The Most Overpaid Player In The NFL Is …

… David Harris of the New York Jets, according to the Forbes 2012 list of the most overpaid players in pro football. He joins two other Jets players on the overpaid list.

Forbes explains that it avoided “sheer stats” in coming up with this list. Instead, “We looked at all NFL players making at least $5 million in 2012 (there are 169 of them) and determined which have given back the least performance-wise over the past few years. ” Forbes claims that evaluating players on statistics for the purpose of figuring out who is making too much money doesn’t make any sense in the NFL because “team systems and game plans drive many of the numbers.”

Harris, the Jets linebacker and “a very good player,” emerged nonetheless as the most overpaid NFL player on Forbes‘ list: “Solid as he is, you don’t expect to see him making more than every other linebacker in the NFL.” Harris, from the University of Michigan, was a second round draft choice of the Jets in 2007.

The Forbes ranking has prompted some criticism across the blogosphere. SportsGrid deemed the list as both “totally arbitrary, yet still plausible” however.

The Forbes‘ top ten most overpaid NFL players are: David Harris (New York Jets), $12 million; Karlos Dansby (Miami Dolphins), $10.7 million; Jonathan Joseph (Houston Texans), $9.75 million; Mercedes Lewis (Jacksonville Jaguars), $9.6 million; Santonio Holmes (New York Jets), $9.25 million; DeAngelo Williams (Carolina Panthers); $8.7 million; Antonio Cromartie (New York Jets), $8.25 million; Sidney Rice (Seattle Seahawks), $8.2 million, Vernon Davis (San Francisco 49ers), $8 million; and Darren McFadden (Oakland Raiders), $7.8 million.

Do you think that the list compiled by Forbes of the most overpaid NFL players is a valid and fair assessment or is it flawed and subjective?

[Image credit: Jeffrey Beall]