The 10 Most Crippling Free-Agent Contracts in NFL History

[Rocky21]

One franchise has 4 out of 10? The truth hurts.

[bird_1972]

Buy high, sell cheap.

Snyder is a genius at what again? Marketing..

I would not call Snyder a genius at anything. I think he is an extraordinarily persistent man with questionable business ethics who was in the right place at the right time. His subsequent experiences running Six Flags and Johnny Rockets demonstrate this. Neither has been successful under his watch.

The Redskins would fall into the same category except that he has been the beneficiary of having a team with essentially inelastic demand - people are essentially willing to pay any price and/or continue to support the team despite a severe decrease in quality of product. He's been fortunate that he can still make money off of the team despite his gross negligence in management over the past decade. That won't likely last forever, though as younger generations won't be nearly as patient.

[Califan007 The Constipated]

You might be able to blow off any one of these as just a gamble that failed, but when you see them happen year after year, the same sad pattern repeating itself then they do rise to the level of crippling the franchise. It isn't just about the money or cap, but all those players that might have been, season after season of "Who cares? I get paid" attitudes in the locker room, players that shied away from DC, ones that went elsewhere and flourished, etc., etc. and so on.

It all depends on how you define "crippling". Maybe not all were financially crippling, but from the standpoint of reputation throughout the league and the outside perspective, all the horrible FA signs over the past 10-15 years have been hugely crippling/damaging. It's been a cumulative affect.

This used to be a well-respected franchise,......USED to be.

The problem is with both of these posts, the article looks at individual signings and that individual FA signing's crippling ramifications. The fact that Archuletta alone is listed as an individual FA signing that supposedly crippled the organization is asinine and just goes to show that the author only remembers the much-repeated "highest paid safety in NFL history" twaddle and didn't actually pay attention to the facts.

Again: this isn't a list of the top 10 front offices that have crippled their organizations the most. If it were, then your points would fit the context of the article.

I consider Archuleta to be one of the worst because he sucks plus he cost us Ryan Clark. And the Skins have been looking for a FS ever since.

????...We've been looking for a FS ever since signing Archuletta? Really?

[Annonymous Source]

Well interesting article, although I dont feel that the word crippling is the correct word choice. The simple fact of the matter is that if this article included trades the Redskins would have a few extra players on the list such as.

-Jason Taylor

-Brandon Lloyd

-TJ Duckett

The sad thing is that this franchise is so consistently awful with these decisions that it literally hurts. After watching the San Francisco game in 2004 I knew that we were going to trade for Brandon Lloyd. After he missed the tackle on LaDanian Tomlinson in the Chargers game that year I knew that Ryan Clark was gone.

[royallypwned]

I can't take anything from the BR seriously.

[Califan007 The Constipated]

I can't take anything from the BR seriously.

The Mavs beat the Lakers so I'm back to hating you again lol :mad:

[royallypwned]

The Mavs beat the Lakers so I'm back to hating you again lol :mad:

Why would you ever STOP hating me?!

[bird_1972]

I can't take anything from the BR seriously.

Hard to argue with what they are saying here.

Whether or not the FA contracts crippled the team financially, they did so competitively insofar as they took up valuable roster space with players that never met expectations. That destroys team morale and is reflective of the incompetence that has come to represent Dan Snyder.

[Voice_of_Reason]

Somebody refresh my memory. Didn't the Dan W. and Dana S. take place under the John Cooke ownership?

An interesting thing to remember, it's not as though the 'Skins were really going anywhere from 1993-1999, after Gibbs left and before Snyder bought the team. When Snyder purchased the 'Skins, he inherited a mess of an organization, Norv Turner as coach, and a brand new stadium that needed a $20M face lift in it's second year.

Now, I'm not saying that Snyder didn't bollix it up further with the George, Deion, Bruce off season of 2000, and then the documented personnel decisions after that. He certainly has caused some of his own pain here. He had a brief respite when Gibbs came back and restored some semblance of adult supervision to the team, and through almost soley force of personality got the team to the playoffs twice. But even during the Gibbs II years, the personnel decisions were ludicrous.

Then the icing on the cake was the Zorn/Vinny years. Yikes. Those might be 2 of the worst years ever.

Yikes.

[A Walton]

Is this article the top 10 worse Redskins free agents signed? b/c it sure feels like it.

