GettyA former Detroit Lions player, who is currently with another NFC North rival, has been named the most “overpaid” running back in the NFL.
Some NFL player contracts may seem too generous, and in that spirit, Ryan Fowler of Bleacher Report has put together an “All-Overpaid Team” tally as the 2024-25 season begins. In the article, former Detroit Lions and current Chicago Bears player, D’Andre Swift, made the unflattering cut as this most overpaid running back in the entire league.
Can D’Andre Swift ‘Can Replicate His Success’ With the Bears?
In the August 29 feature on overpaid players, Fowler looked at players who “despite their salaries, could leave organizations questioning both the short- and long-term return on their investment.”
He named Swift as the No. 1 most overpaid running back in the NFL.
Swift’s total contract value with the Bears is three years and $24 million.
“D’Andre Swift is being paid handsomely to complement QB Caleb Williams in the Chicago Bears’ backfield,” Fowler wrote. “While Swift enjoyed a successful 2023 in Philadelphia, he’s never played a full 17-game NFL season and his production last fall could largely be contributed to an Eagles front five widely regarded as one of the best in football. The 25-year-old eclipsed the 1,000-yard plateau in 2023 for the first time in his career, amassing 1,049 rushing yards on 229 carries (4.5 YPC) with Philly.”
Fowler also stated that Swift will begin as the lead running back for the Bears, but it’s uncertain if he can repeat the kind of success he’s had with the “weaker offensive line” in Chicago.
“Considering Chicago has both Khalil Herbert and Roschon Johnson (963 rushing yards combined in 2023) on the roster, the money tied to Swift looks like a bit of an overpay at the moment,” he noted.
Fowler named Jonathan Taylor of the Indianapolis Colts as the runner-up for the most overpaid running back in the league. He also named Deshaun Watson of the Cleveland Browns as the most overpaid quarterback in the NFL.
Detroit Lions Know ‘What It Means’ to Rely on Swift as a Lead Back
In an August 29 story about Swift being named the most overpaid running back in the league, Brad Berreman of SideLion Report notes that Lions fans found the Bears’ signing of Swift in March 2024 as something to “laugh at.”
“When the dust settled on the notable part of free agency, we had the signing of Swift to the deal they did as the one free agency move to laugh at from the Bears,” he wrote. “That comes from first-hand knowledge of what it means to try to rely on Swift as your lead back. The Eagles learned that lesson too.”
He added that, “Yes, it’s possible the Bears use Swift more ideally as part of a backfield committee. But they are not paying him like a committee back, they’re paying like he’ll be their clear lead guy.”
Berreman also noted that the Bears had some money to kill, because they brought on a rookie quarterback in Williams, but that “being able to spend excessively on non-quarterback positions doesn’t mean you have to. In this case, investing a top-10 running back contract in someone who has concerns that equal or usurp his talent is not smart business.”