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Top 15 worst free agent signings in NFL history

By Sayre Bedinger

Top 15 worst NFL free agent signings in history: Brock Osweiler #17 of the Houston Texans warms up on the field prior to the AFC Wild Card game against the Oakland Raiders at NRG Stadium on January 7, 2017 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)
Top 15 worst NFL free agent signings in history: Brock Osweiler #17 of the Houston Texans warms up on the field prior to the AFC Wild Card game against the Oakland Raiders at NRG Stadium on January 7, 2017 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images) /
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Top 15 worst NFL free agent signings
Top 15 worst NFL free agent signings: Quarterback Neil O’Donnell #14 of the New York Jets passes against the New York Giants during a game at Giants Stadium on September 22, 1996 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Giants defeated the Jets 13-6. (Photo by George Gojkovich/Getty Images) /

12. Neil O’Donnell, QB, New York Jets

The deal: 5 years, $24 million

Neil O’Donnell was a third-round pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1991 and wound up the full-time starter by his second season in the league. He was named to the Pro Bowl in 1992 and helped get the Steelers to Super Bowl XXX in the 1995 season. O’Donnell had a clutch factor to him, leading the Steelers on 14 game-winning drives in his first five NFL seasons.

After the Steelers’ loss to the Cowboys in Super Bowl XXX, O’Donnell hit free agency and chose to sign with the New York Jets. Splitting starts with Frank Reich and Glenn Foley, O’Donnell went 0-6 in his first year with the Jets before playing much better in 1997. He started 14 games for the Jets in 1997 and the team had success with him in the lineup, going 8-6. Unfortunately, O’Donnell was sacked a whopping 45 times that season (most in his NFL career) and a contract dispute in 1998 led the Jets to get rid of him.

O’Donnell was obviously supposed to come in and be the franchise QB of the Jets but that never materialized. Perhaps his attitude wasn’t right, perhaps Bill Parcells was a little to quick on the trigger to let him go.

Whatever the case, the Jets were 12-4 in the 1998 season and had the fifth-best offense in the NFL with Vinny Testaverde under center.

O’Donnell went to the Bengals on another pretty lucrative free agent deal after that, only to play one season there before becoming a longtime backup in Tennessee from 1999-2003.

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