Every year there are blockbuster trades, or massive signings that give fans hope that their franchise might turn it around. In the offseason and even during the year each NFL team does tons of research on every free agent and each potential trade target.
Sometimes this research pays off and a team strikes big with a move that turns around their entire franchise and sometimes it creates a bigger hole than what was there previously.
This list of The 7 most disappointing NFL offseason moves in the last 10 years will cover just that.
Russell Wilson
Yes, we may be just one full year into the Russell Wilson trade but that doesn’t mean we can’t still critique it.
When the Seahawks traded away Russell Wilson and a 2022 fourth-round pick for Drew Lock, Noah Fant, and Shelby Harris, a 2022 first, second, and fifth-round pick as well as a 2023 first and second-round pick it felt like something that would change the course of two teams for the foreseeable future.
Of course, we know how this trade ended up for Seattle but this ain’t about them. It’s about Russell Wilson and the Broncos.
When you trade for a nine-time Pro Bowler and essentially give up all your capital for the next two drafts you expect a big year. In his first full season, Wilson very obviously had the worst year of his career. Playing in 15 games he had career-worst averages in touchdowns, interceptions, quarterback rating, and completion percentage. Additionally, the Broncos’ went just 4-11 and scored the least number of points in the NFL.
If things don’t turn around quickly then this could become an all-time worst trade in NFL history.
Kenny Golloday
In the 2021 offseason, the Giants inked wide receiver Kenny Golloday to a four-year $75 million contract which made him the sixth highest-paid receiver at the time. As a small foreshadow Golloday is currently a free agent. So how does a player go from making $18 million a year and a free agent two years later?
In 26 games played in New York, he averaged just 23 yards a game, caught one touchdown, and caught the ball just 35% of the time he was targeted. It became so bad for Golloday that he eventually lost a starting spot in 2022. I mean can you imagine the sixth-highest player in the league losing their starting spot at 29 years old?
On March 15, 2023, the Giants released Golloday eating $14.7 million in dead cap.
Leveon Bell
For the last season of his Steelers tenure Bell sat out the entire 2018 season due to contract disputes with the front office. To no one’s surprise, he left Pittsburgh the following year and ended up signing with the New York Jets.
A deal that gave I’m $13.1 million annually and made him the third highest paid-back in the league. Unfortunately for the Jets, it was a contract that wouldn’t even last a full two years.
In the first season with them, he had the worst performance of his career. His touchdowns, yards an attempt, and yards a game all hit career lows. There also came out rumors of a dispute between Bell and Heach Coach Adam Gase as Gase never wanted the Jets to sign Bell in the first place.
After playing just two games in 2020 the Jets released Bell.
Brock Osweiler
The 2016 Houston Texans desperately needed a QB and at the time their solution was Brock Osweiler. In his first four seasons with Osweiler recorded just 2126 yards and 11 touchdowns. Those stats may seem low but you need to remember he was sitting behind Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning.
Houston thought this was enough to hand out a four-year $72 million contract. Of course, if you’ve been paying attention you’ll know this contract was bad.
He played just one season for the Texans recording 2957 yards, 15 touchdowns, 16 interceptions, and a quarterback rating of 72.2. I guess it is safe to say that if Peyton Manning was dishing out advice to the young QB he didn’t take it.
Nick Foles
There is no doubt that Nick Foles will forever be remembered for his incredible victory over Tom Brady in the 2018 Super Bowl, but that’s not why he makes this list. In 2018 the Jacksonville Jaguars got Nick Foles on a 4-year $88 million contract.
Like we’ve seen with every other signing on this list Foles never finished out his full contract. The $88 million man had four whole starts for the Jaguars getting 736 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions.
On March 31, 2020, he was traded to the Chicago Bears for a fourth-round pick.
DeMarco Murray
Murray signed a contract worth $40 million over five years in 2015 with the Eagles after finishing third in MVP, making the Pro Bowl, and winning AP Offensive Player of the Year honors in 2014.
Murray had one of the biggest regressions in one season the NFL has seen. His 702 rushing yards, six touchdowns, and 3.6 yards an attempt were light years away from where he was just a season ago.
By the time March 9, 2016, rolled around Murray and a fourth-round pick was traded to the Tennessee Titans in exchange for a fourth-round pick.
Antonio Brown
Brown was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders during the 2019 offseason. Upon the trade being accepted it was agreed that Brown would receive a new three-year $50 million contract.
Of course, every NFL fan is aware of the trouble Brown has caused but this is where we first see it start to play out. As a Raider Brown never saw one single snap on the field.
In what we know was just a foreshadowing for the future Brown had multiple altercations between coaches in the front office but most notably GM Mike Mayock. After Mayock requested that Brown keep team matters private, he started throwing insults at Mayock.
After requesting a release from the Raiders via an Instagram post he then posted a video of him celebrating after his request became official.