NFL free agency is almost upon us as teams around the league look to bolster their ranks by bringing in new players. While there is a ton of excitement about signing new talent, teams must avoid the pitfalls of splurging on the wrong guys.
What follows are the worst NFL free agent signing of the last decade. Let them be a cautionary tale to any overly ambitious general managers out there.
Le'Veon Bell, RB, New York Jets
Le'Veon Bell was one of the best running backs in the NFL when he opted against signing his franchise tag with the Pittsburgh Steelers and held out for the entire 2018 season. The Jets, who were rebuilding around young quarterback Sam Darnold, saw an opportunity to surround him with one of the league's most versatile weapons. New York pounced and signed Bell to a four-year, $52.5 million deal ($35 million guaranteed), making him one of the highest-paid running backs in NFL history at the time. It was an all-time flop of a contract.
Bell rushed for 789 yards in 2019, averaging a woeful 3.2 yards per carry. He did catch 66 passes out of the backfield for 461 yards but only scored four touchdowns all season. In 2020, Bell dealt with a hamstring injury early in the season but returned to play in Week 5, and after a 30-10 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, he liked a tweet suggesting the team should trade him. A few days later, the Jets cut him after not being able to find a trade partner. The deal was a complete waste of time and money.
Brock Osweiler, QB, Houston Texans
No one would blame you if you've forgotten about Brock Osweiler's time with the Houston Texans—in fact the franchise would likely prefer if you did.
After playing well for the Denver Broncos in relief of Peyton Manning a few times during the 2015 season, Osweiler's stock was on the rise. Most expected Denver to re-sign him as its quarterback of the future, but instead the Texans inked him to a four-year, $72 million deal ($37 million guaranteed), making him one of the NFL's highest-paid quarterbacks. The marriage didn't work.
Osweiler started 14 games for the Texans in 2016, completing 59.0% of his passes for 2,957 yards, with 15 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. Texans head coach Bill O'Brien benched him multiple times during the season before he was replaced by Tom Savage in Week 16 but was back starting in Week 17. Osweiler did start the team's two playoff games but continued to be awful.
The Texans traded Osweiler to the Cleveland Browns in the offseason, but he only lasted there until Sept. 2 before the Browns released him.
Landon Collins, S, Washington Commanders
Landon Collins looked like a superstar during the first two seasons of his career, as he rapidly became one of the NFL's best safeties after the New York Giants selected him with the 33rd pick in the 2015 NFL draft. He was named first team All-Pro in 2016 and was on his way to being a bona fide star. But his 2017 and '18 seasons saw regression and the Giants allowed him to hit free agency. Washington then decided to make him one of the highest-paid safeties in the game, handing him a six-year, $84 million deal with $45 million in guaranteed money. It was a huge mistake.
Collins's coverage skills had rapidly declined, and while he was a solid tackler, little else in his game was worth the money he made. After struggling through his first season in Washington during the 2019 campaign, he tore his Achilles tendon in 2020, forcing him to miss most of the season. He was back in 2021 but he was never the same player. Washington released him in March 2022 after three wildly disappointing seasons. The Giants picked him up in 2022, but he was out of the league after the season.
Washington ignored Collins's downward trajectory before signing him, and it wound up biting them.
Mike Glennon, QB, Chicago Bears
Mike Glennon lost his job with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after they drafted Jameis Winston with the No. 1 pick in the 2015 draft. Up to that point, he had made 18 starts in his first two seasons, totaling 4,025 passing yards, with 29 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. After the 2016 season, he hit free agency, and the quarterback-desperate Chicago Bears signed him quickly.
Chicago gave Glennon a three-year, $45 million deal, betting that the former third-round pick could improve on his numbers from Tampa Bay. Given the title of the article you're reading, it's obvious that didn't happen. To make things more complicated, the Bears traded up to select Mitchell Trubisky with the No. 2 pick in the 2017 draft right after inking Glennon to his deal. It was a quarterback controversy in waiting.
Glennon started the first four games of the season before being benched. He completed 66.4% of his passes for 833 yards, with four touchdowns and five interceptions. He never got his job back. Luckily for the Bears, they had structured the deal so it had an out after the first season, but the move wound up being pointless after their decision to draft a quarterback anyway.
Kenny Golladay, WR, New York Giants
Kenny Golladay was a Pro Bowl receiver for the Detroit Lions in 2019 after two consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. But a hip injury robbed him of most of the 2020 season and he hit free agency with a lot of questions swirling around his future. The Giants ignored that and threw a ton of money at him, signing Golladay to a four-year, $72 million deal and making him one of the highest-paid receivers in the NFL. It was a decision they'd come to regret.
New York was desperate to find a No. 1 receiver for young quarterback Daniel Jones, and thought they landed him in Golladay. Unfortunately, knee and hamstring injuries dogged the receiver from the start of his time in New York. He missed three games during the 2021 season but was rarely fully healthy. During his first year with the Giants, he only caught 37 passes for 521 yards and no touchdowns. That's right—no touchdowns for a guy paid like a top receiver.
Golladay's second season in New York was even worse. He played in 12 games and only caught six passes for 81 yards and one touchdown. He was quickly pushed aside for other receivers before the Giants released him after two terrible seasons, taking a $14.7 million cap hit to do so. The Giants ended up paying Golladay $40 million for 43 catches, 602 yards and a touchdown.
He never played in the NFL again.
