The NFL free agency tampering period is the unofficial start of the offseason and a testament to what happens around the league behind the scenes. Miraculously, as soon as the negotiating window with top NFL free agents opens, many of them suddenly have multi-year contracts worth tens of millions of dollars already agreed to. We saw that on Monday with hundreds of millions of dollars awarded to the top players in NFL free agency. While plenty of great signings were made, we’re highlighting some of the worst moves from the NFL free agency tampering period.
Kansas City Chiefs take ridiculously expensive gamble on Jaylon Moore
The Kansas City Chiefs made it clear heading into the offseason that they wanted to address left tackle. Those plans took a massive hit ahead of the NFL free agency tampering period when Ronnie Stanley re-signed with the Baltimore Ravens. Still, Kansas City had proven options like Dan Moore Jr., Tyron Smith and Cam Robinson available. Instead, they rolled the dice on Jaylon Moore.
- Jaylon Moore contract: $30 million over two years
Moore, a fifth-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, spent most of his career with the San Francisco 49ers as a backup. In total, he started 12 games in four seasons with a career-high in starts (five) this past season. Among offensive tackles with 150-plus snaps played, Moore ranked 45th in PFF’s Pass Blocking Efficiency (96.4) and 35th in PFF’s pass-blocking grade (73.1). Perhaps he can be a quality starter, but the Chiefs are taking a massive gamble and $15 million per year isn’t cheap for someone who might be a career backup.
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Washington Commanders inexplicably overspend on Javon Kinlaw
We try to give the benefit of the doubt to the Washington Commanders, whose work last offseason sparked a remarkable one-year turnaround. With that said, the Javon Kinlaw contract feels like an absurd overspend. Taken with the 14th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, Kinlaw was a colossal bst for the San Francisco 49ers (7 TFLs and 5 sacks in 41 games). While he did set a career-high in sacks (4.5) last season, the number exaggerates his on-field impact.
- Javon Kinlaw contract: 3 years, $45 million with $30 million guaranteed
He ranked 30th among defensive tackles in PFF pass-rush win rate (10.5%) last season, while leading his position in penalties (eight). Kinlaw is also awful as a run defender, with one of the highest missed tackle rates (16.2%) and one of the lowest stop rates (6.4%) at his position. Kinlaw is a below-average defensive tackle and he’s making more per season ($15 million APY) than Cameron Heyward.
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Jacksonville Jaguars spend $30 million on position they already had covered
A new regime means there aren’t pre-existing loyalties to players from the old regime and that might explain the Jacksonville Jaguars’ decision. Still, it feels odd for the new Jaguars’ regime to move Jarrian Jones off the spot he played so well last season. As a rookie in 2024, Jones allowed just an 81.2 QB rating in coverage and just 0.5 yards per coverage snap out of the slot.
- Jourdan Lewis contract: 3 years, $30 million with $20 million guaranteed
Instead of keeping Jones in the slot next season, Jacksonville signed Jorudan Lewis and made him the highest-paid nickel corner ($10 million AAV) in the NFL. It’s not that Lewis is a bad player, he was beloved in the Cowboys locker room and has proven to be a quality nickel. However, Jacksonville is taking a chance on playing Jones in the slot instead of signing a boundary corner and keeping Jones in the position he excelled at.
Tennessee Titans pay Dan Moore Jr. to be something he’s not
The Dan Moore Jr contract was another reminder that the Baltimore Ravens got a hometown discount from Ronnie Stanley ($20 million per year). Many will focus on the number of sacks Moore surrendered in 2024 – 12 (most in the NFL) – but that’s a byproduct of protecting sack-prone QBs like Justin Fields and Russell Wilson. Moore is a solid left tackle, demonstrated in part by the 11th-best ESPN pass-block win rate (93%) among tackles last season.
- Dan Moore Jr contract: 4 years, $82 million with $50 million in first two years
However, a $20.5 million average annual value – $30 million paid out in 2025 – makes Moore the seventh-highest-paid left tackle in the NFL. Tennessee is paying him like a top-10 player at his position, when in reality he’s a slightly above-average pass protector. The move does allow JC Latham to move to his natural position at right tackle, but Tennessee grossly overpaid here.
