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(#1) Joe Flacco
- 34
Contract: 3 years, $66.4 million
The Denver Broncos let Case Keenum go after the 2018 season and traded for Joe Flacco. They are now paying more money for less as Flacco was put on injured reserve midway through the 2019 season.
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(#2) Jared Goff
- 25
Contract: 4 years, $134 million
The Los Angeles Rams signed Jared Goff to a big contract extension after making a Super Bowl appearance, but when you pay a quarterback $110 million that's a lot of money that isn't going to the offensive line to protect him. He's currently looking more like Jeff Fisher's Jared Goff than Sean McVay's Jared Goff.
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(#3) Giancarlo Stanton
- 30
Contract: 13 years, $325 million
Giancarlo Stanton's tenure with the New York Yankees hasn't lived up to the money he's making. He's been injured and benched in the 2019 postseason, not a good sign for someone making $26 million this year.
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(#4) Jacoby Ellsbury
- 36
Contract: 7 years, $153 million
Jacoby Ellsbury has been such a bust for the New York Yankees due to injuries that they are seeking some of the money back in what could be an ugly dispute.
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(#5) Bryce Harper
- 27
Contract: 13 years, $330 million
Bryce Harper was the prize of free agency this past MLB offseason. When Harper signed with the Philadelphia Phillies they were supposed to go to the postseason and his former team the Washington Nationals were supposed to take a step back from contention. Phillies missed the playoffs and the Nationals are the 2019 World Series champions.
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(#6) Josh Norman
- 32
Contract: 5 years, $75 million
Josh Norman had an incredible season in 2015 for the Carolina Panthers, and luckily for him, it was a contract year and he was able to cash in on that success. He's still formidable but isn't the player he was in 2015.
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(#7) Chris Davis
- 33
Contract: 7 years, $161 million
Chris Davis signed a $161 dollar contract with the Baltimore Orioles in 2016, and each year his stats have declined. It doesn't appear that he will be turning his career around anytime soon, but good for him for getting that money while he could!
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(#8) David Johnson
- 32
Contract: 3 years, $39 million
David Johnson is a great running back when healthy, which he hasn't been in that past couple of seasons. The Arizona Cardinals have some depth at the running back position, but his contract is too much of a cap hit for the team to move on from Johnson.
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(#9) Yoenis Céspedes
- 34
Contract: 4 years, $110 million
Yoenis Céspedes is often injured and hasn't lived up to the contract the New York Mets have signed him to a few years ago. He made $29 million in 2019 while out with a heel injury. He also angered fans by golfing regularly while on the injured list.
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(#10) Chris Paul
- 34
Contract: 4 years, $160 million
There was a time when Chris Paul was worth the type of money he's currently making, but age and injuries has made him not as valuable as he once was.
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(#11) Devonta Freeman
- 23
Contract: 5 years, $41.25 million
Devonta Freeman is the poster child for not paying running backs after a monster season. Injuries and numerous offensive coaching changes have made Freeman's stock fall after signing that contract.
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(#12) Jimmy Graham
- 33
Contract: 3 years, $30 million
The Green Bay Packers signed Jimmy Graham thinking they were getting the Jimmy Graham who dominated for the New Orleans Saints, but that isn't what they got unfortunately.
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(#13) Todd Gurley
- 25
Contract: 4 years, $57.5 million
Todd Gurley signed a huge contract extension back in the summer of 2018 and has been on the decline production-wise ever since. He was virtually non-existent in Super Bowl LIII against the Patriots and strong rumors of an arthritic knee may be giving the Los Angeles Rams buyer's remorse.
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(#14) Kirk Cousins
- 31
Contract: 3 years, $84 million
Kirk Cousins signed a huge contract with the Minnesota Vikings before the 2018 NFL season because of all of his huge accomplishments while with the Washington Redskins ... yeah, keep trying to think of some. Cousins is a talented player who seems to get small in big games and his salary is so large it would be hard for any quarterback to live up to it.
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(#15) Eli Manning
- 38
Contract: 4 years, $84 million
Eli Manning is getting paid for winning two Super Bowls years ago. He deserves all the recognition in the world for winning those championships, but now that the Giants are going with Daniel Jones as their next quarterback, Manning is being paid starter money to be a back up in the 2019 season.
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(#16) Le'Veon Bell
- 27
Contract: 4 years, $52.5 million
Le'Veon Bell is one of the best running back in recent memory, but paying running backs big-money contracts isn't what good NFL teams do. He is now signed to the Jets and has struggled to get back to the levels he was achieving while with the Steelers.
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(#17) Carson Wentz
Contract: 4 years, $128 million
Carson Wentz hasn't played a full season since his rookie year and signed a big contract extension in the summer of 2019. If the Philadelphia Eagles are able to win a Super Bowl without him as they did in Super Bowl LII why give him such a big contract? Wentz has talent, but he hasn't won the big games to earn a big contract as of yet.
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(#18) Odell Beckham Jr.
