Cash Kings: 12 Grossly Overpaid NFL Football Players
Hannah Foslien / Getty Images Sport I really do hate using the term “overpaid” because, technically, no one is overpaid. If someone is willing to pay you a certain salary, you have a right to collect that check. With that being said, here are 12 NFL football players that certainly aren’t living up to their end of the bargain, based on their salaries. 1. John Carlson, TE Minnesota Vikings $5 million per year is a pretty hefty salary. It shouldn’t require a player to win an MVP, by any means. But for that kind of money – and for 5 years, no less – one should expect a bit more production than the Vikings get out of Carlson. But then again, why did the Vikings expect $25 million worth of production from John Carlson in the first place? John David Carlson, Jr. was born in St. Cloud, Minnesota, however his family moved to Litchfield right after his birth and he graduated from Litchfield High School. As a football player, he was all-state Minnesota in his Senior year but he played basketball too and was voted to the preseason McDonald’s All-American list. Carlson was drafted by the Seahawks in the second round (38th overall) of the 2008 NFL Draft and on July 26, he signed a $4.52 million contract which included $2.5 million guaranteed. On March 14, 2012, Carlson signed a five-year, $25 million contract with the Minnesota Vikings but that amount was lowered later on in the season. from $2.9M to $1.5M (his workout Bonus reduced to $50,000). On March 7, 2014, Carlson signed a two-year, $4.65 million contract with the Arizona Cardinals.
2. Ricky Jean-Francois, DT Indianapolis ColtsThe Colts got exactly what they should have expected when they signed Ricky Jean-Francois – an okay player. But for $5.5 million per year, it’s suffice to say that’s a tad too much to pay for “okay”. Jean-Francois is an average defensive tackle at best. Ricky Barkley Jean-Francois, born November 23, 1986, was the Defensive MVP of the 2008 BCS National Championship Game, as a member of the National Championship winning 2007 Louisiana State University Tigers football team. He was drafted by San Francisco 49ers as a 7th round draft pick in 2009 and on March 14, 2013 he signed with the Indianapolis Colts. It is rumored that the transition from a 4-3 to a 3-4 defense forced this trade to happen. In his four seasons in the NFL with the 49ers, he played in 51 games, starting only 5 of them and has notched 49 tackles, 3 sacks, forced a fumble and batted down 2 passes. His stats, as of 2013 are the following: Tackles: 68, Sacks: 5.5 and one Forced Fumble, but the details of his contract are much more interesting: 4 year contract – worth $22,000,000 and with a signing bonus of $2,500,000. That’s a lot of money indeed. He became quite famous among 49er fans for his “Peanut Butter Jelly Dance”, a video that was posted on Youtube and had a lot of views:
3. Paul Kruger, LB Cleveland BrownsKruger is a decent pass rushing linebacker. Problem is he’s paid just over $8 million per year on a team that needs to spend their money a bit wiser. $8 million should buy a team a marginal Pro Bowl defensive player. Kruger isn’t quite at that level and Cleveland will continue paying dearly for it. Paul Christian Kruger Jr., born February 15, 1986, was an All-conference and preseason All-America quarterback as a senior in 2003 at Timpanogos High School in Orem, Utah where he was also the team captain and lettered all four years. He later signed with the University of Utah Utes as a quarterback in 2004 and was a redshirt on the 12–0, Fiesta Bowl champion team. However, Kruger redshirted his freshman year of 2004, after which he served a two-year mission in Kansas and Missouri for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, returning to the football field in the fall of 2007. He was considered a top defensive end prospect for the 2009 NFL Draft and on April 25, 2009, Kruger was selected in the second round (57th overall pick) of the 2009 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens. Kruger signed with the Cleveland Browns to a five-year $40M contract on March 12, 2013 and finished the season with 40 total tackles and 4.5 sacks.
