TOP 10 WORST QUARTERBACK SIGNINGS

Professional athletes get paid a whole lot for doing very little. They become millionaires for playing a game. “It’s sickening” says the unathletic. While technically not wrong, these complaints really undermine how difficult it is to do what they do. An NFL team is essentially a Forbes fortune 500 company, and the quarterback is the face of that company. 

Quarterbacks are the leaders of the team, the face of the franchise, and get paid as such. Value for a good, not great, but good quarterback has skyrocketed over the years. Star quarterbacks are signing unprecedented contracts left and right. Seemingly every upper echelon quarterback that signs a new contract is the highest paid of all time, until the next guy puts ink to paper. Some teams massively over pay for a quarterback. They fall in love with fool’s gold, and then watch in horror as their multi-million dollar investment blows up in their face. These are the ten worst quarterback signings of all time.

10. Joe Namath & Johnny Unitas’ Final Stops Before Canton

Namath signs 1-year deal for $150,000 \ Chargers buyout 10-year pact with Colts

Okay so these were not multi-million dollar investments, but they still left two franchises feeling buyer’s remorse. It’s sad to include two of the greatest quarterbacks of all time on this list, and even sadder that they didn’t retire with the teams that they carved out legendary careers with.

Broadway Joe became immortal when he guaranteed his New York Jets would win Super Bowl III. His Jets beat the Baltimore Colts 16-7, becoming the first AFL team to ever defeat an NFL team in 1968. Unfortunately this is where Namath’s career peaked. His best days were behind him. From 1969 to 1976 Namath’s record as a starter was 33-42. His passer rating was 62.8, he completed 50.4% of his passes, averaged 176.6 passing yards per game, and threw more interceptions than touchdowns every season. In 1977 the kid from Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania left New York and signed with the Los Angeles Rams. Of course Namath went from Broadway to LA. Namath signed a 1-year contract with the Rams but only played four games in the ‘77 season. Namath went 2-2 passing for 606 yards, 3 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. 

Johnny Unitas is the grandfather of the position. He invented and mastered the two-minute drill. Unitas won three NFL Championships including Super Bowl V. A 10-time pro bowler and 3-time NFL M.V.P. Unitas led the league in passing yards four times, and passing touchdowns four times. Unfortunately the 1970 season that ended in confetti would be his last hoorah. He only started ten games over the next two seasons, boasting a 4-6 record. He had a falling out with the Baltimore Colts franchise and wanted out. The Colts traded him to the San Diego Chargers in 1973. Unitas had a pact with the franchise from years earlier paying him $30,000 over ten years in retirement, the Chargers would have to buyout that contract. Johnny U, like Namath, only started four games in his new home.

Unitas was 1-3 as a starter, passing for 471 yards, and throwing only 3 touchdowns vs 7 interceptions. He did mentor a young Dan Fouts during his time in San Diego, so perhaps not a total loss. Ultimately the Rams and Chargers should have known these two aging Hall of Famers were well past their primes, and were left with buyer’s remorse.

Namath: 2-2 record 54.5 passer rating 46.7% completion 606 yards 3 TDs 5 INT

Unitas: 1-3 record 40 passer rating 44.7% completion 471 yards 3 TDs 7 INT

9. Donovan McNabb’s Extension in Washington

5 years $78 million

This is a contract that just makes no sense. Donovan McNabb played football and basketball in his college days at Syracuse (though he only averaged 6.9 minutes in 18 games). Philadelphia Eagles fans booed relentlessly when he was drafted second overall by the team in 1999. McNabb weathered the storm of the notorious Philly fanbase, and over the next eleven years staked his claim as the greatest quarterback in franchise history.  McNabb won 92 out of 142 starts and even led the Eagles to a Super Bowl appearance in 2004. 

After going 10-4 in 2009, McNabb was traded to the Washington Redskins for a second and fourth round draft pick. The six-time pro bowl quarterback was now 33 going on 34  years old, and would begin to show his age. He had bad legs and couldn’t move the way he used to. The banged up McNabb started his Washington tenure with four wins in seven games. 

