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The NFL's 15 most overpaid players
Steven Ruiz , USATODAY
1. Joe Flacco, QB Ravens
2017 Cap hit: $24.55 million
Position rank: 1st
It's been four years since Flacco signed his mega deal after leading the Ravens to a Super Bowl, and he's given Baltimore one above-average season over that time. The front office hasn't given him a whole lot of support, but quarterbacks making that much money are supposed to elevate the players around them. Flacco clearly hasn't.
2. Clay Matthews, OLB Packers
2017 Cap hit: $15.07 million
Position rank: 3rd
Matthews' days as an elite pass rusher are long over. You wouldn't know it by looking at his salary. The only outside linebackers making more than him are Justin Houston and Von Miller. Green Bay could have saved a lot of money by moving on from Matthews but decided not to. We'll see if the gamble pays off, but conventional wisdom suggests it won't. His play has declined and he's now on the wrong side of 30.
3. Tavon Austin, WR Rams
2017 Cap hit: $14.97 million
Position rank: 3rd
The Rams are paying a decent slot receiver and punt returner No. 1 receiver money. Just a few receivers who are making less than Austin in 2017: Julio Jones, Antonio Brown, A.J. Green … I could keep going but that will only upset Rams fans further.
T4. Brock Osweiler, QB Browns
2017 Cap hit: $16 million
Position rank: 17th
T4. Mike Glennon, QB Bears
2017 Cap hit: $14 million
Position rank: T20th
Desperate teams overpay for quarterbacks. The Bears did not learn from the Texans' mistake in 2016, and gave Glennon, who couldn't beat out Josh McCown in Tampa, about the same money New England pays Tom Brady.
Osweiler, last year's Glennon, will try to resurrect his career in Cleveland after a disastrous season in Houston, during which he looked like one of the worst starting QBs in the league despite playing with a good supporting cast.
6. Jason Witten, TE Cowboys
2017 Cap hit: $12.62 million
Position rank: 1st
The Cowboys are better off with Witten on their roster. He's still a good blocker and a reliable receiver. But he's a league-average tight end (maybe slightly above) at this point in his career. He has no business making more money than guys like Rob Gronkowski and Jordan Reed.
7. Haloti Ngata, DT Lions
2017 Cap hit: $7.7 million
Position rank: 16th
Ngata's play fell off considerably in 2016, and at 33 it's unlikely that he'll be able to rebound and play like the 16th-best defensive tackle in the league. He's still a big body who can help in the run game but offers very little on passing downs. That's where interior rushers make their money these days.
8. Kirk Cousins, QB Redskins
2017 Cap hit: $23.94 million
Position rank: 2nd
Washington did this to themselves. Instead of locking Cousins down to a deal more in line with his talent level years ago, they're now stuck slapping the franchise tag on him for a second consecutive year. Cousins is a decent quarterback whose statistical production is more a product of what's around him than his own abilities. We saw the effects of his big price tag this offseason when the Redskins were forced to move on from DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon.
9. Coby Fleener, TE Saints
2017 Cap hit: $7.5 million
Position rank: 6th
Fleener looks like a tight end who should be making top-5 tight end money. There's only one problem: He can't catch the football. When you can't put up an efficient season with Drew Brees feeding you targets, there's a problem.
10. Dez Bryant, WR Cowboys
2017 Cap hit: $17 million
Position rank: 1st
There's no denying Bryant's talent. He's still a legit No. 1 receiver in this league … when healthy. He's struggled to stay on the field in recent years, and even when he is healthy, he's not enough a game-changer to warrant such a big cap hit. There are only a handful of receivers who are.
11. Muhammad Wilkerson, DE Jets
2017 Cap hit: $18 million
Position rank: 1st
Wilkerson's 2016 season was a massive disappointment. There's no reason to doubt a bounce-back year is coming from the Jets' best defensive player, but he's making starting quarterback money. Even at his best, Wilkerson isn't worth that kind of money.
12. Mike Pouncey, C Dolphins
2017 Cap hit: $8.97 million
Position rank: 3rd
Pouncey is a good center. He just doesn't play enough games. Over the last four seasons, the Dolphins center has missed 19 games.
13. Jabaal Sheard, DE Colts
2017 Cap hit: $9.96 million
Position rank: 11th
Sheard parlayed one good season under Bill Belichick (and another average one) into a nice little payday with the Colts. He's a decent role player making way too much money at one of the most important positions in football. He's tallied more than eight sacks only once in his career and that was back in 2011.
14. Josh Norman, CB Redskins
2017 Cap hit: $20 million
Position rank: 1st
If you're paying $20 million for a corner, you're expecting to get a guy who can lock down an opponents' No. 1 receiver. After 2016, we know Norman isn't that kind of player. He's just average in man coverage, which makes it difficult for the Redskins to deploy him as a true shutdown corner.
15. Mike Mitchell, S Steelers
2017 Cap hit: $8.13 million
Position rank: 3rd
Mitchell is a hard-hitter who is just a little too reckless to be making the kind of money he's getting from Pittsburgh. He gives up far too many big plays and he doesn't force enough turnovers to make up for it. Mitchell isn't even in the top-10 safety discussion but only Devin McCourty and Earl Thomas make more at the position.
