Free Agency Kickoff! Crosby Dealt, Mack Stays and Last Minute Deals

00:00:04
Speaker 1: Welcome to NFL Daily, where we're not waiting for any stinking tampering period. I'm Greg Rosenthal. I'm in my garage on a hot Los Angeles March day talking to my friend Nick Shook of the Vanquish Cleveland Cavaliers. We're not getting into any NBA today though, Nick. It's all about Max Crosby and all the moves that are leading into the big free agency period that starts with us Monday. Sorry for the low blow to start.

00:00:31
Speaker 2: Yeah, I was gonna say I look past that dig right now.

00:00:34
Speaker 3: We'll just move forward into the news of the weekend, which is the shaker that Max Crosby is now headed to the AFC North and the Baltimore Ravens when you looked at the possibility of a trade.

00:00:45
Speaker 2: In my mind, the Ravens are always in play because they love to go after vets.

00:00:49
Speaker 3: They always love to make the big swings with the brand names in pursuit of a ring. But even I was shocked when this came about on Friday.

00:00:56
Speaker 1: I was shocked too. It got thrown out a second, I believe in the studio, and I can't remember if it was me or Patrick who who just said, like that's not really what the Ravens normally do, and yet they did it. So, yes, we saw the Crosby trade. I'm up at Indian Wells the tennis tournament Friday and night. I'm like, ooh, the moves are starting to happen. I want to start taping. And then we think about, Okay, we got a lot of resignings coming up, we have some cuts, we have some really good speculation. We thought, let's do a show on Sunday night to kind of clear the decks. So all of this isn't just thrown into our Monday show. Really looking forward to our shows all week long. We're going live at four pm Pacific, seven pm Eastern throughout the week. But yes, let's talk about what could be the biggest move of the entire offseason. Crosby goes to the Ravens for the fourteenth overall pick and a twenty twenty seven first round pick. So we heard those reports back on Thursday when we last taped, that the Cowboys not willing to give up a second first round pick. Reportedly the Jaguars were also in on this. That's very interesting to me, the teams that were in and then some of the reporting that we saw on ESPN was the Cowboys. You know, I tried to make them sound discipline. They would not go to a second first, but they were willing to give up another player and a second which is crazy to me. In the in the end, even though the Cowboys had the higher pick, it's the Ravens who go over the top. They give up the first the two first round picks. And there's a lot of ways to talk about this with the Ravens. We're going to get to. I have twenty big moves. I want to talk about twenty big trends, but this is the one we'll really dive into. To me, it is a sign that like the way they've been doing things, especially in terms of their pass rush and their defensive line shook isn't working. And Eric DaCosta maybe sitting there at number fourteen overall, looks at this edge class ruben Bain's probably gonna be off the board by then and thinks like, who am I getting there? And we have a chance to really push our chips in the table in the middle of Lamar Jackson's prime and do something we haven't done in the past, Like what do you think it is about maybe this offseason with Jesse Minner coming to board that made them finally do this type of move.

00:03:22
Speaker 3: I think that it was the way that they kind of fell apart last season. Like we can always look back at Lamar's injury and say, well, that contributed to them struggling in the mid portion of the season, But the truth of the matter was that their defense couldn't stop a nosebleed, which was once their hallmark, and it really happened upfront with the front four in the front seven, and they couldn't afford to do that again. Not only could they not stop the run, they couldn't consistently generate a pass rush. Then they move off of odafeol away at the deadline and that sort of thing, like it just kind of got worse and worse.

00:03:48
Speaker 2: And you could tell that they needed to upgrade it.

00:03:50
Speaker 3: And I feel like coming off of a season which they were so close to winning the division that was just a very mid division at best, they understand that they still have a franchise quarterback, they still have the make of a team that should be contending for Super Bowls, not just for their division, and in order to ensure that they can at least be a lot stronger on one portion of the defensive front. They'll do that by making a big deal like this, because instead of being a team that could draft and develop and just rely on that year after year after year, it feels like the pressure is a little bit more increased, especially after the coaching changed. Let's go capitalize with a defensive minded coach and Jesse Minner.

