8 of the Scariest Active Contracts

Michael Ginnitti
Michael Ginnitti, Managing Editor & NFL/MLB ExpertOctober 31, 2024
© USA TODAY Sports

Spotrac celebrates the Halloween season with a look at 8 of the scarier active contracts in major professional sports, including two each from the NFL, NBA, MLB, & NHL.

Deshaun Watson (QB, Browns)

Cleveland acquired Watson from the Houston Texans then immediately signed him to a 5 year,  $230,000,000 extension through the 2026 season. The catch? Every dollar of it was fully guaranteed at the time of signing. In his 4 active seasons in Houston, Watson averaged a passer rating of 104.1. But during his time in Cleveland (of which he’s played in just 19 games), Watson’s rating has dropped to a miserable 80.8.

The Browns now have to deal with an oft-injured, subpar quarterback with over $92M left to be paid, on cap hits of $72.935M (2025), $72.935M (2026) and $26.9M (voided dead cap). The contract also holds a full no-trade clause. Terrifying.

Dak Prescott (QB, Cowboys)

The Cowboys waited until the very last moment of the 2024 offseason before handing Prescott his 4 year, $240,000,000 ($231M guaranteed) extension, and they may be wishing they had waited a little longer through 8 weeks. The 31-year-old former 4th round pick is off to near career lows across the board, and as almost non-existent as a scrambling weapon out of the pocket. Dallas will need to open up their pockets further to rebuild this offense around Prescott & CeeDee Lamb, and it won’t be overly easy.

Prescott is fully guaranteed out of the gate through 2025 at $129M, and $231M of this contract will fully vest by early March 2027. Chilling.

Anthony Rendon (3B, Angels)

The Angels signed Rendon to a 7 year, $245,000,000 free agent contract immediately after he helped the Nationals win a miracle World Series title in 2019. In his last 5 seasons with Washington (2015-19), Rendon averaged 133 games played per season, with a 4.6 annual WAR. In his 5 seasons with LAA thus far (2020-24), Rendon has averaged 51 games played, with a 0.7 WAR.

The contract still holds fully guaranteed salaries of $38M for 2025 & $38M in 2026, and a full no-trade clause. Frightful.

Kris Bryant (OF/DH, Rockies)

The Rockies, fresh off of a 74-87, 4th-place 2021 season, signed Bryant away from the Giants to a 7 year, $182M contract. It was a cringe-worthy move then, and it remains as such 3 years later. To be fair, Bryant’s resurgence in 2021 (after a year and a half nosedive), gave teams a sense of irrational confidence when he hit the open market for the first time.

It wound up being fool’s gold however, as the 32-year-old carries a -1.03 WAR in 3 full seasons with the Rockies. The contract still has another 4 years, $104M to go, with a full no-trade clause to make things even more fun. Hair-Raising.

Jonathan Huberdeau (F, Flames)

The Flames acquired the rights to Huberdeau in a massive trade that sent Matthew Tkachuk to Florida, then extended the former #3 overall pick to an 8 year, $84M contract. He posted 115 points (30 goals, 85 assists) for the Panthers in the 2021-22 season. He’s collected 107 points in his 2+ seasons with Calgary since.

Huberdeau’s $10.5M AAV/Cap Hit ranks 10th in the NHL among forwards. He’s owed another $73.5M through the 2030-31 season. Blood-Curling.

Shea Weber (D, Utah)

Alright, this one’s a bit of low-hanging fruit, as Weber has been unable to take the ice since the 2020-21 season due to lingering foot/ankle/knee/thumb injuries - but it remains on the books nevertheless. Weber agreed to a 14 year, $110M contract with the Nashville Predators back in July of 2012. What could go wrong?

He was a good/great player through the 2016-17 season before things really started to nosedive (as will happen with a mid-30s athlete). The former 2nd round pick has been traded 3 times since 2016 (mostly just as a salary cap dump), and now finds himself on the Utah Hockey Club books for each of the next two seasons.

12 years later, Weber’s $7,857,143 cap hit, which runs through the 2025-26 season, still ranks 23rd among NHL defensemen. Petrifying.

Bradley Beal (SG, Suns)

Signed a 5 year, $251,020,000 extension with the Washington Wizards in July of 2022 after a season in which he played 40 games. The last time Beal played all 82 games was 2018-19, and he’s battling an early season injury already at the time of this piece.

The contract holds salaries of $50.2M this year, $53.6M next year, with a $57.1M player option in place for 2026-27. Eye-popping numbers for what can easily be considered Phoenix’s 3rd best offensive option. Grotesque.

Jordan Poole (SG, Wizards)

Remember when Poole was going to be the “next-generation” bridge that kept the Warriors’ dynasty alive? That didn’t age well. Golden State gave Poole a 4 year, $128M rookie extension in October of 2022, then traded him to Washington the following summer with a 1st Rd Pick, a 2nd Rd  Pick & two players for Chris Paul. All of this really happened. I double-checked.

Washington is now in Year 2 of this contract, paying Poole $29.6M this season, $31.8M next year, and $34M in 2026-27. There’s time for him to play his way into better standing, but for now: Horrifying.


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