract with over $50 million guaranteed, hoping he’d finally solve their quarterback woes, only to have him break his collarbone in his first quarter as a Jaguar.
By the time he returned, Gardner Minshew had already become a fan favorite, and Foles’ play was so bad that he got benched midseason. The Jags dumped his contract after four total games, and that was that.
Kansas City Chiefs: Chester McGlockton, DT
McGlockton was an absolute force for the Raiders. Four straight Pro Bowls, dominant against both the run and pass—he was everything a team could want in a defensive tackle.
So when Kansas City gave up a second-round pick and a massive contract to sign him as a restricted free agent, Chiefs fans had a lot of hope.
Unfortunately, McGlockton never lived up to expectations, managing just seven sacks in three seasons—and getting cut after the 2000 season.
Las Vegas Raiders: Javon Walker, WR
The Raiders have historically loved giving veteran wide receivers, who may or may not be past their prime, big money to wear the silver and black…
But when they gave Walker a six-year, $55 million deal, there were already warning signs that it might not be the best idea, as his production had already started to diminish due to knee injuries.
He lasted 11 games over two seasons, securing a measly 15 catches before the Raiders gave up and cut him. Just an absolute disaster of an NFL contract.
Los Angeles Chargers: J.C. Jackson, CB
Giving J.C Jackson a five-year, $82.5 million contract was one of the biggest free-agent busts in recent memory.
Jackson struggled out of the gate, got hurt after five games, and never regained his form. In Year 2, he was so bad that Los Angeles benched him and then traded him back to New England for basically nothing.
Los Angeles Rams: Cortland Finnegan, CB
Finnegan went from a top-tier trash-talking, physical corner to completely washed in just two years after the Rams gave him that big five-year $50 million dollar contract.
It was a quick and painful fall from grace for a guy who, at one point, was one of the most feared corners in the NFL.
Miami Dolphins: Will Fuller, WR
If you ever need an example of why paying an injury-prone wide receiver big money is a bad idea, look no further than Will Fuller.
The Dolphins handed him a one-year, $10.6 million deal… and Fuller responded by playing two games, catching four passes, and then mysteriously disappearing from football forever.
$2.7 million per catch. Can’t make this stuff up.
Minnesota Vikings: Bernard Berrian, WR
The Vikings thought they were getting an elite deep threat when they gave Berrian a six-year, $42 million contract, which made him one of the highest-paid receivers in the league at the time. Instead, they got a guy who never had a 1,000-yard season and then completely fell off the map.
By 2011, he was at the bottom of the depth chart, and Minnesota just straight-up cut him midseason, and he fell out of the league entirely.
New England Patriots: Adalius Thomas, LB
Coming off a dominant run with the Ravens, Thomas was supposed to be the next great Bill Belichick chess piece—an NFL linebacker who could play anywhere, rush the passer, and lock down tight ends. Instead, he clashed with the coaching staff, never fit into the system, and became one of the rare players to publicly complain about “The Patriot Way.”
New Orleans Saints: Jarius Byrd, S
The Saints were convinced they had landed an elite safety that they handed Byrd $56 million over six years, but that money only got them one of the worst free agent deals in franchise history.
Byrd was a playmaker in Buffalo, but the second he arrived in New Orleans, he fell apart—literally. A knee injury in Year 1 derailed his entire tenure, and by the time he got healthy, he was nowhere near the player they thought they signed.
Tough break for Byrd, but it doesn’t make it any less of an egregious roster-building mistake.
New York Giants: Kenny Golladay, WR
Golladay was coming off two solid seasons in Detroit, and the Giants—desperate for a No. 1 receiver—handed him $72 million over four years. And what did they get?
43 catches. In two seasons… That is next-level bad.
New York Jets: Trumaine Johnson, CB
The Jets saw Johnson put together a couple of nice seasons in LA and decided, yep, let’s give this guy $72.5 million. Spoiler alert: It was a bad idea.
Johnson immediately became a liability in coverage and in the locker room. He was eventually benched for poor play, and by Year 2, the Jets were so sick of him that they just cut him outright.
Philadelphia Eagles: Byron Maxwell, CB
Philly learned the hard way. It can be challenging to evaluate individual talent when they are part of a dominant unit, like Maxwell did with the Legion of Boom in Seattle.
They gave Maxwell $63 million to be their number 1 corner, and in return, he got absolutely cooked by every receiver he faced. The Eagles cut their losses fast—after one season just to get his contract off the books.
Pittsburgh Steelers: Ladarius Green, TE
Many eyebrows were raised when the Steelers gave Ladarius Green, Antonio Gates’ longtime backup in San Diego, $20 million—and those eyebrows were vindicated in short order, as Green was plagued by injuries throughout his lone season in Pittsburgh and barely contributed.
San Francisco 49ers: De’Vondre Campbell, LB
The 49ers brought him in to be a key part of their defense, but the second Dre Greenlaw got healthy and took his job—he quit on the team and threw an adult tempt tantrum.
Adding him to the 49ers locker room was a massive miscalculation, both in terms of his performance—and the culture fit.
Seattle Seahawks: Eddie Lacy, RB
Lacy was already trending downward in Green Bay, but Seattle still gave him $5.5 million to take over their backfield. In return, they got 179 rushing yards. Total.
Not exactly a surprise that the running back was out of the league entirely shortly thereafter.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Julio Jones, WR
It’s always sad when a legend goes out with a whimper, and that’s exactly what happened with Julio Jones in Tampa.
The Bucs brought him in to help replace Rob Gronkowski, but Jones—now on his last legs—was barely a factor. He played just 10 games, caught 24 passes, and never made the impact Tampa was hoping for.
Tennessee Titans: Alge Crumpler, TE
Over two seasons, Crumpler had just two touchdowns, a far cry from the productive stretch in Atlanta that prompted Tennessee to offer him a big deal.
Insult to injury was the infamous fumble in the 2008 NFL playoffs when Crumpler coughed up the ball inside the five-yard line against the Ravens, which effectively ended the Titans season.
Washington Commanders: Albert Haynesworth, DT
If there’s a Mount Rushmore of free-agent busts, Albert Haynesworth should be front and center.
Washington handed him $100 million—with $41 million guaranteed—and in return, he gave them… literally nothing—other than continued headaches as he missed workouts, underperformed, and fought with teammates and coaches.
