Every NFL team's worst contract

Johnson signed a three-year, $39 million contract prior to last season, with nearly $25 million guaranteed. He's being paid like an elite running back, yet Johnson has only one elite season in his four years and struggled last year with only 3.6 yards per carry. His work could dwindle this year in Kliff Kingsbury's offense.

Freeman signed a five-year, $41.25 million contract with $22 million in guaranteed money prior to the 2017 season. He's physically started to break down over the last two years, playing 14 games in 2017 and only two games last year. Now entering his age 27 season, Freeman is out to prove he can just stay healthy.

Smith is in the final year of his contract with a cap number of nearly $16 million. The cornerback hasn't played more than 12 games in any of the last three seasons, and when he has been on the field he has been inconsistent. 

Lotulelei signed a massive five-year, $50 million contract with $18.5 million guaranteed before last season. That's a huge haul for a defensive lineman who really doesn't contribute to the pass rush. He had only 17 tackles and no sacks in his first season with the Bills, and his cap number is $11.5 million this year.

Poe was a decent pass rusher early in his career, but these days he just plugs up the middle. He had only one sack and 17 tackles last year as the Panthers struggled to rush the passer, and that was in the first year of a three-year, $28 million contract with $10.8 million guaranteed.

Trevathan has been plagued by injuries for most of his four-year, $28 million contract that he signed with the Bears in 2016. Of course, that finally changed last year when he started all 16 regular-season games, which was a drastic improvement after appearing in 21 games over the first two years of the deal.

Dalton is still a quality quarterback at times, but he has sub-7.0 yards per pass attempt over the last two years despite excellent wideouts in Cincy. He's currently in the fifth year of a six-year, $96 million deal that's paying him a $16.2 million salary this year, and the Bengals are on a streak of three straight losing seasons. The Bengals could look to move on from Dalton if they have another subpar season.

Cleveland rushed to free agency to add players last offseason and is now on the hook for some of them at unfavorable numbers. Carrie leads the way, now in the second year of a four-year, $31 million contract with $10 million guaranteed. He's not expected to play as much this year after the Browns selected Greedy Williams in the second round of the draft.

Crawford is expected to have a tougher time finding the field this year despite his big cap hit of over $10 million this year and $9 million in 2020. He has been a strong contributor for the Cowboys and gives the team solid depth, but it's a big expense for a defensive lineman who had only 34 tackles and 5.5 sacks last season.

Wolfe was one of the most athletic defensive tackles in the league early in his career, but his production has plummeted with just 3.5 sacks over the last two seasons. He signed a four-year deal worth nearly $37 million in 2016 and heads into the final year of that deal with a payment of nearly $11 million due.

Stafford's contract is the eighth-highest at his position in terms of average value, but he was far from that effective last year. Now in the third year of the five-year, $135 million contract, Stafford has a cap number of nearly $30 million for a team coming off a 6-10 season and looking to run the ball more often. Stafford had only 6.8 yards per pass attempt and 21 touchdowns last season.

Graham signed a three-year, $30 million contract with the Packers last year but really struggled to get comfortable with his new team. He had only 636 yards and two touchdowns, and the cap hit more than doubles this year. Graham is currently the highest-paid tight end in football in terms of average salary per year.

Mercilus' contract looked like a bargain it its first season, 2015, when he recorded 12 sacks. But he's been in a free fall since then. Due more than $7 million in the final year of the deal this season, Mercilus is coming off a four-sack campaign in which he saw his snaps cut. Houston desperately needs more production, especially after trading Jadeveon Clowney.

Sheard signed a three-year, $25 million contract with the Colts in 2017. So far, he has 11 sacks in his two seasons with Indy, and improving the pass rush was one of the highest priorities for the team in the offseason. The contract hasn't been an eyesore, but the Colts also haven't really profited from the deal.

Choosing between Lee, Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns, the Jaguars opted to retain Lee last year on a four-year, $34 million contract. He missed the entire first season with a torn ACL and has fallen in the pecking order going into 2019. It wouldn't be a surprise if Jacksonville tries to move on from the deal after this year if Lee doesn't bounce back.

Watkins signed a massive three-year, $48 million contract before last season and is currently the eighth highest-paid wideout in terms of average salary per season. Chronic foot issues showed up again last year, as Watkins managed to play only 10 games during the regular season. He's still productive when on the field, but it's a high price to pay if he can't stay healthy.

