9. Mike Vanderjagt, Kicker
Yes, a kicker made this list. Usually, teams have bad kickers and simply cut them and move on. It’s not a crazy thing to see, but it’s a tougher pill to swallow when that kicker who fails you is a high-priced free agent.
That’s exactly what went on with the Dallas Cowboys back in 2006 when they signed former Indianapolis Colts kicker, Mike Vanderjagt. In eight years with the Colts, Vanderjagt was the most accurate kicker in NFL history at the time, nailing 87.5 percent of his kicks.
However, things ended poorly when he missed a kick in the playoffs that cost the Colts a game. He was infamously called an “idiot kicker” by Peyton Manning but still seemed unbothered by it all. In fact, he even went on David Letterman and poked fun at the miss just four days later — which showed that he really didn’t take the loss seriously at all according to Greg Maiola of Bleacher Report.
"“Well apparently, Vanderjagt wasn’t too upset about the kick. Four days later, he attempted and converted a 46-yard field goal on The Late Show with David Letterman. How he could miss the kick and go on Letterman four days later to have fun was mind-boggling. A public appearance, an easygoing and content one nonetheless, was the last Indy would see of him.” — Maiola, Bleacher Report"
Even with all these warning signs, Jerry Jones signed him to a three-year, $4.5 million with $2.5 million guaranteed. That was quite a bit for a kicker at the time and he proved to be quite overpaid in no time at all.
Vanderjagt lasted 10 games and was 13-of-18 on his kicks which was a lowly 72.2 percent. He was replaced by Martín Gramática and never kicked in the NFL again.