In week 8 the Redskins faced the one-win Detroit Lions. McNabb was sacked six times, going 17 for 30 passing, one touchdown and one interception. Jason Hanson booted a 32-yard field goal to give the Lions a 31-25 lead with 1:50 left in the game. McNabb remained on the bench as Rex Grossman led the offense onto the field, to the bewilderment of the fans. With victory still very much attainable, Grossman was sacked, lost the ball, and Ndamukong Suh returned the fumble for a defensive touchdown. Detroit won 37-25. 

Despite mysteriously being benched, McNabb signed a 5-year contract extension worth $78 million. How do you bench a quarterback during crunch time, then hand him a massive contract? McNabb wouldn’t finish the season, he was injured after going 5-8 as Washington’s starter. Over the summer he was traded to the Minnesota Vikings for a sixth round draft pick. In case you were wondering, yes, that is the actual order of events; traded, benched, extended, injured, traded.

Look at that, we did a run down of McNabb's career without once mentioning him vomiting in the Super Bowl.

5-8 record 77.1 passer rating 58.3% completion 3,377 yards 14 TDs 15 INT

8. Kerry Collins to the Oakland Raiders

3 years $19 million

Kerry Collins is one of those quarterbacks that was given multiple chances, for some reason, despite inadequate results. Collins was the first player ever drafted by the Carolina Panthers franchise. In 1995 the expansion team traded the number one overall pick in the NFL Draft to the Cincinnati Bengals in exchange for the fifth overall pick and Cincy’s second round pick. The Panthers used the fifth pick on the Penn State product, who came in fourth in the Heisman voting. 

Collins spent his first four seasons playing for the Panthers, and seven games for the Saints. Then he landed with the New York Giants. In 2000 Collins enjoyed the best season of his career with career highs; 58.8% completion percentage, and 22 touchdown passes. The Giants went 12-4 and made it to Super Bowl XXXV, where they faced the Baltimore Ravens and one of the greatest defenses of all time. Collins was beaten up and humiliated by the Ravens. He completed a measly 15 of 39 passes for 112 yards and 4 interceptions. Collins was sacked four times and boasted a passer rating of 7.1. That is not supposed to be a single digit stat.

In 2004 the Oakland Raiders looked at Collins’ 59-58 record, 132 touchdowns vs 134 interceptions, and 73.1 career passer rating…and deemed it worthy of $19,000,000. From 1995 to 2003 Collins only had four seasons where he passed for more touchdowns than interceptions. He was coming off a season with a 4-9 record and 16 interceptions with only 13 touchdowns. Honestly the warning label was front and center on the product.

Playing in only 13 of 16 games, Collins led the league in interceptions with 20. He won only one-fourth of his starts in Oakland over two years. Instead of paying Collins, the Raiders could’ve used the second overall pick in ‘04 on Philip Rivers, or Ben Roethlisberger. In 2005 Oakland could’ve drafted Aaron Rodgers, but they were still committed to Collins. He played better in ‘05 than in ‘04, but it would be his final season in Oakland. He left the franchise as a raging dumpster fire and packed his bags for Tennessee. What the Titans and Raiders saw in Collins I will never know. Maybe it was the 6’5” 240+ lbs frame.

7-21 record 76.1 passer rating 54.8% completion 7,254 yards 41 TDs 32 INT

7. Matt Flynn to the Seattle Seahawks

3 years $19 million

Matt Flynn, professional Aaron Rodgers understudy extraordinaire. Flynn was a lifelong backup. He sat behind JaMarcus Russell on the LSU depth chart for three years before getting his chance to start in 2007. Flynn led the Tigers to a BCS National Championship, passing for 4 touchdowns in a 38-24 victory over Ohio State. The Green Bay Packers drafted Flynn in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL Draft.