00:04:23
Speaker 1: Yeah. So Max Crosby is due about twenty nine to thirty million dollars guaranteed this year. His salary stays similar over the next couple of years, around twenty nine million, which sounds like a lot of money, but actually for the edge market, you know, he's only fifth or six. I'm curious if they're gonna do a new deal with Crosby guaranteed money further out into the future, or if everyone's happy now, because the idea here is like Baltimore still needs to spend They're in on Tyler Linderbaum. According to Ian Rappaport, he was just on our air talking about how you know, they're trying to hold on to Linderbomb. They need help at guard, they need help at wide receiver. We don't know if Namdi Madawueke is coming back or not, which to me is a huge part of this equation. You're either getting like you could be getting Max Crosby and a borderline Pro Bowl defensive tackle like added to your roster, or you have a huge hole in the middle. So that's like a big X factor. And I am curious if Crosby like needs more money, wants more money, or if he's just happy he's coming off a major surgery. I was reading kind of the Day After Athletic article by Vic Taffer which was interesting, which said, you know, him and Mark Davis were on the outset one point that Max Crosby wasn't happy with the Alex Guerrero slash Tom Brady influence on what was going on in Las Vegas. And it does make me happy, just as someone that likes football, to see Max Crosby just added to a team that should be playing meaningful football in December and January. Because to me that I don't think this was about the money. Maybe they won't even touch that contract unless they feel like it helps them open up more cap space.

00:06:03
Speaker 2: Well, I mean, let's think about it.

00:06:04
Speaker 3: He just got that contract redone a year ago and it was just out of a sign of good will. It wasn't because he was entering a contract year. It's just that's how much the Raiders appreciated him. But things can change quickly when you don't win, and it felt like he was one of those guys on a deserted island, just operating out there, being great at what he does and not getting any attention for it or any of the benefits of being good at football, because the rest of your team is just not good. And so you're right, it's good to see good football players join teams that actually have real title ambitions and to get that done. But it is interesting you're right about the contract because I think that the contract could stay, but I would still understand if they restructured, because if you look at their top five guys in terms of cap number entering twenty twenty six, according to over the Cap, you got Lamar at seventy four and a half million, which has got to be restructured.

00:06:45
Speaker 2: No way you're carrying that cap number for him. You push some stuff out into the future.

00:06:48
Speaker 3: Rokwan Smith at thirty two point seven million, Mattabk at thirty point nine million, and then Max Crosby at thirty point six million. That's a significant combined total. And when it comes to the total of your cap, you're going to go improve your roster like you need to. And if you're going to retain your center, you've got to move some of that money into the future and create some cap space.

00:07:05
Speaker 1: Now, yeah, we tried to tape this Sunday evening Sunday night on the East Coast to try to get as much as we could before the league year started, but we're not going to be able to get everything. The Ravens will be making moves before the league year starts because which is officially Wednesday, the tampering slash negotiating period is Monday, so by between now and Wednesday, that Lamar Jackson deal could very well happen. I think he's going to have a new contract that kind of makes him whole and helps the money out. I think we'll find out about Madam week. But what a move for a team that just had no pass rush. I'm not that worried about the fact that Max Crosby is twenty eight turning twenty nine years old. I am a little concerned that he never leaves the field in Vegas, so you know, he has kind of the the body in terms of the pounding that he's taken of, maybe a guy a year or two older. So I think the Ravens should look to, you know, rotate him a little bit more. But if you look at the numbers in terms of tackles for loss, it's him by a long shot leading the league. And that's in that's in terms of stopping the run, it's him, and it's a big gap, and then it's Miles Garrett and then he obviously isn't you know, the sack artist that the very very top guys get. But in terms of pure pressure, I think it's gonna be awesome. I think Jesse Minner is going to take advantage, and I'm just I'm just pumped for that to happen, and I think we should do it a little talk about the Raiders side of things. You know, we talked to John Spytech at the NFL Scouting combine, and you know, he said the right things about Crosby. But I think they're gonna be thrilled by this, this deal to have the fourteenth overall pick. I know that the fan base is not gonna be thrilled, but you look at the fourteenth overall pick. You look at a first round pick next year, it really does feel like they're getting to do a restart. And I think it it was the perfect time for them to get max value, no pun intended. And also like I don't think their fans are gonna be mad because they got so much back.

