NFL free agency is quickly approaching and balancing who you want your favorite teams to target versus who they can actually afford to add is an important aspect to consider. With the vast majority of teams facing cap-crunching maneuvers to even get under the salary cap for the new league year, the prices of some free agents will ruin teams for the next few seasons.

There are some teams, like the Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Chargers, that are in great positions by being in their competitive windows and having cap space to use, while others, like the New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers, are forced into restructures and kicking money down the road just to compete now.

The following list includes players that, while should be targeted during free agency, will likely be signed at very expensive contracts, more expensive than they should be and forcing teams into tough decisions. Bidding wars will likely commence as well, seeing as how there are so many teams looking to compete for the postseason in the ‘22 season, meaning money is what will ultimately help players decide where they sign, not necessarily fit.

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5 Most Overpriced Free Agents

5. Bobby Wagner

As the Seattle Seahawks decided to clean house of some of their most popular veterans, LB Bobby Wagner is now looking for a new team to call home. With the rest of the NFC West, as well as plenty of other teams, looking into signing him for next year, the 31-year-old will have plenty of suitors.

Wagner still brings a lot to the table, even though his mobility certainly is not what it used to be, and his health (15+ games in 8/10 seasons) bodes well for securing big money. But teams should be wary of throwing stupid money at Wagner in the form of a multi-year deal that sits north of $10 million annually.

He certainly can justify being worth it and there likely will be a team that pays that for him, but Wagner heading into a new scheme and with a ton of miles on his body, he ultimately will break down at some point.

4. Christian Kirk

The product of a fast-paced offense adapted from college principles, Christian Kirk thrived in Arizona, especially once Kliff Kingsbury was brought in from the college ranks. As Arizona’s slot receiver and doer of many different things, Kirk’s value heading into free agency is massive, but carries some potential issues.

Can Kirk be counted on as a WR1? Unlikely, especially since even during his days at Texas A&M Kirk played in the (taller) shadow of other WRs around him. Standing at 5’11”, Kirk is best built for a fast-paced, scree-oriented offense that is reliant on pre-snap motion(s), shorter route trees, and a strong offensive line built to carry to the second level quickly.

Rumors have it that Kirk’s new deal will be around $15 million annually, which is a preposterous number for a WR who just put up his first season of over 750 receiving yards – Kirk is a great WR2 option but not one that should be paid that handsomely.

3. Jadaveon Clowney

Heading back to the defensive side of the ball, Jadaveon Clowney has been a fairly competent edge rusher in his career but has, thus far, failed to live up to his first overall draft position. Having just put up one of his best career years with the Cleveland Browns, Clowney heads back into free agency.

After spending the first five years of his career in Houston, Clowney has been bouncing around the past three seasons, making stops in Seattle, Tennessee, and Cleveland. Plenty of teams have holes at the edge rusher spot and likely will be courting Clowney.

Even with this year’s draft class having a copious amount of bonafide edge prospects, Clowney will likely be targeted by many teams due to his name and his potential. Having just turned 29, any sort of long-term deal that gives Clowney more than $8 million guaranteed per season should be seen as an overpay, especially since he has only produced one 16-game season in his career (2017).

2. Evan Engram

Evan Engram has consistently been the prospect that never quite reached his ceiling ever since entering the league, but he hits free agency with a bunch of suitors.

With TEs like Dalton Schultz and Mike Gesicki earning franchise tags, that position in free agency has dwindled in TE1 options, making Engram a likely candidate to be overpaid by a team desperate for TE production. As shown during his time with the Giants, Engram has the physicality and length to be a top TE, but up to this point he has failed to actually put things together in that sense.

Expecting Engram to justify a long-term deal that pays him $8+ million per season is a big ask for him, but a team will likely decide that taking up a big chunk of their salary cap space for Engram’s potential alone will be justifiable – just hope it’s not your team.

1. Mitch Trubisky

This QB group in free agency will be such an interesting one to follow, especially with how poorly-ranked the incoming group of rookies are seen in the draft. Mitch Trubisky, who was a backup for the Buffalo Bills last season, is getting a crazy amount of push before free agency opens, to the point where reports are circulating of him earning a $10 million+ deal to come in and compete for a starting job.

During his time with the Chicago Bears, it was Trubisky who constantly bore the brunt of criticism in that offense, even though it likely fell onto Matt Nagy to be a better coach and play-caller. Having spent time with Brian Daboll and Josh Allen certainly helped better Trubisky and create better-established habits, but was his time out of the spotlight really that life-changing where he finally becomes the 1st-round talent he was drafted to be?

Trubisky is likely the best QB to switch teams this offseason, showing just how bad these free agency and draft classes are in that department – but just being able to hand out a double-digit, million-dollar deal to a struggling starter is a recipe for disaster, even if just for one year.