Seattle Seahawks throw Sam Darnold into a bad situation
The Sam Darnold contact itself is pretty reasonable. While he landed a $100 million deal, only $55 million is guaranteed, meaning it’s easy to get out of after two years. However, Seattle is throwing Darnold into a situation that seems ripe for significant regression.
- Sam Darnold contract: 3 years, $100.5 million ($33.5 million AAV)
In 2024, the Minnesota Vikings offensive line ranked second in ESPN pass-block win rate (70%) while the Seahawks offensive line ranked 21st (58%). On top of that, Darnold goes from a supporting cast of Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson – arguably the best trio in the NFL – to Jaxon Smith-Njigba and nothing else. Everyone saw how Darnold crumbled under duress in his final two games, and that was even the case with one of the most quarterback-friendly environments in football. Barring a massive overhaul of the Seahawks’ offensive line and receiving corps, Darnold is primed for alarming regression.
New Orleans Saints keep racking up debt with the Chase Young contract
Because the New Orleans Saints allow general manager Mickey Loomis to operate with free reign, he gets to keep making moves to prolong the inevitable much-needed rebuild. New Orleans desperately needs to hit the reset button, finally paying the ‘overdue bills’ with the cap hits they keep pushing into future years. Instead, Loomis added another bad contract to the Saints payroll.
- Chase Young contract: 3 years, $51 million ($17 million AAV)
Chase Young played 17 games last season, but he wasn’t all that productive with his 742 defensive snaps. He netted just 5.5 sacks and really fell off as a run defender. Effort and durability have also been knocks on him in stops with the Washington Commanders and San Francisco 49ers. Despite those issues and the pedestrian production, New Orleans gave him just $1.5 million less per year than Jonathan Greenard is making and $500,000 less in AAV than Khalil Mack received. On top of all that, the Saints added bigger cap hits to their books in future years, making salary-cap issues down the line even worse.
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New England Patriots gamble on oft-injured Carlton Davis
NFL free agency was loaded at cornerback this offseason and the New England Patriots took advantage, striking first to sign Carlton Davis. The contract – $20 million AAV – is high, but made slightly better since Byron Murphy Jr ($20 million AAV) and Jaycee Horn ($25 million AAV) received even bigger deals. Our issue with the move is Davis’ durability. He hasn’t played 14 games in a single season since 2020 and the last time he played at least 90 percent of the defensive snaps came in 2022. Davis is an excellent corner – 77.0 QB rating and 55.3% completion rate allowed in coverage last season – but $20 million per year is a staggering price to pay for someone who can’t stay on the field.
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New York Jets burn money with the Brandon Stephens contract
Everyone knew that, heading into NFL free agency, the New York Jets wouldn’t be able to retain DJ Reed Jr., and he landed a lucrative deal($16 million AAV) with the Detroit Lions. What doesn’t make sense is why New York thought Brandon Stephens was worth $12 million per year. With great talent around him on the Baltimore Ravens defense in 2024, Stephens allowed a 106.1 QB rating and 906 receiving yards with 4 touchdowns.
- Brandon Stephens contract: 3 years, $36 million with $23 million guaranteed
He was routinely beaten in coverage, especially downfield. In his career, Stephens has allowed 10 touchdowns and a 97.0 QB rating when targeted across 65 games. Stephens won’t have the safety help that he did in Baltimore and even as a No. 2 cornerback, he is someone opposing quarterbacks will frequently attack in the years to come.
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Houston Texans risk C.J. Stroud’s health with the Laremy Tunsil trade
It became apparent after the 2024 season that the Houston Texans had one of the worst offensive lines in the AFC. Laremy Tunsil had a down year, but he was viewed as the lone above-average starter protecting C.J. Stroud. The offseason priority seemed clear, overhaul the interior line that was responsible for C.J. Stroud taking 56 hits with the highest pressure rate faced (28%). Instead, Houston traded Tunsil for draft picks. All it did was create another hole on the Texans’ offensive line, the worst-case scenario for a quarterback who has already been sacked 90 times in two seasons. Across multiple regimes, the Texans just seem to do an awful job at protecting their franchise quarterback.