00:09:00
Speaker 3: No, absolutely, And I think, look, if you're going to turn this team into a winner, twenty nine year old Max krazy, which is what he'll be in late August, is not going to help you get there in the long run. It's just not like just father time will come for him before you're truly in a position to contend. It's much more important for you to get maximum value for him in the form of the draft picks. But it's also you alleviate more capri him to be able to spend elsewhere, because like when fans think about free agency, when the average person just thinks about free agency, they consider, all, right, what big fish can we land. What if you took the Patriots approach from last season, in which you spend a ton of that money and spread it across a number of different positions to vastly improve your roster. That's kind of the path that the Raiders need to take. You add in the draft capital ammunition, and suddenly you're setting up for a potentially transformative offseason if you can nail both of those periods, and if the more capital you have, the more shots you had to do it, and especially in the first round, it's obviously the most valuable ant how you can usually jump start a turnaround. So, yeah, they're probably sad to see Max Crosby go fan favorite. You know, one of those guys that a previous regime had plucked from the draft from Eastern Michigan and seeing him become a superstar edge rusher. But sometimes these are the moves you have to make for the greater good of a franchise moving forward.

00:10:08
Speaker 1: Yeah, my Raiders fan friends your Raiders texted me. He's like, you gotta be happy with two first. You gotta be happy with two first. And yeah, I do love the fact that they have the one pick, they have the fourteen pick. The problem is they do have too much cap space. One hundred and twenty one million dollars is absolutely outrageous. It's way too much. There's not enough good players to spend it on. But they can go over the top on whoever they want, including potentially Tyler Linderbaum. We're gonna get to him in a second. We have a whole section on centers. There was a lot of moves this weekend and then they all seem to revolve around centers. By the way, while we're talking Ravens, Snoop Huntley back with the Ravens, so he will be Lamar Jackson's backup. Got a two year contract. Shout out to Snoop Huntley, which who was kind of kicking out of almost falling out of the league, was like a fourth quarterback for the Browns, like sign lighton free agency, was on some practice squads. So I love, he played well last year and he gets it's eleven million dollars. Who knows what the real money is, but I'm sure he got some guaranteed money. So shout out to Snoopuntley. All right, let's go in order. So I said, we have twenty moves to talk about. We're gonna we're gonna fly through the rest of these. Max was Max was the big hitter. Khalil Mack got the most amount of money though of anyone else left one year, eighteen million dollars. So it's a one year contract. He returns to the Chargers. Let's just start kind of focusing on him and that move. You know, they had Odafeoway as a free agent, they had Khalil Mack as a free agent. So you get one guy back in. Our friend Daniel Jeremiah notes how he's really looked at as like a really unique leader for that entire organization. So maybe you pay just a little bit extra to keep him because because you value what he does.

00:11:54
Speaker 3: Is it extra though, because if you look at his contract history, that's exactly what he's made over the last three years. One year for nineteen million and twenty two, for one year for eighteen and twenty five, one year for eighteen and twenty six. The man knows what his price is. He gets older, his value stays the same because of how important he is to the team. This was a pairing that I really hoped stayed together because you know, Bears fans are all about getting into the pass rushers this offseason and they need to upgrade there.

00:12:17
Speaker 2: And what if we reunited with Khalil Mack.

00:12:19
Speaker 3: No, stay with the Chargers where you played a pivot role when you were healthy. That elbow injury early kind of puts you off track, but you came back and finished strong. You're clearly still excellent of what you do. This makes the most sense. No need to pack up the home and move elsewhere for a season, just stay here and try and run it back with what you hope will be a better Chargers team with a healthier offensive line and a higher ceiling. So I was very happy to see them get this done and at a rate that I think he's still deserving of.

00:12:45
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's fine. I mean it's a lot for Mac who hasn't finished seasons as well as he started them lately. But you get you get the leadership I do. I don't think it was necessarily a coincidence timing wise that the Crosby deal happened and then the Mac deal happens because Khalil max old coach is in Baltimore, Jesse Minter, and you know, once they kind of got their big ticket item that maybe removed like an attractive, high price option for Khalil Mack and so he stays what's turned into his home now a dafae Oway. I think they're in on him, and they have a lot of free agent you know, spending room, but keep an eye on the Carolina Panthers for a Dafe Oway. I'm just just throwing that out there. I think the Panthers are one of the teams. Commanders are another one. Forty nine ers Patriots that are in on a lot of these guys, and I think are going to be spending near the top of the market, which is where I think oh Way will be. But good move for Mac. They have a lot more to do though. They need defensive tackles, they need offensive linemen. We'll get to all that. Let's talk about some of the veterans, like the potential future Hall of famers. I mean you can take the word potential away when you talk Travis Kelce and Khalil Mack by the way, by the way, keep stain by the way, Kleiol Mack has made more money in the end than any defensive player ever. Isn't that amazing?

00:14:03
Speaker 2: That is kind of shocking.

