10 worst free agent signings in Jacksonville Jaguars franchise history

8. Worst free agent in Jacksonville Jaguars history: Hugh Douglas, DE

Hugh Douglas was a three-time Pro Bowl defensive end for the Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Jets, so it made sense for the Jags to kick the tires on him in 2003 even though he had lost a step. What caught everyone (himself included) by surprise was that Jacksonville was willing to offer him a five-year deal worth $27 million to join them.

Most players in Douglas’ position wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to get paid and because you never know when that kind of offer will present itself, he put his name on the dotted line and wore the Black and Teal for the 2003 season.

During his lone year in Jacksonville, the 1995 first-round pick seemed uninterested and didn’t give a full effort. To everyone’s surprise, Douglas would then accept that he did turn it down several notches for the Jaguars and that he stole from them.

Douglas’ argument was that he was better than everyone that dared to question his lack of effort during this stint in Duval and because he played in the NFL, he could do whatever he wanted. He later went into damage control mode but the harm was done by then.

It’s fair to say that after Douglas accepted that he vacationed during his stint with the Jaguars, he went from a player that didn’t pan out to Jacksonville to persona non-grata. While his honesty should be commended, his shamelessness shouldn’t.