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By The Athletic NFL Staff 3h ago
Sometimes free agency works out for NFL teams. Other times, it’s a fantastic failure. That’s where we’re focused today. We asked our team of NFL writers to find the worst free-agent acquisition for all 32 teams over the past decade.
THE OTHER SIDE: Every NFL team’s best free agent addition of past decade
Arizona Cardinals
Worst free agent: Sam Bradford, quarterback, 2018
Analysis: Bradford isn’t just the Cardinals’ worst. This is in the running for the worst free-agent signing ever. The Cardinals added Bradford on a one-year, $20 million deal that included $15 million guaranteed. What did they get for that investment? Three games, with two touchdown passes and four interceptions, before Bradford was benched in favor of rookie first-rounder Josh Rosen. (The failure of that draft pick is a story for another time.) Bradford was released at midseason. — Lindsay Jones
Atlanta Falcons
Worst free agent: Ray Edwards, defensive end, 2011
Analysis: A decade later, the sting from this deal remains. The Falcons signed Edwards to a five-year, $30 million contract with $11 million guaranteed. Then Edwards never performed. He also became a distraction in the locker room. In 2012, Edwards hadn’t recorded a sack through nine games before the Falcons cut him. — Tori McElhaney
Baltimore Ravens
Worst free agent: Earl Thomas, safety, 2019
Analysis: After losing defensive standouts Terrell Suggs, Za’Darius Smith and C.J. Mosley in free agency, the normally patient Ravens front office hastily decided to extend a four-year, $55 million contract offer to Thomas, who had only one-year offers on the table. Thomas eventually warmed to his surroundings and had an OK first season in Baltimore, although he struggled to make game-changing plays. His erratic and unprofessional behavior alienated teammates and coaches and culminated with him sucker-punching fellow safety Chuck Clark in a training practice in August 2020. The Ravens released him two days later for conduct detrimental to the team. He’s been out of the NFL since. — Jeff Zrebiec
Buffalo Bills
Worst free agent: Mark Anderson, defensive end, 2012
Analysis: After they unexpectedly landed free agent Mario Williams, the Bills were in the mood to spend again. So they landed another pass rusher in Anderson, who had just had a 10-sack season on a one-year, prove-it deal for New England. However, from 2007 through 2010, Anderson didn’t eclipse five sacks. The Bills sank $19.5 million over four years into the pass rusher and wound up regretting it. He played only five games for the Bills in 2012, had one sack, suffered a knee injury, and the team released him the following offseason. — Joe Buscaglia
Carolina Panthers
Worst free agent: Matt Kalil, tackle, 2017
Analysis: This was one of those signings where the Panthers probably let their emotions drive the decision. Kalil was a top-five pick in Minnesota but struggled with pass protection and had undergone season-ending hip injury in 2016. Still, GM Dave Gettleman signed Kalil to a five-year, $55.5 million contract and reunited him with his brother, Pro Bowl center Ryan Kalil. After starting every game his first year in Charlotte, Matt Kalil injured his knee in training camp in 2018 and never played another regular-season snap for the Panthers, who cut him the following offseason and absorbed nearly $15 million in dead money. — Joseph Person
Chicago Bears
Worst free agent: Cody Parkey, kicker, 2018
Analysis: After signing a four-year contract with $9 million guaranteed, Parkey went 23-for-30 on field goals. He missed a would-be game-winner in Miami. He hit the post four times against Detroit. And then he capped it off with the double-doink, which sent the Bears on a circus of a kicker pursuit the following offseason. The franchise has been middling since that miss in the playoffs, and to compound how bad the contract was, the Bears still owed him $3.5 million in 2019. The dead money stayed on the Bears’ books through 2020. — Kevin Fishbain
Cincinnati Bengals
Worst free agent: Kevin Minter, linebacker, 2017
Analysis: If we nudge the date parameters back a year, we could include one of the all-time busts in NFL history with Antonio Bryant (four years, $28 million, cut before ever playing a game). Maybe that signing, which got the team doctor fired, is why there weren’t a lot of other big misses for the Bengals — because there weren’t a lot of big swings. Until 2020, the Bengals mostly avoided outside free agents while opting to re-sign their own (plenty of bad decisions to pick from there). But the choice here is Minter. With linebackers evolving from thumpers to speed demons, the Bengals gave the slow-ish Minter a one-year, $4.3 million deal. He, in turn, gave them next to nothing (32 tackles, no sacks, no passes defended) in an injury-riddled season in which he started only seven games. — Jay Morrison
Cleveland Browns
Worst free agent: (Tie) Dwayne Bowe, receiver, 2015, and Kenny Britt, receiver, 2017
Analysis: You can’t leave one out. You just can’t. Bowe had been a good player for a long time in Kansas City, but he was a total bust in Cleveland. He got $9 million guaranteed for five catches in 2015 and didn’t exactly seem apologetic about it. Two years later, Britt got $10.5 million guaranteed and didn’t make it through a whole season. Britt spent most of his eight months with the Browns either in the doghouse or the training room, and when the Browns hired John Dorsey as general manager in December 2017, he cut Britt on his first full day on the job. The only question was what took so long. — Zac Jackson
Dallas Cowboys
Worst free agent: Greg Hardy, defensive end, 2015
