Arizona Cardinals: S Dexter Jackson (2003)

Why him? No, Sam Bradford doesn't count -- yet -- and Kevin Kolb doesn't count, either, because the Cardinals traded for him, then signed him to a regrettable five-year, $64 million contract that included $21 million guaranteed. And while Emmitt Smith was a total dud, let's be honest: Dude already had 4,052 NFL carries before arriving in the desert. That leaves two worthy candidates: Derek Anderson and Dexter Jackson. 

While Anderson's meltdown over a reporter's question after a Monday night loss summed up his one miserable season in Arizona after signing a two-year deal, Jackson is the pick here. He's basically Larry Brown 2.0: An average DB that got overpaid (five years, $14M) for picking off two passes in the Super Bowl and winning MVP honors. Jackson, like Anderson, lasted just one season in Arizona. 

Honorable mention: QB Derek Anderson (2010)

Atlanta Falcons: DE Ray Edwards (2011)

Why him? Ray Edwards had a terrible attitude, OK? At least that's the story from the Falcons after they released Edwards midway through the 2012 season in the second year of a five-year, $27.5M deal. After racking up 29.5 sacks in five seasons with the Vikings, Edwards tallied just 3.5 sacks in 25 games with the Falcons. He never played another down in the NFL, instead turning his focus to a pro boxing career, where he is 12-1-1.

 Runner-up: WR Peerless Price (2003)

Baltimore Ravens: QB Elvis Grbac (2000)

Why him? The Ravens have the distinction of signing two guys named Elvis to big free-agent deals, but only one of them, Elvis Dumervil, panned out. The other? That's Elvis Grbac, who got a five-year, $30 million deal from the Ravens the year after Trent Dilfer led them to a Super Bowl title. All Grbac did in his one season in Baltimore was go 8-6 as a starter despite a historically great defense while tossing 18 picks to 15 touchdowns. The Ravens not only chose Grbac over Dilfer but also Brad Johnson, who instead landed with the Bucs and led them to a Super Bowl title after the 2002 season. 

Runners-up: CB Domonique Foxworth (2009), OT Leon Searcy (2000) 

Buffalo Bills: OG Derrick Dockery (2007)

Why him? The Redskins made a habit of overpaying for rickety ex-Bills in free agency -- ahem, Bruce Smith and Andre Reed -- so it sorta feels like karma that an ex-Redskin winds up as Buffalo's biggest free-agent disaster. Even worse, it was none other than the great Marv Levy who gave Derrick Dockery a seven-year, $49 million deal with $18.5 million guaranteed after returning to the NFL as Buffalo's GM. Levy also gave right tackle Langston Walker a five-year, $25M deal that was nearly as terrible -- on the very same day.  Both started all 16 games for the next two seasons, but never lived up to the money as the Bills went 7-9 for two straight years. Both were waived in cap-clearing moves after the 2008 season.

Runners-up: RT Langston Walker 2007, DE Mark Anderson (2012)

Carolina Panthers: DT Sean Gilbert (1998)

Why him? Biggest flop? It's between one of two defensive linemen for the Panthers and we're giving the nod to defensive tackle Sean Gilbert over defensive end Chuck Smith. Smith got big money from the Panthers to leave the rival Falcons, but only played two games after suffering a career-ending injury. Gilbert played in parts of five seasons for Carolina, but it's what the Panthers gave up to get him -- two first-round picks to the Redskins after Washington declined to match a $46.5 million offer sheet -- that makes him the absolute worst free-agent signing. 

Seriously, the Redskins and Panthers just need to get a room, given all their history passing free agents back and forth. In exchange for those two first-round picks, Gilbert wound up tallying just 15.5 sacks in five seasons. You think Panthers fans would love to have those picks back?

Runner-up: DE Chuck Smith (2000) 

Chicago Bears: WR Sam Hurd (2011)

Why him? Yeah, yeah, Mike Glennon basically got $18.5 million guaranteed to fumble his way through four starts with the Bears last season, going 1-3, before getting waived this offseason. It's a criminal deal, by any measure. But Sam Hurd actually became a convicted criminal after signing with the Bears! Hurd, who got three years and $5.15 million after the 2011 lockout, was arrested in his first season in Chicago on federal drug charges after he was caught in a drug sting trying to purchase cocaine and marijuana from a supplier in Texas. 

