Free agency is upon us and this can be a make or break period of time for franchises. As our very own Ste Hoare says, the best way to get good is to ‘draft and develop’ – free agency however can be used to fill holes in the roster and so far, over 40 players have been signed by franchises to do just that. Guys as big as Matt Forte have moved away from franchises and some teams have gotten extremely good deals thus far. Some teams however appear to be making rash decisions and some of the contracts handed out have been really bad. People should have learned from last years Miami Dolphins as they decided to commit nearly 100 million dollars to Ndamukong Suh, it ended disastrously and this surprised an awful lot of people. Without further ado, here is the Read American football take on the worst contracts given out so far.
Mark Barron (Five Year $45 million: LA Rams)
Barron was solid in Gregg Williams’ aggressive defensive system last season, but you have to question the length of this contract. Their hand may have been forced by the fact the 4-3 linebacker class looks pretty weak, but there isn’t really an excuse for it. Some might also argue that losing Janoris Jenkins and Rodney McLeod forced them to panic. Either way, committing this much money to a coverage linebacker who isn’t at the Sean Lee or KJ Wright level is an odd move. Either way, his inclusion might rile Rams fans.
Janoris Jenkins (Five year $64 million: New York Giants)
This is a strange move mainly because it seems a simplistic one. The Giants and the Rams both run a 4-3 system but Jenkins had a lot of system help in St. Louis and he wasn’t even close to being the Rams best corner. This seemed a complete panic purchase and to me, bringing back Prince Amukamara would have been much more sensible. This selection will look really stupid if the Giants use him properly, he is a man corner who will need safety help as he struggles stopping big plays, for now he is overpaid.
JR Sweezy (Five year $32.5 million: Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
As a Seattle fan, i can truly confirm the horrors of this deal. JR Sweezy has no doubt made some big blocks over the years for the Hawks, but he is erratic and far too inconsistent. His run blocking is effective but as a pass blocker, he is poor and gets overwhelmed by tackles and defensive ends far too easily. This contract could really haunt the Bucs in the long term, he is no better than what they had already. Pro football focus ranked him as their 66th best guard last year, that’s not good. This signing stinks of a post Logan Mankins retirement panic buy.
Olivier Vernon (Five year $85 million: New York Giants)
This might seem like I’m bullying the Giants, but I’m really not trying to. On the surface, paying this much money for a defensive end who only managed 7.5 sacks last year is absolutely ridiculous and one must question the sanity of the Giants front office. Vernon was no doubt great last year, but it’s hard not to be when you play alongside Suh who draws double teams from every offensive line he faces. Vernon will again be part of a nice line in New York, but there’s little chance he fulfils the value of this contract.
Mario Williams (Two year $16 million: Miami Dolphins)
I really like a lot of the moves the Dolphins have made this offseason, but the signing of Mario Williams simply isn’t one of them. He was terrible last year and though this was partially due to the fact he hated Rex Ryan’s system- he simply lacked motivation and care for Buffalo. Mario has already made his money, he doesn’t look like he cares anymore and his best days are certainly past him. He might get good stats because of Suh causing trouble on the inside but he won’t make this team any better or any younger.