5 NFL players who regretted leaving their team for a big payday 

Brock Osweiler missed out on the chance to be a starter in Denver
Brock Osweiler missed out on the chance to be a starter in Denver

The allure of NFL free agency can be mesmeric to players, especially after they’ve put their years into an ailing franchise that drafted them.

Players look to move into free agency for a multitude of reasons: they want a change of scenery for their family, they want to reunite playing with an old collegiate teammate, or quite simply, they want the best chance to win a Super Bowl.

However, there is another reason why players are so eager to stay healthy in the final year of their contract… money.

Leaving your team and becoming a free agent makes you a precious commodity, especially if it is a lean year in your particular position.

A dearth of productive running backs will see a medium-to-good player in that role immediately become worth $10 million more than in a class with more options.

This can tempt players to make money-based decisions, with some choosing to leave their team in favor of a big payday.

Here are 5 NFL players who have regretted leaving for money

#1 - Nate Solder

Super Bowl LI - New England Patriots v Atlanta Falcons
Super Bowl LI - New England Patriots v Atlanta Falcons

Nate Solder was a star offensive lineman for the New England Patriots and was one of the rare first-round selections higher than No. 20 of the Bill Belichick era.

There was little shock when Solder arrived, as he immediately started 13 of the Patriots’ 16 games in his rookie season, allowing just three sacks and four quarterback pressures.

Solder would continue to have this consistency throughout his career in New England, becoming one of the best linemen in the NFL, constantly giving Tom Brady valuable protection.

Two Super Bowl championships came during his time in Foxboro. But in 2018, he elected to leave the franchise and explore free agency.

He signed a four-year, $62 million deal with $35 million guaranteed with the New York Giants.

Having chosen a path that saw him become the highest-paid offensive lineman in the NFL, Solder quickly realized that the Giants had a poor roster.

He missed the playoffs for the first time in his career in his debut year in New York and was never quite the same player.

As a result of COVID-19, Solder opted out of the 2020 season before returning in 2021. After another challenging year for the Giants, his contract was automatically voided, putting him on the free-agent market again.

#2 - Josh Norman

Carolina Panthers v Washington Redskins
Carolina Panthers v Washington Redskins

Josh Norman in Carolina was a machine. He was one of the closest cornerbacks to Darrelle Revis we’ve seen since Revis Island himself left receivers stranded every week.

He was so dominant that teams simply refused to target his side of the field, hence why his interception numbers were so low. But teams could see just what an impact he made on Carolina’s defense.

After being drafted relatively late at 25 years old, Norman spent four years with the Panthers, where he was comfortable, even coming fourth in the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award for 2015.

This made Norman a valuable commodity, and he looked to maximize his wealth on the open market, signing with the Washington Commanders for five years and $75 million.

While he announced a media career with Fox would run in conjunction with his time in Washington, it was clear that Norman had made a poor choice. He was never the same dominant defensive player in the NFL, being benched several times for poor plays.

He was released after four years and then spent single seasons with the Buffalo Bills and the San Francisco 49ers, where his diminishing speed made him an attractive target for quarterbacks rather than a feared one.

#3 - DeMarco Murray

Washington Redskins v Dallas Cowboys
Washington Redskins v Dallas Cowboys

The lifespan of a running back in the NFL can be short, given that it places huge physical demands on the legs and muscles of a player.

DeMarco Murray, though, was a player who had earned every penny of what the Philadelphia Eagles were willing to pay him.

In four seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, Murray had emerged as one of the most dominant backs in the NFL. His final two seasons in Dallas saw him rush for 1,121 yards and an NFL-leading 1,845 yards, respectively. In 2014 he won the NFL Offensive Player of the Year award and carried the Cowboys back to relevance.

Murray was a hero in Dallas, breaking Emmitt Smith’s single-season rushing record with the Cowboys, but he elected to leave to earn more money in Philadelphia.

His career has never been the same, and it should serve as a cautionary tale to young running backs; they need to know the value of their body.

Murray signed a $42 million deal with the Eagles but was there for only one season. He managed just 702 yards before being traded to the Tennessee Titans. A brief return to productivity occurred with a 2016 pro-bowl season where Murray rushed for 1,287 yards, but after a dismal second season in Nashville, he retired from the NFL.

It was a dramatic fall from grace when, in fact, he was probably closer to a Super Bowl in the comfort of his situation in Dallas.

#4 - Le’Veon Bell

Buffalo Bills v New York Jets
Buffalo Bills v New York Jets

Le’Veon Bell’s relationship with the Pittsburgh Steelers was troublesome for several years. Mike Tomlin did his best to manage the trifecta of Ben Roethlisberger, Bell, and Brown, but ultimately something had to give.

Despite their difficulties in Pittsburgh, all three played their very best football together with the Steelers, so it’s a shame to see how things panned out.

Bell rushed for over 1,250 yards in three of his five active seasons with the Steelers. He was one of the best rushers in the NFL but elected to sit out the 2018 season after refusing to sign the franchise tag for a second successive season.

After a year away from the NFL, Bell would eventually be released and given the freedom to sign an eye-watering $52.5 million contract with the New York Jets for four years.

He lasted one full year in the Big Apple before being released two games into his second season.

The motivation was gone, the spark was gone, and he was then unsuccessfully bounced between Kansas City, Baltimore, and Tampa Bay.

He made his money, but he never recovered from a year out of the NFL, and he would have enjoyed so much more success in Pittsburgh.

#5 - Brock Osweiler

San Diego Chargers v Denver Broncos
San Diego Chargers v Denver Broncos

There is no way to look at Brock Osweiler’s NFL career without feeling pain. After valiantly serving as backup to Peyton Manning in Denver, Osweiler inadvertently won a Super Bowl in such a role.

However, his performances during Manning’s injury layoffs did enough to convince teams of his ability in a year where there wasn’t a great deal of quality available at quarterback.

Osweiler refused to stay with the Broncos after his contract expired at the end of the 2015 season, instead electing to hit free agency and see what serious money he could make.

The Houston Texans duly obliged, offering Osweiler a $72 million deal over four years, with a staggering $37 million guaranteed.

Such a deal put pressure on Osweiler that his talent couldn’t shoulder. His only season in Houston ended with 2,957 passing yards and more interceptions than touchdowns.

It was an unmitigated disaster, and while it perhaps highlighted the fact you can’t judge a quarterback by such a small sample size of NFL play, there is also a sense that Osweiler simply wasn’t that talented.

The problem for the player himself, though, especially if he looks back in hindsight, is that had he been patient and stayed with the Broncos, Manning was about to retire.

He knew the entire system and playbook in Denver and could have easily settled as a starter in a much better situation than what he found in Houston. Osweiler is a far richer man because of this move, but he perhaps missed out on a far better NFL career.

Quick Links

Edited by Piyush Bisht