Playing off of Bill Polian‘s assertion that ‘B’ players were seeking ‘A’ money, Mike Klis of the Denver Post compiled his list of the most overpaid free agents from this offseason. Klis lists 15 signees, and a staggering 14 of them inked deals with non-playoff teams. The writer attributes this to desperation, stating that some teams “didn’t know how to spend their newfound riches or were forced to overpay to lure players to their bad franchises.”
The first player on Klis’s list is Vikings‘ defensive end Everson Griffen, who will earn $13MM in 2014 despite only getting 5.5 sacks last season. The Falcons‘ Paul Soliai (5 year/$32 MM, $11MM in ’14) and Tyson Jackson (5 years/$25MM, $9.5MM), the Bears‘ Lamarr Houston (5 years/$35MM, $9MM) and the Jaguars‘ Toby Gerhart (3 years/$10.5MM, $4MM) round out his top-five.
Of course, this list doesn’t include some of the more high-profile contracts dished out this offseason, and those are often the contracts that are the most scrutinized. Eric Decker inked a five-year, $36.25MM deal including $15MM guaranteed with the Jets. The 27-year old has certainly had a handful of good seasons with the Broncos, but it’s unknown if he can lead a receiving core.
On defense, DeMarcus Ware got $20MM guaranteed from the Broncos even though the player will soon be 32. Darrelle Revis struggled in 2013 but still got $16MM to play with the Patriots for a season. We also can’t forget about Aqib Talib, who signed the largest contract based on overall base value at $57MM over six years.
Finally, there’s offensive tackle Branden Albert, who got $20MM guaranteed from the Dolphins. It wouldn’t be a list unless I added in the player who’ll be guaranteed to take home the most money.
Combining Klis’s top-five with my list of notable free agents signed to large contracts, who do you think was the most overpaid this offseason? Did I forget somebody? Are you offended by one of my suggestions? Sound off in the comment section.