The Patriots had a very active offseason for the first time since their 2021 shopping spree. They made Milton Williams the highest-paid player in franchise history, gave Robert Spillane top ten inside linebacker money, and made Carlton Davis the 13th highest-paid cornerback in the league.
Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox recently ranked the top ten worst contracts in the NFL, and thankfully, the Patriots did not feature. Now, none of these teams would have signed these contracts if they had realized the category they might be placed in later on, but it is imperative to the Patriots' development that they don't see any of their contracts fall to this level.
In the tenth spot is Chase Young, and just above him at eighth is Bradley Chubb, a pair of talented edge rushers who are both former top-five picks, though neither seems to be able to stay on the field due to injury. Comparing them to the Patriots roster, they have shades of Harold Landry to their game as far as being talented QB hunters go.
The Patriots did well to avoid this potential bust
In Landry's case, his injuries have been longer term. He tore his ACL and didn't play in 2022, but didn't miss a game in 2021, 2023, or 2024. He totaled 31.5 sacks across those three seasons. Assuming no underlying complications resurface, Landry's contract should be safe from the list. Given that the total value is just $40 million rather than Chubb's $110 million, he doesn't seem to be much of a candidate from a value standpoint.
A contract that scares me as a potential bust is Carlton Davis. Davis has never played a full season in his career and signed a three-year deal worth $54 million in March. In ninth place on the list comes L'Jarius Sneed. Knox cites his reasoning for not liking the deal in the first place was that they gave a 27-year-old who had never made a Pro Bowl $19.1 million annually. Davis, 28, has also never been selected for a Pro Bowl and is earning $18 million annually. That's awfully similar.
Still, Sneed's disappointing performances came after his signing, when he ranked 212th out of 222 eligible cornerbacks according to PFF. Jaycee Horn is also listed at No. 6, whose contract is primarily a function of his limited game time. The $100 million man has played about half the games in his young career, making Davis's missed games look like nothing.
Davis will operate as the CB2 behind Christian Gonzalez, so the team does have some security if he is to miss time. Nonetheless, his durability will be an issue, and people will be quick to point out his lack of a Pro Bowl should he not pan out.
Mike Vrabel and Co. need to ensure they don't dish out too much money in the near future, too
To no surprise, Deshaun Watson occupies the top slot on the list, but Dan Moore Jr. is a player who hasn't even played a game for his new team, yet still ranks third. The Titans have struggled at offensive tackle since the departures of Jack Conklin and Taylor Lewan, attempting to add players through the draft like Isaiah Wilson and Dillon Radunz, or whiffing on free agents like Andre Dillard. Moore seems poised to be added to that list.
To overpay for a good player, as they're often highly sought after in free agency, isn't uncommon, but there's evidence that Moore doesn't even make the good tier. Durable? Yes. Experienced? Certainly. Moore has played at least 950 snaps in all four years as a pro, starting at left tackle in all of them. The trouble comes with his production.
Moore has never ranked higher than the 46th-best offensive tackle in the league according to PFF, with his highest grade coming in this past year at a 67.2. In 2023, his 39.7 pass blocking grade was worse than that of 119 other players at his position. In his contract year in 2024, he allowed 12 sacks, the most in the league.
The Patriots avoided a majorly bloated contract by opting for Morgan Moses to play right tackle for about $8 million per season compared to Moore's $21 million a year, while fourth overall pick Will Campbell will hopefully man Drake Maye's blindside for the next decade or more.
Between injury history and contract size, Carlton Davis appears to have the riskiest contract, one that could potentially end up on this list; however, the potential benefits seem worth the risk. A top cornerback option for the NFC's number one seed hitting free agency doesn't often happen, and for him to slide in as the CB2 is an embarrassment of riches at the position.
While the Patriots signed some bigger contracts, they should feel confident that they don't have many candidates for this list.