There weren’t many people asking whether the Kansas City Chiefs’ $500 million deal with Patrick Mahomes was too much money. Unless Patrick suffers an injury that he can’t fully recover from, the 10-year contract that would pay him $50 million a season is a worthy investment. Other teams weren’t so discerning. Signing players (especially running backs) for a hefty sum of money is not unusual. But justifying their value is. Let’s take a look at the players who have reserved a good future for themselves but not necessarily for their teams. The Most Overpaid Players in 2020 bellow.
Le’Veon Bell
Speaking of running backs, Le’Veon Bell has been paid $15.5 million a year since last season. The Jets decided to offer a four-year deal, and their hopes were really high. Unfortunately, Bell did not impress anybody last year.
Some attribute it to the lacking defense of the Jets, but the harsh reality is that Le’Veon Bell’s stats sat at 3.2 yards per carrying.
It isn’t enough for such a high-paid player, and it’s unlikely that the drastic difference between reality and expectations will be reduced in the span of one offseason.
Malcolm Butler
Malcolm is a cornerback for the Titans, who are paying him $13.4 million a year. They will continue to do so until the year 2023.
Butler earned himself a place in the fans’ hearts when he stopped Russell Wilson just as he was about to cross the one-yard line during the Super Bowl XLIX, but his regular-season performance leaves much to be desired.
His first season for the Titans was weak. The following year, health became an issue and he was a part of only nine games in total. Sadly, those games did not bring much optimism regarding Butler’s performance either.
Jacoby Brissett
The first quarterback on this list, Brissett is earning $21.4 million a year – and he’s a backup! It’s unclear what the Colts’ plans for Jacoby are because, despite having a fairly good 2019 season, he is still the number two quarterback, the first one being Philip Rivers who isn’t going anywhere.
Nate Solder
There has never been a left tackle who was paid as much as Nate is. The Giants made a huge bet by offering him $19.5 million a year in 2018. But the bet turned out to be a major disappointment.
Both the 2018 and 2019 seasons were unsatisfactory for Solder. Just last season there were 11 sacks that he surrendered. That contrasts Daniel Jones, whose commitment and speed made him truly shine for the Giants.
This year, the team has picked themselves another tackle during the draft in the form of Andrew Thomas. Will Nate Solder get a chance to demonstrate his potential prowess? It seems like he’s already lost his chance.
Conclusion
The decisions of some teams to offer huge contracts to players who don’t seem to fully justify the price might seem ridiculous. But since we don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes and just how much analysis goes into such a decision, it’s unreasonable to be overly critical of the failed contracts.
After all, someone’s potential is just an educated guess, and a deal is just a risky bet. If you want the highest reward, you must be willing to take a leap.
Which of these contracts do you consider the worst?
Also, you can read about the Easiest and Hardest Positions in American Football.
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