Looking back: 10 best and worst contracts from 2019 February 7, 2020 “Those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it,” so said some great man. “Hindsight is 20/20,” said another. “What the heck were people thinking?” says … um, me. With the 2019 season in our rearview mirror, we can take a look back at some of the hits and misses of player personnel evaluations. Here’s a look at the Top 10 best and worst contracts from 2019. The Best Grading the best contracts was a mostly objective process with some subjective reasoning sprinkled in. To qualify for one of the best contracts: Kickers and defenses were immediately withdrawn from consideration, as distinguishing a difference between contract value is an exercise in futility. A player must have finished the season with starter-level points (i.e. they ranked 1-12 for quarterbacks and tight ends and 1-24 for running backs and wide receivers. FLEX positions were not considered.) Ultimately, players must have had a high “points per dollar” average — the amount of points a player scored per dollar spent on him. 10. Lamar Jackson, QB/BAL (Russia Renegades) — $2.00 What a year for Jackson, who finished first in quarterback scoring by more than 64 points. He also averaged a league-high 35.5 points per game. Despite topping the quarterback list in points, he was all the way down at 8th in quarterback salary. Selected 15th overall in the 2018 MFFL Draft by Egypt, he was traded to Ukraine and then again to Russia last offseason. He was a big reason for Russia’s run to the Northwest Conference Championship game. 9. Amari Cooper, WR/DAL (Turkey Jerky) — $1.00 Turkey signed Amari Cooper to a very favorable 3-year, $7.00 million contract in the 2018 MFFL Auction, as the third player up for nomination. Not only was the $21 million gross salary advantageous, but the Jerky severely front-loaded it in the first year of the deal, leaving Cooper with 2 years and $1 million per year after that. Cooper finished 10th among receivers in scoring and averaged 15.4 points per game. Next to Chris Godwin, Cooper easily had the most affordable contract among the Top 19 receivers in the MFFL last year. 8. Austin Hooper, TE/ATL (Jamaica Jerks) — $0.75 Jamaica signed Hooper to a 3-year, $0.75 million contract in the 2019 Auction, and they’re sure glad they did. Hooper finished 6th among tight ends in scoring and averaged 16.3 points per game — third behind only Travis Kelce and George Kittle. Hooper was a big reason for the Jerks’ early season success and his relatively cheap contract will allow Jamaica the financial flexibility to retain some of their other talent. 7. Dallas Goedert, TE/PHI (Christmas Island Crabs) — $0.50 Goedert was selected 32nd overall in the 2018 MFFL Draft by the Ukraine Grainers, thereby earning a cheap contract. He was acquired by Christmas Island and became a staple of their postseason run, even putting up 27.1 points against his former team in last year’s Super Bowl victory for the Crabs. Goedert finished 10th in tight end scoring and he had the cheapest contract of any of those players not named Waller. 6. Josh Allen, QB/BUF (San Juan Scorpions) — $1.00 San Juan selected Josh Allen with the 30th pick in the 2018 MFFL Draft. As a third-round draft pick, the Scorpions have enjoyed the high return on the low investment. Due to his ability to make plays with his legs, Allen continues to be a dual threat quarterback. Allen finished 12th in quarterback scoring, but he also had the cheapest salary among them all, including 2019 first-round pick Kyler Murray. His point-per-dollar total cemented his spot on this list. 5. James White, RB/NE (Jamaica Jerks) — $0.25 White perennially is Mr. Underappreciated. He consistently churns out solid production due to his pass-catching prowess. White was signed 102nd overall in the 2018 MFFL Auction by the Christmas Island Crabs and made his way to Jamaica on an ultra-friendly $0.25 million deal. White finished 18th among running backs in scoring and averaged 13.3 points per game. White was instrumental in the Jerks’ 7-1 start to the 2019 season. 