Who was the worst?
Examining which team signed the worst free agent in Houston sports history
May 4, 2020, 12:13 pm
There are four players in particular that two Houston teams regret signing, but who are they?
At the number one spot is Brock Osweiler who was brought here from the Denver Broncos. Osweiler signed a four-year contract for $72 million on March 9th, 2016. Houstonians thought it was an answer from God, but things did not go as planned. Osweiler was not successful for the Houston Texans. He got benched in week 15 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Houston crowd actually cheered when he was benched.
Osweiler eventually regained his starting job because of Tom Savage's concussion in week 17. There were multiple rumors that Osweiler and Bill O'Brien got into a heated discussion in the Titans' locker room. Even though Osweiler won a playoff game, he went 8-6 as a starting quarterback, and had a disappointing 15 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. After the season, Houston was able to get rid of the contract by trading him to the Cleveland Browns along with Houston's 2nd round pick. The Osweiler chapter was closed.
Coming in second is Ahman Green who the Texans signed from the Green Bay Packers. Green was a four-time Pro Bowler with the Packers, and signed a four-year 23 million dollar deal with the Texans. The hope was that he would bring his skills to Houston and have a great finish to his career. He struggled with the death of his father, a family feud with his daughter, and a knee injury. Green only played six games, ran for 250 yards, and only had two touchdowns. This was not a good signing by the Texans to say the least.
In third place is Ed Reed who signed a three-year 15 million dollar deal with the Texans. At the time Reed had just won a Super Bowl with the Ravens in 2013, was a nine-time pro-bowler, and was still looked at as one of the best safeties in football. The Texans did not get off to a good start that season. Reed only had 16 tackles in six games and lost his starting job after making his debut against the Ravens week 3. Houston was 2-7 after a 27-24 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. Reed made comments that questioned the coaching on the Texans staff. When those comments were made, the Texans released him.
Texans To Release Ed Reed - SportsCenter (11-12-2013)youtu.be
In fourth place is Scottie Pippen who signed a five-year 67 million dollar deal with the Houston Rockets. Pippen wanted to team up with Hakeem Olajuwon and Charles Barkley to win a championship. He mentioned on ESPN's The Jump that the Rockets wanted him to be a three-point shooter while Olajuwon and Barkley posted up. Pippen only played 50 games while averaging 14.5 points per game. The seven-time All-Star and six-time champion did not plan out in Houston. Barkley was upset and wanted an apology from Pippen after asking for a trade to leave Houston. Pippen felt like Barkley did not work hard enough to win a championship, and many Houston fans believed that Pippen quit on the Rockets.
Pippen vs Barkley's "sorry fat butt"youtu.be
There you have it.
There are plenty of other bad contracts that did not get discussed, so feel free to mention them on Twitter and Facebook.
Hopefully, Houston teams have learned from their mistakes.
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Coming off a dominant offensive performance, the Houston Astros return to the field Wednesday night looking to keep their momentum rolling against the Athletics. Cam Smith’s four-hit breakout powered a 13-3 rout on Tuesday, and now the Astros aim to take control of the series in Game 3 of the four-game set.
Houston, sitting atop the AL West at 42-31, will send left-hander Framber Valdez to the mound. Valdez has been in strong form all season, posting a 7-4 record with a 3.10 ERA and 96 strikeouts in 2025. He’ll be looking to build on Houston’s recent pitching success. The Astros have held opponents to a 2.60 ERA over their last 10 games while going 7-3 in that span and outscoring opponents by 24 runs.
The A’s will counter with veteran right-hander Luis Severino, who enters with a 2-6 record and a 4.47 ERA. While his season has been inconsistent, Severino still has the ability to miss bats and will look to keep an Astros lineup in check that’s hitting .271 over its last 10 contests.
The Athletics come in at 30-45 overall and 13-24 at home, and though they've dropped three of four to the Astros this season, the power potential is always there. The A’s have launched 92 home runs so far — seventh-most in the majors — with Tyler Soderstrom and Max Muncy continuing to anchor the offense. Soderstrom has already racked up 14 homers and 45 RBIs on the year, while Muncy has gone deep three times over his last 10 games.
Houston’s offense has been steadily rising, fueled by key performances from both veterans and emerging talent. Jeremy Peña continues to provide steady production with 15 doubles and nine homers on the year, while rookie Cam Smith has caught fire, going 14-for-40 with four doubles and two homers in his last 10 games.
The Astros are 33-13 this season when they out-hit their opponent, and they’ll look to follow that blueprint again Wednesday. First pitch is set for 10:05 p.m. EDT in West Sacramento, with Houston holding a 3-1 edge in the season series.
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Astros -162, Athletics +136; over/under is 9 runs
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