Analysis: The 2013 Pro Bowler signed a one-year deal worth up to $13 million. He earned about $9 million after playing in 12 games and recording six sacks, nine tackles for loss and 20 QB hits. The statistics weren’t bad, but the distractions he caused made signing Hardy a mistake. He was suspended the first four games for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy by using physical force against his former girlfriend. While with the Cowboys, Hardy made questionable comments about Tom Brady’s wife before the Cowboys played the Patriots. Later in the season, he slapped a clipboard out of a coach’s hand during a sideline argument. Coach Jason Garrett had to meet with Hardy on several occasions to address his conduct. Hardy has not played in the NFL since. — Jon Machota
Denver Broncos
Worst free agent: Menelik Watson, tackle, 2017
Analysis: Denver signed Watson to a three-year, $18.75 million deal following four injury-plagued seasons with the Raiders. The Broncos got just seven games before Watson suffered a season-ending foot injury, and he gave up eight sacks in that stretch. The Broncos cut Watson just before the start of the 2018 season, swallowing $5.5 million in dead money. Watson wasn’t John Elway’s only swing and miss choosing tackles in free agency. Donald Stephenson missed 12 of 32 games during his two seasons with the Broncos after signing a lucrative deal in 2016. And, at least to this point, the four-year, $51 million deal he handed Ja’Wuan James in 2019 is looking bad. — Nick Kosmider
Detroit Lions
Worst free agent: Jesse James, tight end, 2019
Analysis: There are a lot of contenders from former GM Bob Quinn’s recent spending — Desmond Trufant, Mike Daniels, a Halapoulivaati Vaitai contract that’s still stuck on the books. But the Lions handed James a four-year, $22-million deal, despite that A: he’d never produced more than 432 yards receiving or three touchdowns in a single season and B: Quinn had his sights set on tight end T.J. Hockenson in the ’19 draft. The Lions let productive tight ends Eric Ebron, Darren Fells and Logan Thomas walk during Quinn’s tenure, but they made an aggressive play on James. As with many moves, it flopped. — Chris Burke
Green Bay Packers
Worst free agent: Martellus Bennett, tight end, 2017
Analysis: Bennett signed with the Packers for three years and $21 million in March but only played seven games in Green Bay (24 catches for 233 yards, no touchdowns) before being cut for failing to disclose a medical condition following a bizarre series of events. One report cited teammates who believed Bennett quit on the team after Aaron Rodgers broke his collarbone, especially since Bennett swiftly re-joined the Patriots after the Packers released him despite publicly stating his desire to retire after the season. — Matt Schneidman
Houston Texans
Worst free agent: Brock Osweiler, quarterback, 2016
Analysis: The Texans hoped they found a long-term answer at quarterback when they signed Osweiler to a four-year, $72 million contract. But Osweiler lasted just one season before the Texans attached a second-round pick to him to dump his contract onto the Browns. Osweiler became one of just five quarterbacks since 2000 to have thrown at least 500 passes, averaged less than 6 yards per attempt and tossed more interceptions than touchdowns. — Aaron Reiss
Indianapolis Colts
Worst free agent: LaRon Landry, safety, 2013
Analysis: There are certainly options here. Todd Herremans comes to mind. So does Art Jones. But I’m giving Landry the distinction for a variety of reasons: the weighty contract (four years, up to $24 million) he never deserved, the multiple PED suspensions, the locker room headache that he was. A handful of former teammates, including Robert Mathis and Pat McAfee, have confirmed as much. On top of all of that, Landry’s play was forgettable at best, awful at worst. Put simply: This was a move that should have never happened. The Colts would’ve been wise to keep Antoine Bethea. — Zak Keefer
Jacksonville Jaguars
Worst free agent: Nick Foles, quarterback, 2019
Analysis: They signed the former Super Bowl MVP to a four-year, $88 million deal in 2019. The Jaguars ended up paying about $30 million of that for four starts. That comes out to $7.5 million per start or roughly $256,000 per pass attempt. The Jaguars moved on from Foles quickly and traded him to the Bears after one season. — Sheil Kapadia
Kansas City Chiefs
Worst free agent: Steve Breaston, receiver, 2011
Analysis: The Chiefs thought they were getting a reliable player in Breaston, who spent his first four seasons with the Cardinals, to pair with star receiver Dwayne Bowe. Breaston had a solid first season with the Chiefs, recording 785 receiving yards and just two touchdowns. But Breaston’s time in Kansas City lasted two seasons after signing a five-year deal. He recorded just seven receptions for 74 yards in 2012 and was then released, which ended his six-year career. — Nate Taylor
Las Vegas Raiders
Worst free agent: Sean Smith, cornerback, 2016
Analysis: The Raiders have made dozens of horrible signings over the last 10 years. But only one was benched in his first game after signing a four-year, $40 million deal. Smith was the physical, 6-foot-2 corner that the Raiders are always looking for, it seems. But he couldn’t stay in front of Saints receivers in the opener. Michael Thomas, Willie Snead and Brandin Cooks all took turns — for a total of 172 yards and two touchdowns on the three catches. Coach Jack Del Rio had seen enough, though Smith would return to the lineup the following week. Smith wound up only starting 22 games in two seasons before he was arrested and his career was over. Smith served five months in prison for beating up his sister’s boyfriend after the man tried to intervene in an argument between Smith and his sister. — Vic Tafur
Los Angeles Chargers
Worst free agent: Orlando Franklin, guard, 2015
