The NFL’s free agency period begins next week and with the salary cap bigger than ever, expect plenty of eye-watering deals to be announced.
The open market provides teams with the opportunity to improve their rosters, while individual players will look to boost their bank balances and secure their futures in the league.
But it does not always work out this way. Here are seven disastrous free agency moves that should act as a warning for any team looking to make a big splash in the market next week.
Neil O’Donnell - New York Jets (1996)
Quarterback Neil O’Donnell was fresh off a Super Bowl run with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1996 when the New York Jets handed him a huge five-year, $25million contract.
But after losing his first six games for the Jets, he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury and his new side limped to a 1-15 record.
An improved second season was not enough to prevent him from being released as the Jets chose to cut their losses.
Larry Brown - Oakland Raiders (1996)
Note to the buyers in free agency - do not overreact to one performance!
After being named Super Bowl XXX MVP on the back of two pick-sixes for the Dallas Cowboys against the Pittsburgh Steelers, cornerback Larry Brown was able to negotiate a $12.5million, five-year deal with the Oakland Raiders.
He would start one game and make just twelve appearances in two years for the Raiders, making him one of the biggest free agency misfires ever. The Raiders failed to learn their lesson when they signed the Super Bowl XXXI MVP Desmond Howard, who also flopped in northern California.
Brock Osweiler - Houston Texans (2016)
The Texans’ decision to hand quarterback Brock Osweiler a four-year $72million contract after he had made seven career starts with Denver raised eyebrows at the time and the sceptics would be proved right.
He lasted one season in Houston and then remarkably the Texans actually gave the Cleveland Browns a second-round draft pick to get him off their books.
Le’Veon Bell - New York Jets (2019)
Le’Veon Bell’s 2019 move to the Jets taught teams a lesson about how much to pay veteran running backs - a lesson franchises would be wise to adhere to this offseason.
A contract dispute meant that the standout Pittsburgh Steelers running back sat out the 2018 season in order to get the kind of deal he felt he deserved.
The Jets duly obliged, handing Bell a four-year, $52million contract, but Bell was unable to recapture the form he showed before his gap year and was gone before the end of his second season in New York.
Albert Haynesworth - Washington Redskins (2009)
A strong contender for the worst-ever free agent deal. Washington handed Haynesworth a seven-year, $100million deal after watching the defensive lineman earn All-Pro honours in consecutive seasons for the Tennessee Titans.
This was the biggest-ever contract for a defensive player, but he would turn up out of shape and unmotivated.
After registering just four sacks in his first season, he was suspended by head coach Mike Shanahan during his second campaign and was eventually traded to the Patriots for a fifth-round draft pick in 2011.
Nnamdi Asomugha - Philadelphia Eagles (2011)
This one looked like a decent signing on paper. After three consecutive Pro Bowl appearances, the Oakland Raiders cornerback tested the market and landed in Philadelphia with a five-year, $60million contract in his back pocket.
Asomugha failed to recapture his Raiders form though, as the much-hyped Eagles ‘Dream Team’ were a victim of their own hubris and missed the playoffs after an 8-8 season.
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