And we're not talking dime bags. Hurd wanted 10 kilos of cocaine and a half-ton of marijuana per week. Apparently he wanted to be the Nino Brown of The Chi -- while leading a double life playing for the Bears. Instead, he's currently serving a 15-year sentence in a Texas prison.  

Runner-up: QB Mike Glennon (2017)

Cincinnati Bengals: WR Laveranues Coles (2009)

Why him? A lot of "worst free agents" lists single out Antonio Bryant for the Bengals, since he never actually played in a real NFL game for the Bengals after signing a four-year, $28 million deal. But our own John Breech, a Cincinnati native, says Coles is arguably worse, even though he started 13 games after getting a nearly-identical four-year, $28M deal the year before Bryant signed. And here's why: Coles caught just 43 passes in his one season Cincinnati -- and he coughed up a costly fumble in a wild-card playoff loss to the Jets. 

To his credit, Coles did catch the Bengals' first TD in that game, but Bengals fans remember the fumble more. And, yeah, did we mention that Coles had four different stints with the Jets in his NFL career, including two after the Bengals waived him? Jets fans love Coles, but Bengals fans? Hate that dude.  

 Runner-up: WR Antonio Bryant (2010)

Cleveland Browns: WR Andre Rison (1995)

Why him? I see a bad moon a-rising! I see trouble on the way! Yep, John Fogerty tells it best when it comes to Andre "Bad Moon" Rison, who went to four Pro Bowls in five seasons in Atlanta but set fires nearly everywhere else he went after that, outside of one final Pro Bowl season with the Chiefs in 1997. Rison caught just 47 balls in his one season in Cleveland, and Art Modell -- who took out loans to cover Rison's $5M signing bonus -- held up Rison's $17 million deal as one reason he had to move the team to Baltimore. 

Rison certainly endeared himself to diehard Browns fans when the move was announced by barking, "Baltimore, here we come." Rison, of course, never made it to Baltimore. He instead landed with the Jags, before getting cut nine games into the 1996 season and landing with the Packers, where he wound up with a Super Bowl ring. Now that's failing upward.

Runners-up: QB Jeff Garcia (2004), QB Jake Delhomme (2010), WR Dwayne Bowe (2015), QB Brock Osweiler (2017)

Dallas Cowboys: DE Greg Hardy (2015)

Why him? Greg Hardy was the most radioactive NFL free agent since Michael Vick. He was also a terrifying pass rusher, which is why serial gambler Jerry Jones rolled the dice on the ex-Panther, who'd skirted out of legal trouble in North Carolina for the brutal assault of an ex-girlfriend. Hardy appealed his guilty decision and the charges were dismissed when the woman -- who accused Hardy of throwing her on a futon filled with assault rifles and threatening to kill her -- couldn't be found after Hardy paid her off. 

The photos that eventually surfaced of the assault sealed Hardy's verdict in the court of public opinion, however, and his behavior after joining the Cowboys following a four-game suspension could not have been more tone deaf. He told the media he planned to "come out guns blazing" against the Patriots before adding, "I love seeing Tom Brady. You seen his wife?" He also got into sideline scrapes with DeMarcus Lawrence and a Cowboys assistant, and after six sacks in 12 games during an awful 4-12 season for the Cowboys, Hardy was finished in Dallas -- and the NFL.

Runners-up: K Mike Vanderjagt (2006)

Denver Broncos: DT Daryl Gardener (2003)

Why him? What is it with Mike Shanahan and high-priced defensive linemen? Daryl Gardener was a physical marvel at a ripped 6 feet, 7 inches and 315 pounds with body fat in the single digits, but the self-proclaimed "modern-day gladiator" barely even got in the arena with the Broncos after signing a seven-year, $35 million deal that included a $5 million signing bonus. 