Analysis: The Chargers signed Franklin to a five-year, $36.5 million deal. They cut him two years later after inconsistent play. He made 26 starts in those two seasons, and missed six games in his debut campaign because of ankle and knee injuries. Franklin played in just one more game in his NFL career before retiring. — Daniel Popper
Los Angeles Rams
Worst free agent: Jake Long, tackle, 2013
Analysis: Cornerback Cortland Finnegan would have probably been a popular choice here as well, but the expectation for Long at left tackle when the Rams signed him to a four-year, $34 million deal was that he would solidify the position. Instead, due to injury, he appeared in just 22 games before his 2015 release. Fortunately for the Rams, it only took a couple of years and a failed Greg Robinson experiment to finally find a left tackle … in another free agent, Andrew Whitworth, whom they signed in 2017. — Jourdan Rodrigue
Miami Dolphins
Worst free agent: Philip Wheeler, linebacker, 2013
Analysis: Wheeler signed a $26 million deal, but he was cut the following year after recording just 45 tackles. Wheeler struggled defending against both the run and pass, and he became a liability in pass coverage, specifically while tasked with defending tight ends. One of his worst moments came following a Dolphins’ loss to the Packers in 2014, when he gave up the winning score, a 4-yard touchdown from Aaron Rodgers to tight end Andrew Quarless. Wheeler, who had coverage of Quarless, blamed defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle for not putting him in the best position to succeed. — Josh Tolentino
Minnesota Vikings
Worst free agent: Mike Remmers, offensive lineman, 2017
Analysis: There are a few options, including receiver Greg Jennings, who played only two years with the Vikings after signing a five-year, $45 million contract. But we’re going with this ill-fated attempt at fixing the offensive line woes that have lasted nearly a decade. The Vikings gave Remmers his first big contract, a five-year, $30 million deal after he made $2.5 million with Carolina. But Remmers struggled so much as a right tackle in his first year in Minnesota that the team moved him to guard, where his struggles continued and led to him being cut after two seasons. — Chad Graff
New England Patriots
Worst free agent: Antonio Brown, receiver, 2019
Analysis: The Patriots made an aggressive play to appease Brady when they agreed to a one-year deal ($10 million guaranteed) with Brown the day before the season opener. It came with some risk due to Brown’s past, but the Patriots had no idea just how bad it would get. Brown was accused of sexual misconduct by two women, including a civil lawsuit that alleged sexual assault and rape. He also allegedly sent harassing text messages to an accuser before the Patriots released him, just 11 days after he joined the team. The fallout hurt. The Patriots traded receiver Demaryius Thomas to the Jets to make room for Brown, then didn’t have enough cap space to make necessary moves before the trade deadline. The lack of receiver depth was a major factor in the Patriots’ first wild-card loss in a decade. — Jeff Howe
New Orleans Saints
Worst free agent: Jairus Byrd, safety, 2014
Analysis: The Saints wanted to move more toward Seattle’s “Legion of Boom” defense following the 2013 season. They imagined Byrd as the missing piece. It completely busted. Byrd inked a six-year deal, which could have maxed out at $54 million. He only made it through a disappointing three years littered with injuries and lackluster play. He played just four games in 2014 after a knee ailment. He never looked the same with only three interceptions in his Saints career. What made this worse? The Saints let Malcolm Jenkins leave for Philadelphia for half the price, and he won a Super Bowl there. — Larry Holder
New York Giants
Worst free agent: Nate Solder, tackle, 2018
Analysis: Wide receiver Golden Tate made a strong case for this “honor,” with a four-game PED suspension and a benching for selfish behavior in two seasons after signing a four-year, $37.5 million contract in 2019. But it’s impossible to top the Solder disappointment considering the Giants made him the highest-paid offensive lineman in the NFL when they gave him a four-year, $62 million contract. Solder wasn’t very good in 2018 and then was abysmal in 2019. He opted out last season and now is back after taking a steep pay cut to just $3 million to serve as a swing tackle. Solder has been the poster boy for the Giants’ prolonged offensive line woes. — Dan Duggan
New York Jets
Worst free agent: Trumaine Johnson, cornerback, 2018
Analysis: This is a pretty robust list to choose from. Le’Veon Bell is a contender. Darrelle Revis’ second stint ended horribly. Derrick Mason, Spencer Long and Dimitri Patterson were awful, too. All pale in comparison to Johnson, though. Coach Todd Bowles asked GM Mike Maccagnan to find him an aggressive press-man corner for the outside of his defense. So Maccagnan handed Johnson a five-year, $72.5 million deal. Johnson made it just two years before the Jets cut him. — Connor Hughes
Philadelphia Eagles
Worst free agent: DeMarco Murray, running back, 2015
Analysis: The Eagles traded LeSean McCoy in the prime of his career and signed Murray away from the rival Cowboys to a five-year, $42 million contract. Murray proved to be a bad fit both in coach Chip Kelly’s offense and in the Eagles organization. His occasional absences at summer practices prompted Malcolm Jenkins to bring over a folding chair for Murray on the sideline, a far-from-subtle reminder that other veterans were practicing. It didn’t help that Murray’s production plummeted with the Eagles. One year after leading the NFL in rushing (and carries), Murray finished with 702 yards and 3.6 yards per carry during a season in which the Eagles underachieved. He preferred to run with the quarterback under center. Kelly’s offense relied on the quarterback in the shotgun.
