5 worst Cowboys free agent signings under GM Jerry Jones
By Randy Gurzi
4. Mike Vanderjagt, K (2006)
Three years, $4.5 million – $2.5 million guaranteed
Jerry Jones as the GM has always believed in second chances. This is probably why stories centered around the 1990s Dallas locker room wouldn't be suitable for those under the age of 18. But he didn't stop at ignoring troubled pasts. Jones often ignored when a player started to show signs of declining.
We saw that with Ezekiel Elliott recently, who might have never been cut if not for Stephen Jones and Will McClay. Jones also did this when he signed Eddie George in 2004 despite seeing his performance dip before the Tennessee Titans released him.
Unwilling to learn from his past mistakes, Jones once again broke out the checkbook for a big-name player who was on the decline in 2006.
Mike Vanderjagt, who was famously dubbed the "idiot kicker" by Peyton Manning, was the most accurate kicker in NFL history heading into the 2005 offseason. He was also coming off a costly miss in the post-season that led to the Colts letting him walk since they felt he was trending in the wrong direction.
In Dallas, he missed two field goals (from 33 and 32 yards) in his preseason debut but they kept him around long enough to miss five kicks in 18 attempts. That included two against his former team. Even when Vanderjagt did make his kicks, they barely squeezed through which led to his release. He was replaced by Martin Gramatica who was far more dependable without the bad attitude or inflated salary.