[Horatio]

Maybe that's why we're ranked 32nd in terms of draft quality over the last DECADE:

http://www.coldhardfootballfacts.com/Articles/11_3749_Decade_in_the_making%3A_the_ultimate_NFL_draft_grades.html

Washington (F)

Pro Bowlers: 3 (29th)

Draftees Active in 2010: 26 (32nd)

Players with 50+ Career AV: 0 (t-31st)

Players with 20+ Career AV: 11 (32nd)

Best Pick: TE Chris Cooley (3rd round, 2004)

Worst Pick: WR Malcolm Kelly (2nd round, 2007)

Summary: Congratulations, Dan Snyder. You’re the only constant in a franchise that has been absolutely terrible in all of their different war rooms of the 2000s. The Redskins, far and away, have got less out of their drafts than any other team – in fact, they might have done better in the 1970s when they were trading away all of their top picks for veterans every year. It’s not that they’ve drafted acres of busts, like Detroit or Oakland, it’s that they’ve traded up a lot, failed to get big hits, lost out on volume, and left themselves needing to overpay for underachievers in free agency. The Redskins had only 21 picks in the first three rounds, fewest in the decade, and missed on more than half. They’re the poster boys for why trading up doesn’t work – and this year, they finally figured it out, adding extra picks and moving down a lot. Maybe the 2010s will be theirs.

It's gotta be better than the 2000s, when Washington sat all alone at the back of the NFL draft class.

[G.A.C.O.L.B.]

Is this article the top 10 worse Redskins free agents signed? b/c it sure feels like it.

You seen NFLN's Top 10 Worst FA Signings of All Time? #2 was Alvin Harper to Tampa Bay I think. #1? "Anyone signed by the Redskins." So embarrassing to watch. There are probably a dozen (at least) Skins FA's that crush the Alvin Harper signing. And there was a debate about whther Haynesworth should have his own spot at like 1a.

[skinpride1]

That is so embarrassing exactly how you don't run a nfl team Dan snyder!!!!!

[Califan007 The Constipated]

The Redskins had only 21 picks in the first three rounds, fewest in the decade, and missed on more than half.

Hits:

Smoot, Betts, Dockery, Taylor, Cooley, Rogers, McIntosh, Landry, Davis, Orakpo, Williams

Questionable:

Gardner, Barnes

Miss:

Ramsey, Russell, Bauman, Jacobs, Campbell, Thomas, Kelly, Rinehart

I'm guessing their definition of "hit" and "miss" differs from mine.

They’re the poster boys for why trading up doesn’t work...

The Skins almost never traded up (Campbell, Cooley, McIntosh)...and the few times they have were usually successful (Cooley, McIntosh). So I'm not sure exactly where this opinion comes from.

(only used trading up during first 3 rounds...trading up in, say, round 5 is rarely considered a move that 'works" or "doesn't work".

[Wyvern]

Maybe the word "crippling' wasn't the best choice. Biggest 'flop' contracts is a better description.

Ironically , some of our 'successful' roster additions (Randy Thomas, Andre Carter, Cornelius Griffin, Antwaan Randle-El, Jon Jansen, Clinton Portis, Malcom Kelley, Bruce Smith, and Jason Campbell) had more crippling effects because they tied up money and positions on players who weren't producing at the level their salary would suggest. The Skins hands were tied with all these 'back-loaded' contracts and dead cap money. They couln't sign new players due to cap, and the long-term contacts deterred management from signing younger talent that would be sitting on the bench beheind the high-priced starters. ...And then you consider those dumb trades like Jason Taylor, Duckett, Lloyd, and McNabb that cost draft picks for essentially 'rent-a-players' -- those hamstrung the Skins rebuilding efforts.

Bottom line: Snyder needs a decent talent acquisition team and to overhaul his scouting network. Maybe this new group will be the answer, but I suspect there are some holdovers from earlier times who continue to make bonehead suggestions. Oh yes, Snyder also needs to ensure there is more consistency in his coaching structures, systems, and playscheme philosophy. A lot of good players have been made redundant due to all the many changes in offensive/defensive schemes stemming from the coaching carousel.

[Califan007 The Constipated]

Maybe the word "crippling' wasn't the best choice. Biggest 'flop' contracts is a better description.

Ironically , some of our 'successful' roster additions (Randy Thomas, Andre Carter, Cornelius Griffin, Antwaan Randle-El, Jon Jansen, Clinton Portis, Malcom Kelley, Bruce Smith, and Jason Campbell) had more crippling effects because they tied up money and positions on players who weren't producing at the level their salary would suggest. The Skins hands were tied with all these 'back-loaded' contracts and dead cap money. They couln't sign new players due to cap, and the long-term contacts deterred management from signing younger talent that would be sitting on the bench beheind the high-priced starters. ...And then you consider those dumb trades like Jason Taylor, Duckett, Lloyd, and McNabb that cost draft picks for essentially 'rent-a-players' -- those hamstrung the Skins rebuilding efforts.

I honestly think the only thing that truly "crippled" the Redskins from finding younger quality players and having much-needed depth was the trading of draft picks for veteran players...NOT the signing of any free agents or the size of their salaries.

