Some NFL contracts look like genius moves at the time – big-money deals that scream, “We just secured the future.” Fast-forward a year or two, though, and reality hits: injuries, regression, or just flat-out busts. These are the deals that make fans roll their eyes, scream at the cap sheet, or just wonder what their team was thinking.

So here it is – five contracts that aged horribly in the last five years. And yes, Deshaun Watson is still leading the way.

1. Deshaun Watson – Cleveland Browns

• Position: QB
• Contract: 5 years, $230M (fully guaranteed)
• 2025 Cap Hit: $35.9M
• 2024 Stats: 1,148 yards, 5 TD, 3 INT, 63.4% completion (1-6 record)
• Status: Expected to be out for the entire 2025-26 season.

At this point, Browns fans are numb. The $230M fully guaranteed contract was already controversial, but now it feels like a flat-out cap anchor. Watson missed most of 2023, came back in 2024, and looked… average. Maybe worse before suffering back-to-back knee injuries.

His mechanics are off. The pocket presence is shaky. And worst of all, there’s no playoff progress to show for it. For $35.9M this year, the Browns are basically paying for rehab updates and weekly fan frustration. This isn’t just a bad deal – it’s a cautionary tale.

2. Russell Wilson – Denver Broncos (Now Giants)

• Position: QB
• Contract (Broncos): 5 years, $245M
• 2025 Dead Cap (DEN): $53 M
• Broncos 2025 Salary: Zero

Remember when Denver traded for Russ and handed him that monster deal before he even played a snap? Broncos fans do — and they’re still paying for it a year after cutting him. Literally.

After two rocky seasons, Denver cut ties and took on $85 million in dead money just to move on. They spread the money over the two years, paying $32 in 2024 and now $53 million this season.

3. Kyler Murray – Arizona Cardinals

• Position: QB
• Contract: 5 years, $230.5M
• 2025 Cap Hit: $43 M
• 2024 Stats: 3,851 yards, 21 TD, 11 INT (8-9 record as starter)

Murray came back from his ACL injury with flashes of the old juice, but nowhere near enough to justify that $230M price tag. The Cardinals are rebuilding, and they’re doing it with a quarterback whose leadership has been questioned and whose play hasn’t been consistent since 2021.

Arizona fans are debating whether we should draft a new QB in 2026. If you’re even asking that question with this much money on the books, the contract’s a problem. Murray is among the 15 highest-paid QBs in the league, but he is not even among the top 20 QBs in the league, performance-wise.

READ MORE: 15 Highest-Paid NFL Quarterbacks in 2025

4. Michael Thomas – Formerly New Orleans Saints

• Position: WR
• Contract: 5 Years, $100 M
• 2025 Status: Out of contract (as of July 2025)

This one hurts because MT was elite. But that version of Michael Thomas hasn’t been around for years. Since 2020, it’s been injury after injury, and by 2024, he wasn’t even on the roster.

Saints fans have seen the team bend over backwards with restructured deals, hoping for a comeback. It never really came. Now he’s out of favor in the entire contract, still roaming around as a free agent.

Michael Thomas in the divisional round vs the Eagles: 12 catches, 171 yards, and a TDpic.twitter.com/VCOjyMRney https://t.co/RUOVtDbJtn

— 𝙇𝙖𝙯𝙖𝙧𝙪𝙨 (@Lxzarus_) February 1, 2023

5. Kenny Golladay – Formerly New York Giants

• Position: WR
• Contract: 4 years, $72M (signed 2021)
• Giants Dead Cap: $22 M
• 2025 Status: Out of the league

You already knew this one was coming. $72 million for a player coming off an injury year with just two 1,000+ yard seasons was never going to pay big. Giants fans still joke about it (kind of). The Golladay deal was so bad that he became the blueprint for overpaying based on one breakout year.

No injuries, no controversies, just… nothing. He was released in 2023 and hasn’t been picked up since. Honestly, this one feels more like a prank than a contract.