The NFL's 15 most overpaid players
Steven Ruiz , USATODAY
1. Joe Flacco, QB Ravens
2017 Cap hit: $24.55 million
Position rank: 1st
It's been four years since Flacco signed his mega deal after leading the Ravens to a Super Bowl, and he's given Baltimore one above-average season over that time. The front office hasn't given him a whole lot of support, but quarterbacks making that much money are supposed to elevate the players around them. Flacco clearly hasn't.
2. Clay Matthews, OLB Packers
2017 Cap hit: $15.07 million
Position rank: 3rd
Matthews' days as an elite pass rusher are long over. You wouldn't know it by looking at his salary. The only outside linebackers making more than him are Justin Houston and Von Miller. Green Bay could have saved a lot of money by moving on from Matthews but decided not to. We'll see if the gamble pays off, but conventional wisdom suggests it won't. His play has declined and he's now on the wrong side of 30.
3. Tavon Austin, WR Rams
2017 Cap hit: $14.97 million
Position rank: 3rd
The Rams are paying a decent slot receiver and punt returner No. 1 receiver money. Just a few receivers who are making less than Austin in 2017: Julio Jones, Antonio Brown, A.J. Green … I could keep going but that will only upset Rams fans further.
T4. Brock Osweiler, QB Browns
2017 Cap hit: $16 million
Position rank: 17th
T4. Mike Glennon, QB Bears
2017 Cap hit: $14 million
Position rank: T20th
Desperate teams overpay for quarterbacks. The Bears did not learn from the Texans' mistake in 2016, and gave Glennon, who couldn't beat out Josh McCown in Tampa, about the same money New England pays Tom Brady.
Osweiler, last year's Glennon, will try to resurrect his career in Cleveland after a disastrous season in Houston, during which he looked like one of the worst starting QBs in the league despite playing with a good supporting cast.
6. Jason Witten, TE Cowboys
2017 Cap hit: $12.62 million
Position rank: 1st
The Cowboys are better off with Witten on their roster. He's still a good blocker and a reliable receiver. But he's a league-average tight end (maybe slightly above) at this point in his career. He has no business making more money than guys like Rob Gronkowski and Jordan Reed.
7. Haloti Ngata, DT Lions
2017 Cap hit: $7.7 million
Position rank: 16th
Ngata's play fell off considerably in 2016, and at 33 it's unlikely that he'll be able to rebound and play like the 16th-best defensive tackle in the league. He's still a big body who can help in the run game but offers very little on passing downs. That's where interior rushers make their money these days.
8. Kirk Cousins, QB Redskins
2017 Cap hit: $23.94 million
Position rank: 2nd
Washington did this to themselves. Instead of locking Cousins down to a deal more in line with his talent level years ago, they're now stuck slapping the franchise tag on him for a second consecutive year. Cousins is a decent quarterback whose statistical production is more a product of what's around him than his own abilities. We saw the effects of his big price tag this offseason when the Redskins were forced to move on from DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon.
9. Coby Fleener, TE Saints
2017 Cap hit: $7.5 million
Position rank: 6th
Fleener looks like a tight end who should be making top-5 tight end money. There's only one problem: He can't catch the football. When you can't put up an efficient season with Drew Brees feeding you targets, there's a problem.
10. Dez Bryant, WR Cowboys
2017 Cap hit: $17 million
Position rank: 1st
There's no denying Bryant's talent. He's still a legit No. 1 receiver in this league … when healthy. He's struggled to stay on the field in recent years, and even when he is healthy, he's not enough a game-changer to warrant such a big cap hit. There are only a handful of receivers who are.
11. Muhammad Wilkerson, DE Jets
2017 Cap hit: $18 million
Position rank: 1st
Wilkerson's 2016 season was a massive disappointment. There's no reason to doubt a bounce-back year is coming from the Jets' best defensive player, but he's making starting quarterback money. Even at his best, Wilkerson isn't worth that kind of money.
12. Mike Pouncey, C Dolphins
2017 Cap hit: $8.97 million
Position rank: 3rd
Pouncey is a good center. He just doesn't play enough games. Over the last four seasons, the Dolphins center has missed 19 games.
13. Jabaal Sheard, DE Colts
2017 Cap hit: $9.96 million
Position rank: 11th
Sheard parlayed one good season under Bill Belichick (and another average one) into a nice little payday with the Colts. He's a decent role player making way too much money at one of the most important positions in football. He's tallied more than eight sacks only once in his career and that was back in 2011.
14. Josh Norman, CB Redskins
2017 Cap hit: $20 million
Position rank: 1st
If you're paying $20 million for a corner, you're expecting to get a guy who can lock down an opponents' No. 1 receiver. After 2016, we know Norman isn't that kind of player. He's just average in man coverage, which makes it difficult for the Redskins to deploy him as a true shutdown corner.
15. Mike Mitchell, S Steelers
2017 Cap hit: $8.13 million
Position rank: 3rd
Mitchell is a hard-hitter who is just a little too reckless to be making the kind of money he's getting from Pittsburgh. He gives up far too many big plays and he doesn't force enough turnovers to make up for it. Mitchell isn't even in the top-10 safety discussion but only Devin McCourty and Earl Thomas make more at the position.