Bottom line: Snyder needs a decent talent acquisition team and to overhaul his scouting network. Maybe this new group will be the answer, but I suspect there are some holdovers from earlier times who continue to make bonehead suggestions. Oh yes, Snyder also needs to ensure there is more consistency in his coaching structures, systems, and playscheme philosophy. A lot of good players have been made redundant due to all the many changes in offensive/defensive schemes stemming from the coaching carousel.

Their talent acquisition team is fine, I think...hell, apparently Shanahan and Allen believe so, too. But as you mentioned, having a singular qualified GM to run the franchise and keep the direction and philosophy in tact even through the hiring of different head coaches would have gone far in making sure that the talent we DO acquire will fit within the team's overall philosophy, and that any new head coach will do so as well. With no GM to do so, the Skins were changing their team philosophy every other year. No consistency at all. THAT crippled the franchise far, FAR more than signing someone like Archuletta.

[HitStickTaylor21]

Would have been a good article if the author didn't rip this from the NFL Network's Top 10 Free Agent Busts.

[BKSkinsFan]

Mr. Leonsis, would you be interested in looking at some properties in Ashburn VA and Landover MD???

[G.A.C.O.L.B.]

Mr. Leonsis, would you be interested in looking at some properties in Ashburn VA and Landover MD???

IIRC, there may be some monopoly/anti-trust hurdles that would prevent Ted from owning three of the city's four major sports teams. Maybe someone else can clarify that. I just remember a thread on it last year when the Caps were hot and someone said that. Don't remember if it's with the government or some regulations within the leagues themselves.

Ted still has some to prove. Love the direction my Wiz are headed but I can't think of any reason the Caps are anything but a failure. Every year they fail to meet expectations. And if Boudreau isn't getting fired, I'm not sure if Ted is capable of firing someone. But again, I love what's happening with my Wiz (not a Caps/hockey fan so maybe I'm way off in my reading of that siuation) and Ted definitely brings a sense of professionalism and the respect that comes with that.

I actually like what the Lerners are doing with the Nats. They aren't perfect but there's also that sense of professionalism with them. And they did get a stadium built in the city--a great (imho) stadium at that.

Snyder is clearly the worst of the three. Unfortunately I can't imagine a situation where he would ever sell the team. I'm not an avid Snyder hater, but his tenure has clearly been a complete cluster****. It's sad.

[washedup2]

The FA signings were not good but...I'd say crippling comes in when you look at trading draft picks for some of the players we got.

[Riggo-toni]

Stubblefield was far more crippling than any of those other moves. Haynesworth may be the biggest waste of money, but his cap hit fell in an uncapped year, so it was inconsequential. Hurt Dan's wallet, but who cares? Deion's contract didn't handcuff us the way his $15m SB hamstrung the girls for a few years.

[Seabee1973]

The reason Big free agent signings are so crippling is because they usually come at the expense of someone already on the team then trades for draft picks that cripples us because we lose out on more quality youngsters instead of developing them.

[BKSkinsFan]

IIRC, there may be some monopoly/anti-trust hurdles that would prevent Ted from owning three of the city's four major sports teams. Maybe someone else can clarify that. I just remember a thread on it last year when the Caps were hot and someone said that. Don't remember if it's with the government or some regulations within the leagues themselves.

Ted still has some to prove. Love the direction my Wiz are headed but I can't think of any reason the Caps are anything but a failure. Every year they fail to meet expectations. And if Boudreau isn't getting fired, I'm not sure if Ted is capable of firing someone. But again, I love what's happening with my Wiz (not a Caps/hockey fan so maybe I'm way off in my reading of that siuation) and Ted definitely brings a sense of professionalism and the respect that comes with that.

I actually like what the Lerners are doing with the Nats. They aren't perfect but there's also that sense of professionalism with them. And they did get a stadium built in the city--a great (imho) stadium at that.

Snyder is clearly the worst of the three. Unfortunately I can't imagine a situation where he would ever sell the team. I'm not an avid Snyder hater, but his tenure has clearly been a complete cluster****. It's sad.

Damn you're right on this one, it looks like the NFL has a cross ownership rule that doesn't allow majority owners to own other professional sports teams in NFL competing markets. Although I was somewhat joking with the Ted remark, I would be ecstatic to have an owner that is actually respected.

The thing I like about Ted is he seems to have a true plan, and seems willing to be patient and see it through. The Caps have disappointed in the playoffs, but I'd kill to have the Redskins be a perennial contender like them.

[iMeast]

Is this really a surprise to any one? Lets keep focused on the new regime. Danny doesn't have his hand in the cookie jar now. Hopefully, these great "football minds" can give us something positive to talk about.

HTTR