00:14:05
Speaker 1: I mean I saw that from over the cap, like on a tweet. I can't I can't like check that von Miller was next. But Khalil Mack, I think is number one all time.

00:14:13
Speaker 3: What do you think about his career and you think about the journey like he was a pivotal player for those Raiders teams, the Jack del Real Raiders, and then he went to Chicago and was just kind of lost in the ABYSS while still being a great player.

00:14:23
Speaker 1: And that was a great that was a record setting contract.

00:14:25
Speaker 3: Yeah, and then he revives it with the Chargers. At least his a bit of like his spotlight, his exposure in the last few years. Good for him. Hey, you know what, Mac guy, that's a buffalo bull. We love Max getting paid. A couple of Mac guys getting paid.

00:14:39
Speaker 1: You know what's crazy is I think in the end he's gonna play more for the Chargers than the other teams. Yeah, because he played exactly four years in the two other locations and this will be his fifth now with the Chargers. So congrats at all time, bag Getter. But it's not like he's like Kirk Cousins, like getting it when you know, maybe he doesn't quite deserve it at that level. You know, he is one of the best of players of his era, but the richest, okay I see is Travis KELCEI talk and Mike Evans talk. I'm grouping these two together as kind of items three and four. It came out on Sunday afternoon, the Athletics said that Travis Kelce is returning, expected to return, but the question is whether he returns with the Kansas City Chiefs. He is expected to talk to multiple other teams. You're shaking your head.

00:15:26
Speaker 3: Oh, it's just a leverage play. I can't imagine a world in which he actually wants to sign somewhere else. We spend his entire career with the Chiefs, and I honestly would say the same about Mike Evans, although I believe that Evans could find a more attractive opportunity somewhere else if he was actually truly interested in leaving and maybe jump at, you know, a big money offer. Buffalo's trade for DJ Moore kind of took that off the table because I thought that would be a good landing spot for him. Ultimately, I expect both of these guys to stay with their teams and just use this to get a few extra million dollars out of their teams for one final year. And it's just the classic, you know, business tactics that exist during March when we go through this perier.

00:16:00
Speaker 1: It's a tough spot for someone like Kelsey because no one around the NFL thinks he's gonna leave, and he certainly would have a market, But what is that market? Is it one year like eight million dollars, one year ten million dollars? Like is it really going to be more than the Chiefs are willing to spend? Probably not. But if you're Kelsey and the Chiefs are asking you to essentially take a pay cut, which is what I'm guessing they're doing. Despite playing very well last year, like he looked better last season, I thought than the two previous seasons. He made more plays after the catch. If you're if you're watching us live on YouTube, you can see some of those plays after the catch right now. And so he's in a tough spot trying to get his bag as much as he possibly can, but no one believes that he's gonna go. No.

00:16:52
Speaker 3: In his current apy is seventeen point one, and if he took eight, that's more than a fifty percent cut. So yeah, it would be a massive cut to stay with the Chiefs. But I feel like that's about his market because while you give him the credit for making plays after the catch, a lot of folks, and especially those in Kansas City, will define his twenty twenty five season as the year in which he made the most crucial drops of his career that contributed directly to losses in big games, and especially because of the fact that they weren't able to return to the playoffs. That just lingers as something that they're going to have to get over collectively if he sticks around. So I don't think he's going to have that strong of a market because let's look at the tight end market as it stands right now. You're looking at guys like Dallas Goddard, John hu Smith, David Njoku, Travis Kelce. Of those four guys, who are you actually going to throw a decent bag at No hate on Travis Kelce. I live in Cleveland. He's a Cleveland Heights guy. But I would not throw the most money at him out of that group of tight ends.

00:17:44
Speaker 2: I just wouldn't.

00:17:45
Speaker 1: Yeah, we're getting some comments that they think Kelsey's washed. I don't think he's washed. I think he can help.

00:17:50
Speaker 2: I think he's somewhere in between.

00:17:52
Speaker 1: He's too smart. He's too smart to be washed. And look, he was very productive last year, but he would have to wait out the market. It's a little embarrassing. It's the same thing with I saw a report today that Mike Evans will hit the market, and Matt Harmon quote tweeted it saying what I thought it is like, didn't you report this like a month ago? And then didn't you report this like a week ago? And it's basically the agent telling the insiders, Hey, let him know it's serious. He really is going to hit the market, and it's just like trying to get that little extra money. There is a difference though, in that a team like the Chiefs for instance, so they don't have a lot of cap room to spend, but some other teams out there, whoever's looking at receiver San Francisco would make a little sense to me. Maybe New England for the right price, you know, would make a little sense to me, I think would actually give Evans an offer. But no one wants to be the team that just is getting used as a leverage play. I give Travis Kelce a two percent chance of leaving, and I give Mike Evans a twelve percent chance.

