Buyer's remorse is defined as "the sense of regret after having made a purchase, frequently associated with an expensive item."
In the sports world, this equates to player contracts and trades that end up bad for the teams. And in the NFL over the past couple years, the kings of buyer's remorse are the Eagles.
There's nothing worse for general managers and contract negotiators than to have a deal turn sour. Of course, some contracts and trades inevitably do not work out due to injuries, poor performance or bad fits. They’re calculated risks, costs of doing business. But too many bad deals — especially involving high-profile, costly players — will strangle a team's salary cap, put it in the dumpster and the GM out of a job.
Based on the trades and signings he has made over the past two years, Eagles GM (and chief negotiator) Howie Roseman should feel nervous about his job security.
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The latest Philly fiasco in the making involves the big contracts given to quarterbacks Sam Bradford and Chase Daniel, only to be followed by the trade up to the draft's No. 2 overall pick. There, the Eagles will pick another quarterback, Jared Goff or Carson Wentz (whoever the Rams don't take).
The oft-injured Bradford signed for two years and $35 million with $22 million guaranteed following a very average season in which he led the Eagles to a 7-9 record. Daniel is a career backup who received a three-year, $21 million contract with $12 million guaranteed.
Those deals were questionable before the trade. Now the Bradford and Daniel deals look absurd.
As a former NFL executive, I don't understand how a GM can possibly do both of those deals if he thinks he might select a quarterback in the first round, much less at No. 2 via a major trade. Considering the high draft picks given up, Goff or Wentz will be expected to start by Year 2, if not before (once Philly fans mercilessly boo Bradford in light of his trade demands).
The likely outcome is that Bradford will be gone by next March with a dead money hit of $5.5 million against the Eagles' cap. It's doubtful that the Eagles would trade him this year and absorb $11 million of dead money (reflecting his signing bonus). What team would trade for that contract without a pay cut?
Daniel probably will be the veteran quarterback who stays in 2017 with his offensive coordinator from Kansas City, new Eagles coach Doug Pederson. And Daniel then would be one of the league's more expensive backup quarterbacks at a $7 million base salary.
Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie already was suffering from a bad case of buyer's remorse over the free-agent contracts negotiated last year by Roseman, running back DeMarco Murray and cornerback Byron Maxwell, who had sub-par 2015 seasons.
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Former coach Chip Kelly shares equal billing in those disastrous deals. He wanted the players, and Roseman negotiated the contracts. Murray was paid $9 million for his one season and will further cost the Eagles $4 million in dead money this year … all for his 702 rushing yards and 3.6-yard average. The Eagles were so anxious to dump Murray that he was traded to the Titans for a pittance; a move-up of 13 draft picks in the fourth round.
After trading Maxwell to the Dolphins, the Eagles' tally on the corner is $8.7 million for one year and a dead money hit of $4.8 million. At least the trade of Maxwell — along with with linebacker Kiko Alonso, another bad acquisition in the LeSean McCoy deal last year — enabled Philadelphia to move up from No. 13 to No. 8 in the first round and set the stage for its jump to No. 2.
Not every signing or trade is going to work out. Seahawks GM John Schneider has a great track record overall, but he regrets giving Matt Flynn $9 million guaranteed in 2012, only to see him get beat out by a third-round draft pick named Russell Wilson. But at least Wilson leading the Seahawks to two Super Bowls has alleviated the sting from Flynn.
We’ve seen historically bad deals, such as Washington's $41 million in guarantees to Albert Haynesworth, who was a poor fit for their 3-4 defense after being an all pro 4-3 defensive tackle in Tennessee. Haynesworth, who lasted less than two seasons with the Redskins, is a classic example of why teams must be wary of the player who has a career season in the year his contract is up.
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During my years as Vikings GM, I had a few contracts that didn't work out (fortunately a limited number). I signed quarterback Brad Johnson to a starting-caliber contract in 1997 ($14 million for four years … yes player salaries were much lower back then) after he took over for an injured Warren Moon and led us to the playoffs in 1996.
Johnson started the first two games in 1998 before he was injured. Randall Cunningham took over and had an MVP season while leading us to a 15-1 record. With Cunningham returning as starter the next season, we traded Johnson to Washington for first-, second- and third-round picks. So while the contract did not ultimately prove its worth to us, the trade bounty certainly made up for it.
These undoubtedly are nervous times for the Texans, who gave Brock Osweiler a four-year, $72 million contract with $37 million guaranteed. Could he be the next Flynn? The Giants also have to be concerned about the huge deals given to Olivier Vernon and Janoris Jenkins not panning out. Then there’s Washington and its signing of Josh Norman for $15 million per year.
Roseman likes to say that teams have to take risks. Yes, Howie ... calculated risks that have a fairly high probability of being successful. What would make anyone think Bradford is worth $17.5 million per year amid a career full of injuries and inconsistent play, with no playoff appearances on his six-year resume?
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Has there ever been a player in any sport paid more for doing less than Bradford, including his huge Rams rookie contract of $78 million? Yet he feels disrespected by the Eagles.
Bradford should be thanking his lucky stars that the Eagles re-signed him on that deal, and he should focus on playing well enough to keep the incoming No. 2 pick (along with Daniel) on the bench. Then Bradford can set himself up for his next lucrative NFL stop with the next foolish team, which will wind up with another case of buyer's remorse.
Jeff Diamond is the former president of the Titans and the former vice president/general manager of the Vikings. He was selected NFL Executive of the Year in 1998. Diamond is currently a business and sports consultant who also does broadcast and online media work. He is the former chairman and CEO of The Ingram Group. Follow Jeff on Twitter: @jeffdiamondNFL.
