Worst Contracts In Pro Sports History

[ucp990411]

Chris Davis with the Orioles. 161 million for 7 years. Had one steroid year with 46 homers, signed the contract then they stepped up the testing and he stunk after that.

 

[HooperScooper]

FOX paying Brady $375M for 10 years as a commentator has to be up there...and I say that as a Pats fan. Just a remarkable waste of money. The NFL is a ratings monster no matter who is commentating in the booth. Adding Brady does absolutely nothing. They'd get a better ROI by giving that money to Taylor Swift to be in the booth every week lmao

Doesn't really count for this thread. The question is, "Watching the Browns vs Cowboys, it got me thinking about the worst contracts teams have given out."

 

[ucp990411]

You can definitely add Albert Pujols to that list. 10 years, $254M. Over the 10 years he averaged 118 games, .256 batting average and 22.2 home runs.

The Angels are such a poorly run organization

 

[superjohn]

Aaron Hernandez. People within the Patriots organization knew he was a psychopath who had lifetime criminals as his assistants and some teammates steered clear of him. It turns out he already murdered two guys a month before the Patriots gave him a 5 year contract extension and gave him the highest signing bonus ever for a tight end.

 

[HooperScooper]

Jason Werth did practically nothing for the Nats. I saw him a few times rehabbing at A ball when he was there.

Speaking of the Nats, what about Stephen Strasburg's contract? 7 years and $245 million and he made just eight starts and pitched 31⅓ innings after signing his free-agent contract. That's pretty bad.

Similarly Chris Sale's 5 year $145 million contract with the Red Sox was an absolute bust. Of course the Sox get rid of him for the last year of the contract and he's probably going to win the NL Cy Young. Smdh.

 

[TheHorde]

They supposedly offered Mookie $300M but Mookie wanted to go to free agency to help the players. Mookie later said they didn’t offer him that. I tend to side with the Sox at least offering in that $300M range, and Mookie only signing the extension with the dodgers after Covid hit and there was a lot of uncertainty about what the upcoming free agents would get that offseason. No proof, that’s just what I suspect.

They did save a lot of money on David prices contract, about 50% of the remaining contract was included in that mookie trade. The trade was at least better than the sale trade…

I would have offered $31-32 million per year for 10 years early and if he turned it down, so be it. On a WAR basis, I thought he was worth that. They would have struggled with the luxury tax for a couple of years, but then would have come out the other side just fine.

 

[Scoe]

Currently the Kwahi Leonard contract, does he ever play? In hindsight obviously the right deal.

 

[NJHusky]

The Broncos paying washed up Russell Wilson $64 Million and then letting him go to the Steelers while still having to pay him whatever the remainder is on that contract.

Plus all the draft picks

 

[storrsroars]

I'm gonna go with JaMarcus Russell. He hadn't proven a single thing when he got his $68 mill contract with $32 mill of that guaranteed. Lasted 2.5 seasons, all of it mediocre or worse.

 

[uconngb]

Carl Crawford's was pretty bad in Boston. Jason Werth did practically nothing for the Nats. I saw him a few times rehabbing at A ball when he was there.
For me, as a Sox fan, I still have to go with David Price. I know he had a decent World Series the one year, but it was a big contract given to a guy with a lot of innings on his arm and many believe helped make ownership hesitant to give out long large contracts after that and may have helped the Sox to decide to low ball Mookie Betts and send him to the other coast.

Sale’s extension was wayyyyy worse than price. The guy turned into balsa wood. Before they shipped him out this year of course. Price had far more to do with that WS win than Sale and they were at least able to dump him sooner.

 

[uconngb]

They supposedly offered Mookie $300M but Mookie wanted to go to free agency to help the players. Mookie later said they didn’t offer him that. I tend to side with the Sox at least offering in that $300M range, and Mookie only signing the extension with the dodgers after Covid hit and there was a lot of uncertainty about what the upcoming free agents would get that offseason. No proof, that’s just what I suspect.

They did save a lot of money on David prices contract, about 50% of the remaining contract was included in that mookie trade. The trade was at least better than the sale trade…

Mookie was NEVER staying in Boston. Period

 

[Scoe]

Albert Haynesworth 7 years 100 mill with Washington

Allen Houston 6 years 100 mill with the Knicks

 

[Buffett10]

Jimmy G with the $9ers has to be way up there.

 

[geordi]

Ryan Leaf - Brian Bosworth - nuff said??

 

[formerlurker]

Ryan Leaf - Brian Bosworth - nuff said??

Both all time draft busts for sure, this is about worst contracts.

 

[MilliniumPrince]

July 1st.

The contract wasn't a totally terrible idea. Their belief in Madoff was ridiculous.

 

[MilliniumPrince]

Currently the Kwahi Leonard contract, does he ever play? In hindsight obviously the right deal.

Some great ones on thus list, but Kwahi was one of the 1st to pop into my mind after the obvious ones.

 

[Scoe]

Some of these bad contracts I hate to say are UConn alums, the Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva Pistons contracts.

 

[formerlurker]

Also...

 

[huskiesNhoos]

Ilya Kovalchuk's 17yr $102MM with the devils. Set the organization back a decade...I think this year is the last year for cap hit and he retired from the NHL over a decade ago.

Crazy story if you read about it - $3MM fine (which was and still is a huge amount...more so for a not well funded NHL team) is the 2nd highest team fine ever behind the Astros when they cheated their way to a world series. The original contract got cancelled (then restructured), cost them multiple draft picks, and Kovalchuk only played 3 seasons before heading to the KHL. Kinda weird as a Devils fan cause I still really like Kovalchuk but it absolutely tanked the organization for a decade

 

[superjohn]

Some of these bad contracts I hate to say are UConn alums, the Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva Pistons contracts.

They like paying UConn guys. Rip really worked out for them. I wouldn't say Ben, Charlie, and Andre worked out for them.

 

[AdamaNation]

Meatheaded simpleton Dave Gettleman's contract to run the NY Giants. He set the team back 8 years in his 4 years on the job.

More destructive than any player contract, ever.

Daniel jones is the last remnant

 

[AdamaNation]

Watching the Browns vs Cowboys, it got me thinking about the worst contracts teams have given out. It’s relatively early, but might DeShaun Watson’s be? Bobby Bonilla and Pablo Sandoval might be contenders. What other ones come to mind?

Worst contract or greatest agents?

 

[rgw]

The Orioles contract with Chris Davis has to be on the list.

Agreed and what made it even worst is there were no other bidders, and Boras still was able to talk the Oriolos into increasing their offer.

 

[WrenchFan69]

Dak Prescott