00:19:00
Speaker 2: The numbers I would land on, well.

00:19:02
Speaker 1: It was, it's the exact numbers. Shook.

00:19:04
Speaker 3: Come on, there's going to be well over under twelve percent. Under twelve's the maximum neither of them are leaving.

00:19:12
Speaker 2: Neither.

00:19:13
Speaker 1: Okay, I hope you're right, especially when it comes to Evans. I I just assume you're right when it comes to Travis Kelsey. By the way, breaking news. I did see this on TMZ this weekend. Travis Kelcey's mom is renovating in your house.

00:19:28
Speaker 2: Big news. Who's the interior designer? Can we see?

00:19:31
Speaker 1: I don't know, but they set that out as a post and then Jason Kelcey retweeted it and was like breaking news, like I'm going to the park with my kids. I don't know why that was news, but it was absolutely news.

00:19:41
Speaker 2: I got to see the blueprints. I want to see the open floor plan. How many ovens? One? Two? What are we doing here? We got the built in pancake griddle. Come on, Okay?

00:19:48
Speaker 1: That was a points three and four on our show. Number five also happened on Friday. But it's the Raiders releasing Geno Smith and we have some expected cuts. Gino Smith was expected. The crazy part about this is that we have now seen multiple reporters suggest that Gino Smith is either a top or close to the top of the Jets wish list. I want so much better for Gino than returning to the Jets. That seems like a terrible coda to the end of his career. Frank Reich, who is the coach there, also reportedly wants to bring in Carson Wentz as a possibility. I want better for Jets fans than Carson Wentz, and I want better for Gino than having to deal with the Jets fans who are going to kind of hold it against him what he was the last time. And I'm still hoping for Minnesota, even though I think that's where Kyler ends up.

00:20:39
Speaker 3: Yeah, and that would take away probably his best fit as a free agent quarterback at this point in his career. But you know, sometimes we look at players' careers and we see them returning to the team that drafted them, and we think, oh, that ties a nice little bow on their arc.

00:20:50
Speaker 2: This would be the opposite.

00:20:51
Speaker 3: I don't know how else to describe the opposite of tying a bow on it other than I don't know, obliterating the tail end of it and leaving him with no soft landing whatsoever. I mean, look, not to hate on the Jets, but any quarterback that is put in that situation has to be a supernatural like human to be able to you know, get something out of that offense, at least as it stands right now. I know they had some injuries up front, justin Fields took about nine steps back behind that offensive line, which wasn't terrible but got worse and worse throughout the year. Tyrod Taylor, you know, struggled to stay healthy. But similar story for him. Putting Gino there would be the worst thing possible because he just came from a terrible situation in the desert in Vegas behind the NFL's worst offensive line. So, Gino, this is my plea to you. Please hold out for a better offer that might not be you know, worth as much money, but is a better situation than this one.

00:21:39
Speaker 1: Yes, Like I would rather see Geno be Stafford's backup or something, yeah, versus you know, in a situation where where he could possibly succeed if he was called upon. The Jets are have seventy three million dollars in cap space. I think they're gonna be active. We haven't heard any more on the Kyler Murray kind of sweep steaks, you know, since we last taped, Other than the expectation is Minnesota is the favorite, but I don't think anyone really knows knows. We'll find out other cuts around the league. Really surprised by Taylor Decker getting cut by the Lions. The veteran left tackle was you know, do a decent amount of money and he announced he wasn't going to retire in February, and the assumption was he's just coming back to the Lions. I think they tried to negotiate a pay cut. He wasn't happy about it, and he's cut loose and I don't think we ever hit it on the show. They also cut Graham Glasgow the other week, and Frank Ragnow is still retired. He's not coming back. So they don't have a center, they don't have a left tackle. They need a guard spot. Interesting time for the Detroit Lions. And where where would have you put Taylor Decker? And I'll throw in Geno Smith if you were making the top one oh one, these are where.

00:22:55
Speaker 3: You well that that would require some context about who's in like the thirties and forties.

00:22:59
Speaker 1: Would you put Geno's with the head of Kirk Cousins, Yes, and Ian Aaron Rodgers?