4. John Brown, WR/BUF (San Juan Scorpions) — $0.25 San Juan made John Brown the 112th signing in the 2018 MFFL Auction — second to last. They inked him to a three-year contract and reaped the benefits in the second year of his deal. Brown finished 19th among wide receiver scoring and averaged 14.8 points per game. His production helped offset the season-long absence of A.J. Green and the sporadic absences of Alshon Jeffery and T.Y. Hilton. 3. Darren Waller, TE/OAK (Ukraine Grainers) — $0.25 Ukraine found great value with the 101st signing of the 2019 Auction, nabbing Waller for a league-minimum $0.25 million. Waller finished third in scoring among tight ends and averaged 15.4 points per game. The Grainers locked him up for three years, so his contract becomes one of the top assets in the league moving forward. 2. Chris Godwin, WR/TB (Ukraine Grainers) — $0.25 Ukraine selected Godwin with Pick 32 in the 2017 MFFL Draft. They front-loaded his contract, giving him a league-minimum salary in the final year of his deal. Godwin exploded in his breakout third season, finishing second in scoring to just Michael Thomas among wide receivers. Godwin’s low salary — paired with teammates such as Waller, Kittle and Christian McCaffrey — allowed the Grainers to take on the contracts of several supporting stars en route to the team’s Super Bowl runner-up season. 1. Aaron Jones, RB/GB (Nagasaki Kamikazes) — $0.25 Jones signed a 3-year, $0.75 million contract with Ukraine in the 2018 Auction. His contract was restructured and front-loaded so that he was paid just $0.25 million in Years 2 and 3. That easily made his contract the most valuable asset in the MFFL after his breakout 2019 season. Jones finished second in scoring to only Christian McCaffrey among all running backs. He averaged 19.5 points per game and was a big factor in the Kamikazes’ East Division title run. His salary allows Nagasaki much financial flexibility entering the final year of his deal. The Worst Grading the worst contracts, like the best, was a mostly objective process with some subjective reasoning sprinkled in. To qualify for one of the worst contracts: Kickers and defenses were immediately withdrawn from consideration, as distinguishing a difference between contract value is an exercise in futility. Players who did not participate in at least half the season were disqualified from consideration. Obviously, the contracts of players who were injured or suspended for much of the season turned out to be bad, but it was to no fault of the owner. A player must have had a contract that ranked as a “starter-level contract” (i.e. the contract ranked among the 12 highest for quarterbacks and tight ends or among the 24 highest for running backs and wide receivers.) Ultimately, players must have had a low “points per dollar” average — the amount of points a player scored per dollar spent on him. 10. Tevin Coleman, RB/SF (Jamaica Jerks) — $11.25 Coleman received the NFT from Turkey during the 2019 offseason, so he began the year with a high price tag and equally high expectations. Coleman eventually got shipped to Russia and then to Jamaica before the trade deadline. Coleman failed to surpass 10 points in five games during the MFFL’s regular season. And he only twice scored more than 15. He finished 39th in running back scoring and averaged a paltry 9.7 points per game. 9. Odell Beckham Jr., WR/CLE (Ukraine Grainers) — $15.00 Beckham was in Year 2 of a 3-year deal he signed with Russia in the 2018 MFFL Auction. If the Renegades hadn’t paid down his salary, his original $22.75 million contract might have landed him second on this list. Beckham had a season of up-and-down performances, but only three times topped the 15-point mark. He failed to even reach the 12-point mark in 7 separate games. His inconsistency was so bad, it ultimately led the Grainers to bench him in the Super Bowl. 8. LeSean McCoy, RB/KC (Egypt Pharaohs) — $10.25 McCoy was in the second year of his 2-year deal, signed during the 2018 Auction. That was one year after he earned $18.00 million in the 2017 Auction. It’s as if his age finally caught up with him and his skills hit a wall. McCoy failed to top 10 points in six different games during the MFFL regular season, and failed to score even 2 points in two of his games. McCoy finished 42nd among running backs in scoring and averaged 9 points per game. 7. Corey Davis, WR/TEN (Jamaica Jerks) — $9.00 The third-overall pick in the 2017 MFFL Draft has been a colossal