Shortly after signing his deal, Gardner got into a brawl at a Colorado IHOP, needed wrist surgery, missed five games, and was suspended twice for conduct detrimental to the team (talking smack about Shanahan) during his one and only season in Denver -- and his last in the NFL. After being waived, Gardener reached an undisclosed settlement with the Broncos when they went after his signing bonus.

Runners-up: CB Dale Carter (1999), DT Jarvis Green (2007)

Detroit Lions: QB Scott Mitchell (1994)

Why him? Before Matt Flynn and Brock Osweiler, there was Scott Mitchell. Dan Marino's former backup wrote the book on parlaying a few solid starts into a free-agent pay day. After going 3-4 in seven starts for the Dolphins in 1993, the Lions saw Mitchell as the final piece to an explosive attack featuring Hall of Famer Barry Sanders and All-Pro wideout Herman Moore. Alas, Mitchell wasn't the second coming of Marino, he was just a big stiff with accuracy issues who took a hellacious 124 sacks over his five seasons in Detroit while going 27-30 as a starter. 

Mitchell looked like he might be the guy in 1995 when he put up career numbers -- 32 TDs to 12 picks -- and the Lions finished 10-6. But he threw four picks in a 58-37 playoff loss to the Eagles. His second Lions contract (4 years, $21 million, $8 million guaranteed) in 1997 remains one of the worst deals of all time. That season, Mitchell went 10-of-25 for 78 yards and a pick in his only other playoff start, a 20-10 loss to the Bucs, and the next season lost his job to rookie Charlie Batch. 

Green Bay Packers: TE Martellus Bennett (2017)

Why him? Did Martellus Bennett worm his way out of his 3-year, $21 million deal with the Packers after Aaron Rodgers went down? Packers fans, who universally loved the Bennett signing initially, sure see it that way. Coming off a Super Bowl season with the Patriots where he hauled in seven TDs, Bennett looked like a sure thing to catch 60-70 balls from Aaron Rodgers and be the Packers' top red-zone threat.

Instead, Rodgers broke his collar bone in Week 6, and the Packers cut Bennett after seven games, claiming he failed to disclose a torn rotator cuff and labrum in his shoulder. Bennett says his shoulder got worse playing for the Packers, and called out the team's top doctor, saying he was pressured to play. Then, despite claiming that he planned to have surgery and retire, he signed with the Patriots after being claimed on waivers. He caught six balls in two games before being shut down for good. For what it's worth, the Patriots lost the Super Bowl, so Bennett never got another ring.  

Runner-up: DE Joe Johnson (2002) 

Houston Texans: QB Brock Osweiler (2016)

Why him? Brock Osweiler is the absolute pinnacle of terrible free-agent QB signings. Forget Matt Flynn or Scott Mitchell or any other backup who got overpaid in free agency for lighting it up in a few NFL starts. Osweiler is the guy who looked at all those deals and said, "Hold my beer."

Peyton Manning's former backup got a four-year, $72 million contract for going 5-2 in seven starts in Denver while playing behind the league's top-ranked defense and with an offense full of playmakers. More than anything Osweiler did, it's what Brian Hoyer did -- throwing four picks in the Texans' wild-card playoff game after the 2015 season -- that led owner Bob McNair to go full Steinbrenner and overrule his QB guru coach to steal Osweiler from the Broncos. Osweiler threw 16 interceptions to 15 TDs in 15 starts before being mercifully benched for Tom Savage. After giving up precious picks and trading Osweiler to the Browns in a salary dump, the Texans seem to have found their QB of the future in Deshaun Watson. But, wow, what a way to burn money and draft capital.

 Runner-up: RB Ahman Green (2007)

Indianapolis Colts: S Laron Landry (2013)

Why him? Never forget that the Colts, for some reason, signed a fading Andre Johnson to a three-year, $21 million deal after he'd spent 10 years torching Indy as a Houston Texan. Terrible deal. Johnson had just 41 grabs and four TDs in his one season in Indy. But the four years and $21 million that the Colts gave big-hitting safety Laron Landry surpasses that deal, only because Landry came with higher expectations coming off a Pro Bowl season with the Jets -- and because he got $14 million guaranteed.

