5 QBs who signed massive contracts and failed miserably ft. Michael Vick
Prominent quarterback (QB) Russell Wilson was already an incredibly rich man and his financial situation has just gotten a lot better.
Just a few days before the 2022 NFL regular season kicks off, the Denver Broncos officially locked Wilson up to a five-year extension worth $245 million.
The multi-time Pro Bowler has now aligned himself with the Broncos for what appears to be the rest of his career. Consequently, the pressure will now be on Wilson's shoulders to deliver right from the start of the 2022 season.
After news of Wilson's current deal broke, it prompted us to think of which NFL QBs have signed massive deals only to fail miserably. Keep reading to find out.
#5 Sam Bradford
Coined by many to be the 'next big thing,' Sam Bradford couldn’t stop himself from smiling after being taken with the number one overall pick in 2009. The St. Louis Rams locked Bradford up with a six-year deal worth $78 million even before he had thrown a single pass.
While his initial contract was massive, Bradford proved to be worth every penny, throwing for 3,512 yards and 18 touchdowns in his debut season. However, St. Louis remained amongst the worst teams in the league and went 7-9 that year.
From there, Bradford began to struggle with injuries as his overall game deteriorated. Before long, the QB began spending more and more of his time on the sidelines.
Over the last few years of his career, Bradford bounced from team to team, carrying his erratic play and penchant for getting hurt with him wherever he went.
#4 Michael Vick
It appeared incredibly unlikely that Michael Vick would be able to rehabilitate his career at one point.
During his time as a member of the Atlanta Falcons, Vick dazzled onlookers on countless occasions. But just as the QB began to build more and more notoriety, his career went down the proverbial hole. He was both suspended and jailed for participating in an underground dog fighting operation.
After doing his time and showing contrition, Vick signed with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2009. It wasn’t until 2010, however, that he proved that he could be their franchise cornerstone. The QB threw for 3,018 yards and 21 touchdowns, and also rushed for 676 yards and nine scores on the year.
Philadelphia was thoroughly impressed with Vick and handed him a humongous deal worth $100 million. Unfortunately for the Eagles, he played listlessly on the field after signing the contrct as they failed to make a single postseason appearance with their new signal-caller.
#3 Matt Flynn
The Seattle Seahawks should be castigated and praised all at once.
Matt Flynn spent the first four years of his career as the backup QB to Aaron Rodgers for the Green Bay Packers. By then, it had become painfully clear to Flynn that despite his talents, he would never usurp the Hall of Fame QB.
At the tail end of the 2011 season, Flynn was given a one-time start to finish the year. To his credit, he balled out, throwing for 480 yards and six touchdowns. That one game was good enough for the Seattle Seahawks as they signed Flynn to a three-year deal worth $19 million.
He seemed to happy to finally receive a true crack at the starting gig. However, Flynn’s euphoria was short-lived.
Just weeks after signing him, Seattle drafted Russell Wilson in the third round of the 2011 draft. In what came across as a bit of a surprise, Wilson completely outplayed Flynn in training camp. It ushered the latter back to the bench.
He eventually found himself out of the league just a few years later, while Wilson has continued to go from strength to strength, as evidenced by his latest deal.
#2 Blake Bortles
Viewed as a colossal bust throughout his career, Blake Bortles began repaying the faith the Jacksonville Jaguars placed in him during the 2017 season. On the year, everything began clicking for the former first-round draft selection as he threw for 3,687 yards and 21 scores.
More importantly, Bortles, for the first time in his career, led the Jaguars to a winning record as they ended the regular season 10-6. While they would come up short in the AFC Championship Game, he had seemingly solidified his case to be their quarterback of the future.
To reward him, Jacksonville forked over a $54 million on a three-year deal.
After signing that eye-catching deal, Bortles played just one season in Jacksonville before being shipped out of town. The QB hasn’t officially stepped onto an NFL turf since 2019, just two years after signing a massive deal, and looks unlikely to do so anytime soon.
#1 Brock Osweiler
Brock Osweiler's size brought him a ton of intriguing attention when he first came onto the scene in 2012. Standing at 6’7” and weighing nearly 250 pounds, Osweiler looked like a freak athlete.
In 2015, after sitting behind Peyton Manning, he officially got his shot at a starting role with the Denver Broncos.
By and large, the franchise was incredibly impressed by Osweiler but refused to sign him to a long-term deal. Instead, the QB landed with the Houston Texans on a four-year deal worth $72 million.
It turned out to be a humongous mistake by Houston, but one that they quickly realized. In just one season, the Texans moved on from Osweiler as he began bouncing from team to team.
He was eventually let go by the Miami Dolphins and hasn’t played a match since the 2018 season.