Flynn saw little action serving as Aaron Rodgers’ back up. He got his first career start in 2010, and lost. In 2011 Flynn got to start in the final game of the season, as the 14-1 Packers wanted to rest Rodgers with the playoff bye already locked up. Flynn got into a full-blown shootout with Detroit QB Matthew Stafford, as the two combined for 1,000 passing yards. Flynn completed 31 of 44 passes for 480 yards and 6 touchdowns. His passer rating stood at 136.4, and he led a fourth quarter comeback to win 45-41. Flynn tied the franchise record for passing touchdowns in a game.

The Packers let Flynn walk after his rookie contract was up. Flynn had a career record of 1-1, had completed 62.1% of his passes for 1,015 yards, 9 touchdowns, 5 interceptions, and a 92.8 passer rating during his four seasons. Despite being unproven, Flynn was sought after thanks to his six touchdown performance. The QB-needy Seattle Seahawks signed the infamous backup to a 3-year deal worth $19 million.

Flynn never started for Seattle though. The Seahawks drafted Wisconsin quarterback Russell Wilson in the third round of the 2012 NFL Draft. It seemed odd that they would pick a quarterback with Flynn set up to be the starter for years to come. Wilson beat out Flynn in practices and the preseason to win the starting job. Wilson went 11-5 in his rookie year, and Flynn was jettisoned from Seattle. 

0-0 record 79.9 passer rating 55.6% completion 68 yards

6. Neil O’Donnell to the New York Jets

5 years $25 million

Flynn never started a game for Seattle, unfortunately for the Jets, O’Donnell did end up playing for them. In 1995 O’Donnell was 9-3 as Pittsburgh’s starting QB after getting injured in week 1 and returning in week 6.  The fifth-year quarterback, and a defense boasting Kevin Greene and Greg Lloyd, led the Steelers to Super Bowl XXX (or in layman’s terms; 30). 

O’Donnell basically handed Dallas’ Larry Brown the Super Bowl M.V.P. award when he threw two of the easiest interceptions any DB has ever made. He was 28 of 49 passing, 239 yards, 3 interceptions, and only one lone touchdown in the loss. His poultry 51.3 passer rating on the game’s biggest stage was his lasting memory in the steel city as he hit the open market. The New York Jets came knocking on his door in 1996. 

“The Jets were trying to replace an aged, aging, old beat up run down quarterback that couldn’t play anymore. That was me. So they replaced me with him and they gave him all the money.” -Boomer Esiason, Jets quarterback 1993-1995. In ‘95 the Jets quarterback room included 34-year old Boomer Esiason, who went 2-10, a slightly younger journeyman Bubby Brister, 1-3, and ‘94 seventh rounder Glenn Foley. It wasn’t pretty. So they cut ties with Esiason and Brister and brought in 30-year old Neil O’Donnell to pilot the ship. Good thing they also brought in Frank Reich because O’Donnell got injured after an 0-6 start to the 1996 season. Reich and Foley combined for a 1-9 record in his absence. 

O’Donnell was not a good leader, and was only an average quarterback. He got beaten up a lot during his time with the Jets, and never lived up to the contract the Jets gave him. He passed for only 4 touchdowns with 7 interceptions in his first season in New York, but improved to 17 and 7 the next. He averaged 187.8 yards per game and went 8-12 as the Jets starter. He crashed and burned and was let go two years into a 5-year deal.

8-12 record 76.7 passer rating 56.9% completion 3,943 yards 21 TDs 14 INT

5. Jeff Garcia to the Cleveland Browns

4 years $25 million

Jeff Garcia is an oddball, but this was just baffling. During the statistically uninflated early nineties, Garcia passed and rushed for over 7,000 yards in three years at San Jose State. Garcia went undrafted due to his short frame at quarterback, and so he headed north. Leaving his home in California, Garcia joined the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League. He backed up Doug Flutie before becoming the starter and winning the Grey Cup in 1998.