4. Larry Fitzgerald, WR Arizona CardinalsLarry Fitzgerald is one of the best receivers you’ve ever seen. He’s just not near as good as he was pre-2012. Fitzgerald is still a quality receiver and put together a solid 2013 campaign. But his salary is good for $15.75 million annually. He’s worth maybe half of that today. Larry Darnell Fitzgerald, Jr., born August 31, 1983, played college football for the University of Pittsburgh, and earned All-American honors. He was also widely considered one of the best wide receivers in college football from 2002 to 2003 and on July 1, 2013, Fitzgerald’s #1 jersey was retired by the University of Pittsburgh. He was drafted third overall in the 2004 NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals, whose then coach, Dennis Green, knew Fitzgerald from his time as a Vikings ball boy. On December 12, 2004, Fitzgerald became the youngest player at 21 years and 110 days, to record at least 2 touchdown receptions in a single game. Fitzgerald signed an 8-year $120 million deal with the Arizona Cardinals, in 2011, becoming 5th highest paid player in the NFL. That season was one of his best, as he managed to rack up some really good stats, catching 80 passes for 1,411 yards and 8 touchdowns and setting a personal record of 17.6 yards per catch.
5. Michael Koenen, P Tampa Bay BuccaneersYes, that’s right, a punter makes $3.25 million per year. That’s just plain silly. Koenen can boot it deep, but let’s not get carried away here. If an organization pays more than about $2 million for ANY punter, they’re out of their minds. Especially with all these salary caps and other great players emerging. I guess they wanted us to see the big picture, or just had some loose money. Michael J. Koenen, born July 13, 1982, played college football for Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington, and is one of only three NFL players to have played football for that school. Koenen signed a two-year free agent contract with the Atlanta Falcons on April 26, 2005 and edged out veteran punter Toby Gowin, showing great potential. His 14 touchbacks put him behind only Pro Bowler Neil Rackers. He was signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a six-year, $19.5-million contract on July 29, 2011. This means that he has made $3.25M in 2013, and is contracted to make the same every year until he hits free agency in 2017. Among punters with 50 or more punts in 2011, before he signed the contract, Koenen ranked 30th in the league with an average of 40.7 yards. His net average was 35.6 yards, 28th in the league.
6. Jerome Felton, FB Minnesota VikingsGetting paid $2.5 million to block for Adrian Peterson sounds like an awesome job to me. I just wouldn’t pay someone that kind of money for that kind of job. But that’s just me. Jerome Jean-Marie Felton, born July 3, 1986, is a 2004 graduate of Sequoyah High School, Madisonville, Tennessee, where he was a two-way starter at fullback and middle linebacker. He was a three-time team offensive MVP, All-County, and All-Region selection, served as team captain, rushed for 1,300 yards, and finished second on his team with 104 tackles in 2003. He was drafted by the Lions in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft and became the Lions starting fullback as a rookie, playing in 13 games, starting six and catching nine passes. During the 2012 season, Felton was signed as a free agent by the Minnesota Vikings and on March 12, 2013, Felton was re-signed by the Vikings with a three year, $7.5 million contract. On August 26, 2013, the NFL has announced that Felton is suspended three games for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy. “Man, it hurts a lot,” Felton told USA TODAY Sports “I’ve shed tears about it. It’s embarrassing just for it coming back up.” Also, remember that he was arrested in 2012 for drunk driving, making the list of incidents a bit longer.
7. Le’Ron McClainLe’Ron plays fullback for San Diego Chargers and he’s doing a pretty decent job. However, his annual salary of $2, 75 million is making him a little bit overpriced. At the moment there’s a debate if Le’Ron McClain should be released after his contract expires… Le’Ron De’Mar McClain, born December 27, 1984, played college football for the University of Alabama where he played for coach Mike Shula’s Alabama Crimson Tide football team from 2003 to 2006. He was drafted with the 137th pick during the 4th round by the Baltimore Ravens finishing his rookie season with eight carries for 18 yards, nine receptions for 55 yards, and 1 touchdown. During his last two years as a Raven, McClain lost carries to Willis McGahee and Ray Rice, complaining publicly about not getting enough touches, and led to his departure. He signed a one-year deal with the Kansas City Chiefs and afterwards signed a three-year deal with the San Diego Chargers for $8.25 million and $2.5 million of that came in the form of a signing bonus. However, just two years later, on March 3, 2014, McClain was released by the Chargers. The reason for this might be the fact that he played in just 12% of the offensive snaps for the San Diego Chargers in 2013. McClain signed a 3-year deal with the team last year for $8.25 million. $2.5 million of that came in the form of a signing bonus
8. Craig StevensNope, we’re not talking about actor the Craig from Peter Gunn or the Invisible man. This Craig plays tight end for Tennessee Titans with quite a notable salary of $3,6 million per year. He played college football at California before being drafted by the Titans in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft. Craig also has a younger brother Eric Stevens who plays fullback for the St. Louis Rams. Stevens played tight end and linebacker at Palos Verdes Peninsula High School and as a senior, he was named All-CIF, All-Area and team’s Defensive Player of the Year after recording 127 tackles and four touchdown receptions. While he played for California Golden Bears, Stevens was in 50 games (33 starts) in four seasons, one game shy of school record. As senior, he was named honorable mention All-Pac 10 and was recipient of team’s Frank J. Schlessinger Coaches award. Stevens was selected by the Titans in the third round (85th overall) of the 2008 NFL Draft. Prior to entering the NFL, he recorded a 4.59-second 40-yard dash at the 2008 NFL Scouting Combine. His career highlights include a career-long 58-yard catch against the Denver Broncos on Sept. 25, 2011, which led to the Titans’ game-winning touchdown and 23 receptions and 275 receiving yards in 2012.