After a so-so 2013 season where he had 87 tackles but no picks, Landry was hit with a four-game suspension in 2014 for testing positive for PEDs. The Colts cut him after the season and Landry failed two more NFL drug tests after that, never playing another NFL down.

Runner-up: WR Andre Johnson (2015)

Jacksonville Jaguars: WR Jerry Porter (2008)

Why him? Eleven catches for 181 yards and one TD. That's Porter's contribution to the Jaguars in his one season in teal after signing a six-year, $30 million contract that included $10 million guaranteed. Instead of getting the next Jerry Rice or Tim Brown, the Jags got their biggest free-agent bust in history. And that's saying a lot, considering Hugh Douglas basically admitted to stealing owner Wayne Weaver's money while loafing through his one season in Jacksonville after signing a five-year, $27M deal.

Runners-up: DE Hugh Douglas (2003), LB Bryce Paup (1998)

Kansas City Chiefs: LB Kendrell Bell (2005)

The Chiefs don't have a lot of free-agent busts. Instead, they have a lot of players they let loose who wound up as busts for other teams, most notably Dale Carter (oof, Broncos), Chase Daniel (seriously, Eagles?) and Sean Smith (gotcha, Raiders). But Kendrell Bell is one notable exception. He was an absolute stud in Blitzburgh when he won Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2001, but repeat injuries to the same knee sapped him of this explosiveness by the time the Steelers waived him.

While other teams were offering one-year prove-it deals, the Chiefs gave Bell the long-term money he wanted with a seven-year contract that included $10M guaranteed. He totaled just 2.5 sacks over the next three seasons before retiring. 

Los Angeles Chargers: WR David Boston (2003)

Why him? David Boston had Hall-of-Fame talent, there's no denying that. It's why the Chargers gave the freakishly-ripped All-Pro wideout a massive seven-year, $47.4 million contract with $12 million guaranteed in 2003. Things quickly went south from there, with Boston catching just two balls for 20 yards in his debut and getting suspended for a game after he went off on the team's strength coach. Boston's numbers weren't terrible -- 70 catches for 880 yards and seven touchdowns -- but the Chargers had seen enough loafing in practice and sparring with coaches and teammates after one season to ship Boston to the Dolphins for a sixth-round pick.

Los Angeles Rams: WR Drew Bennett (2007)

Why him? The successor to Isaac Bruce in the Greatest Show on Turf? Yeah, right. The former undrafted free agent had a Jeremy Lin-esque run with the Titans in 2004, reeling in eight touchdowns and racking up 507 receiving yards in three games -- but it was an aberration in an otherwise pedestrian career. The St. Louis Rams still gave him a six-year, $30 million deal with $10M guaranteed two years later, despite Bennett catching just 46 balls in 2006. After signing his deal, Bennett started just one game over the next two seasons while hauling in just 34 catches for 379 yards and scoring three touchdowns. 

Runner-up: CB Cortland Finnegan (2012)

Miami Dolphins: QB Jay Cutler (2017)

Why him? Jay Cutler was retired and modeling in the nude for his celebrity wife's Instagram feed when the Dolphins called him in a panic after Ryan Tannehill went down in the preseason. On second thought, Miami should've just stuck with Matt Moore and saved the $10 million it paid Cutler to toss 14 picks to 19 TDs in 14 starts. So much for Smokin' Jay keeping the Dolphins afloat as a playoff team in the AFC. Cutler won just six games as a starter in a forgettable season and got a few cracked ribs and a concussion to show for it. 

Runners-up: WR Mike Wallace (2013), WR Ernest Wilford (2008)

Minnesota Vikings: CB Fred Smoot (2005)

Why him? Smoot, stealing a famous announcer's line, once said, "Two-thirds of the world is covered by water. The other third is covered by Fred Smoot." That's not true, but this is: Fred Smoot on a boat on the water is nothing but trouble. Smoot, just 25 and coming off a Pro Bowl season with the Redskins, signed a six-year, $34 million deal that included $10.5 million in bonuses with the Vikings. He'd averaged four picks a season in Washington while starting 59 of 64 games, but in Minnesota he started only 11 games in each of his two seasons and snagged a combined three picks. 