In 1999 Garcia returned to California, signing with the San Francisco 49ers. Garcia replaced Steve Young as the full time starter in 2000. He was voted to three straight pro bowls in a three year stretch that saw him go 28-20. During his five seasons with the 49ers he passed for 16,408 yards, 113 touchdowns and only 56 interceptions. 

The rebooted Cleveland Browns franchise had been in dire need of a quarterback since its inception. In 2004 Butch Davis bid adieu to Tim Couch, signing Jeff Garcia to a 4-year deal worth $25 million. They overpaid. Point blank. There was no reason to give a guy like Garcia anything above QB1 minimum wage. He wasn't a transcendent talent that would elevate his teammates. Garcia had a decent outing in his first game as a Brown, a 20-3 victory over the Baltimore Ravens. In week 2, Phil Dawson and Billy Cundiff got into a field-goal-off as Cleveland lost to Dallas 19-12. Garcia was 8 of 27, throwing for only 71 yards and 3 interceptions. Against the New York Giants Garcia bounced back with one touchdown and one interception in a less embarrassing loss. 

Garcia’s erratic play coupled with a historically bad roster resulted in a 3-7 start to the ‘04 season. The Browns went on a 9-game losing streak in which Garcia was benched. The Browns finished 4-12 and Garcia was cut, having only played ten games. To be fair to Jeff Garcia, during his NFL career he led the Niners, Tampa Bay Bucs, and Philadelphia Eagles to playoff berths, but Cleveland was not a good fit for him.

3-7 record 76.7 passer rating 57.1% completion 1,731 yards 10 TDs 9 INT  

4. Sam Bradford’s Contracts

Philadelphia resigned for 2 years $36 million \ signs with Arizona for 1 year $20 million

Sam Bradford is the used car salesman of quarterbacks. He won the Heisman Trophy in 2008 when he threw 50 touchdown passes at Oklahoma. The St. Louis Rams made him the number one overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. Bradford’s tenure with the Rams was riddled with injuries. Bradford had missed four games with a shoulder injury in his final season at Oklahoma. In 2011 Bradford injured his ankle three times, missing six total games. In 2013 he tore his ACL. In 2014 he suffered another torn ACL, this time in the preseason, costing him the entire ‘14 season.

In five years Bradford only played 49 games, with 18 wins, and a 79.3 passer rating. The Rams traded Bradford for Philadelphia’s Nick Foles in 2015. Upon his arrival in Philly, the Eagles re-signed Bradford to a 2-year $36 million contract. Bradford missed two games with a concussion and an injury to his throwing shoulder. Bradford was 7-7 as the Eagles starter, and was promptly traded to the Minnesota Vikings after Philly fired coach\GM Chip Kelly.

Bradford went 7-8 in his first season with the Vikings. It was the best season of his career, passing for 20 touchdowns and only 5 interceptions. Leading the league in completion percentage at 71.6%. He only played two games the following season. Knee injuries relegated him to Injured Reserve for the third time in his career. 

Despite all of this common knowledge. Despite the plethora of product disclaimers Bradford came with, the Arizona Cardinals signed the draft bust to a 1-year $20 million deal. The Cardinals looked at that thick medical record, and alarming injury history, and were willing to pay that much for a talented glass-legged quarterback who never met his full potential. The Cardinals lost the first three games of the season, outscored 74-20. Bradford was benched for rookie Josh Rosen, and cut halfway through the season. In a refreshing change of pace it was abysmal play instead of injury that ended his season.

PHI: 7-7 record 86.4 passer rating 65% completion 3,725 yards 19 TDs 14 INT

ARZ: 0-3 record 62.5 passer rating 62.5% completion 400 yards 2 TDs 4 INT

3. Mike Glennon to the Chicago Bears

3 years $45 million

Mike Glennon passed for 4,031 yards and 31 touchdowns in his senior season at North Carolina State. Glennon possessed the size scouts gravitate towards, standing at 6'7". The Tampa Bay Buccaneers drafted Glennon in the third round in 2013. The Bucs grew fed up with fifth year quarterback Josh Freeman, and started Glennon after an 0-3 start. Glennon would proceed to lose his first five games before finishing his rookie season with a 4-9 record.

