The 10 worst NFL contracts right now

Contract: 4 years, $132 million

Despite being a thousand yard receiver nearly every year of his career, Metcalf’s worth doesn’t really match his price tag. On top of having to send off a second round pick, Pittsburgh needed to give Metcalf his desired pay raise. With the Steelers being desperate for any receiving help, they complied, and gave him a top of the market deal that hasn’t really matched Metcalf’s production.

9: Calvin Ridley

Contract: 4 years, $92 million

Overall, Ridley had an underwhelming season in Jacksonville compared to his expectations. Still, eclipsing the thousand yard mark after being away from the game for a year showed promise. So, the Titans sent a bag his way. When looking at the receiver market, Ridley’s deal isn’t that bad, as he’s a fine enough wideout. Regardless, $23 a year for an aging injury-prone wideout isn’t the best use of one’s cash allocation.

8: Jaylon Moore

Contract: 2 years, $30 million

Following a year where Patrick Mahomes was repeatedly brought to the ground, KC needed some o-line help. So, they signed Jaylon Moore to be insurance for them as an offensive tackle. Of course, Josh Simmons fell to their laps and won the job. As such, Moore’s $15 million AAV as a backup swing tackle stands out. Even when Moore did play, he was a liability. In just 427 snaps he allowed 27 pressures and three sacks.

7: Aaron Banks

Contract: 4 years, $77 million

Though the lesser guarantees make this deal much more flexible for Green Bay, that doesn’t justify the Packers’ miss. Banks was way below average both in the run and the pass. His PFF overall grade of 53 put him 66th among all qualifying guards, as he allowed 28 pressures and 2 sacks in his first year with his new squad.

6: Geno Smith

Contract: 2 years, $75 million

The first massive QB deal on this list belongs to Geno Smith. Smith debatably earned his pay raise with Vegas after compensating for a lot of Seattle’s issues during his time there. However, combined with the Raiders’ lackluster coaching and roster, both parties suffered. Smith notably led the league in interceptions, was consistently inaccurate, and led the team to a 3-14 record. Now in New York he’s set to earn a vet minimum, while the Raiders continue to pay him despite the trade.

5: Dan Moore

Contract: 4 years, $82 million

As a way to shore up their line for Cam Ward, the Titans signed 2024’s leader in sacks allowed. This contract never made sense, and was a big overpay for a very middling player. Dan Moore’s AAV of $20.5 put him eighth highest among his position. Predictably, he failed to keep Ward upright. This last year, his allowed pressure rate of 8.2% ranked bottom second in the league among offensive tackles.

4: Kyler Murray

Contract: 5 years, $230.5 million

Arizona seemed to finally have their franchise QB, so they wasted no time inking him to an extension. At the time, Murray’s new deal put him behind only Aaron Rodgers in AAV, so you could debate this was a puzzling decision from the start. Now that another new regime is taking charge of the organization, Murray has been let go. His release will incur a massive cap hit of around $47.5 to $54.7 million in 2026 alone.

3: Kirk Cousins

Contract: 4 years $180 million

Coming off an Achilles tear, there were already criticisms of Atlanta’s decision to sign Cousins. Then when they drafted Michael Penix, those critics simply got louder. Cousins’ Falcons tenure started off well, as he led the team to a 6-3 record. His wheels came off quickly though, and he was benched in his very first year under his new deal. After releasing him, the Falcons will suffer a dead cap hit of $22.5 million for 2026.

2: Tua Tagovailoa

Contract: 4 years, $212.4 million

Under Mike McDaniel’s system, Tua Tagovailoa provided stability. Though he clearly had a capped ceiling, he was very effective as a system QB. As such, given that the QB always has leverage, the Dolphins granted his wishes and gave him a four year deal worth $212.4 million. They quickly came to regret that decision, as Tagovailoa continued to decline. Now, after releasing him, their new regime will have to work around an NFL-record $99.2 million dead cap hit.

1: Deshaun Watson

Contract: 5 years, $230 million

Big surprise, it’s Deshaun Watson. The Browns were already jeopardizing their reputation by trading for Watson given his off the field controversies. But giving him a fully guaranteed $230 million dollar deal was organizational malpractice. Since then, Watson has been mostly hurt and missing time. Even when he’s taken the field, he’s been among the absolute worst QBs in the league. This contract stands out not just as a modern disaster signing, but a generational gaffe that will haunt Cleveland for years to come.