- 23
Contract: 5 years, $90 million
Odell Beckham Jr. is an extremely talented player who signed a lucrative five-year contract with the New York Giants in the summer of 2018. The Giants traded him less than a year later to the Cleveland Browns, where he is struggling to find a consistent connection with young starting QB Baker Mayfield.
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(#19) Desmond Trufant
- 25
Contract: 5 years, $68.75 million
Desmond Trufant got paid like a shutdown cornerback, but anyone who has seen the Atlanta Falcons' defense as of late can tell you, he hasn't necessarily played like one!
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(#20) Albert Pujols
- 39
Contract: 10 years, $240 million
Albert Pujols was once the best player in baseball and is still paid like one, but age has caught up to him and he hasn't been that same MVP-level player he was in his prime.
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(#21) Andrew Wiggins
- 24
Contract: 5 years, $147.71 million
Andrew Wiggins is a player who has just never lived up to the hype. He isn't necessarily a bust, but he's making too much money not to be a superstar in the league, which he currently is not.
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(#22) Jameis Winston
- 25
Contract: 4 years, $25.35 million
Jameis Winston was the No. 1 pick in the 2015 draft and is nearing the end of his rookie contract. The problem is that it seems due to his on the field struggles and off the field issues the Tampa Bay Bucs are already having buyer's remorse. Winston appears to be playing out his final year and looking to sign with another team this coming offseason.
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(#23) Jake Arrieta
- 33
Contract: 3 years, $75 million
Jake Arrieta is being paid a well above average salary from the Philadelphia Phillies for an average at best performance.
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(#24) Derek Carr
- 28
Contract: 5 years, $125 million
Derek Carr showed a lot of promise in the first few years of his career but has yet to take the step and some wonder if he ever will. Those kind of questions are not something you want to be asking yourself when it comes to a high-priced quarterback.
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(#25) Jimmy Smith
- 31
Contract: 4 years, $41.1 million
Once Jimmy Smith got into his second contract when he signed with the Baltimore Ravens his production has decreased and he hasn't lived up to his end of the deal.
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(#26) Russell Martin
- 36
Contract: 5 years, $82 million
Russell Martin's production has been on the decline ever since he signed with the Toronto Blue Jays. Martin's decline was so bad the Blue Jays traded him to the Dodgers.
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(#27) Sammy Watkins
- 26
Contract: 3 years, $48 million
Sammy Watkins looks and carries himself like a No. 1 receiver and gets paid like one. However, his performance has always fallen short of the contract(s).
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(#28) Jason Heyward
- 30
Contract: 8 years, $184 million
Jason Heyward showed a lot of promise early in his career, but he never achieved the superstar status he seemed destined for even though he's making money like he has.
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(#29) Markelle Fultz
Contract: 4 years, $37.4 million
Markelle Fultz is a former No. 1 overall pick and has been paid like one, but unforeseen circumstances like being diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome have left his performances on the court not worthy of his salary.
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(#30) Dustin Pedroia
- 36
Contract: 8 years, $110 million
Dustin Pedroia signed an 8-year $110 million deal back with the Boston Red Sox back in 2014 and has had injury troubles ever since. A knee injury has kept him off the field since 2017 and looks to be the end of his career.
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(#31) Alex Smith
- 35
Contract: 4 years, $94 million
Alex Smith is only considered overpaid due to the fact that he's out with a severe leg injury. Hopefully, he can one day get back onto the field and make good on the guaranteed money he's currently making.
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(#32) Matthew Stafford
- 31
Contract: 5 years, $135 million
Matthew Stafford is a good quarterback gets paid like a great quarterback. Stafford's stats are always solid and borderline great, but his stats haven't brought the Lions any form of success and he doesn't have a signature win after all these years.
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(#33) Jarvis Landry
- 23
Contract: 5 years, $75.5 million
Jarvis Landry is making No.1 receiver money with the Cleveland Browns, but hasn't lived up to that position. Plus now with Odell Beckham Jr. on the team, he's clearly not their No. 1 target.
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(#34) Jason Witten
- 37
Contract: 1 year, $4.25 million
The Dallas Cowboys lured the 37-year-old Jason Witten out of retirement to look and play like a 37-year-old Dallas Cowboy. Witten gains a few more million dollars in his bank account, while fans are still trying to figure out what the Cowboys gain from this deal cause he's no longer Witten in his prime. The one positive out of the deal is that it got Jason Witten out of the Monday Night Football booth, so maybe the Cowboys aren't paying him enough!
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About This Tool
This is very common that the salary of some professional athletes is too high, they have become world superstars with a high reputation and a lot of wealth. But compensation and benefits should be based on the importance of work, not entertainment. If other niche but vital sports star cannot get the same treatment and salary, then maybe one day, no one will want to pursue these occupations.
People who often watch sports news often see that athletes have signed contracts with super-high salaries, but the efforts of these top athletes are great, and there are also many athletes who won this exorbitant salary because of their negotiating skills. The random tool displays 34 of the most overpaid professional athletes.
Our data comes from Ranker, If you want to participate in the ranking of items displayed on this page, please click here.