Tampa fired head coach Greg Schiano and brought in Lovie Smith. Josh McCown got most of the starts in 2014, as Glennon only started five games. Glennon and McCown combined for only two wins, allowing Tampa to draft Heisman winner Jameis Winston with the number one pick. Glennon was relegated to the bench, having gone 5-13 in two years as a starter. Glennon passed for 30 touchdowns and 15 interceptions during his time with the Bucs.

In 2017 the Chicago Bears signed Glennon for 3 years and $45 million. Without a single winning season to speak of. Having completed less than 60% of his passes. Having averaged 195.2 yards per game over four seasons. That math doesn't add up, somebody make it make sense! He wasn't a collegiate superstar that entered the league with a whirlwind of hype. He was very much a designated backup. Chicago had drafted Mitch Trubisky with the second overall draft pick in 2017 and just needed a free agent to hold down the starting job for a year while Trubisky marinated. So why give Glennon such a big contract? Ryan Fitzpatrick would have added a better veteran presence. The likes of Robert Griffin III would have been cheaper.

Glennon was named the week 1 starter for Da Bears. A 26 of 40 outing for 213 yards and a touchdown in a season opening loss wasn’t disastrous. 31 of 45 against his former team, passing the 300-yard threshold with a touchdown and 2 interceptions was deceptively competent. 101 yards against the Steelers wasn't pretty but the Bears won 23-17 in overtime. There was no masking Glennon's performance in a blowout loss to the rival Green Bay Packers, and the rookie Trubisky was inserted into the starting lineup ahead of schedule. Glennon only played four games for Chicago. He hasn't stayed on any one team longer than one season since. Culminating an 0-9 record with the Jacksonville Jaguars and New York Giants, plus stints with Oakland and Arizona.

1-3 record 76.9 passer rating 66.4% completion 833 yards 4 TDs 5 INT

2. Nick Foles to the Jacksonville Jaguars

4 years $88 million

St. Nick has had one of the most turbulent careers the NFL has ever seen. The Joe Schmo quarterback from Austin, Texas played three seasons for the Arizona Wildcats. Drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles with the 88th pick in 2012, Foles was slotted as the backup to the oft injured Michael Vick. In 2013 the brittle 33-year old was predictably injured after a 2-4 start. Foles took command of the offense. In week nine the Eagles ran roughshod over the Oakland Raiders 49-20. Foles went 22 for 28, 406 yards, tying the NFL single game record of 7 touchdown passes, and boasting a perfect passer rating (158.3). Foles finished the season with an 8-2 record, a whopping 27 touchdowns to 2 interceptions.

He was sent to St. Louis in the aforementioned ‘15 Bradford trade. With a 4-7 record and the lowest passer rating of his career, his time with the Rams made Foles want out of football. After riding the bench in Kansas City Foles returned to Philadelphia for the 2017 season. Once again stepping into the starting lineup after the Eagles lost an injury prone starter; Carson Wentz. Foles went 5-1 in six regular and postseason games. The Eagles beat the Patriots in Super Bowl LII 41-33. Foles’ 28/48 373 yards and 3 touchdowns on the stat sheet were made even gaudier when Foles caught a touchdown pass from tight end Trey Burton.

After winning a Super Bowl as a starter, and being named Super Bowl MVP, Foles was a valuable commodity in 2019 free agency. Ultimately the sinking ship that was the Jacksonville Jaguars went all out to make Foles their captain. From 2012 to 2018 Foles had played for three different teams and was 26-18, had a higher sack total than passer rating, and had made one pro bowl. But that Super Bowl MVP spoke volumes. It sang a siren’s song. It seemed that the Jags had solved their QB woes with a steady and reliable field general. Unfortunately they discovered that Foles was Rocky Balboa in Philly, but he was Lefty Lou Earl everywhere else.

