Did the Giants Sign the Worst QB Contract in the NFL?

Did the Giants Sign the Worst QB Contract in the NFL?
Fact Checked by Blake Weishaar

The quarterback is the most important position in football, and namely, for the New York Giants playoff chances. Some teams get lucky and find a franchise quarterback that is 100% worth giving the big contract, while other teams are paying the big bucks for just average quarterback play. Over the last few offseasons, we have seen many quarterbacks receive huge contracts… while not putting up huge performances. 

Below is the list of the top-5 worst current QB contracts in the NFL.

RankPlayer (Team)Contract
1Daniel Jones, NYG4yr, $160m
2Derek Carr, NO4yr, $150m
3Lamar Jackson, BAL5yr, $260m
4Russell Wilson, DEN5yr, $245m
5Matthew Stafford, LAR4yr, $160m

To find out who are the most overpaid quarterbacks in the NFL, I used overthecap.com to find the player’s current contact average per year (APY) and their total career earnings through the 2022 season. I also used Pro-Football-Reference.com to find the player’s total career touchdowns and their career touchdown average in starts. After doing the math of earnings per career touchdown and estimated earnings per touchdown in 2023 for each of the top-14 paid quarterbacks in the league, I was able to determine the top-5 worst current QB contracts in the NFL.

1. DANIEL JONESStatsNFL Rank
Career Earnings / TD$862.9K2nd Most
Current APY$40.0M9th Most
Career TD Avg / Starts1.4Fewest
Estimated Earnings / TD (2023)$1.7MMost
2. DEREK CARRStatsNFL Rank
Career Earnings / TD$735.5K7th Most
Current APY$37.5M12th Most
Career TD Avg / Starts1.62nd Fewest
Estimated Earnings / TD (2023)$1.4M6th Most
3. LAMAR JACKSONStatsNFL Rank
Career Earnings / TD$839.9K3rd Most
Current APY$52.0MMost
Career TD Avg / Starts2.06th Most
Estimated Earnings / TD (2023)$1.5M7th Most
4. RUSSELL WILSONStatsNFL Rank
Career Earnings / TD$711.5K8th Most
Current APY$49.0M4th Most
Career TD Avg / Starts1.96th Fewest
Estimated Earnings / TD (2023)$1.5M7th Most
5. MATTHEW STAFFORDStatsNFL Rank
Career Earnings / TD$863.5KMost
Current APY$40.0M9th Most
Career TD Avg / Starts1.84th Fewest
Estimated Earnings / TD (2023)$1.3M10th Most

Giants Might Regret Jones' Contract

Daniel Jones received a massive four-year contract worth $160 million this offseason after having a career year in 2022 consisting of him throwing for just 3,205 yards and 15 touchdowns… not necessarily elite in any way, shape, or form. Surprisingly, this has landed Jones in the #1 spot on my list of most overrated QB contracts this season. Did the Giants overpay Jones?

  • Despite receiving a massive contract, Jones has a 21-32-1 record through four seasons, having thrown for more than 20 touchdowns in a season just once (2019). 
  • Prior to his new contract this offseason, Jones earned on average about $863,000 per touchdown scored through the 2022 season. That is the second-highest among the top-14 paid quarterbacks, behind only Matthew Stafford. 
  • Jones has averaged just 1.4 touchdowns per start over his four career seasons, the fewest among the top paid quarterbacks in the NFL. 
  • Using Jones' 1.4 TD per career start and new contract APY of $40 million, he is estimated to earn $1.7 million per touchdown scored in 2023. That is by far the highest estimated earnings per TD for 2023 among the top-14 paid quarterbacks in the NFL - $250,000 more than the next player, Lamar Jackson, and $700,000 more than the estimated amount that 2-time MVP Patrick Mahomes will receive next season. 

Until Daniel Jones can prove he can be one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, his contract is the #1 worst among current quarterbacks. 

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Author

Michelle Magdziuk

Michelle is an editorial researcher and fantasy writer for the NFL Network. She also is a co-host for the BallBlast Fantasy Football Podcast and the Gold Diggers Podcast on the 49ers Gold Standard Network.

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