The Eagles traded Murray after one forgettable season, and paid him $9 million for the ill-fated stint. There have been other more expensive failed signings in Philadelphia, such as Nnamdi Asomugha and Byron Maxwell. But Murray’s public profile, history with the Cowboys and seeming indifference about playing in Philadelphia put him atop this list. — Zach Berman
Pittsburgh Steelers
Worst free agent: Ladarius Green, tight end, 2016
Analysis: Green signed a four-year, $20 million contract after his most productive season in San Diego when he caught 37 passes and four touchdowns in 13 games. He looked like a tight end on the rise. What the Steelers failed to unearth was his history of concussions and headaches. The problems began in training camp and continued through the season. He played in just six games in 2016, started two, caught 18 passes and scored one touchdown. The Steelers paid him $7.15 million for his efforts and he never played again. — Ed Bouchette
San Francisco 49ers
Worst free agent: Malcolm Smith, linebacker, 2017
Analysis: This was more bad luck than a bad signing. The 49ers inked Smith to a five-year, $26.5 million contract with the hope he’d mentor others, including soon-to-be first-round draft choice Reuben Foster, on how to run a Seahawks-like defense. Smith, however, suffered a torn pectoral muscle in his first training camp and dealt with Achilles and hamstring issues in his second season. When the 49ers released him two years later, his grand total for the team: 35 tackles and one pass breakup. Foster? We’ll save his story for a “worst draft choices” item. — Matt Barrows
Seattle Seahawks
Worst free agent: B.J. Finney, center, 2020
Analysis: There are several worthy candidates here including tackle J’Marcus Webb, quarterback Matt Flynn and cornerback Cary Williams, all of whom received multi-year deals and didn’t come close to living up to them. But Finney, who signed a two-year, $8 million contract, never even made it to the field. Beaten out for the starting center job, he played zero offensive snaps then got shipped to Cincinnati midway through the season. Finney was reportedly afraid of suffering an injury during his offseason workouts — Seattle had a clause in his contract a failed physical would result in signing bonus forfeiture, according to ESPN — so he didn’t properly train prior to training camp and reported to the team overweight and out of shape. Still, it was a bad signing. Playing poorly is one thing; not being ready to play at all is far more disappointing. — Michael-Shawn Dugar
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Worst free agent: Michael Johnson, defensive end, 2014
Analysis: The Bucs needed pass-rush help and turned to Johnson, who had played well in Cincinnati for five years. But in one year in Tampa, he managed only four sacks, and then he was gone after collecting $16 million for that lone season. What’s more, he went back to the Bengals, who still got a compensatory draft pick for losing him. Tackle Anthony Collins, signed from Cincinnati the same year, was almost as bad, getting $9 million for one subpar year in Tampa. — Greg Auman
Tennessee Titans
Worst free agent: Adam Humphries, receiver, 2019
Analysis: The worst free-agent signings are the ones who lack production and are inconsistently available while signed to expensive long-term deals. The Titans paid more than $19 million to Humphries for 19 games over two seasons, with the slot receiver catching 60 passes for 602 yards and four touchdowns. Kamerion Wimbley was another consideration here, but he played in 47 games over three seasons and ranked tied with Jared Allen for sixth in hurries with a career-high 47 in his first year with Tennessee, according to Pro Football Focus. Dion Lewis was a big miss. More recently, Jadeveon Clowney and Vic Beasley missed on one-year deals. — Mike Sando
Washington Football Team
Worst free agent: Paul Richardson Jr., receiver, 2018
Analysis: Following a breakout year with the Seahawks in which Richardson hauled in a career-high 44 catches for 703 yards and six touchdowns, Washington signed the receiver to a five-year, $40 million contract. Though Richardson was brought in to add a vertical presence to Washington’s offense, his time in the nation’s capital never panned out that way. Over two seasons, he missed 15 games recorded 48 receptions for 507 yards and four touchdowns. The oft-injured receiver was released in coach Ron Rivera’s first offseason. He earned $16.9 million during his tenure with Washington. — Rhiannon Walker
So, who was the worst free agent across the NFL?
Worst free agent: Brock Osweiler
Analysis: There are a lot of bad ones, but Osweiler is tough to beat. He had seven career starts, 10 touchdown passes and six interceptions in 2016 when the Texans signed him to that deal. He threw 16 interceptions in 15 games and averaged 5.8 YPA in his lone season in Houston. It’s not that he didn’t live up to his contract. It’s that he delivered an epically terrible season. Most of the time when free agent signings don’t work out, the result is a waste of money and resources. But the Texans had to trade away a second-round pick just to get rid of Osweiler. That gives him the edge here. — Sheil Kapadia
Sometimes free agency works out for NFL teams. Other times, it’s a fantastic failure. That’s where we’re focused today. We asked our team of NFL writers to find the worst free-agent acquisition for all 32 teams over the past decade.
