5 NFL stars who are ridiculously overpaid ft. Derwin James

Derwin James has signed a lucrative $76.5 million contract with the Los Angeles Chargers. This makes him the highest-paid safety in the NFL. However, many are skeptical of the deal due to the fact that James appears to have been overpaid. This merely highlights how difficult it is to find elite playmakers in the backfield at this juncture.

The NFL is littered with bad contracts, mainly because teams have an annual salary cap to work with. This is often compounded by desperation to sign free agents as well as trade for wantaway stars. Rarely does a wantaway star turn his career around in a new environment, especially after being given a lucrative contract. Antonio Brown is a prime example of this.

NFL teams are becoming more fastidious when it comes to get-out clauses in big contracts. But there are still those deals that fall through the cracks due to how desperate a team is to get a player to sign. Derwin James’ contract could well be one of those deals, especially with the defender recording just five interceptions in three seasons.

But just where does Derwin James rank in the worst current NFL contracts? Here are the five most overpaid stars in the league:

#5 – Derwin James, Los Angeles Chargers

L.A. Chargers vs. Denver Broncos

Derwin James is a good safety. He makes a lot of tackles and plays in a physical style somewhat reminiscent of a younger Kam Chancellor. However, he doesn’t play the ball especially well, as was made clear by his low interception numbers.

Teams may well be put off throwing at his area of the field, given his propensity to force incompletions with hard hits. But that doesn’t necessarily equate to him being given such a huge contract. Such a big extension puts pressure on Derwin James. He is now expected to perform like the best safety in the NFL and that isn’t where he is right now.

James will cost the Chargers $19.1 million in the first year of his new deal, which is quite the sum for a defender who doesn’t dominate games. At 26, he has many years left to play in the NFL, but his injury history will make the Chargers’ front office sweat.

Not only did James put them under pressure by turning up to training camp and not playing, but he had serious meniscus issues when he was younger. He has missed NFL games and sat out virtually an entire campaign in 2020. If he suffers any further physical issues, then the contract will begin to make the Chargers look very silly indeed.

#4 – Jared Goff, Detroit Lions

The Detroit Lions aren't to blame for the contract handed to Jared Goff

The Los Angeles Rams thought they had their franchise quarterback when they selected Jared Goff. But injuries and a complete collapse of confidence led him to the Detroit Lions. His staggeringly high $134 million contract was signed by the Rams so it isn’t necessarily the Lions' fault. They also retain an exit option at the end of the current NFL season.

You have to wonder if the Lions were desperate to secure a quarterback when agreeing to take his contract on in the Matthew Stafford trade. Goff is no longer performing like an elite quarterback. He threw for 3,245 yards in his debut year with the Lions, and he arguably isn’t worth the money he is being paid.

If the Lions choose to retain Goff, they may have to swallow the final two years of his deal, which would cost them $41 million in total. This could be a disaster for the franchise.

#3 – Michael Thomas, New Orleans Saints

Mohael Thomas' contract has been a nightmare for the Saints

The New Orleans Saints were put under pressure to give Michael Thomas his big contract. He was their star performer in the receiver position and could have left if he wasn’t paid an exceptional amount of money.

Having agreed to pay Thomas $100 million over five years, the Louisiana franchise was immediately horrified to see his production and health implode. In the 2020 NFL season, he played just seven games, failing to receive a single touchdown pass and catching just 438 yards.

It was a dramatic fall from grace for the wide receiver, who was among the best around the NFL in 2019. Thomas then had to have ankle surgery which kept him out for the entirety of the 2021 season. This meant that the Saints had forked out just under $40 million for two years of virtually no service.

This contract is due to run for another three years. Despite a slight restructure this offseason, Thomas is still set to take home another $30 million before 2025. There are no guarantees he will ever be healthy again, nor the star receiver he was in 2019.

#2 – Amari Cooper, Cleveland Browns

Amari Cooper, like Derwin James, is one of the highest paid in his position

Amari Cooper appeared to have rebuilt his career with the Dallas Cowboys. But as has happened so often under Jerry Jones’ tenure, the franchise then made the wrong call. They agreed to pay the receiver $100 million over five years and he immediately ceased producing on the field.

Over the course of the 2020 and 2021 NFL seasons in Dallas, Cooper cost the Cowboys $30 million. In that time, he caught just 13 touchdown passes. He simply stopped being an asset to a Cowboys offense that needed a lot of help from their defense. Cooper ended up feeling like a drain on resources.

It was staggering when the Cleveland Browns agreed to take his contract on in a trade this offseason, albeit with a minor reduction. Cooper has shown little signs of producing the numbers of an elite receiver, yet he will be paid like one in 2023 and 2024. The Browns are set to foot the bill to the tune of $40 million. Meanwhile, the Cowboys couldn’t believe their luck that they managed to get out of their side of the agreement.

#1 – Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns

Deshaun Watson's contract is disastrous for a few reasons

Deshaun Watson’s contract in Cleveland is the most ridiculous deal in the NFL due to his issues off the field. Watson missed an entire year of football in Houston due to accusations of sexual misconduct levied against him by 24 women.

What has followed has been a complete circus. The quarterback signed a contract so ironclad and guaranteed that it will make a mockery of whatever suspension he has to serve. Over five years, Watson will be paid $230 million by Cleveland, and almost all of the money for 2022 is in a guaranteed bonus. This means it isn’t impacted should the NFL extend the suspension for the entire season.

That would equate to two years without throwing a football, which can have an almighty impact on a quarterback. Furthermore, the damage this deal has done to the public perception of the Browns franchise is sizable. Can Watson lead the Browns to a Super Bowl in 2023? Perhaps, but the chances of that are so alarmingly outweighed by his damaging presence for the team.

How can a player be accused of misconduct by 24 women and be rewarded with such a large contract? This is an issue for the NFL to address internally, but it is expected that the Browns may live to regret this deal. It will cost them $46 million per year between 2022 and 2026.