I know it has only been 2 years since this offseason occurred but there have been plenty of good contracts and there have been plenty of head-scratchers that have caused everyone to lose their minds. Enough introductions let’s get to the contracts.
Good Contracts
Tyrann Matheiu: The Honey Badger wanted out of Arizona and got his wish when he signed with the Houston Texans and played decent for a middle of the pack defense. Though the year after he got to Houston they cut him and he signed with the Chiefs and helped them win a Super Bowl. To me, that was Houston getting unlucky because their system did not translate over to his talents.
Richard Sherman: When he signed with the 49ers I thought San Fran was losing their minds and getting a guy that has not had elite production for years. However despite missing much of Year 1 Sherman responded in Year 2 turning back the clock to 2014 and helping lead the 49ers to the Super Bowl. I thought this was a questionable move at the time, but as of now it has clearly paid off.
Ryan Jensen: This was a guy that took over as the starting center for the Ravens early in 2016 and I thought that he would be the face of the O-line with Ronnie Stanley for years to come. The problem was that Tampa Bay beat Baltimore to sign him. He has been one of the best pass blockers in the league and now gets to be Tom Brady’s best offensive lineman for 2 years. He deserves it.
Damarius Randall: This was a guy in Green Bay that many thought would not pan out the way Packers fans thought he should. Instead he was traded to the Browns and had two successful seasons in the Dawg Pounds. A similar situation to when Green Bay didn’t resign Micah Hide. When the player doesn’t develop on the original team, he goes to a new destination and plays the best ball of his career.
Danny Shelton: This was a guy that was considered a first round bust in Cleveland but was traded to the Patriots and became one of their best run stoppers during their Super Bowl LIII Championship Season. The funny part about this trade was that New England traded Jamie Collins but then brought him back in 2019 after he had a strong 2018 season with the Browns.
Jimmy Garoppolo: This contract only happened because JimmyGQ went 5-0 in his five starts after being traded from the Patriots. The contract he got was the record for a quarterback at the time and San Francisco finally got their guy. Despite tearing his ACL in 2018 Garoppolo responded by leading the 49ers to a 13-3 record in the regular season and got to the Super Bowl that year even though he barely threw the ball in the first 2 playoff games.
Weston Richburg: Another solid contract going in favor of 49ers GM John Lynch. This is why Offensive Lineman should be paid the Big Bucks. Since he signed that 5 year deal he has transformed into being the face of the 49ers line. I think this guy has a bright future ahead.
Marcus Peters: When the LA Rams traded for him, Peters was one of the best cover corners in the league. He had his moments but he didn’t live up to the hype in Los Angeles. When the Rams realized they had a deal for Jalen Ramsey he was traded to the Baltimore Ravens and resurrected his career enough to earn him a nice extension. I would call this a good move by the Rams in the short term but not in the future.
Allen Robinson: This was a solid reason that Blake Bortles had one good year in Jacksonville in 2017 and Chicago wanted their big game wide receiver as soon as possible. Robinson has had elite production so far in the contract he got from the Bears but Mitch Tribisky barely threw the ball to him last year despite him being double teamed for most of the time. This is one of the few good signings the Bears have made in past years.
Khalil Mack: Speaking of the Bears, they also traded for the so-called “Mack Attack” in the 2018 offseason and he has been a force that opponents have to be reckoned with ever since. Though he dropped off a bit in 2019 he should be back to his Oakland self in 2020. Just saying.
Now that we have that out of the way, we can now discover the head-scratching contracts. There are plenty to go over and most of them are quarterbacks.
Bad Contracts
Kirk Cousins: This was the contract that the Minnesota Front Office claimed would give the Vikings their first championship. It has not been too bad of a contract but considering the expectations of it this contract has yet to deliver the Vikings a Super Bowl Ring.
Alex Smith: This was a sign and trade contract with him and Kendall Fuller who ironically came back to the Redskins this offseason. By Week 11 the Redskins were leading the NFC East by two games over the Cowboys but then he broke his leg and his career is likely over. That is just sad because he looked to be the guy that would lead the Redskins to their first playoff victory in 15 years.
Case Keenum: I can understand why the Broncos threw way too much at him, he led the Vikings to the NFC Championship Game in 2017 and his career was looking up at the time. He got off to a good start but fell off down the stretch which allowed Denver to release him in favor of former Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco that offseason.
Sam Bradford: No matter where he has gone since he was drafted Bradford has gotten plenty of hype only to frustrate players and fans alike. This time he signed a 3 year contract to join the Cardinals and once again frustrated the media and was soon out of football. I don’t understand why teams can get caught in this mess. By the way the Cardinals didn’t just have one QB that they overpaid, they had two and here is the second.
Mike Glennon: A guy that was given a $15,000,000 contract the year before by the Bears was given the same deal by Arizona. Like Bradford he got plenty of hype only to disappoint players and fans alike and he too is also out of football. This right here should have gotten Steve Keim fired, but he redeemed himself by drafting Kyler Murray the next year.
