Oakland Raiders: 5 Of The Worst Free Agent Signings In Team History
By Kevin Saito
Dec 22, 2014; Cincinnati, OH, USA; General view of a Denver Broncos helmet on the sidelines against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
$55 million dollars just doesn’t get you what it used to, does it?
Given the fact that he was a pretty productive player when he was with the Denver Broncos – especially in 2006 when he hauled in 69 passes for 1,084 yards and eight scores, it’s understandable that Davis would want to sign him. It’s the price tag most everybody has a problem with. $55 million dollars with $16 million in guaranteed money for a guy who had something of a history with knee problems, seems ludicrous to most of us.
But if it were just a knee issue, that would be one thing. But Walker had some very strange moments as a member Silver and Black. The first one that surely sticks in everybody’s mind is the beating he took when he was in Las Vegas. And then there were, of course, the knee injuries. Not to mention some other very bizarre behavior.
But off the field issues aside, Walker’s on the field production – well, frankly – it sucked. Knee injuries limited him to just eight games in 2008. He caught 15 balls for 196 yards (13.1 average) and one touchdown. In 2009, Walker appeared in three games and did not record a single stat – unless you count breathing as a stat.
So, if you’re scoring at home, based on the guaranteed money he was given, combined with the number of receptions he had in Silver and Black, that works out to more than $1 million dollars per catch with Oakland.
Hey, it’s good work if you can get it.