00:23:05
Speaker 3: No.

00:23:06
Speaker 2: I would put him behind Rogers and ahead of Kirk, if thats it.

00:23:09
Speaker 1: I actually put Kirk ahead of Rogers because I think Rogers is so tricky to fit into a different system. But I had them all basically in the same tier. Their rank between fifty and sixty. I'm calling that bridge quarterback land. Yeah, but you know, you know this is Geno Nation. I'm still standing up for the In the right situation, he could be better. We got a comment here that the Lion's window has closed. I disagree with that. I don't think the Lion's window is closed. But this is a big month for them.

00:23:35
Speaker 3: Yeah, look anytime that you're what was the story of the twenty twenty five Lions, the offensive line, the injuries that they suffered up front, the fact that Frank ragnow retired and replacing him didn't go as well as they thought it would, which it's always a risk. Him trying to unretire and failing as physical and then being sent back to retirement against his wishes. And now Taylor Decker leaving this feels like an emotional move on his part, like I'm gonna come back and play one more year and you're gonna ask me to take a pay cut, all right, I'm out of here, because then where is your next market? Do you end up with a team that has the same ambitions? Like I think about teams that need offensive line men, and I think about the Browns, and would Taylor Decker want to go play for the Browns over the Lions? Because I wouldn't if I was Taylor Decker. So I think if you weigh the priorities, apparently it must have been offensive enough for him to be like, you know what, screwed?

00:24:17
Speaker 2: I want to leave entirely. And now he's out there.

00:24:21
Speaker 3: The idea though, of investing in a guy for who's probably only going to play one more year, it's got to be with a team that really desperately just needs a veteran to fill that last spot on their offensive line.

00:24:31
Speaker 1: And I put him in my top hundred though, because there's no tackles out there.

00:24:35
Speaker 3: No, definitely in the top one hundred. But I'm thinking, like, does he end up in Chicago because like they have that would questions to answer on their offensive line.

00:24:42
Speaker 1: Oh, that would That actually does make a lot of sense because it's just a one year option they really need with Delo coming off an injury. This is what Lions correspondent Kevin Patrick said about how Taylor Decker played last year serviceable. He missed more blocks than we'd seen in the past few years. I think injuries really restricted him a lot. Like he knew. He looked like a guy who knew where to be and what was coming, but couldn't always get there. Average with the arrow pointed down, not where you want to be in life. Where I feel like I am average with the arrow pointed You.

00:25:14
Speaker 2: Know that's a lie.

00:25:17
Speaker 1: Let's go. Packer says. The Jamir Gibbs stats are going to plummet as they pass more and become one dimensional. Let's give them. Let's give them the next couple weeks because the Lions actually have very little flexibility financially, at least on paper. But Brad Holmes has done a great job overall. I just want to I'll grade them at the end. I think I don't want to be premature, but I don't.

00:25:40
Speaker 3: Want to be a doomsday guy either. But I think there is some validity in the comment about Jamiir Gibbs. I actually talked to him at the Pro Bowl in San Francisco and basically was going to ask him about the new offense and hurt him just quickly like reject the premise of it by being like, I haven't been there yet. I don't know what it's going to look like because I haven't been in the building yet. So then I was like, all right, well, can we be honest for a second. We know your offensive line struggled last year and how it hurt your numbers, and he.

00:26:04
Speaker 2: Basically acknowledged that.

00:26:05
Speaker 3: He was like, yeah, I mean they had injuries up front and it kind of hurt our entire offense and took away a lot of our running game, which was the basis of our offense. So this is going to be the number one priority for this team, not to mention the fact that they need to find an edge rusher to pair with Aden Hutchinson, they could use some more defensive reinforcements. It's going to be a pivotal offseason for them, It really is. It's crazy how quickly things can change. But this is the way the NFL is with with attrition, with roster turnover falling short of the mark one year, Suddenly you lose a couple of key guys up front, and the trenches get a little weaker and things get a little unstable. So I hope that Brad Holmes comes through for the better mint of the Detroit Lions fan base.

