The New England Patriots have had a lot of success signing free agents but not every player they have signed in their history has worked out. Let's take a look at the five worst free agent signings in Patriots history.
Joseph Addai
The Patriots are usually active in free agency when it comes to running backs and most have worked out well. One who didn't was Joseph Addai, who the team signed to a one-year contract in 2012. After being a solid player with the Colts, the hope was that Addai could be a big part of the rotation in New England.
Not only didn't Addai make it into a regular-season game, he didn't even make it through training camp. Addai reportedly quit during the conditioning test and left the team. It left the team shorthanded at running back for that season.
Antonio Brown is the most recent player on this list and he didn't last long with the Patriots, not making it out of September. Brown's signing with the Patriots received a lot of pushback, but the Patriots still decided to go ahead with it. After Brown was signed, he was accused of sexual assault, and another woman said Brown was sending intimidating text messages to her.
Brown played only one game with the Patriots in 2019, catching four passes for 56 yards and one touchdown.
Joey Galloway
Joey Galloway had already been in the league for 14 years and had been successful, so the hope was high he could be a standout talent for the Patriots when they signed him in 2009.
Galloway thought he was coming in to be a deep threat but the Patriots had different plans for him. He was vocal about his frustration and that didn't sit well with the Patriots. He played in three games, starting only two of them, and catching seven passes for 67 yards and zero touchdowns.
The team released him, and he didn't find a new team until the following season when he joined the Washington Redskins for one year.
Deltha O'Neal
In 2008, the Patriots brought in Deltha O'Neal to try and help their secondary but it didn't work. He was known for his speed but once he arrived with the Patriots he was consistently burned.
Every once in a while he would show some flashes of being the standout cornerback he once was, but those were few and far between. After only one season with the team, the Patriots released him back to the streets.
Adalius Thomas
Linebacker Adalius Thomas had a great start to his time with the Patriots in 2007, but things quickly went south and the relationship soured for both sides. In the first season of the deal, Thomas played well and it looked like things were going to work out well for both the player and the team.
After the first season, Thomas' play fell off. And when Thomas arrived late in practice during a snowstorm in 2009, he was sent home.
The Patriots moved on from him the following offseason.
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