Looking at the three worst contracts in NFL free agency 2022
A plethora of free agents across the NFL signed new deals this offseason. As always, there were some bad ones, but which were the worst?
Like clockwork, some free agents who signed deals this offseason were horrendously overpaid. Others were underpaid and signed team-friendly deals, whether they realize it or not.
The 2022 offseason was a bit more active than others, though, as a ton of high-profile players switched teams, from quarterbacks to wide receivers, to edge rushers.
As always, some teams want to sign a high-profile free agent quickly, so they give them a ton of money and agree to deals right when the free agency window opens.
Other teams play the waiting game and wait for the second wave of free agency, where teams often find better value players.
Generally speaking, the bad teams across the NFL are the ones who are most likely to overpay for players when the free agency window opens.
Obviously, from the player’s perspective, getting a large contract is generally always the goal. Running into generational money is one of the best things a person can do for their family. So, good for those players who managed to get overpaid!
Who were the players who were given the worst contracts during this year’s free agency period?
Which NFL free agents got the worst contracts in 2022?
1. Christian Kirk, Jacksonville Jaguars
Two things can be true at once:
- Christian Kirk is a really good player
- The Jaguars massively overpaid for him
Kirk, who turns 26 this season, began his career with the Cardinals. In his four years in Arizona, Kirk hauled in 236 passes for 2,902 yards and 17 touchdowns.
In 2021, he had the best season of his career, where he accumulated 982 yards and five touchdowns.
While he’s a good player, he’s not nearly worth the $18 million per year that the Jaguars gave him. It was a massive overpay in every way imaginable.
Yes, Trevor Lawrence needs weapons, but Kirk is at the most a low-end WR1 or high-end WR2. Those types of contracts should be around $10-$12 million per year in my opinion.
In 2023, 2024, and 2025, his cap number is over $21 million, and he was given a whopping $37 million in fully guaranteed money, which figures out to be $9.25 million per year guaranteed.
According to Overthecap.com, his contract ranks 11th/378. Kirk is not the 11th best or 11th most valuable receiver in the NFL.
However, this is a deal that the Jaguars could get out of. They could designate him as a post-June 1 cut in 2024 and incur $5 million in dead money and save over $16 million against the cap.
If Kirk cannot put up WR1 numbers, look for Jacksonville to restructure or simply dump Kirk.