Even worse, he was the organizer of the infamous "Love Boat" scandal that turned the Vikings into a national punch line and led to Smoot pleading guilty to disorderly conduct and being a public nuisance on a watercraft and paying hefty fines from the NFL. The Vikings cut bait after just two seasons.

 Runner-up: WR Bernard Berrian (2008)

New England Patriots: DT Adalius Thomas (2007)

Why him? Adalius Thomas wasn't exactly a flop, but he's the best we could come up with for the Patriots. Bill Belichick is a master of digging through other team's trash -- draft busts, underperforming free agents, you name it -- and finding gold. But the Thomas signing wound up going sideways for New England in the second year of a five-year, $35 million deal after Thomas played a key role in the Patriots' near-perfect 2007 season. He butted heads with Belichick and Patriots coaches and was sent home for arriving late to a practice due to a snowstorm, which he mouthed off about to the press. There are no excuses in New England, of course, and Thomas was gone after just two seasons. 

New Orleans Saints: CB Brandon Browner (2015)

Why him? Jairus Byrd got the bigger deal in a disastrous 2015 overhaul of the Saints' secondary, but Browner is the pick here because he turned in one of the worst seasons in NFL history by a starting corner. Coming off back-to-back Super Bowl wins with the Seahawks, then Patriots, Browner was supposed to help plug one of the NFL's leakiest secondaries. The Saints gave him a three-year, $15 million deal, with $7.75 million guaranteed. He then proceeded to get repeatedly torched in coverage while setting an NFL record for most penalties in a single season. Saints fans booed him mercilessly and Browner was looking for work again after being waived after one season.

Runner-up: FS Jairus Byrd (2014)

New York Giants: LB LaVar Arrington (2006)

Why him? If you forgot LaVar Arrington even played for Big Blue, it's understandable. About the only thing the former Redskins star did in Gotham was get paid by Big Blue to the tune of seven years, $49 million, with about $8 million guaranteed. For that fat contract, Arrington racked up all of 14 tackles and one sack in six games before rupturing his Achilles. The Giants waived him the following offseason, and he opted to retire. 

New York Jets: QB Neil O'Donnell (1996)

Why him? Despite throwing two unforgivable picks to sink the Steelers in Super Bowl XXX, O'Donnell still got the largest free-agent contract in Jets history the following offseason: $25 million over five seasons. The payoff for the Jets? An 0-6 start in an abysmal 1-15 season. O'Donnell was much better in 1997, going 8-6 as a starter under Bill Parcells, but he refused to renegotiate his deal and Parcells cut him.

Runners-up: CB Darrelle Revis (2015), WR Santonio Holmes (2011)

Oakland Raiders: WR Javon Walker (2008)

Why him? The Raiders overpaid for Super Bowl MVPs in free agency in two straight years, which is utterly amazing, but even worse is the deal that Al Davis gave Walker in 2008 after the wideout was released by the Broncos. Davis loved signing ex-Broncos, but $55 million over six years, with $16 million guaranteed? That's up there with drafting Jamarcus Russell No. 1 overall. In two seasons with Oakland, Walker caught 15 balls in just 11 games while collecting $21 million.

Runners-up: CB Larry Brown (1996), WR Desmond Howard (1997)

Philadelphia Eagles: Nnamdi Asomugha (2011)

Why him? Nnamdi Asomugha has drawn rave reviews for his acting work since retiring from the NFL, but he never convinced Eagles fans he was worth A-list money after signing a five-year, $60 million deal after three straight Pro Bowl seasons with the Raiders. While DeMarco Murray was a complete bust in Philly, too, coming off a league-leading 1,845 yards rushing for the Dallas Cowboys in 2014, Asomugha is the clear pick here.

 He was the top free agent on the market in 2011 and his signing was seen as a coup for an Eagles team that spent big in free agency and had Super Bowl aspirations. The Eagles instead went 8-8 and missed the playoffs and then finished 4-12 in 2012, leading to a house cleaning that led to Andy Reid's firing and Asomugha's release.  

