Most Overvalued Players Ever

When free agency comes along, you know what happens: players get cartoon dollar signs in their eyes, and management is all too happy to start tossing greenbacks at them like rice at a wedding. This is all fine of course—evaluating talent is what the general manager is paid to do, after all. Unfortunately, history has proven that even in the big leagues, many GMs aren't any smarter than that guy in your fantasy football league who always picks a kicker in the first round, which is how this group of bozos ended up becoming the most overvalued players ever. Thanks for nothing, front office!

How overvalued was former number one overall draft pick JaMarcus Russell? So overvalued that the NFL ended up changing league rules to ensure nobody else makes a mistake quite as big as the tens of millions of dollars the Oakland Raiders basically set on fire. The Raiders signed Russell to a six-year deal worth $61 million, with $32 million of that guaranteed. He ended up playing just three seasons, compiling an embarrassing 7-18 record before eating himself out of the league. The "JaMarcus Russell Rule" has since established a salary cap for draft picks, but it far too late to save the dignity of anyone involved in this fiasco.

The New York Islanders was once a glorious, proud franchise. That was a long time ago. What was the turning point of their long slide to becoming a punchline? The gross overvaluing of Russian "star" Alexei Yashin. After trading for Yashin in 2001, Islanders GM Mike Milbury, whose previous claim to fame was beating a fan with his own shoe during a brawl at Madison Square Garden, cemented his legacy by signing Yashin to a near-preposterous 10-year-long, $87 million contract. Turns out the contract effectively made Yashin unable to be traded, and it severely crippled New York's ability to sign anyone else, which meant Yashin had to be really great for the team to do anything with the money they spent. Instead, he promptly began a precipitous decline. By 2007, he was so awful that the Islanders bought out the rest of his contract, literally paying him not to play for the team anymore.

Speaking of nine figure contracts, at least Barry Zito actually tried. The same can't be said for Albert Haynesworth. Widely considered the worst free agent signing in NFL history, Haynesworth was inked to a seven-year, $100 million contract by the Washington Redskins in 2009. They believed he could be a disruptive force on the defensive side of the ball. He was disruptive, alright, but only in the locker room, not on the field. Haynesworth refused to participate in practice drills, was woefully out of shape, publicly criticized his coaches, and basically gave a grand total of zero craps about anything. He played for only one season, and not even all of that, as he was suspended by the team before the end of the year.

How badly did the Colorado Rockies overvalue pitcher Mike Hampton? Back in 2000, they signed Hampton to what was at the time the largest contract in the history of American sports: eight years for $121 million. On his way out of New York, Hampton endeared himself to Mets fans by claiming it was the quality of the Denver school system rather than the truckload of money that enticed him to change teams. Still, Mets fans had the last laugh when Hampton crapped the bed, going 21-28 with an ERA close to 6 in his first two seasons. That was enough for the Rockies, who traded him away to the Braves with six years left on his deal, eating part of his contract in the process. You're supposed to make the opposing team strikeout, Mike, not your own.