00:26:42
Speaker 1: The Trenches are looking rough, but they have a lot of great players still on that team, including Pan Sewell by the Way, and Aidan Hutchinson. So I'm not pushing the panic button yet. Here's what I'm gonna do, though, is test Nick Schook and our producer Eric Roberts with a little breaking news as we're taping this. The Rams have signed Trent McDuffie to a four year, one hundred and twenty four million dollar contract extension. Look, we already hit the trade at length on the show. This is part two of the trade, getting him locked in long term one hundred million dollars guaranteed reportedly or Trent McDuffie now you know it, says highest paid cornerback in NFL history, says one hundred million dollars guaranteed. I hate to say it when it comes to these insiders. I can't trust it until I actually see the contract come up. But it's not shocking because to me, he's a top ten cornerback and generally, if you're in the top ten at your position, you kind of become the highest paid player when you're up. So it sounds crazy, but what that tells me probably is you know it's guaranteed money into year, you know, through three years. So of course Trent McDuffie's going to be on this team for three four years. He's twenty five years old. I don't think he's as high level as the very very best cornerbacks, but he's not far off, and he's a guy you can build around.

00:28:04
Speaker 3: What I like is his versatility. He proved that in Kansas City he was essentially started in the slot. He had a great performance in twenty twenty four when they got to the Super Bowl and beat the forty nine ers in Vegas, and he played a pivotal role in that game itself, breaking up a few key passes, again largely manning the slot throughout that playoff run. Then the next year proves that he can be inside and outside and make a difference. PFF grades have him super high over the last three years. I think the second best corner in the NFL since twenty twenty three and coverage grade wow. I agree that he's not necessarily like the high level, elite brand name guy that you think of at his position, but the Rams needed this.

00:28:38
Speaker 2: We knew the only real weakness.

00:28:40
Speaker 3: With the Rams, especially entering the postseason, was their secondary, which is why we were so shocked that the secondary made big plays and.

00:28:46
Speaker 2: That win over the Bears.

00:28:47
Speaker 3: Some of that had to do with DJ more Nutt finishing his route and flattening it out, but still they made the plays when they needed to.

00:28:53
Speaker 2: Now they go after it. This mirrors what they.

00:28:55
Speaker 1: Got against the Seahawks. They didn't.

00:28:58
Speaker 3: You're right, and this is what that's the game that tells them, this is what we need to focus on the off season is our secondary. So this mirror is what they did when they went after Jalen Ramsey when they were going all in back when he was around the same age he was considered the same level of cornerback. They said, screw it, we're going all in. So it's less need understanding. The time is now again, Let's go get one of the best cornerbacks available in a trade and pay him one twenty four over four. Now the highest pass the sauce guard are at one twenty point four. But the one hundred million guaranteed You're right, I need to see the details because the top guaranteed numbers right now. According to over the cap are like around forty eight million for Derek Stingley.

00:29:31
Speaker 2: That would be massive.

00:29:32
Speaker 3: I don't know, there's no way that that's a really true one hundred million guaranteed.

00:29:36
Speaker 1: Well who knows. And yeah, even the per year at thirty per you know, tops the highest before and at his age, he is more likely than most to get every dollar in that contract. But the CAP's going up, you can always massage it. And yes, the Rams are trying to win the super Bowl. And I like what Jordan Rodrieg said on our show a couple of days ago, like, look, it's not a position they've drafted. Well, so if that that's a position you need to overpay a little bit in a trade slash contract. Yeah, f them picks and give the money to McDuffie. By the way, yeah, I put Eric on the spot. He had that graphic up in four point two one seconds. That was faster than the fastest forty at the combine getting the Trent McDuffie graphic up despite not knowing that it was coming. Now, I'm really throwing another curve ball here because we're going to hit point number fourteen on the rundown. Since it was the Rams anyways, quickly in the secondary, Cam Curl got a big contract thirty nine million dollars over three years from the Rams. They also brought back Tyler Higbee for eight million dollars over two years. I don't think we need to go on much about that, but Cam Curl was a guy that was in my top sixty overall free agents, one of the top safeties available. And a lot of people thought, oh, when they bring Quinton Lake blat back, say goodbye to Cam Curl. But no, they're going to spend money on the players that were good in their secondary and that is a really diverse, I think, trustworthy trio. And it really speaks to how NFL defenses are run now where they can play all sorts of different styles between Curl McDuffie and now Quinton Lake. And yeah, they're still going to be looking at cornerbacks, but they're going to feel really good. Let's go back and let's talk about all the seenters. So I'm just going to rip off all these center moves that happened over the weekend. As one point, Conda McGovern got fifty two million dollars, thirty two million dollars guaranteed from the Buffalo Bills. That's a four year contract that came just a few days after he told Tim Graham of The Athletic he assumed he's leaving Buffalo because no one had even contacted him. And Tim Graham believes literally that conversation helped kickstart negotiations, which is bizarre, but they got a deal done. McGovern gets big time money, maybe because they were looking at the rest of the market. Tyler Biattish gets three years thirty million dollars with the Chargers. If you remember, Biadas just got cut by the Commanders. He finds a new home very quickly with the Chargers. They had three interior line spots open, now they fill one. The Packers have signed Sean Ryan for thirty three million dollars for three years, eleven million dollars guaranteed. He's expected to play center, which means Elgin Elton Jenkins might get cut. We don't know about that. Maybe they could move Jenkins out to a different position. He's still on the team. Garrett Bradbury got traded from the Patriots to the Bears for a twenty twenty seven fifth round pick, so the Bears filled their center hole that was brazing, you know, opened up by the fact that Drew Dolman retired the other day, so it's just a game of musical chairs at center. The Patriots send off Garrett Bradbury. Jared Wilson, who they drafted a year ago from Georgia is expected to take that position, and also another spot opened up, Ryan Kelly retired from the Vikings. He had been having concussion issues, So that was a lot Nick, But I just gotta want to just put it all out there and let me know what you think if anything stands out to you there. In general about the center market.