THE OTHER SIDE: Every NFL team’s best free agent addition of past decade
Arizona Cardinals
Worst free agent: Sam Bradford, quarterback, 2018
Analysis: Bradford isn’t just the Cardinals’ worst. This is in the running for the worst free-agent signing ever. The Cardinals added Bradford on a one-year, $20 million deal that included $15 million guaranteed. What did they get for that investment? Three games, with two touchdown passes and four interceptions, before Bradford was benched in favor of rookie first-rounder Josh Rosen. (The failure of that draft pick is a story for another time.) Bradford was released at midseason. — Lindsay Jones
Atlanta Falcons
Worst free agent: Ray Edwards, defensive end, 2011
Analysis: A decade later, the sting from this deal remains. The Falcons signed Edwards to a five-year, $30 million contract with $11 million guaranteed. Then Edwards never performed. He also became a distraction in the locker room. In 2012, Edwards hadn’t recorded a sack through nine games before the Falcons cut him. — Tori McElhaney
Baltimore Ravens
Worst free agent: Earl Thomas, safety, 2019
Analysis: After losing defensive standouts Terrell Suggs, Za’Darius Smith and C.J. Mosley in free agency, the normally patient Ravens front office hastily decided to extend a four-year, $55 million contract offer to Thomas, who had only one-year offers on the table. Thomas eventually warmed to his surroundings and had an OK first season in Baltimore, although he struggled to make game-changing plays. His erratic and unprofessional behavior alienated teammates and coaches and culminated with him sucker-punching fellow safety Chuck Clark in a training practice in August 2020. The Ravens released him two days later for conduct detrimental to the team. He’s been out of the NFL since. — Jeff Zrebiec
Buffalo Bills
Worst free agent: Mark Anderson, defensive end, 2012
Analysis: After they unexpectedly landed free agent Mario Williams, the Bills were in the mood to spend again. So they landed another pass rusher in Anderson, who had just had a 10-sack season on a one-year, prove-it deal for New England. However, from 2007 through 2010, Anderson didn’t eclipse five sacks. The Bills sank $19.5 million over four years into the pass rusher and wound up regretting it. He played only five games for the Bills in 2012, had one sack, suffered a knee injury, and the team released him the following offseason. — Joe Buscaglia
Carolina Panthers
Worst free agent: Matt Kalil, tackle, 2017
Analysis: This was one of those signings where the Panthers probably let their emotions drive the decision. Kalil was a top-five pick in Minnesota but struggled with pass protection and had undergone season-ending hip injury in 2016. Still, GM Dave Gettleman signed Kalil to a five-year, $55.5 million contract and reunited him with his brother, Pro Bowl center Ryan Kalil. After starting every game his first year in Charlotte, Matt Kalil injured his knee in training camp in 2018 and never played another regular-season snap for the Panthers, who cut him the following offseason and absorbed nearly $15 million in dead money. — Joseph Person
Chicago Bears
Worst free agent: Cody Parkey, kicker, 2018
Analysis: After signing a four-year contract with $9 million guaranteed, Parkey went 23-for-30 on field goals. He missed a would-be game-winner in Miami. He hit the post four times against Detroit. And then he capped it off with the double-doink, which sent the Bears on a circus of a kicker pursuit the following offseason. The franchise has been middling since that miss in the playoffs, and to compound how bad the contract was, the Bears still owed him $3.5 million in 2019. The dead money stayed on the Bears’ books through 2020. — Kevin Fishbain
Cincinnati Bengals
Worst free agent: Kevin Minter, linebacker, 2017
Analysis: If we nudge the date parameters back a year, we could include one of the all-time busts in NFL history with Antonio Bryant (four years, $28 million, cut before ever playing a game). Maybe that signing, which got the team doctor fired, is why there weren’t a lot of other big misses for the Bengals — because there weren’t a lot of big swings. Until 2020, the Bengals mostly avoided outside free agents while opting to re-sign their own (plenty of bad decisions to pick from there). But the choice here is Minter. With linebackers evolving from thumpers to speed demons, the Bengals gave the slow-ish Minter a one-year, $4.3 million deal. He, in turn, gave them next to nothing (32 tackles, no sacks, no passes defended) in an injury-riddled season in which he started only seven games. — Jay Morrison
Cleveland Browns
Worst free agent: (Tie) Dwayne Bowe, receiver, 2015, and Kenny Britt, receiver, 2017
Analysis: You can’t leave one out. You just can’t. Bowe had been a good player for a long time in Kansas City, but he was a total bust in Cleveland. He got $9 million guaranteed for five catches in 2015 and didn’t exactly seem apologetic about it. Two years later, Britt got $10.5 million guaranteed and didn’t make it through a whole season. Britt spent most of his eight months with the Browns either in the doghouse or the training room, and when the Browns hired John Dorsey as general manager in December 2017, he cut Britt on his first full day on the job. The only question was what took so long. — Zac Jackson
Dallas Cowboys
Worst free agent: Greg Hardy, defensive end, 2015