Sheldon Richardson: Well another move made in the short term by the Vikings. He did not live up to the contract he got from Minnesota and was traded to Cleveland where he once again failed to reach high expectations. I think Richardson went from solid Defensive Tackle to overpaid wonder in one year.
Chris Hubbard: This was supposed to be the Joe Thomas replacement in Cleveland. However he had one good year in 2018 before being destroyed in 2019 by numerous pass rushers. In my opinion that isn’t his fault because the AFC North is full of Pro Bowl Pass Rushers and that is a problem almost any other lineman would have.
Carlos Hyde: Another bad free agent signing made by the Browns. Hyde was supposed to be a solid first option for Cleveland’s offense after having a successful 2017 season with the Jets. The problem was he was exposed early, was replaced by Nick Chubb, and is now out of the league. That is how things can change so quickly in football.
Jerick Mckinnon: This is a running back that was a vocal point in the Vikings offense during their 2017 playoff run. The 49ers thought that he would help JimmyGQ out so they signed him to a 4 year deal. This is where everything goes south. He tears his ACL not once but twice and is cut after the 2019 season without playing a game for the 49ers. That is just sad.
Malcolm Butler: You can understand Mike Vrabel’s thinking. Getting former Patriots that played key roles in a championship window is a good move right. The bad news is that Butler didn’t live up to the hype in Tennessee and was on injured reserve in Year 2 and will probably not be the same player he once was. The Titans also signed another former Patriot as well that also didn’t pan out.
Dion Lewis: A typical Patriots style running back who is an all-purpose player. That didn’t stop Vrabel from giving him a 4 year contract. Lewis isn’t the same running back he once was and is benched for Derrick Henry who would go on to lead the league in rushing in 2019. Does anything good happen to former Patriot players when they leave New England.
Nate Solder: Yes another former Patriot! Solder was one of the best left tackles in the league in his prime and his skills declining allowed Bill Belichick to let him leave and sign with the Giants for 15.5 million a year for 4 years on the backend of his career. He suffered a rapid decline in New York and was replaced this offseason by first round pick Andrew Thomas.
Odell Beckham Jr.: When OBJ signed the biggest extension a wide receiver has ever gotten the Giants front office was losing their minds because of the locker room non-sense that he has become. The good news is after one year of that deal the Giants traded him to the Browns for a great amount of draft capital. The Giants called their shot because Beckham hasn’t lived up to the hype in Cleveland as of now.
Trumaine Johnson: I think that once they saw how good he was on film the Jets decided to spend a majority of their cap that offseason on Johnson. The contract was 5 years 72.5 million dollars. No wonder why he has not lived up to the contract that they gave him. Not even two years in the Jets released him and he will likely get a smaller contract by another franchise in the future.
Alec Ogletree: He was one of the few good players that the Rams got in the RG3 trade before the 2012 NFL Draft. When the Rams realized they would go all in on a Super Bowl push, they traded him to the Giants where he has not been the same player he was in LA and St. Louis. I don’t understand why all of the Giants’ moves in years past have been awful. I would blame Dave Gettleman for these moves.
Michael Crabtree: When he signed with the Ravens I thought Crabtree would give Joe Flacco the big body target he had been missing since Anquan Boldin. Until Week 9 when Flacco hurt his hip Crabtree was his No. 1 target and once Lamar Jackson took over OC Marty Morningweg only allowed him to run and throw to his tight ends. Crabtree would soon be cut and is likely to retire in the future.
Willie Snead: Another Free Agent Signing that was made to give Flacco more outside weapons. Snead during his stay in New Orleans was a solid receiver that was a good leader on and off the field. This signing has not been that bad but he will at least give advice for some of the rookie receivers on the Ravens roster and catch 3-5 touchdowns a year.
Cordy Glenn: Another Offensive Lineman signing with a team that can’t produce any good ones. Glenn has been pushed around by AFC North Pass Rushers throughout his contract in Cincinnati but who is to blame for the situation the player or the coaches. I think the coach.
Tyrod Taylor: This was a signing made sole to develop Baker Mayfield has both a running quarterback as well as an elite passer. The problem was that he was hurt in Week 3 and has become the backup he was like when he started his career when he was in Baltimore.
Jimmy Graham: This is a guy that I wanted to sign with the Ravens. A strong red zone target of a Tight End that can catch almost anything. The reality was that he signed with the Packers. The funny part about this signing was that there were billboards all over the state of Wisconsin telling the Green and Gold that they should sign Graham. They did, but he declined quickly and in two years was traded to the Bears for scrubs. All those billboards for that oh boy.
Muhammad Wilkerson: Out of all of the bad contracts this is probably the worst one. Wilkerson was already declining as a member of the Jets and the Packers signed him to a huge contract that would lock him into the end of his career. Not even a year into that contract he was cut and replaced with Za’Darius Smith. I don’t understand why the Packers would spend 30% of their cap on two of the biggest free agent busts of the past decade. The interesting thing is that they signed Aaron Rodgers to a huge extension the year before and basically were in cap hell until Mike McCarthy was fired midway through 2018. So yeah that was that.
Bragging Rights Sports 