It's hard to really complain about Ingram's contract given the production, with 17.5 sacks over the last two years and back-to-back Pro Bowls. Still, he slots in as the seventh highest-paid defensive end in terms of average salary per year and has a cap number of nearly $20 million going into his age-30 season. Perhaps it's a slight overpay, but it's one of few qualms for an organization that has done well with its money lately. 

Gurley was the highest-paid player at his position going into training camp. While he played extremely well in the first year of the contract, there are some red flags ahead. Awarded a four-year, $57.5 million contract last year, Gurley sat for much of the second half of last year due to an arthritic knee, and the injury is a major concern going forward. L.A. already invested a third-round pick on a backup running back this year. Even if Gurley struggles this year, the Rams still have to pay him over $13 million next season.

There were trade rumors involving Jones before this season, and he has multiple injuries entering the year at age 31. The two-time Pro Bowler saw his production drop off last year and is guaranteed $13 million this season as part of the four-year, $48 million contract he signed prior to the 2017 season. He remains the fifth highest-paid safety in the league in terms of average salary per year.

Cousins signed a gigantic, fully guaranteed three-year, $84 million deal with Minnesota last offseason. He's the sixth highest-paid quarterback in terms of average salary per season, but the team regressed last year with Cousins under center, missing the playoffs at 8-7-1. While he was efficient, completing 70 percent of his passes, Cousins' 7.1 yards per pass attempt was far from elite.

Hightower has been a big part of New England's defensive success since it drafted him in 2012, but his play has fallen off recently. He played only five games in 2017 and had just 48 tackles and one sack in 15 contests last year. The linebacker has the third-highest cap number on the team going into 2019 in the third year of a four-year, $33.5 million contract.

There's always one punter who has to be the highest paid at the position, and Morstead currently has that honor. He signed a four-year, $15.6 million contract with more than $9 million guaranteed before the 2018 season, yet he was little-used last year on a strong offense with only 43 punts. With Super Bowl aspirations this year, the Saints would probably be better served to use the money at another position.

The Giants have plenty of bad contracts to choose from, but Jenkins' looks the worst based on recent performance. He signed a five-year, $62.5 million contract in 2016 but missed significant time in 2017 and struggled last year. He counts nearly $15 million against the cap in each of the next two seasons.

Bell got his money from the Jets after holding out in Pittsburgh during all of last season. He signed a four-year, $52.5 million contract, effectively making him the second highest-paid back in the league behind Todd Gurley. It's a major risk for a player who didn't play at all last season, benefited from an excellent offensive line in Pittsburgh and averaged only 4.0 yards per carry the last time we saw him on the field.

Oakland signed Brown to a massive four-year, $66 million contract this offseason, only to announce he'd play right tackle. He played well for the Patriots last season, but the move is precedent-setting and nearly $4 million more per year than the second highest-paid right tackle in the NFL, Ja'Wuan James.

Jeffery was been a quality contributor for the Eagles since signing a four-year, $52.25 million contract nearly two years ago. That said, he hasn't produced like the No. 1 wideout Philadelphia expected, playing only 13 games last season and failing to reach 900 yards in each of his seasons with the Eagles.

Boswell signed a four-year, $16.8 million contract extension last year, only to have one of the worst seasons in the league among kickers. He made only 65 percent of his field goals and just under 90 percent of his extra points. Currently the fifth highest-paid kicker in average salary per year, Boswell had a good preseason and will be the team's kicker going into the season but could be cut if the struggles continue.

The 49ers gave the unproven Garoppolo a five-year, $137.5 million contract shortly after acquiring him from the Patriots. He went on to play only three games last season due to a knee injury and was inconsistent in the short time that he did play. Garoppolo is currently the seventh highest-paid quarterback in the game in terms of average salary per year but has yet to earn that hefty wage.

Britt is a versatile lineman who has started at center over the last three years for Seattle but seems slightly overpaid with the three-year, $27 million contract that he signed in 2017. The contract currently has him as the ninth highest-paid player at the position, but Seattle's offensive line has been subpar for most of his time with the team.

Smith signed a three-year, $41.25 million contract prior to this season. He's been durable during his first four NFL seasons, but his play has been far from elite. He currently ranks as the fifth highest-paid at the position.

In their apparent attempt to become New England South, the Titans signed Butler to a five-year, $61 million contract prior to last season. The former Super Bowl hero had some hiccups in his first year with Tennessee and has continued to see his play decline from his early-career results. The contract isn't a major liability yet, but things aren't trending in the right direction.

Norman is now in the fourth year of a five-year, $75 million contract that still makes him the second highest-paid cornerback in football. He cashed in after one great year in Carolina but really hasn't been an elite performer since joining Washington.