Analysis: The 2013 Pro Bowler signed a one-year deal worth up to $13 million. He earned about $9 million after playing in 12 games and recording six sacks, nine tackles for loss and 20 QB hits. The statistics weren’t bad, but the distractions he caused made signing Hardy a mistake. He was suspended the first four games for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy by using physical force against his former girlfriend. While with the Cowboys, Hardy made questionable comments about Tom Brady’s wife before the Cowboys played the Patriots. Later in the season, he slapped a clipboard out of a coach’s hand during a sideline argument. Coach Jason Garrett had to meet with Hardy on several occasions to address his conduct. Hardy has not played in the NFL since. — Jon Machota
Denver Broncos
Worst free agent: Menelik Watson, tackle, 2017
Analysis: Denver signed Watson to a three-year, $18.75 million deal following four injury-plagued seasons with the Raiders. The Broncos got just seven games before Watson suffered a season-ending foot injury, and he gave up eight sacks in that stretch. The Broncos cut Watson just before the start of the 2018 season, swallowing $5.5 million in dead money. Watson wasn’t John Elway’s only swing and miss choosing tackles in free agency. Donald Stephenson missed 12 of 32 games during his two seasons with the Broncos after signing a lucrative deal in 2016. And, at least to this point, the four-year, $51 million deal he handed Ja’Wuan James in 2019 is looking bad. — Nick Kosmider
Detroit Lions
Worst free agent: Jesse James, tight end, 2019
Analysis: There are a lot of contenders from former GM Bob Quinn’s recent spending — Desmond Trufant, Mike Daniels, a Halapoulivaati Vaitai contract that’s still stuck on the books. But the Lions handed James a four-year, $22-million deal, despite that A: he’d never produced more than 432 yards receiving or three touchdowns in a single season and B: Quinn had his sights set on tight end T.J. Hockenson in the ’19 draft. The Lions let productive tight ends Eric Ebron, Darren Fells and Logan Thomas walk during Quinn’s tenure, but they made an aggressive play on James. As with many moves, it flopped. — Chris Burke
Green Bay Packers
Worst free agent: Martellus Bennett, tight end, 2017
Analysis: Bennett signed with the Packers for three years and $21 million in March but only played seven games in Green Bay (24 catches for 233 yards, no touchdowns) before being cut for failing to disclose a medical condition following a bizarre series of events. One report cited teammates who believed Bennett quit on the team after Aaron Rodgers broke his collarbone, especially since Bennett swiftly re-joined the Patriots after the Packers released him despite publicly stating his desire to retire after the season. — Matt Schneidman
Houston Texans
Worst free agent: Brock Osweiler, quarterback, 2016
Analysis: The Texans hoped they found a long-term answer at quarterback when they signed Osweiler to a four-year, $72 million contract. But Osweiler lasted just one season before the Texans attached a second-round pick to him to dump his contract onto the Browns. Osweiler became one of just five quarterbacks since 2000 to have thrown at least 500 passes, averaged less than 6 yards per attempt and tossed more interceptions than touchdowns. — Aaron Reiss
Indianapolis Colts
Worst free agent: LaRon Landry, safety, 2013
Analysis: There are certainly options here. Todd Herremans comes to mind. So does Art Jones. But I’m giving Landry the distinction for a variety of reasons: the weighty contract (four years, up to $24 million) he never deserved, the multiple PED suspensions, the locker room headache that he was. A handful of former teammates, including Robert Mathis and Pat McAfee, have confirmed as much. On top of all of that, Landry’s play was forgettable at best, awful at worst. Put simply: This was a move that should have never happened. The Colts would’ve been wise to keep Antoine Bethea. — Zak Keefer
Jacksonville Jaguars
Worst free agent: Nick Foles, quarterback, 2019
Analysis: They signed the former Super Bowl MVP to a four-year, $88 million deal in 2019. The Jaguars ended up paying about $30 million of that for four starts. That comes out to $7.5 million per start or roughly $256,000 per pass attempt. The Jaguars moved on from Foles quickly and traded him to the Bears after one season. — Sheil Kapadia
Kansas City Chiefs
Worst free agent: Steve Breaston, receiver, 2011
Analysis: The Chiefs thought they were getting a reliable player in Breaston, who spent his first four seasons with the Cardinals, to pair with star receiver Dwayne Bowe. Breaston had a solid first season with the Chiefs, recording 785 receiving yards and just two touchdowns. But Breaston’s time in Kansas City lasted two seasons after signing a five-year deal. He recorded just seven receptions for 74 yards in 2012 and was then released, which ended his six-year career. — Nate Taylor
Las Vegas Raiders
Worst free agent: Sean Smith, cornerback, 2016
Analysis: The Raiders have made dozens of horrible signings over the last 10 years. But only one was benched in his first game after signing a four-year, $40 million deal. Smith was the physical, 6-foot-2 corner that the Raiders are always looking for, it seems. But he couldn’t stay in front of Saints receivers in the opener. Michael Thomas, Willie Snead and Brandin Cooks all took turns — for a total of 172 yards and two touchdowns on the three catches. Coach Jack Del Rio had seen enough, though Smith would return to the lineup the following week. Smith wound up only starting 22 games in two seasons before he was arrested and his career was over. Smith served five months in prison for beating up his sister’s boyfriend after the man tried to intervene in an argument between Smith and his sister. — Vic Tafur
Los Angeles Chargers
Worst free agent: Orlando Franklin, guard, 2015
Analysis: The Chargers signed Franklin to a five-year, $36.5 million deal. They cut him two years later after inconsistent play. He made 26 starts in those two seasons, and missed six games in his debut campaign because of ankle and knee injuries. Franklin played in just one more game in his NFL career before retiring. — Daniel Popper