After signing a lucrative 4-year $88 million contract, Foles was the crown jewel of the 2019 Jaguars. Hosting the Chiefs in the season opener, optimistic fans were anticipating a shootout between Foles and Patrick Mahomes. After completing four of his first seven passes, Foles showed Jaguar fans what they had been missing when he hit D.J. Chark deep for a 35-yard touchdown. It was a short lived celebration as Foles was injured on the play. Broken left clavicle. Backup Gardner Minshew went 4-5 in Foles’ absence. When Foles returned in week twelve he was disgustingly underwhelming. The Jaguars should have rolled with the hot hand; the rookie, and it didn’t take them long to realize their mistake. Minshew finished out the season as a 6-6 starter. Foles finished with an 0-4 record, and averaged just over 220 yards per game that he didn’t leave early for injury. Just one year after signing him, the Jags traded Foles to the Chicago Bears for a fourth round draft pick.

0-4 record 84.6 passer rating 65.8% completion 736 yards 3 TDs 2 INT

1. Brock Osweiler to the Houston Texans

4 years $72 million

Another member of the 2012 Draft; The Brock Lobster was a flash in the pan with Chernobyl ramifications in the NFL. The one time Arizona State starter passed for 4,036 yards and 26 touchdowns for the legendary Dennis Erickson. He stood at 6’7”, weighed 240 lbs, and looked like he ought to be sporting fangs on a teenage girl’s wall. Osweiler would have been better off portraying one of Stephanie Meyer’s characters than moonlighting as an NFL quarterback. Nevertheless the Denver Broncos drafted him 57th overall. 

Osweiler backed up Peyton Manning  with little to no playing time for his first three seasons. In 2015 the living legend was more akin to a walking fossil. Manning was old and beat up, and Osweiler was thrust into action. He was blessed with a boisterous defense, and a talented receiving corps that included Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders in their prime. Osweiler went 5-2 as Denver’s starter, keeping them on their playoff course. He averaged 245.9 yards per game, with a favorable 10 touchdowns to 6 interceptions. Manning led the Broncos to a 3-0 playoff record and Super Bowl victory (or rather, Von Miller did), but Osweiler garnered national praise for holding down the fort. 

When Manning retired, Osweiler was not re-signed by the Broncos. Osweiler had a limited sample size for teams to judge him on. With his career passer rating of 86 and five wins in seven career starts, he was a risky option for QB needy teams. He looked the part, he had ideal size, and he had the pedigree of being groomed by Manning. The human lottery ticket was seen as a can’t miss by the Houston Texans. The Texans had subjected their fanbase to Brian Hoyer and Ryan Mallett, a pair of Tom Brady backups, (they also fielded T.J. Yates and Brandon Weeden) and decided the Manning backup would be the answer to their prayers. They inked him to a 4-year deal worth $72 million, $37 million guaranteed. 

Osweiler’s Texan debut was successful, but not easy on the eyes. Despite a 2-0 start to the season, Osweiler had thrown 3 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. The Texans were then shut out by the Jacoby Brissett Patriots. Osweiler was 24 of 41 with an interception in the 27-0 loss. When the Texans lost 27-9 to the Broncos, Osweiler was outplayed by his former backup, third-stringer-turned-starter Trevor Siemian. The Houston offense was struggling anytime Osweiler had to throw 40 passes. After going 9-7 with Hoyer, Mallett, Yates, Weeden, Joe Six-Pack and a JUGS Machine, the 2016 Texans finished 9-7. Tom Savage had started two games in place of the struggling $76 million investment. In the wildcard round of the playoffs, Osweiler was victorious over the Connor Cook led Raiders. It was the only start of Cook’s blink-and-you’ll-miss-it career. The Texans were then routed by the Patriots. Osweiler was intercepted three times in a game that saw him throw a daunting 40 passes.

