A Year in Review: The WORST Moves of the 2023 Offseason
Recently, I dove into the best signings of the 2023 offseason and the implications those moves had on their respective teams. With the NFL offseason being full of exciting trades, signings, and draft picks, there are always big headlines with huge success stories. Today, we dive into the opposite. I'll be going over the three WORST moves of last offseason and why they were detrimental to these teams' success.
#1 Saints Sign Derek Carr to Four-Year, $150 Million Deal
When we mention some of the most turbulent, confusing, and outright questionably run franchises in the NFL, it shocks me that the Saints don’t come up more often. This contract is just another example of that sentiment—a true head-scratcher. Coming into the 2023 offseason, the Saints had a 7-10 record and were in desperate need of a QB. They jumped the gun and offered Carr a massive deal with the belief that he could take them to the next level. Despite an improvement in record to 9-8 and a solid season from Carr on paper, it does not excuse the fact that he was given big money to compete. My main issue with this deal does not lie solely with Carr as a player but with the state of the Saints themselves. Currently, they are in a terrible financial spot with their cap situation, on top of having an aging team. Signing Carr out of desperation alone just doesn’t make sense and will hinder this team from competing, as he is not a championship QB, and their roster will soon collapse due to age and the cap if not addressed properly via the draft.
#2 Giants Extend Daniel Jones for Four Years, $160 Million
I didn’t want to put two Giants moves on here, as I wanted to make the list diverse but still true to the topic of worst moves of the offseason. Unfortunately, I feel too strongly about this move being the worst of the offseason to leave it off the list. The only redeeming factor for this contract is that the Giants have an out after this season if things continue to go the way they have. Jones showed promise in the 2022 playoff run that saw him win a game over the Minnesota Vikings. However, everything else that goes into deciding if someone is your franchise quarterback was unchecked and remains unchecked. New York practically squandered any chance they had of re-signing running back Saquon Barkley by paying Daniel Jones his money first. If New York had prioritized keeping one of its leaders and, more importantly, their best offensive player, last season could’ve gone much smoother. Jones has had two major injuries in the last three seasons, creating major doubt about his ability to stay healthy. New York paid Daniel based on what he had done in 2022 and were severely swayed by that playoff victory instead of looking at his complete body of work. Jones has never come close to 4,000 yards passing, never had more than 25 passing touchdowns in a season, and has repeatedly committed turnovers. The Giants effectively trapped themselves for two seasons with Jones' massive contract instead of moving off of it when they had the chance. I’ll say it one more time: the only redeeming factor of this contract is that the Giants have an easy out after this year.
#3 Giants Trade for Tight End Darren Waller
Giants Receive:
- TE Darren Waller
Raiders Receive:
- 3rd Rd Pick (100)
Some may have predicted this to go sour, but I don’t think anyone really knew how bad things could get. At the very least, I think everyone expected Waller to play more than 12 games in a Giants uniform, but unfortunately, that’s not how it played out. Despite being effective when he was on the field, injuries limited Waller to only 12 games, and ultimately, not long after the season, he chose to retire to focus on himself and his well-being. I’ll preface this by saying that there is nothing wrong with the decision he made—he’s had a great career and should be proud of his body of work. That said, from the Giants' standpoint, this is an absolute loss. They say hindsight is 20/20, and that definitely is the case with this situation, as no one could’ve seen this coming. Still, the situation stands: the Giants gave up a mid-round pick for 12 games of a player during one of the most disappointing seasons in recent memory. While the loss may seem minimal, the real kicker is the disappointment of what could’ve been.