Los Angeles Rams
Worst free agent: Jake Long, tackle, 2013
Analysis: Cornerback Cortland Finnegan would have probably been a popular choice here as well, but the expectation for Long at left tackle when the Rams signed him to a four-year, $34 million deal was that he would solidify the position. Instead, due to injury, he appeared in just 22 games before his 2015 release. Fortunately for the Rams, it only took a couple of years and a failed Greg Robinson experiment to finally find a left tackle … in another free agent, Andrew Whitworth, whom they signed in 2017. — Jourdan Rodrigue
Miami Dolphins
Worst free agent: Philip Wheeler, linebacker, 2013
Analysis: Wheeler signed a $26 million deal, but he was cut the following year after recording just 45 tackles. Wheeler struggled defending against both the run and pass, and he became a liability in pass coverage, specifically while tasked with defending tight ends. One of his worst moments came following a Dolphins’ loss to the Packers in 2014, when he gave up the winning score, a 4-yard touchdown from Aaron Rodgers to tight end Andrew Quarless. Wheeler, who had coverage of Quarless, blamed defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle for not putting him in the best position to succeed. — Josh Tolentino
Minnesota Vikings
Worst free agent: Mike Remmers, offensive lineman, 2017
Analysis: There are a few options, including receiver Greg Jennings, who played only two years with the Vikings after signing a five-year, $45 million contract. But we’re going with this ill-fated attempt at fixing the offensive line woes that have lasted nearly a decade. The Vikings gave Remmers his first big contract, a five-year, $30 million deal after he made $2.5 million with Carolina. But Remmers struggled so much as a right tackle in his first year in Minnesota that the team moved him to guard, where his struggles continued and led to him being cut after two seasons. — Chad Graff
New England Patriots
Worst free agent: Antonio Brown, receiver, 2019
Analysis: The Patriots made an aggressive play to appease Brady when they agreed to a one-year deal ($10 million guaranteed) with Brown the day before the season opener. It came with some risk due to Brown’s past, but the Patriots had no idea just how bad it would get. Brown was accused of sexual misconduct by two women, including a civil lawsuit that alleged sexual assault and rape. He also allegedly sent harassing text messages to an accuser before the Patriots released him, just 11 days after he joined the team. The fallout hurt. The Patriots traded receiver Demaryius Thomas to the Jets to make room for Brown, then didn’t have enough cap space to make necessary moves before the trade deadline. The lack of receiver depth was a major factor in the Patriots’ first wild-card loss in a decade. — Jeff Howe
New Orleans Saints
Worst free agent: Jairus Byrd, safety, 2014
Analysis: The Saints wanted to move more toward Seattle’s “Legion of Boom” defense following the 2013 season. They imagined Byrd as the missing piece. It completely busted. Byrd inked a six-year deal, which could have maxed out at $54 million. He only made it through a disappointing three years littered with injuries and lackluster play. He played just four games in 2014 after a knee ailment. He never looked the same with only three interceptions in his Saints career. What made this worse? The Saints let Malcolm Jenkins leave for Philadelphia for half the price, and he won a Super Bowl there. — Larry Holder
New York Giants
Worst free agent: Nate Solder, tackle, 2018
Analysis: Wide receiver Golden Tate made a strong case for this “honor,” with a four-game PED suspension and a benching for selfish behavior in two seasons after signing a four-year, $37.5 million contract in 2019. But it’s impossible to top the Solder disappointment considering the Giants made him the highest-paid offensive lineman in the NFL when they gave him a four-year, $62 million contract. Solder wasn’t very good in 2018 and then was abysmal in 2019. He opted out last season and now is back after taking a steep pay cut to just $3 million to serve as a swing tackle. Solder has been the poster boy for the Giants’ prolonged offensive line woes. — Dan Duggan
New York Jets
Worst free agent: Trumaine Johnson, cornerback, 2018
Analysis: This is a pretty robust list to choose from. Le’Veon Bell is a contender. Darrelle Revis’ second stint ended horribly. Derrick Mason, Spencer Long and Dimitri Patterson were awful, too. All pale in comparison to Johnson, though. Coach Todd Bowles asked GM Mike Maccagnan to find him an aggressive press-man corner for the outside of his defense. So Maccagnan handed Johnson a five-year, $72.5 million deal. Johnson made it just two years before the Jets cut him. — Connor Hughes
Philadelphia Eagles
Worst free agent: DeMarco Murray, running back, 2015
Analysis: The Eagles traded LeSean McCoy in the prime of his career and signed Murray away from the rival Cowboys to a five-year, $42 million contract. Murray proved to be a bad fit both in coach Chip Kelly’s offense and in the Eagles organization. His occasional absences at summer practices prompted Malcolm Jenkins to bring over a folding chair for Murray on the sideline, a far-from-subtle reminder that other veterans were practicing. It didn’t help that Murray’s production plummeted with the Eagles. One year after leading the NFL in rushing (and carries), Murray finished with 702 yards and 3.6 yards per carry during a season in which the Eagles underachieved. He preferred to run with the quarterback under center. Kelly’s offense relied on the quarterback in the shotgun.
