Ah the contracts. Every walk of life has a contract of some kind to get stuff done. In sports, a contract means how much your going to get paid for playing a specific sport. Why are we talking about this? Well it has tied in with Patrick Mahomes new, very large contract that he just signed in Kansas City. As noted in the earlier article, he could be worth it, pending he stays healthy. Some guys have worked out with their big contracts, while others have totally flopped under the weight of big contracts.
Now I should point out that yes there have been bad contracts handed out in other sports like soccer, both in the United States and on the International stage. But for the purposes of this article, I'm leaving these contracts as those in the big four sports leagues of the NBA, NFL, MLB and NHL. With that in mind, here's the top five worst contracts in the history of pro sports.
5. Alexei Yashin- New York Islanders
This won't be the last time that this team name pops up here on this list. When the Islanders first got Yashin in the trade, they gave up Zedeno Chara and the 2nd overall pick (which turned into Jason Spezza) in 2001. It was a move that was made because Yashin wasn't happy in Ottawa and the Islanders were looking to greatly improve their team. When the deal first went down, it looked good for both sides, but turned into a lopsided one for Ottawa. Why is Yashin on this list? Because right after getting him in the trade, the Isles signed Yashin to a ten year deal worth $87.5 Million. He had a good year his first year on Long Island, leading the team with 75 points, and made a little noise that year against Toronto in the first round. But he never reached or surpassed that level at all in his time after that New York ended up buying Yashin out after the 2008 season. It looked good in theory at the start, but ended in disaster all the way around for the Isles.
4. Nick Batum- Charlotte Hornets
He had himself a solid run during the first seven years in the NBA while playing in Portland. Batum was a good defender and a solid three point shooter. Yet the Hornets thought it would be a good idea, signing him to a max contract at five years worth $120 million. I'm sorry but a guy who's never made the all star game and who's best year was averaging 15.1 a game in the 2nd year in Charlotte isn't worth $24 million a year. Oh yeah and you have guys like Kyrie Irving, Kawhi Leonard, and Jimmy Butler who are making a little less then that on average on contacts. Lets be real here, Batum, while a solid player, never played in an all star game. he's never lead the league in any offensive category during his career. He got and is getting paid a lot of money for a guy who should be in the upper levels of talent in this league, yet isn't anywhere close to it.
3. Bobby Bonilla- New York Mets
OK think about this. When the Mets first brought him in in 1991, he was given the highest contract at that time at $23 million over 5 years. At the time it was a lot of money. He was somewhat productive during his first go around with the Mets, hitting .278, while cracking 91 home runs and driving in 277 runs. All this was done during in three and a half years in New York. He even ended up playing in the 1993 and 1995 all star games as a Met. New York brought him back for another go around in 1999. His production that year was so bad, he didn't even last 60 games with the team, so they cut ties with him. Only thing is the Mets still owed him $5.9 million. So they agreed to pay him $1.1 million till 2035! That's why July 1st is known as Bobby Bonilla day! Ugh that was a bad signing.
2. Jay Cutler- Chicago Bears
I still can't fully wrap my head around this one.Cutler had put up decent numbers at the start of his career in Denver. Finished three games under .500 and threw for just over 9,000 yards. The Bears saw that as good enough and gave Cutler a massive payday. Chicago signed him to a seven-year, $126 million contract. By the time all was said and done, he finished 51-51 as starter in Chicago, throwing for 23,443 yards, 154 touchdowns and 109 picks. Hell he threw 26 picks in his first year in the Windy City. The only stats that Cutler lead the NFL in during his time in Chicago were leading the league in are interceptions twice, and sacks (52 in 2010). Talk about a deal backfiring.
1. Rick DiPietro- New York Islanders
Facts are the Islanders became know for doing stupid stuff like this after the dynasty years ended. Trading away young prospect talent because they were cheap. Or giving away gigantic contracts like this one. After the 2007 season, the Islanders signed Rickey to a 15 year deal worth $67.8 Million. I'll be the first to admit, and I've said it on more than one occasion, I hated that contract the day it was signed. Why? Because yes Rickey was a good netminder, but not an elite one. At least not worth that long a deal. Yes he had won 30 or more games in a season twice before landing this contract and he would crack the 100 win mark in an Islanders sweater. But never once during his career did I really think he was the next face of the franchise in net. He was close sure, but he never got over the hump. And his body started to fail him shortly after signing this contract. I think, if his body had allowed him, he would have kept up the consistency he had started to show during his better years. But it just wasn't there and the Islanders looked even worse for this signing as time went on
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