The Texans were 8-6 under Osweiler, but the team won in spite of him, not because of him. He had thrown a franchise record 16 interceptions, and an unredeemable 15 touchdowns in comparison. After the 2016 season, the Houston Texans traded Osweiler, a 2018 second round draft pick, and a 2017 sixth round pick to the Cleveland Browns.  All for a 2017 fourth round pick. Lopsided? Upon first glance perhaps. The Texans gave up their christened franchise quarterback and two picks for a return consisting of just a middle round draft pick. The Browns essentially took the valuable draft capitol in return for taking the lofty Osweiler contract off Houston’s books. Cleveland got the picks, Houston relieved themselves of the financial liability. Osweiler was cut, disposed of as if he were the wrapping paper the draft picks came in. He never played for the Browns. Cleveland used the second round pick on Georgia running back Nick Chubb.

8-6 record 72.2 passer rating 59% completion 2,957 yards 15 TDs 16 INT

NEXT FIVE OUT

11. Jay Cutler to the Miami Dolphins

Jay Cutler retired after the 2016 season. Cutler had spent the last eight seasons of his career with the Chicago Bears. The Miami Dolphins lured the 34-year old out of a short lived retirement to suit up for them for the 2017 season. Given the talented QB was borderline bipolar at quarterbacking, and was 17-29 as a starter over the last four seasons, it’s baffling what Miami was thinking. The Dolphins split up with 2012 first round pick Ryan Tannehill and saw Cutler as a bridge quarterback of sorts. Cutler signed a 1-year deal worth $10 million.

He was 6-8 as a starter, 266 of 429 for 2,666 yards 19 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. I wouldn’t pay $10,000,000 for that. But this signing is given a break because it saved us from ever having to listen to Jay Cutler as a broadcaster for Fox.

12. Elvis Grbac to the Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens cut ties with Trent Dilfer, who was 11-1 including playoffs during their Super Bowl run. Dilfer is the only quarterback to ever start and win a Super Bowl then be let go before the next season. The Ravens brass liked Elvis Grbac better. Grbac signed in 2001 for 5 years and $30 million. He threw for 15 touchdowns, 18 interceptions, went 8-6 as a starter, and missed the playoffs. He never played in the NFL again after the 2001 season.

13. Case Keenum to the Denver Broncos

In 2017 journeyman quarterback Case Keenum went 11-3 as Minnesota’s starter. After an improbable playoff victory over the New Orleans Saints, Keenum’s Vikings were knocked out of the playoffs by the Philadelphia Eagles. Keenum was not brought back and hit the open market. The quarterback-starved Broncos signed Keenum to a 2-year deal worth $36 million. EVP John Elway thought he had found the one when he signed Keenum. Like J.Lo thinking Marc Anthony was the one. Keenum went 6-10, threw for 3,890 yards, 18 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. He was then traded for a sixth round draft pick.

14. Scott Mitchell to the Detroit Lions

Scott Mitchell served as Dan Marino’s backup from 1991 to 1993. In ‘93 he boasted a passer rating of 84.2, throwing for 1,773 yards, 12 touchdowns and 8 interceptions in seven games. He was a coveted free agent and signed a 3-year deal worth $11.25 million with the Detroit Lions. That doesn’t look too bad today, but before player salaries became inflated, $11.25 million was a lot for a quarterback who only started seven games in his career. Mitchell spent five seasons in Detroit, with only a 27-30 record to show for playing with Barry Sanders in his prime. Mitchell was 0-2 in the playoffs, throwing only one touchdown and an embarrassing number of interceptions.

15. Deshaun Watson’s Extension in Cleveland

Deshaun Watson was traded from Houston to Cleveland in 2022, and given a 5-year contract extension worth $230 million fully guaranteed. The 2022 season hasn’t started, but Watson hasn’t played since the 2020 season in which he led the NFL with 4,823 passing yards. Watson was forced to sit out the 2021 season due to multiple lawsuits accusing him of sexual misconduct. Going into 2022 Watson was facing a suspension yet to be determined, but Cleveland traded for him anyway. $230 million fully guaranteed to a quarterback who hasn’t played in a year and will be suspended for eleven games, it just doesn’t look good.