Throwing away money is fun

It is no lie that the amount of money paid to professional athletes is absolutely ridiculous. We are at a time where we actually cheer for athletes when they decided to take a pay cut of a few million to help out their team, while they are still being paid at least another few million. While many of us are barely making ends meet, these jokers are being paid top-dollar to play games…but we all still watch it. 

This past week, Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco signed a contract for six years and $120 million, making him the holder of the NFL’s highest contract. While Flacco is definitely a great quarterback, a good majority of sports fans agree that paying Flacco that much money is not only a mistake, it will also damage the Ravens’ ability to surround him with high-caliber players. Regardless, Flacco is now an even richer man than he was before.

In lieu of the possible horrible mistake on the part of the Ravens, below is a list of some of the worst sports contracts in history. Enjoy laughing at the expense of others!

Ryan Leaf: In the 1998 draft, the Indianapolis Colts picked Payton Manning with the first pick of the draft. That was a good choice. To follow that, the San Diego Chargers picked Ryan Leaf and signed him to a four-year, $32.5 million contract. Who is Ryan Leaf again?

Michael Vick: Though Michael Vick is a damn good quarterback and has definitely earned his money when he plays, the $137 million, 10-year contract extended to him by the Atlanta Falcons was a huge bust. After Vick inked his contract, he ended up being arrested for his dog fighting habit and was paid for two years of his contract (that which was guaranteed), while sitting around in a jail cell. Though some of the money did have to be paid back, Vick was still paid to sit in the pen.

Ben Wallace: In 2006, the Chicago Bulls offered big man Ben Wallace a $60 million, four-year contract. During his first two seasons of said contract, Wallace was in and out of injury and averaged only six points. In 2008 the Bulls were able to trade Wallace to the Cleveland Cavaliers, but were forced pay off $30 million of the contract to do so. 

Jamarcus Russell: It isn't easy to judge whether a player’s college abilities will translate into the professional game, but that is part of sports. Unfortunately, the Oakland Raiders are not always a team with good judgement. In 2007 the Oakland Raiders picked up Jamarcus Russell with the top pick of the draft, offering him a contract of $68 million over six years. Russell was thought to be the QB to bring back life to a struggling franchise. Instead, Russell ended up gaining weight, losing fitness and being cut by the Raiders after a few seasons. This led to the Raiders dropping a huge amount of draft picks to pick up Carson Palmer (bust) and now looking to untested youngster Terelle Pryor in hopes he’ll be the next Colin Kaepernick.

Image courtesy of Deadspin

Stephon Marbury: In 2003, the New York Knicks gave a contract for $76 Million over four years to Stephon Marbury. While Marbury had been an All-Star before getting the contract, during his time in New York he clashed with coaches, was involved with a sex scandal and actually refused to play at certain points. His play started to decline and Marbury became a bench player paid $21.9 million per year. He was later traded to the Kings, and ended his career in China. The best part of the story? Marbury negotiated his contract solo, with no agent.

Albert Haynesworth: At one point in his career, Haynesworth was really good at the sport of football. By the time the Washington Redskins offered him $100 million over seven years, he was not actually good at the sport of football.  After two Pro Bowl caliber seasons in a row with the Titans, Haynesworth inked the behemoth contract in 2009 with the Skins, and took a turn for the worst. He hit career lows, gained weight and actually refused to come to training camp in 2010, clashing publically with head coach Mike Shanahan. He was traded to the Patriots after the season for a fifth round draft pick.

Don’t let this list fool you; there are TONS of terrible contracts out there. Feel free to spend the rest of your weekend using your best Google skills to find even worse sports blunders and share them in the comments section.

Photo courtesy of USA Today