disappointment. Davis began the season on Ecuador’s roster, was traded to the Renegades, and then later was shipped to the Jerks. Davis’ $9.00 million salary was exorbitantly high given his lack of production, and he barely saw the field during the MFFL season. Davis finished 63rd among wide receivers in scoring and averaged 7.7 points per game. 6. Brandin Cooks, WR/LAR (Wake Island Wookiees) — $9.50 Cooks entered the 2019 season as the apparent No. 2 receiver opposite Julio Jones in Wake Island’s offense. With a relatively high price tag of $9.50, he was supposed to help the Wookiees back to the playoffs. Wake Island managed to get there, but it just might have been in spite of Cooks rather than because of him. Cooks managed to score more than 13 points just three times during the MFFL’s regular season, and he failed to even top 7 points in six of his other games. Cooks finished 62nd in scoring among receivers. 5. Eric Ebron, TE/IND (Wake Island Wookiees) — $8.25 Following a successful 2018 season, the Wookiees placed the NFT on tight end Eric Ebron. That immediately earned him one of the highest salaries among all tight ends. With that kind of price tag, there is little room for error, but Ebron’s season was filled with lots of it. Ebron fell flat in 7 of his 11 games in 2019, scoring less than 10 points. He finished 27th in scoring among tight ends. 4. Damien Williams, RB/KC (Christmas Island Crabs) — $14.25 Williams received high praise and encouraging future projection following an impressive conclusion to the 2018 season. He entered the 2019 Auction with quite a bit of enthused owners looking for a playmaking running back. Unfortunately for the Crabs, the victors of the bidding, Williams laid a dud for the majority of the season. In the nine games he played before his bye week, Williams dropped 6 duds of less than 10 points. Fortunately for the Crabs, they didn’t need him as they went on to win the Super Bowl anyway. But Williams finished 38th in scoring among all running backs. 3. T.Y. Hilton, WR/IND (Switzerland Squirrels) — $15.50 Hilton was the victim of an ill-timed quarterback switch. He entered the second year of his $15.50 million deal with the defending champion Scorpions and ultimately had a miserable season. He missed 6 games to injury, which skewed his statistics a little bit. But he had six games of 10 points or less, making his high salary a little difficult to stomach. He ultimately finished 57th in scoring among wide receivers, and was traded to Switzerland prior to the trade deadline. 2. Adam Thielen, WR/MIN (San Juan Scorpions) — $18.50 Thielen began the 2019 season playing for the Squirrels under the hefty price tag of the EFT. He would later be traded to San Juan prior to the trade deadline. Generally, a team is willing to eat the salary that is above market value for a player they deem important to their plan, but Thielen failed to live up to those expectations in 2019. In fairness to Thielen, and the Squirrels/Scorpions, he just barely played enough games to qualify for this “worst” list. He spent a lot of time on the sideline. But even in the games in which he played before injury, he had some duds. Thielen finished 64th in scoring among wide receivers and averaged a modest 11.4 points per game. 1. David Johnson, RB/ARI (Ecuador Ewoks) — $26.00 It should come as little surprise that the MFFL’s highest-paid player in 2019 — who was the league’s 154th highest scorer — would earn the top spot on this list. Ecuador slapped the NFT on Johnson and then he slapped them back with his performance. The Ewoks elected to match the $26 million offer he received from Nagasaki during the 2019 Auction. Johnson’s season did not actually start all that bad. He topped 20 points in three of his first six games and finished with more than 18 points in two of the others. However, in four of the nine games he played during the MFFL regular season, he failed to reach double digits in points. And then there was that minus-1 point he put up in Week 10. Fun fact for you: Ecuador had another D. Johnson on their roster heading into the season, whom they traded to Christmas Island: Duke Johnson, who had a $0.50 million salary. For comparison, Duke finished with 12.5 more points than David on the season … at $25.50 million less salary.