Every August, each and every last NFL team enters the season with the hope that this will be their year. Inevitably, things don’t work out for some of those teams, as the worst offseason moves can singlehandedly ruin a season. Most of the teams with terrible records made a few bad decisions that effectively sealed their fate, but these five were the worst of the worst.
Before we begin, let’s start with a disclaimer. While poor offseason moves can lead to some of the worst teams in the league, sometimes teams are just unlucky. For example, the New York Jets knew that they needed to improve their quarterback position, so they moved heaven and Earth to get Aaron Rodgers. Unfortunately, the four-time MVP tore his Achilles in Week 1, effectively ending New York’s season before it ever began. Additionally, the Arizona Cardinals are 3-10, but they had no real way to put together a winning season in 2023. Starting quarterback Kyler Murray began the year on the Physically Unable to Perform list, and there was simply no talent on this roster. The Cardinals went into the year knowing they were going to be bad, so they can’t earn a spot on this list.
The 5 Worst Moves of the NFL Offseason, Ranked
5. Patriots – Signing Juju Smith-Schuster Over Jakobi Meyers
The 2022 New England Patriots had one of the best defenses in the league paired with a terrible offense. So, instead of trying to upgrade the quarterback or wide receivers, they decided to let their only good pass-catcher walk and replace him with a lesser player. Even at the time, the Juju Smith-Schuster contract made no sense. Meyers was a homegrown, proven fit in New England’s offense, yet the Patriots opted to hand out essentially the same contract to a journeyman in Smith-Schuster. The plan backfired, as Meyers is having a career season with the Raiders while Smith-Schuster is the fifth-leading receiver on one of the worst offenses in the league.
4. Chargers – Sticking With Brandon Staley
Any coach in the league would kill for the opportunity to have Justin Herbert on their roster. During the 2021 to 2022 seasons, Staley tried to turn the rocket-armed Herbert into a checkdown quarterback, limiting what makes him great. Additionally, the defensive-minded coach built some of the worst defenses in the league, despite investing significant money in that side of the ball. In spite of the complete lack of success and an embarrassing playoff loss, the Chargers decided to give Staley one more year to turn things around. As it turns out, this proved to be one of the worst moves of the offseason. Staley continued to waste Herbert while the defense remained a laughingstock throughout the league. Los Angeles appears to be letting Staley finish the year, but it’s safe to assume he won’t be back next year.
3. Giants – Extending Daniel Jones
Going into the 2022 season, the New York Giants didn’t believe that Daniel Jones was a franchise quarterback. If they did, they wouldn’t have declined the fifth-year option in his rookie contract. However, one mediocre 15-touchdown season made the Giants believe that this man was worth $40 million per year. Predictably, this didn’t work out, as Jones reverted to his previous form before going down to injury. New York should’ve used the franchise tag on Jones to make him prove that he was capable of another good season. Instead, they’re stuck with him for at least the next year or two.
2. Panthers – Including D.J. Moore in the Bryce Young Trade
The Carolina Panthers needed a quarterback, and they weren’t going to get their guy with the ninth overall pick. So, they decided to aggressively trade up for the first-overall pick. On its own, this isn’t a bad decision, as the quarterback is the most important position in the game by a wide margin. However, the decision to include D.J. Moore in this trade makes it one of the worst offseason moves of the year. With Moore gone, the Panthers set Bryce Young up to fail without a reliable weapon. Instead of Moore, the team should have dealt Brian Burns and possibly kept a few more of their draft picks.
1. Saints – Signing Derek Carr
The 2022 New Orleans Saints went 7-10 with Andy Dalton as their primary quarterback. Following the season, the team parted ways with Dalton, handed over a fortune to Derek Carr, and he’s probably been a downgrade at the position. Carr was supposed to be the guy to take the Saints to the next level, but instead, he’s been one of the league’s worst quarterbacks. He’s incredibly conservative, and he appears to be losing the support of his teammates. Even ignoring cost, Dalton would probably be an upgrade, and Carr’s terrible season could cost Dennis Allen his job.
Main Photo: Stephen Lew – USA Today Sports
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