9. Mario WilliamsDefensive end of Buffalo Bills is among the most overpriced players out there. His annual salary is an impressive $16 million per year. Even though he’s a three-time Pro Bowl selection, $16 million is still a tad too much. Mario Jerrel Williams, born January 31, 1985, attended North Carolina State University, where he played for the NC State Wolfpack football team from 2003 to 2006. He was selected first overall by the Houston Texans in the 2006 NFL Draft and recorded his first sack and a half against Miami Dolphins’ quarterback Daunte Culpepper in the Texans’ first win of the season. While he was in Houston he struggled with injuries (inflamed hernia, torn pectoral muscle) but with his contract ending in 2011, Houston just waited him out. On March 15, 2012, after two days of negotiation with the Buffalo Bills as a free agent, Williams signed a record-breaking six-year contract with the Bills. It’s worth up to $100 million, with $50 million guaranteed, which makes it the most lucrative contract for a defensive player in NFL history. During his first season, a wrist injury prevented him to help the Bills much. Williams finished the 2013 season with 38 tackles, a forced fumble, 4 passes defended, and 13 sacks in 16 starts.
10. Orlando ScandrickOrlando plays cornerback for Dallas Cowboys for an annual salary of $4.7 million. Two years ago he signed a contract extension with the Cowboys to play through 2015. His salary is not even near to Mario’s, but comparing to his performance, he’s pretty overpaid. Orlando Lee Scandrick, born February 10, 1987, played high school football at Los Alamitos High School as a two way player (both wide receiver and cornerback). As a senior he had 52 receptions for 832 yards, 12 touchdowns, 54 tackles, 3 interceptions and 1,024 yards kickoff return yards with a touchdown. He posted the fourth fastest 40-yard dash (4.32 seconds) at the scouting combine and failed in the 2008 NFL Draft because of probable character problems. The Dallas Cowboys traded that year’s fifth and seventh round draft choices to the Seattle Seahawks, in order to move up in the fifth round to draft him. He was finally drafted in the fifth round (143rd overall). He recorded his first career sack at Pittsburgh and added two tackles and another stop on special teams finishing his rookie season with 36 tackles – tops amongst Cowboys rookies – one sack and five pass breakups in 16 games played with two starts.
11. Dwayne BoweEven though statistics show Dwayne’s the best player for Kansas City, his average yards per game are 61, meaning his $8 million per year might be just a little too much. His yards per game have dramatically decreased during the seven years of his career. Dwayne Lorenzo Bowe, born September 21, 1984, ranks among Louisiana State University’s all-time best wide receivers, holding the school’s single-season record for touchdown receptions. His senior season at LSU was his best yet. Not only did he lead the team in receptions (65 receptions for 990 yards), he also set another LSU school record with 12 touchdown catches on the year. Bowe was selected 23rd overall by the Kansas City Chiefs and along with his former teammates JaMarcus Russell and Craig Davis, the trio became the first quarterback/wide receiving group to be selected in the first round of the draft. Five years after the draft, in 2012, the Chiefs placed a non-exclusive franchise tag on Bowe, however, only six months later he signed a 1 year, $9.5 million tender, ending a lengthy holdout.