The Eagles traded Murray after one forgettable season, and paid him $9 million for the ill-fated stint. There have been other more expensive failed signings in Philadelphia, such as Nnamdi Asomugha and Byron Maxwell. But Murray’s public profile, history with the Cowboys and seeming indifference about playing in Philadelphia put him atop this list. — Zach Berman
Pittsburgh Steelers
Worst free agent: Ladarius Green, tight end, 2016
Analysis: Green signed a four-year, $20 million contract after his most productive season in San Diego when he caught 37 passes and four touchdowns in 13 games. He looked like a tight end on the rise. What the Steelers failed to unearth was his history of concussions and headaches. The problems began in training camp and continued through the season. He played in just six games in 2016, started two, caught 18 passes and scored one touchdown. The Steelers paid him $7.15 million for his efforts and he never played again. — Ed Bouchette
San Francisco 49ers
Worst free agent: Malcolm Smith, linebacker, 2017
Analysis: This was more bad luck than a bad signing. The 49ers inked Smith to a five-year, $26.5 million contract with the hope he’d mentor others, including soon-to-be first-round draft choice Reuben Foster, on how to run a Seahawks-like defense. Smith, however, suffered a torn pectoral muscle in his first training camp and dealt with Achilles and hamstring issues in his second season. When the 49ers released him two years later, his grand total for the team: 35 tackles and one pass breakup. Foster? We’ll save his story for a “worst draft choices” item. — Matt Barrows
Seattle Seahawks
Worst free agent: B.J. Finney, center, 2020
Analysis: There are several worthy candidates here including tackle J’Marcus Webb, quarterback Matt Flynn and cornerback Cary Williams, all of whom received multi-year deals and didn’t come close to living up to them. But Finney, who signed a two-year, $8 million contract, never even made it to the field. Beaten out for the starting center job, he played zero offensive snaps then got shipped to Cincinnati midway through the season. Finney was reportedly afraid of suffering an injury during his offseason workouts — Seattle had a clause in his contract a failed physical would result in signing bonus forfeiture, according to ESPN — so he didn’t properly train prior to training camp and reported to the team overweight and out of shape. Still, it was a bad signing. Playing poorly is one thing; not being ready to play at all is far more disappointing. — Michael-Shawn Dugar
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Worst free agent: Michael Johnson, defensive end, 2014
Analysis: The Bucs needed pass-rush help and turned to Johnson, who had played well in Cincinnati for five years. But in one year in Tampa, he managed only four sacks, and then he was gone after collecting $16 million for that lone season. What’s more, he went back to the Bengals, who still got a compensatory draft pick for losing him. Tackle Anthony Collins, signed from Cincinnati the same year, was almost as bad, getting $9 million for one subpar year in Tampa. — Greg Auman
Tennessee Titans
Worst free agent: Adam Humphries, receiver, 2019
Analysis: The worst free-agent signings are the ones who lack production and are inconsistently available while signed to expensive long-term deals. The Titans paid more than $19 million to Humphries for 19 games over two seasons, with the slot receiver catching 60 passes for 602 yards and four touchdowns. Kamerion Wimbley was another consideration here, but he played in 47 games over three seasons and ranked tied with Jared Allen for sixth in hurries with a career-high 47 in his first year with Tennessee, according to Pro Football Focus. Dion Lewis was a big miss. More recently, Jadeveon Clowney and Vic Beasley missed on one-year deals. — Mike Sando
Washington Football Team
Worst free agent: Paul Richardson Jr., receiver, 2018
Analysis: Following a breakout year with the Seahawks in which Richardson hauled in a career-high 44 catches for 703 yards and six touchdowns, Washington signed the receiver to a five-year, $40 million contract. Though Richardson was brought in to add a vertical presence to Washington’s offense, his time in the nation’s capital never panned out that way. Over two seasons, he missed 15 games recorded 48 receptions for 507 yards and four touchdowns. The oft-injured receiver was released in coach Ron Rivera’s first offseason. He earned $16.9 million during his tenure with Washington. — Rhiannon Walker
So, who was the worst free agent across the NFL?
Worst free agent: Brock Osweiler
Analysis: There are a lot of bad ones, but Osweiler is tough to beat. He had seven career starts, 10 touchdown passes and six interceptions in 2016 when the Texans signed him to that deal. He threw 16 interceptions in 15 games and averaged 5.8 YPA in his lone season in Houston. It’s not that he didn’t live up to his contract. It’s that he delivered an epically terrible season. Most of the time when free agent signings don’t work out, the result is a waste of money and resources. But the Texans had to trade away a second-round pick just to get rid of Osweiler. That gives him the edge here. — Sheil Kapadia