Worst NFL contracts, 2026
Costs more than the play it buys. Moving one takes a sweetener: a pick or a prospect. 26 players are under water.
Updated November 6, 2026.
| # | Player | Team | Cap hit | Yrs | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Taylor Moton RT, 32 |  Carolina Panthers | $22.00M | 2 | −$4.2M |
| 2 | Laremy Tunsil LT, 32 |  Washington Commanders | $25.00M | 3 | −$2.6M |
| 3 | Matt Milano LB, 32 |  Buffalo Bills | $14.16M | 1 | −$0.6M |
| 4 | Jarrett Stidham QB, 30 |  Denver Broncos | $6.00M | 1 | −$0.5M |
| 5 | Kyler Gordon CB, 26 |  Chicago Bears | $13.33M | 3 | −$0.4M |
| 6 | Tavierre Thomas CB, 30 |  Minnesota Vikings | $2.30M | 2 | −$0.3M |
| 7 | Tremon Smith CB, 30 |  Houston Texans | $3.25M | 1 | −$0.3M |
| 8 | Josh Jones LT, 29 |  Seattle Seahawks | $4.00M | 1 | −$0.3M |
| 9 | Chris Board LB, 31 |  New York Giants | $2.85M | 1 | −$0.3M |
| 10 | Cole Holcomb LB, 30 |  Pittsburgh Steelers | $2.00M | 3 | −$0.2M |
| 11 | Kene Nwangwu RB, 28 |  New York Jets | $2.00M | 1 | −$0.2M |
| 12 | Simi Fehoko WR, 29 |  Arizona Cardinals | $1.40M | 1 | −$0.2M |
| 13 | Ko Kieft TE, 28 |  Tampa Bay Buccaneers | $1.65M | 1 | −$0.2M |
| 14 | Chazz Surratt LB, 29 | Seattle Seahawks | $1.40M | 1 | −$0.2M |
| 15 | Jaden Davis CB, 25 | Houston Texans | $1.00M | 2 | −$0.1M |
| 16 | Dareke Young WR, 27 |  Las Vegas Raiders | $1.80M | 1 | −$0.1M |
| 17 | Chance Campbell LB, 27 |  Philadelphia Eagles | $1.03M | 1 | −$0.1M |
| 18 | Brandon Codrington CB, 25 |  San Francisco 49ers | $1.10M | 1 | −$0.1M |
| 19 | Sebastian Castro S, 26 | Pittsburgh Steelers | $0.25M | 4 | −$0.1M |
| 20 | Chase Lundt RT, 26 | Buffalo Bills | $0.25M | 3 | −$0.1M |
| 21 | Luke Gifford LB, 31 | San Francisco 49ers | $2.50M | 2 | −$0.1M |
| 22 | Kenny Pickett QB, 28 | Carolina Panthers | $4.00M | 1 | $0.0M |
| 23 | Garret Wallow LB, 27 | San Francisco 49ers | $1.24M | 1 | $0.0M |
| 24 | Stetson Bennett QB, 29 |  Los Angeles Rams | $1.13M | 1 | $0.0M |
| 25 | Dylan Laube RB, 26 | Las Vegas Raiders | $1.04M | 2 | $0.0M |
| 26 | Graham Mertz QB, 25 | Houston Texans | $1.11M | 3 | $0.0M |