Being an overpaid player has to be quite brutal to a certain extent. Who are the most overpaid NFL players approaching the 2025 NFL Season?
In many instances, teams overpay for players on the free agency market, as clubs typically want to fish for the big prize but oftentimes get brutalized by the high-dollar contract they sign him to.
Well, to the surprise of no one, there are absolutely some overpaid players in the NFL as we approach the 2025 NFL Season, and some of the names on this list should not surprise who.
Who is the most overpaid in the league?
The most overpaid players in the NFL are...?
Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns, $46 million per year
Deshaun Watson might honestly be the most overpaid athlete in all of sports. The major trade that sent him to the Cleveland Browns seemed like a great move at the time, but it's only blown up in their faces. In the QB room right now for the Browns includes guys like Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Shedeur Sanders, and Dillon Gabriel, and after Watson's second Achilles tear, it's not likely we see him take another snap for the Browns, but he also might not take another snap in the NFL, period.
Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys, $60 million per year
Dak Prescott is an efficient QB who has won a ton of games, but he's not good enough to be the richest QB in the history of the NFL. He now makes $60 million per year and is currently the only $60 million per year QB in the NFL. This is typically how the QB contract market works, but Prescott's value is not accurately reflected here. He is a borderline top-10 QB and did miss a chunk of the 2024 season.
Christian Wilkins, Las Vegas Raiders, $27.5 million per year
Christian Wilkins played in just five games in the first year of his massive free agency deal with the Las Vegas Raiders, and he is already set to enter his age-30 season in 2024. Wilkins was never this good to begin with, but former Raiders GM Tom Telesco did have an affinity for overpaying on the free agency market.
L'Jarius Sneed, Tennessee Titans, $19.1 million per year
L'Jarius Sneed was traded to the Tennessee Titans from the Kansas City Chiefs last offseason and is getting paid just under $20 million per year, but the first year for Sneed with the Titans was a forgettable one. He did not register a defended pass and finished with just 23 total tackles and a 91.8 passer rating allowed in coverage.
Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers, $30 million per year
It honestly did not feel like the San Francisco 49ers wanted to pay Brandon Aiyuk $30 million per year, and some of their fears were confirmed in 2024, as he tore his ACL after just seven games, 374 yards, and zero touchdowns. Aiyuk did have two 1,000-yard seasons in his first four years in the NFL, but the Niners probably should have just traded him when they had the chance.
It honestly might take most of the season for Aiyuk to get back to 'normal.' That $30 million per year contract surely stings the franchise right now.