Las Vegas Raiders April Fools: 5 worst free agent signings in history
1. Javon Walker, WR, Denver Broncos
The signing of Javon Walker in 2008 is not just the worst in Raiders history but one of the worst in the history of the NFL. Even as the deal was signed it made no sense for the Raiders to give a six-year, $55 million contract to a player that had done next to nothing the previous season. Walker struggled with injury both in Green Bay and Denver but it has to be said that when he was healthy he was an excellent receiver.
Smarter franchises would have offered Walker an incentive-laden deal that had a low base pay but with incentives based on performance or health but at that point the Raiders were not very smart. As is usually the case with players who have been injury prone over their careers, they eventually catch up to them in a major way.
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In his first season with the Raiders, Walker recorded just 15 catches, 196 yards, and one touchdown in eight games and reportedly threatened to retire during training camp, a move he pulled in Green Bay in a push for a better contract. He missed the second half of the season with injury and played in just three games in the 2010 season and did not record a single catch. For his minimal contribution to the Raiders, Walker was paid $21 million which comes out to an absurd $1.4 million per catch.