Consider this the companion piece to the column from Monday that detailed the 20 best free agent signings in Patriots history. As was the case with the first one, in putting together who was ranked where, we included contract, value and overall (negative) impact on the franchise, both on and off the field. And so, with that in mind, here’s our take on the 12 worst free agent pickups in New England history:

12. Leigh Bodden (2009): As we stated previously, Bodden has earned a spot on both lists. He played very well in his first year with the Patriots, but after signing a four-year, $22 million deal, he was quickly injured -- he sat out the entire 2010 season -- and played just five games and quickly fell out of favor in New England. Played for the Patriots from 2009-2011.

11. Cam Cleeland (2002): Cleeland was picked up as part of en extreme makeover the Patriots had at the tight end spot that season, an offseason that saw New England also acquire Christian Fauria as a free agent and Daniel Graham in the draft. But Cleeland was easily the worst of the three -- in his one season with the Patriots, he had 16 catches for 112 yards and a touchdown. Played for the Patriots in 2002.

10. Joseph Addai (2012): The former Indianapolis Colts running back never played a down in New England, but makes the list because he gave up on the conditioning test in the summer of 2012. In retrospect, cutting him loose was one of the best things the Patriots did -- it allowed the young group of backs (particularly Stevan Ridley) to flourish in extensive work over the course of the 2012 season. Meanwhile, Addai didn’t play a lick of football this past season.

9. Chad Brown (2005): Otherwise known as the other linebacker acquired that season who flamed out with the Patriots, he signed a two-year, $4 million deal. He wasn’t as much of a mess as Monty Beisel (more on him later), but was clearly overwhelmed at times, and struggled to keep up with the system. He played in 15 games with the Patriots in 2005 and recorded 31 tackles, but was clearly not the same guy that racked up three Pro Bowl appearances earlier in his career. He returned in 2007 for a two-game stint with New England, but will ultimately be remembered as a guy who hung around about four years longer than he should have. Played for the Patriots in 2005 and 2007.

8. Deltha O’Neal (2008): When you have to go to the bargain bin to select cornerbacks, sometimes you get a bargain. And other times, you get O’Neal. The former Bronco and Bengal defensive back and kick returner played 16 games for the Patriots in 2008 (remarkably, he started 10 of them) and even though he came away with three picks, he struggled to show the form he flashed earlier in his career that made him a first-team All-Pro. Played with the Patriots in 2008.

7. Donald Hayes (2002): This wide receiver arrived with some fanfare in 2002, as his height (6-foot-4) was expected to add a different dynamic to the undersized New England receiving corps. (He had 118 catches in the two seasons before he arrived in Foxboro.) He was signed to a two-year, $2.4 million deal, but he never got off the ground with the Patriots, and it was later discovered he had a learning disability that caused him to have issues with the New England playbook. In the end, he played 12 games with the Patriots in one season, and ended up with 12 catches for 133 yards and two touchdowns. Played with the Patriots in 2002.

6. Jonathan Fanene (2012): Like Addai, Fanene arrived as a veteran presence who some believed could bring a measure of stability to an unstable position. But it turned out that his knees were never quite right, and he had issues staying on the field through training camp. He was released on Aug. 21, and didn’t play at all this past season.

5. Joey Galloway (2009): Only reason he’s not higher is because of his relatively decent contract (one year, $1.15 million), but Galloway was another veteran out of whom the Patriots were hoping to squeeze a year or two at the end of his career. Galloway was a bad match from the jump, finishing with seven catches for 67 yards and watching the final three games of his career as a healthy scratch. The most memorable moment of his time in Foxboro came when Tom Brady could be seen barking at him after a botched play -- lip-readers could clearly see the quarterback saying, “It’s not that (bleeping) hard, Joey.” He was released on October 20, 2009.

4. Shawn Springs (2009): On paper, this looked like a great move -- Springs was a veteran corner who had been around for a few seasons, and when he arrived in New England, he made his mark early on as a smart and funny addition to the team. (He signed a three-year deal that included a $2.7 million signing bonus.) But he was inconsistent, and dogged by health problems. That season, he played in 12 games with 39 tackles and one interception. Compounding the problem was the fact that he quickly fell in with Adalius Thomas, who was completely soured on the New England experience by that time. The combination of the two pretty much insured the fact that he was a goner after one season.

3. Steve Martin (2002): The Patriots had trouble stopping the run, and so they went out and signed this defensive lineman ... only to find out he couldn’t do much of anything, other than provide terrific sound bytes for the media. (In Michael Holley’s book “Patriot Reign,” there’s a memorably profane sequence where Bill Belichick describes Martin.) He also apparently had a habit of falling asleep in several spots around Gillette Stadium, including the weight room. He didn’t last a full season with the Patriots before he was cut loose. Played for the Patriots in 2002.

2. Monty Beisel (2005): Just a mess on almost every level, other than the fact he was signed for relatively short money (two years, $1.7 million). He played poorly, wasn’t prepared for the New England system and got along poorly with the media. (Part of it probably wasn’t his fault -- he was expected to take over some of the responsibilities of Tedy Bruschi, who sat out the first part of the season because of a stroke. And he wasn’t ready for all that entailed.) In the end, he played in 15 games (starting six) and finished with 31 tackles. After leaving New England at the end of the 2005 season, he latched on with the Cardinals, and was part of the Arizona team that won an NFC championship. Played with the Patriots in 2005.

1. Adalius Thomas (2007): This started great for both sides. Thomas signed a five-year, $35 million deal with the Patriots that spring, and he had an absolutely terrific first season with the Patriots -- if David Tyree doesn’t hold on to the ball at the end of Super Bowl XLII, you can make an argument for him as the MVP of that game. But things went south quickly, eventually devolving in 2009 when he was a healthy scratch for the first time as a pro. That led to the infamous LateGate incident, which he later blamed on bad weather and spurred him to make his now infamous Jetson’s remark. He was gone soon after that. Played for the Patriots from 2007-2009.