This year, Sports World Report already listed the top underpaid players of 2012, so let's take a look at the reverse and see who the most overpaid players of 2012 were.
This list of athletes fits into a few categories, including players who were signed to large contracts after playing well for one season, as well as ones that were given dumb contracts by teams for no reason other than to just do it (looking at you New York Yankees and New York Jets). Some of these players were just in the wrong situations and were unable to succeed, while others got paid way too much for way to little production.
Here is the list (in no particular order) of the most overpaid athletes of 2012.
Alex Rodriguez, 3B, New York Yankees
2012 Salary: $29 million
Rodriguez could make this list every season, but this year was even more glaring than others. As the highest paid player in the major leagues, Rodriguez is expected to at least put up solid numbers despite his age, but he couldn't even do that this season.
The superstar dealt with a number of injuries to his hip and his hand, playing in only 122 games this year while hitting a paltry .272 with 18 home runs and 57 RBIs. He didn't hit a home run for the final 14 games of the season and had only three extra-base hits in the month of September.
The playoffs were not any kinder to Rodriguez. He hit .120 (3-for-25) with two walks and one run scored over seven games and had an 0-for-18 stretch with 12 strikeouts at one point for the Yankees. He was also benched by manager Joe Girardi multiple times in favor of aging players Eric Chavez and Raul Ibanez, who both ended up performing better than Rodriguez anyway.
The past two seasons he has only hit 34 home runs in 221 combined games and has struck out 194 times. Rodriguez was playing so bad throughout the playoffs that NBA supertsar Kobe Bryant even offered him advice.
"I just say to him, 'You're Alex Rodriguez. You're A-Rod. You're one of the best to ever do it,'" Bryant said at the time. "I think sometimes he kind of forgets that and wants to try to do the right thing all the time. Which is the right team attitude to have. But other times you really have to put your head down and say, 'Hell with it' and just do your thing."
The Yankees still owe Rodriguez over $100 million over the next five seasons and a making the contract even dumber, when the Yankees re-signed Rodriguez in 2009, they were the only team going after him so they basically drove the price up on themselves and are now stuck with what is seen as one of the worst contracts in baseball history.
Rodriguez now is set to undergo hip surgery and will be out of the lineup for the Yankees until at least June. So that's another half-season of a $30 million salary that will remain on the bench and out of play for the Yankees.
Mark Sanchez, QB, New York Jets
2012 Salary: $11.75 million
Sanchez has been one of the worst quarterbacks in the NFL this season and has regressed in his fourth year, which is usually when players step up and start performing on a consistent basis. He has turned the ball over 50 times over the past two seasons and has thrown for 2,678 yards and 13 touchdowns with 17 interceptions and 12 fumbles this year through 15 games.
The last straw for Sanchez came two weeks ago, as the Jets lost 14-10 to the Titans and were officially eliminated from the playoffs. He passed for just 131 yards in the game and had four interceptions. He also fumbled the snap on the final play of the game, ruining a chance to take the lead after getting the ball in Titans territory.
Sanchez and the Jets have been so bad that the team would rather start third-stringer Greg McElroy over their former first-round pick. Looking back now, it was a huge mistake to give Sanchez a restricted deal in the offseason, which is exactly what the Jets did.
For no reason other than to do it, New York gave Sanchez an $8.25 million guarantee in 2013, making his cap hit $17 million if he is cut. The Jets are likely to try and trade Sanchez, but the money will make it difficult to unload him.
The Jets went just 6-10 this season through and lost three straight to end the year. The team had a three game losing streak earlier in the season and are ranked 30th in the league in passing with just 180 yards per game.
One of the worst performances for Sanchez this season came on national television against the New England Patriots on Thanksgiving. He passed for over 300 yards, but had one interception and one hugely embarrassing play, as he ran directly into one of his lineman's backsides and fumbled the ball, allowing the Patriots to score a touchdown.
Over his last five starts, Sanchez has thrown eight interceptions with just three touchdowns and completing less than 50 percent of his passes twice. Sanchez started off the season very well for the Jets, throwing for 266 yards and three touchdowns in a victory over the Bills, but it was not a sign of things to come.
His future with the team is unclear at this point and the Jets still have Tim Tebow to deal with. Either way, Sanchez was one of the most overpaid athletes in the NFL this season, earning way more money than the performance he put on the field warrants.
Michael Vick, QB, Philadelphia Eagles
2012 Salary: $13.9 million
Vick has been dealing with injuries all season, but he wasn't very good when he was on the field anyway. He has been limited to just nine games this season before Week 17 and has passed for 2,854 yards and has committed 14 turnovers, including nine interceptions. Vick has fumbled the ball 10 times and has lost five of them.
Things got even worse for Vick when Andy Reid announced that he would start rookie quarterback Nick Foles even if Vick was healthy after missing time with a concussion. Luckily for Vick, he will have a chance to salvage the season after Foles broke his hand on Sunday against the Washington Redskins.
The Eagles signed Vick to a 6-year, $100 million contract following the 2010 season after throwing for 3,018 yards and 21 touchdowns with only six interceptions. He was named the NFL Comeback Player of the Year, but has never been able to recapture that same magic since, throwing 23 interceptions over the past two years.
But luckily for the Eagles though, there is a clause in Vick's contract that allows the team to cut him with no long-term penalties following this season, meaning he is likely to play elsewhere in 2013. Vick was also a huge fantasy football bust this season, as he was a high draft pick in many leagues around the Internet.
Honorable Mentions:
-- Kevin Kolb, QB, Arizona Cardinals
Salary: Signed five-year, $65 million deal in 2011
-- Carlos Zambrano, RHP, Miami Marlins
2012 salary: $18 million
-- Carl Crawford, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers
2012 salary: $19.5 million
-- Vernon Wells, OF, Los Angeles Angels
2012 salary: $21 million
