Bad contracts can burn money. Christopher Furlong/Getty Images
Sometimes, the conversations start innocently enough. Eventually, the debate starts. From there, the talk can turn into a full-fledged argument and maybe even a fight. Sports opinions can do this to us, especially when we are passionate. We often forget fan is short for “fanatic.”
Typically when there’s a free agent or player to be re-signed, there will be errors made and money wasted. There isn’t a formula or exact science to it. Here’s my "Fab Five Flubs" in Houston sports history:
5. Carlos Lee
At six years/$100 million, Carlos Lee was money wasted by a team who tried to bandage gaping wounds with toilet paper. The 2006 version of the Astros finished 1.5 games behind the eventual World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals in the division. Jeff Bagwell retired after the team didn’t pick up his team option. Roger Clemens and Andy Pettite both left via free agency. Over his six years in Houston, Lee averaged 22 home runs, 88 RBIs, and a .286 batting average. Hardly worth the $100 million spent on him.
4. Kelvin Cato
Here’s a guy who inspired the famous line by ESG: “Tell Kelvin Cato we want our money back!” On October 15, 1999, he recorded a preseason triple double (20 points, 13 rebounds, 12 blocks in 31 minutes) vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers. October 28, 1999, the Rockets signed him to a six-year, $42 million-dollar deal. At 6’11, 275 pounds, the Rockets never got more than 8 points, seven rebounds and a block per game from Cato. He was later packaged with Steve Francis, Cuttino Mobley, and others for Tracy McGrady.
3. Brock Osweiller
Here’s what $37 million dollars guaranteed, and several high lost draft picks look like when you invest as much in the quarterback position and it goes wrong. Not only was the guaranteed money wasted on a guy who completed 59 percent of his passes (15 touchdowns, 16 picks), but also the draft picks given up to get out of his deal and draft Deshaun Watson to potentially replace him. Osweiller lasted one miserable 9-7 season for the Texans, but his “legacy” could take years to overcome.
2. Matt Maloney
Matt Maloney was yet another Houston athlete that benefitted from Band-Aid team building. Carlos Lee wasn’t the first. Maloney got a seven-year deal off the strength of: Brent Price being out for the season. Charles Barkley thinking he could come in and play the point guard position, and hitting about 40 percent from three point land while Barkley and Hakeem Olajuwon were in the twilight of their careers. Maloney ended up making almost 90 perecent of his career $17-plus million off the foolish deal the Rockets gave him in 1998.
1. Ahman Green
Signing a 30-year-old running back in the NFL is the equivalent to signing a 40-plus power pitcher in baseball. Yes, they were once great. Yes, they still have the knowledge. But the game has passed them by, and they can’t clock upper mid-90s with that fastball anymore. At four years, $23 million, the Texans could have brought in Jamal Lewis for the three years, $17 million the Browns spent on him in the same free agency class. Lewis was two years younger and had success in Cleveland. Green never amounted to anything for the Texans.
Honorable mention
- Matt Schaub’s extension was unwarranted, undeserved, and never panned out.
- James Harden may prove to be the most enigmatic albatross an NBA franchise has ever had.
To err on the side of caution is always best. The Houston sports scene is seeing a sort of renaissance right now, and the Texans can be promising if Watson pans out.
The Rockets got Chris Paul to pair with Harden (like giving the Cowardly Lion a heart). And the Astros are young and very dangerous. Here’s hoping the stupidity that once plagued those front offices has been eradicated.
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Rich Eisen lays out how Stefon Diggs trade will impact Texans next season
Apr 19, 2024, 3:03 pm
Impersonal as it might seem to have their dynamic on-field relationship end with an exchange of phone texts, Bills quarterback Josh Allen made it clear on Thursday how much receiver Stefon Diggs meant to him during their four seasons together in Buffalo.
Allen made no mention of Diggs’ mercurial temperament or the occasional sideline flare-ups by expressing only praise in his first opportunity to discuss his now-former teammate being traded to the Houston Texans earlier this month.
“Just thanking him for everything that he did for me, and (I’ll) always have a spot in my heart for him. I’ll always love that guy like a brother. And I wish him nothing but the best,” Allen said, in disclosing what he texted to Diggs. “My lasting memory of Stef will be the receiver that helped me become the quarterback that I am today.”
Brought together in March 2020, when Buffalo gave up a first-round draft pick to acquire Diggs in a trade with Minnesota, the duo went on to re-write many of Buffalo's single-season passing and scoring records, and lead the team to four straight AFC East titles.
Diggs, now 30, also brought an inescapable sense of drama with him in raising questions about his commitment to the Bills and whether his tight relationship with Allen had soured.
A day before being traded, Diggs posted a message, “You sure?” on the social media platform X in response to someone suggesting he wasn’t essential to Allen’s success.
Whatever hard feelings, if any, lingered as Buffalo opened its voluntary workout sessions this week were not apparent from Allen or coach Sean McDermott, who also addressed reporters for the first time since Diggs was traded.
“Stef’s a great player, really enjoyed our time together. Won a lot of games and he was a huge factor in winning those games. We’ll miss him,” McDermott said. “You never replace a player like Stef Diggs, and we wish him well.”
Allen turned his focus to the future and a Bills team that spent much of the offseason retooling an aging and expensive roster.
Aside from trading Diggs, salary cap restrictions led to Buffalo cutting respected center Mitch Morse, the breakup of a veteran secondary that had been together since 2017, and the team unable to afford re-signing No. 2 receiver Gabe Davis.
“I don’t think it’s a wrong thing or a bad thing to get younger,” said Allen, entering his seventh NFL season. “I think it’s an opportunity for myself to grow as a leader. And to bring along some of these young guys and new guys that we’ve brought in to our team. And that’s an opportunity, frankly, that I’m very excited about."
Despite the departures, the Bills offense is not exactly lacking even though general manager Brandon Beane is expected to target selecting a receiver with his first pick — currently 28th overall — in the draft next week.
Receiver Khalil Shakir enters his third year and tight end Dalton Kincaid enter his second following promising seasons. Buffalo also added veteran experience in signing free agent receiver Curtis Samuel and Mack Hollins.
While Beane acknowledged the Bills lack a true No. 1 receiver, he noted there’s less urgency to fill that spot now than in 2020 because of how much the offense has developed under Allen.
“Now that Josh has ascended to the player he is, is that a requirement? I don’t think so,” Beane said.
Diggs’ role also began diminishing in the second half of last season, which coincided with Joe Brady replacing Ken Dorsey as offensive coordinator. Brady placed an emphasis on adding balance to a pass-heavy attack and getting more receivers involved, which led to an uptick in production for Shakir and Kincaid.
While Diggs’ numbers dropped, Buffalo’s win total increased.
With the Bills at 6-6, Diggs ranked third in the NFL with 83 catches, seventh with 969 yards and tied for third with eight TDs receiving. Buffalo then closed the season with five straight wins in which Diggs combined for 24 catches for 214 yards and no scores.
”(Diggs) meant a lot. You look at the statistics, they don’t lie,” Allen said, in referring to Diggs topping 100 catches and 1,000 yards in each of his four seasons in Buffalo. “I don’t get paid to make changes on the team. I get paid to be the best quarterback that I can be and try to lead the guys on this team.”