NFL 2019: Jarvis Landry, former Patriots headline All-Overpaid team
By Randy Gurzi
Defensive End/Edge: Dante Fowler, Jr., Los Angeles Rams
Contract: One year, $12 million fully guaranteed
A former No. 3 overall pick in the NFL Draft, Dante Fowler, Jr. missed his entire rookie season due to a knee injury. He ended up rebounding but never became a full-time starter for the Jacksonville Jaguars. In two and a half seasons on the field, he had 62 tackles and 14 sacks before being traded to the Los Angeles Rams for a third-round pick.
He wound up recording two sacks in eight games for the Rams, which wasn’t enough to earn him a long-term deal. They did feel comfortable giving him a prove-it contract, but that’s a lot of cash for a guy with four sacks in 2018.
Defensive End/Edge: Frank Clark, Kansas City Chiefs
Contract: Five years, $104 million with $62.3 million guaranteed
The Seattle Seahawks weren’t willing to give Frank Clark a new contract, which led to an offseason of speculation in regards to a trade. Eventually, that ended up happening as he was sent to the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for a first-round pick.
As if that price wasn’t enough, the Chiefs then gave him a $104 million contract. What’s worse about all this is they only became desperate for a player with Clark’s skill after trading away Dee Ford for a second-round pick. To compare Ford’s contract, he received nearly $20 million less in the same amount of years, which came on the heels of his best season — a year in which he was more productive than Clark.