The quarterback is the most important position in football, and namely, for the New York Giants playoff chances. Some teams get lucky and find a franchise quarterback that is 100% worth giving the big contract, while other teams are paying the big bucks for just average quarterback play. Over the last few offseasons, we have seen many quarterbacks receive huge contracts… while not putting up huge performances.
Below is the list of the top-5 worst current QB contracts in the NFL.
To find out who are the most overpaid quarterbacks in the NFL, I used overthecap.com to find the player’s current average per year (APY) and their total career earnings through the 2022 season. I also used Pro-Football-Reference.com to find the player’s total career touchdowns and their career touchdown average in starts. After doing the math of earnings per career touchdown and estimated earnings per touchdown in 2023 for each of the top-14 paid quarterbacks in the league, I was able to determine the top-5 worst current QB contracts in the NFL.
Giants Might Regret Jones' Contract
Daniel Jones received a massive four-year contract worth $160 million this offseason after having a career year in 2022 consisting of him throwing for just 3,205 yards and 15 touchdowns… not necessarily elite in any way, shape, or form. Surprisingly, this has landed Jones in the #1 spot on my list of most overrated QB contracts this season. Did the Giants overpay Jones?
- Despite receiving a massive contract, Jones has a 21-32-1 record through four seasons, having thrown for more than 20 touchdowns in a season just once (2019).
- Prior to his new contract this offseason, Jones earned on average about $863,000 per touchdown scored through the 2022 season. That is the second-highest among the top-14 paid quarterbacks, behind only Matthew Stafford.
- Jones has averaged just 1.4 touchdowns per start over his four career seasons, the fewest among the top paid quarterbacks in the NFL.
- Using Jones' 1.4 TD per career start and new contract APY of $40 million, he is estimated to earn $1.7 million per touchdown scored in 2023. That is by far the highest estimated earnings per TD for 2023 among the top-14 paid quarterbacks in the NFL - $250,000 more than the next player, Lamar Jackson, and $700,000 more than the estimated amount that 2-time MVP Patrick Mahomes will receive next season.
Until Daniel Jones can prove he can be one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, his contract is the #1 worst among current quarterbacks.
