RADIO
Many NFL teams have moved on to the offseason after seeing their 2023 season end. Several teams made awful moves over the past 12 months that they wish they could undo.
Unfortunately, many of these teams will likely make horrible decisions again over the next 12 months. Whether that is through a poor free agent signing, an illogical trade, or firing a head coach who shouldn't have lost his job, you can guarantee that there will be awful decisions again in 2024.
Let’s look at the 10 worst moves NFL teams made in 2023, starting with No. 10 and working up to No. 1.
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10) The Carolina Panthers Sign Miles Sanders
Sanders signed a massive free agent contract with the Panthers this offseason, leading many to believe he would be the featured running back. The former Penn State star had high expectations, coming off a career year in 2022. Unfortunately, he averaged a career-low 3.3 yards per rushing attempt and 27 yards per game. Sanders lost his starting role to Chuba Hubbard. The veteran running back could get released this offseason after only one season into his four-year contract.
9) The Baltimore Ravens Sign Odell Beckham Jr.
Despite sitting out the 2022 season, the Ravens signed Beckham to a one-year deal worth $15 million, fully guaranteed. The team bet on the veteran wide receiver to return to a star player, but he was a total flop free-agent addition. Beckham had only 35 receptions on 64 targets for 565 receiving yards and three touchdowns. He finished fifth in receiving touchdowns behind Nelson Agholor. While Zay Flowers was a solid NFL Draft pick, Baltimore goes into the offseason again needing help at wide receiver.
8) The Pittsburgh Steelers Sign Patrick Peterson
While Peterson didn’t sign a massive free agent contract last offseason, the team had high hopes for the veteran. However, he surrendered 13 yards per reception and had a 20.8% missed tackle rate, both his worst averages since 2017. The veteran got some reps at safety but was still a liability. Pittsburgh will need to completely redo their cornerback unit this offseason, as everyone but Joey Porter Jr. struggled. Expect Peterson to get released with one year left on his deal.
7) The Arizona Cardinals Trade For Joshua Dobbs
The Cardinals entered the season as the favorite to land the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. They are rebuilding and want as many draft picks as possible. Yet, Arizona sent a fifth-round pick to the Cleveland Browns for Dobbs and a seventh-round selection. While he won only one game with the Cardinals, the team gave up draft capital for a rental. Dobbs got traded to the Minnesota Vikings after eight games with Arizona, netting the team a sixth for a seventh-round pick swap.
6) Frank Reich Gets Fired By The Carolina Panthers
Unfortunately, this won’t be the last time the Panthers make this list. Owner David Tepper fired Reich in the first year of his four-year contract. He will have to pay three different head coaching contracts over the next several years. While Carolina severely struggled, the team was expected to be awful in 2023. Bryce Young was terrible, but he had a lack of help. Instead of accepting that the team would be bad, Tepper lost his cool and fired his head coach after 11 games.
5) The Kansas City Chiefs Pick Jawaan Taylor Over Orlando Brown Jr.
Kansas City let Brown leave in free agency, opting to sign Taylor as his replacement. Yet, the team didn’t give the former Jacksonville Jaguars right tackle a chance to be Patrick Mahomes’ blindside protector despite signing him to play that role. Meanwhile, Brown signed for less with the Cincinnati Bengals than Taylor did with the Chiefs. Brown had only three penalties in 2023, while Taylor led the league with 24, totaling six more than any other offensive lineman.
4) The New York Jets Sign Dalvin Cook
Nothing went according to plan for the Jets this season. Aaron Rodgers got hurt five minutes into the year, and everything went downhill from there. The team signed Dalvin Cook to create this impressive one-two punch at running back with Breece Hall. However, the veteran running back had only 67 rushing attempts for 214 yards and zero touchdowns in 15 games with New York. The team paid him over $30,000 per rushing yard this year. Furthermore, the Jets released him before the season ended.
3) The Carolina Panthers Sign Hayden Hurst
Hurst spent the first five years of his career bouncing around the NFL with three teams. He had more than 415 receiving yards in a season only once, totaling 571 in 2020, and has never been a difference-maker. Yet, the Panthers thought it was smart to sign him to a three-year contract worth $21.6 million. The veteran had the worst year of his career since his rookie season. Imagine if Carolina had used that cap space to sign Jakobi Meyers instead of a below-average tight end.
2) The New England Patriots Pick JuJu Smith-Schuster Over Jakobi Meyers
The Patriots made arguably the biggest mistake of the 2022 offseason, signing Smith-Schuster over keeping Meyers. While Smith-Schuster signed a slightly cheaper deal than Meyers, the decision could haunt the team for the next few years. Meyers had eight receiving touchdowns this season, setting a career-high despite sharing targets with Davante Adams. Meanwhile, Smith-Schuster struggled to stand out among an awful receiving core. More importantly, he isn’t a cut candidate this offseason and has an ongoing issue with his knee.
1) The Las Vegas Raiders Sign Jimmy Garoppolo
Las Vegas kicked Derek Carr to the curb in the offseason, replacing him with Garoppolo. The veteran quarterback had a history with head coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler in New England. They thought he would be their savior, signing him to a three-year deal worth over $72 million. Yet, Garoppolo struggled to stay healthy and had more interceptions (nine) than passing touchdowns (seven) in seven games. He was benched for Aidan O'Connell and played a massive role in McDaniels and Ziegler getting fired on Halloween.
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