Every NFL Team's Worst Free-Agent Signing This Offseason

Terms: Two years, $10 million ($7 million guaranteed)Why would a rebuilding team fresh off a 3-13 season give $7 million guaranteed to a declining 36-year-old pass-rusher?It isn't as though the Arizona Cardinals aren't allowed to try to improve, but they should be spending money thinking about 2020 and beyond. The Cardinals also gave a lot of money to former Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Jordan Hicks (four years, $34 million), but at least the 26-year-old still has plenty of tread on his tires.Terms: Three years, $18.8 million ($12.8 million guaranteed)The Atlanta Falcons had lackluster guards in 2018, and it's fair for general manager Thomas Dimitroff to be excited about the "two big dudes" he has coming in to play that position in 2019.Still, a Falcons team that was low on salary-cap space and could use pass-rushing help overcommitted to Jamon Brown, who is now the league's 21st-highest-paid guard in terms of average annual salary even though both the Los Angeles Rams and New York Giants have cast him aside in the last five months. Terms: Three years, $15 million ($6.5 million guaranteed)The Baltimore Ravens took risks by handing lucrative contracts to two players who will turn 30 this year, but at least safety Earl Thomas is a superstar who plays a position that often has a long shelf life.The same can't be said for running back Mark Ingram, whose yards-per-attempt average has declined in back-to-back seasons. They could have paid less for Jesse James or Dwayne Allen, and it might not have cost them much more to bring in Jared Cook following his Pro Bowl campaign with the Oakland Raiders.Terms: One year, $4 million ($1.5 million guaranteed)In addition to bringing back offensive tackle Daryl Williams on a team-friendly deal, the Carolina Panthers have signed only two outside free agents this month. But as free agency got underway, the Bengals inexplicably signed the 24-year-old to a contract that pays him $5.4 million per season over the next three years. Terms: Two years, $8 million ($2 million guaranteed)What has Jeff Heuerman done to merit a $4 million average annual salary?The 2015 third-round pick is an enticing young player at 6'5", 255 pounds, but he's caught only 49 passes in his NFL career. But a team that wisely signed Bryce Callahan, Kareem Jackson and Ja'Wuan James might have erred by bringing back Heuerman at that rate.Terms: Four years, $36 million ($17.9 million guaranteed)Justin Coleman might have a bright future, but the Detroit Lions went overboard by handing him a four-year contract worth $9 million per season. He cost Philly only $6.5 million on a one-year deal, and Houston could have used that extra cash to address its abysmal offensive line.Terms: One year, $10 million ($7 million guaranteed)We already heaped praise on the Indianapolis Colts for the deals they gave defenders Justin Houston and Pierre Desir, and they didn't spend more than $3 million on any other free agent except wide receiver Devin Funchess.While it's hard to blame a team in need of receiver help for giving a talented young wideout a one-year deal, Funchess' $10 million contract is still the worst of the Colts' free-agent bunch. That's who Indy should have gone after.Terms: Two years, $6.6 million ($1.3 million guaranteed)Needing help at tight end while low on salary-cap space, the Jacksonville Jaguars pinched pennies at that position, re-signing backup-at-best James O'Shaughnessy to a two-year, $2.2 million deal and bringing in Geoff Swaim on a two-year contract worth $3.3 million per season. The Dolphins would have been better off throwing Jake Rudock, Luke Falk, David Fales or Brock Osweiler to the wolves.Terms: Five years, $67.5 million ($33 million guaranteed)The Minnesota Vikings continue to overinvest in their defense at the expense of their offense.No NFC team has as much money wrapped up in its defense as the Vikings, who have also spent four of their last six first-round picks on defenders. Terms: Three years, $15 million ($7.5 million guaranteed)Running back Latavius Murray somehow landed another lucrative free-agent contract despite being a 29-year-old who plays a position with a short shelf life and struggled the last two seasons in Minnesota. However, his four-year, $14.4 million contract only has $7.2 million in guarantees, which isn't outrageous.Instead, let's call out the three-year, $15 million deal New Orleans gave to defensive tackle Malcom Brown, who failed to live up to expectations as a 2015 first-round pick in New England. That makes the Brown contract look like a mistake, especially since the draft is loaded with stellar defensive linemen.Terms: Four years, $37.5 million ($23 million guaranteed)When you trade away players like Odell Beckham Jr. and Olivier Vernon and allow a taggable player like Landon Collins to walk, you're rebuilding.The New York Giants are clearly thinking more about the 2020s and less about 2019, which makes their decision to give Golden Tate $9.4 million per year and $22.95 million guaranteed ludicrous. Terms: Four years, $52.5 million ($27 million guaranteed)Had any of the Saints, Patriots, Rams, Chargers, Jaguars, Colts, Packers, Lions, Broncos, Cowboys, Browns, Bears, Panthers, Bills or Falcons given inconsistent slot receiver Jamison Crowder a three-year, $28.5 million deal, that would have been their worst free-agent signing of 2019. Terms: Four years, $66 million ($36.3 million guaranteed)It isn't uncommon for a player to land a big-money deal after one good season, but the Oakland Raiders took it to a whole new level when they made Trent Brown the highest-paid offensive lineman in NFL history. Terms: Three years, $30 million ($17 million guaranteed)The quiet, cap-strapped Philadelphia Eagles took it easy on the open market, and they did get younger up front on defense by swapping out the 33-year-old Michael Bennett for the 29-year-old Malik Jackson.But they're paying Jackson far more money—Bennett's 2019 cap hit would have been only $7.2 million—and Bennett might be the better player. But considering that Barron likely won't start at either safety (where Sean Davis and Terrell Edmunds appear to be locked in) or linebacker (where Vince Williams and Jon Bostic are slated to hold things down inside), a $6 million average annual salary is steep for someone who was often a liability during the 2018 season.The 29-year-old's play with the Rams last season suggests he's declining fast, which could make this a Malik Jackson-like signing for a team that is short on cap space and has more glaring weak spots to address elsewhere on the depth chart. Unless he bounces back, the Steelers might wind up cutting him for $5.3 million in cap savings next offseason.Terms: Four years, $54 million ($25.5 million guaranteed)Take what we said about Anthony Barr and add exclamation marks.It's unclear why teams suddenly decided to start paying non-playmaking linebackers huge money this offseason, but at least Barr and C.J. Mosley are healthy and have been elected to a combined eight Pro Bowls. Iupati gets the nod here because he's getting more guaranteed money and he's several years older, but the Seahawks should have stayed away from both and paid up for Rodger Saffold instead.Terms: One year, $4 million ($4 million guaranteed)The Tampa Bay Buccaneers didn't make a truly head-scratching signing this month, but $4 million does seem high for draft bust Breshad Perriman.Even with DeSean Jackson back in Philadelphia and Adam Humphries now a member of the Tennessee Titans, it isn't as though the Bucs are hurting at wide receiver.