Top 5 Most Disrespected NFL Players in 2023

5. Kareem Hunt

I’m not about to justify what he did to get himself kicked out of Kansas City after one of the most impressive rookie seasons I’ve ever seen. The Browns obviously forgave him for that, enough that in 2019 they signed him and let him ride out his 8-game suspension. In 2020, Hunt and Nick Chubb were the most dominant running back duo in the league, combining for over 2,300 yards from scrimmage while sparing each other from overuse.

In 2021, Hunt dealt with injuries and only played half the season, but he ran for almost 5 yards a carry when he was on the field. He was back and ready for 2022 and hoping for a new contract, but the Browns instead decided to run Chubb into the ground. At the trade deadline, the rumors of moving him for a draft pick dried up and he was stuck in Cleveland for the rest of the season. Upon hitting free agency, there has been little interest.

It seems like there has to be more to the story. For the Browns part, the talk was that they thought his speed was “slipping.” Which is a weird thing to say about a guy who ran a 4.62 40 at his combine. Speed was never part of his game. He’s an instinctual back with unteachable skills, he’s good as a runner and receiver, and he’s only 27. Someone will likely get him for dirt cheap this year.

4. Andy Dalton

It’s not that I’m opposed to the Saints moving on from Dalton. It’s that they gave $37 million a year to Derek Carr, who was worse than Dalton last season.

Dalton: 2,871 yards, 18 TDs, 9 Ints
Carr: 3,522 yards, 24 TDs, 14 Ints

Dalton did that without Michael Thomas, his best receiver, while Carr had Davante Adams.

Dalton’s QB grade from Pro Football Focus (PFF) was 7th in the NFL. Carr was 27th. I’m not saying New Orleans should’ve gone all in with a 35 year old, but there were plenty of better options than Derek Carr. And Dalton could’ve held down the spot for much cheaper while they develop whoever is next.

3. Jacoby Brissett

He studies, he learns, he does the right things, he says the right things, plays the right way, takes full advantage of opportunities, doesn’t turn the ball over, and he’s the ultimate team player. And teams keep letting him walk, certain there’s a better option. Yet Brissett earned a PFF grade of 82.6 in 2022, which was the 6th highest QB grade in the league. And how was he rewarded? The Browns let him walk, and he went to Washington on a 1 year deal.

Brissett was drafted in the 3rd round by New England in 2016, and just a year later he was thrown to the wolves as Indianapolis traded Phillip Dorsett to the Pats in exchange for Brissett. It was a huge opportunity for Brissett as injuries kept Colts QB Andrew Luck sidelined for most of the season. Brissett and Luck developed a close bond, which is why when Luck decided to retire in the prime of his career, he told Brissett personally. That decision put Brissett, with little warning, back into the starting role in 2019, where he threw 18 TDs to just 6 Ints and led the team to an unexpected 7-9 finish.

Despite that finish and his clear improvement, the Colts set him aside in 2020 to give Philip Rivers one last gasp, and in 2021 Brissett went to the Dolphins to back up Tua Tagovailoa. The following year, he fell into a rare opportunity to get another starting chance. A week after the Browns gave Deshaun Watson his unprecedented fully guaranteed contract, Brissett signed with the Browns to be their QB2, knowing full well that Watson would miss a significant portion of the season.

With Watson back, he went searching for his next opportunity, which he found with the Football Team. And even though Brissett would likely make them a playoff-caliber team, they look set to hand the reigns to Sam Howell, a 5th round pick in just his 2nd season with a single NFL start under his belt. Instead of trying to win, they seem determined to limp to a top 10 draft pick while Brissett gets disrespected again.

2. Tyler Allgeier

Maybe 2 is a bit high, cause this one is pretty fresh, but the disrespect here is more from media than from coaches. I’m 100% sure the Falcons coaching staff knows how important their bowling ball back is to their offense. But when the team used the 8th pick in the 2023 draft to take Bijan Robinson, Allgeier’s name barely got a mention. It was, “they finally got their back” or “now the Falcons will have a running game.” Breaking News: They already had one, and adding Robinson was a matter of doing what many successful teams do, which is having multiple talented backs with different qualities.

Despite only starting 7 games in 2022, the 5th round rookie ran for 1,035 yards on 4.9 yards per carry. His PFF score was 5th among running backs in the NFL and he took 5th in Offensive Rookie of the Year voting. He’s big, he’s strong, and his 4.6 40 is more than enough speed for a back his size.

Bijan Robinson can and will be used all over the field. But sometimes you need a hammer, and Tyler Allgeier is a hammer. If they someday find themselves playing someplace cold in January, they’ll be glad to have that skillset on the roster.

1. Jamaal Williams

Seriously Detroit, how dare you? Did you learn nothing from the Packers about letting this gem of a human being and football player walk away? Jamaal Williams gets the top spot on this list because he’s been disrespected not once, but twice.

In 2021, Williams and Aaron Jones were both finishing up their rookie contracts after the Packers picked them in the 4th and 5th rounds, respectively, of the 2017 draft. Just 48 spots away from each other, the two backs had an immediate competition as well as an immediate bond. But when the Packers drafted A.J. Dillon in the 2nd round of the 2020 draft, it was clear that one or both of the veteran backs would be out when their rookie deals expired.

There was much speculation at the time because Jones was the more dynamic and productive back, but that also meant a higher price tag. Williams was also extremely talented and a highly respected locker room presence. His passion was infectious, and the players around him understood that value. But the team went with Jones and gave him a 4 year, $48 million contract, a significant number that made his annual salary higher than the RB franchise tag. This was also the offseason following the COVID season and the salary cap was down, so it was clear how much the team valued Jones.

Williams, however, was passed over and allowed to try the market. He eventually signed with the Lions for 2 years, $6 million, a paltry sum that many Packers fans thought the team should’ve made the priority. The thought was they could pair Williams and Dillon, let Jones walk, and use the money saved on Jones to shore up other weaknesses. But the team apparently didn’t value Williams at that level, so he moved on.

With the Lions in 2021, Williams and 2nd round sophomore D’Andre Swift split carries and yards almost down the middle (153-601 and 151-617) during a tumultuous 3-13-1 season. But the Lions and coach Dan Campbell knew Williams was the kind of leader they needed during what was set to be a rough rebuild.

in 2022, Williams and the team had a different swagger. Something had changed, and it was obvious to anyone watching Hard Knocks that Williams was a key piece of that change.

Let 'em know, Jamaal!

🎥 @NFLFilms | #HardKnocks pic.twitter.com/wwS01EsmOf

— Detroit Lions (@Lions) August 8, 2022

That was far from the first time Jamaal Williams would go viral in a Lions uniform.

After a rough start, Detroit went on a run in the second half of the 2022 season. After starting off 1-6, the team won 8 of their last 10. Not only did Williams earn the bulk of the carries on the season, but he turned those carries into 1,066 yards and a league-leading 17 touchdowns. He finished the year with 216 yards and 3 TDs in the final 2 games, the last of which was a dramatic win to knock Aaron Rodgers and the Packers out of the playoffs.

With all the emotion and drama and the way he put the team on his back to almost claw their way into a playoff spot, it seemed like getting him bck under contract should be a priority. While suggesting that they tried to keep Williams around, the Lions instead gave David Montgomery a 3 year, $18 million contract. Williams then signed a 3 year, $12 million contract with the Saints, bringing some question to Lions claims that they offered Williams something similar to the Montgomery deal.

Jamaal and the Saints will host the Lions in Week 13.