 Runner-up: RB DeMarco Murray (2015)

Pittsburgh Steelers: TE Ladarius Green (2016)

Why him? The Steelers usually don't miss in free agency, but they sure whiffed on the big 6-foot-6 tight end, signing him to a four-year, $20 million contract with a $4.75 million signing bonus despite numerous red flags. Green was coming off ankle surgery, which kept him from being activated until November, and he'd also had a history of concussions that the Steelers never looked into.

He played in just six games for the Steelers, starting two, before another concussion ultimately ended his season. The Steelers released him in the offseason with a failed physical designation, with Green earning $6 million for just 18 catches for 304 yards and one touchdown.

Runner-up: C Sean Mahan (2007)

San Francisco 49ers: CB Nate Clements (2007)

Why him: The 49ers struck gold with another big free-agent cornerback signing, but Nate Clements was no Deion Sanders. And no 49ers' free-agency fail tops the eight-year, $80 deal that Clements got in 2007. Clements had 23 picks in six seasons in Buffalo and made one Pro Bowl, but he wasn't worth elite corner money. He started at least 15 games in three of his four seasons in San Francisco, but he never lived up to his deal. The Niners cut him after the 2010 season and he was out of the league two years later.

Runners-up: RB Lawrence Phillips (1999), RB Reggie Bush (2015)

Seattle Seahawks: QB Matt Flynn (2012)

Seattle Seahawks: QB Matt Flynn (2012)

Why him? Don't hate Matt Flynn for getting a three-year, $26 million deal with $10 million guaranteed after starting just two games in four NFL seasons. One of those games was one of the greatest performances by a QB in Packers history -- a six-touchdown, 480-yard masterpiece. OK, so Aaron Rodgers threw six TDs in one half the following season, but still …

Nope, the Seahawks deserve all the ridicule for signing Rodgers' backup and expecting him to be Rodgers. Flynn couldn't even win the starting job in training camp, losing out to Russell Wilson while throwing just nine passes in two seasons in Seattle. That equals out to about $2 million per pass.

Runners-up: RB Eddie Lacy (2017, WR Mike Williams (2011)  

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: WR Alvin Harper (1995)

Why him? It's not hard to look good catching passes from Hall of Famer Troy Aikman with Michael Irvin drawing coverage on the opposite side of the field and with Emmitt Smith keeping defenses honest in the backfield. But once Alvin Harper took the money and left Big D for Tampa and those creamsicle uniforms, it became abundantly clear that he wasn't No. 1 receiver material. 

Trent Dilfer tried to feed him the ball with 103 targets in 1995 but Harper reeled in just 46 catches for 633 yards and two TDs. Harper was even worse in 1996 (seven starts, 19 catches for 289 yards on 46 targets) and was released after the season and eventually wound up back in Dallas in 1999 before finishing his career in the XFL. 

Tennessee Titans: OT Michael Oher (2014)

Why him? There was no happy ending for the Titans after signing the star of "The Blind Side" to a four-year, $20 million deal. Oher was a turnstile at left tackle in 11 starts, grading out as the 74th best tackle in the NFL out of 78, per Pro Football Focus. The Titans put him on IR with a toe injury in December, then waived him in February.

Runner-up: WR Yancey Thigpen (1998)

Washington Redskins: DT Albert Haynesworth (2009)

Why him? If this were a list for the all-time worst free-agent signings, period, Haynesworth would be an easy No. 1. And that's saying something, considering all the Redskins do in free agency is take a flame thrower to huge stacks of cash. Who can forget Daniel Snyder giving Deion Sanders a 7-year, $53 million deal when Primetime was 33? Or making Adam Archuleta the NFL's highest-paid safety? Or giving Bruce Smith a five-year, $23 million deal at age 37? Or signing Jeff George, period? Completely inexcusable. 

But none of those terrible deals even comes close to the seven-year, $100M albatross of a deal that was Haynesworth's 2009 pay day. For $41 million guaranteed, Haynesworth managed just 6.5 sacks and 43 tackles in 20 games -- when he wasn't missing practices, failing conditioning tests, bickering with Mike Shanahan and trying his best not to play. Worst. Deal. Ever. By a mile.  

Runner-up: CB Deion Sanders (2000)