00:33:06
Speaker 3: I thought Biag's landing on the free agent market was mildly surprising, and it felt like he wasn't going to be out there for very long. Good that he kind of got the early head start in a center market that has suddenly become you know, fast and furious. Usually isn't this active, but is this offseason. So good to see him laying with the Chargers, the team that obviously understands the importance of offensive line strength given that they haven't been able to produce it over the last few years, and luckily their quarterback still has all of his limbs. As for the Patriots trade with the Bears. Very funny how this construction of this Patriots team has already evolved from year one to year two, where they went and got some of the vets that they thought could plug holes. And then now that they finished that first season, they're like, all right, you're out, Stefan Diggs, Bradbury, you're traded.

00:33:46
Speaker 2: Wilson's going to move over to center.

00:33:48
Speaker 3: The succession plan completely, you know, in place and active. And the Bears get an answer after a surprise retirement from from Drew Dollman. I know that Bears fans. I am very close with a few of them. They have been panicking all week since he announced his retirement, and so it's nice to get that done before the start of free agency as well. And Bradbury guy with obviously with a ton of experience and did a good jobs as the veteran leader of the pivot of the Patriots this year, an offensive line that was very diverse, being so young on the left so experienced on the right. Didn't play the best in the super Bowl. But I think Bradbury overall deserves this next opportunity.

00:34:25
Speaker 2: We'll see how he doesn't.

00:34:26
Speaker 1: You I don't know. Bears fans watched a lot of that those Vikings games in Division when Bradbury was struggling. It's it's a little bit of a buyer beware with biattish at that salary that the Commanders were willing to get off. Yeah, and also little buyer be aware for the Bears that the Patriots were willing to get off of them. It's not like his contract was that much, but they only gave up a fifth round pick. To me, they might bring in competition for Garrett Bradbury, they might draft someone, they might add another free agent. But yeah, it should. It should make Bears fans feel a little bit better that they have an option that knows how to play. But yeah, there was lot of like protection issues with the commanders in terms of communication. Was that on beiadash I don't really know. McGovern getting that big of a deal, yeah, kind of eliminated him from, you know, possibly going elsewhere. But man, the Bills who were going to get to in a second, they had to make a lot of cuts and they still don't have any cap space right now, like they and they just paid all that money to McGovern. I'm kind of wondering, like, what else is going to happen here? We know they're not going to be in on Tyler Linderbaum. That's it. I think this is the spot. While we're talking centers to talk linder bomb uh Ian reported that the Ravens are, you know, trying to keep Linderbaum, but the Commanders, who you know, just cut Beiadash and the Raiders were the two teams that he mentioned could be willing to pay big time money for Tyler Linderbaum. Now, another outlet, I believe it was ESPN, had the Titans and the Giants in on Linderbaum earlier in the in the weekend, and so Lindenbaum is going to get huge money. Tampering starts at New in Eastern on Monday, and I think he'll he could be one of the first people signed. And I have no idea where he's going, but it is very interesting to me to see the teams that are out there. And if the Raiders just wanted to give Tyler Linbram like twenty seven twenty eight million dollars a year tackle type money, they could do it like Mark Davis would do it. They could just get they could just make the money, absolutely crazy.

00:36:26
Speaker 3: It would make the PA happy too, because it would launch the center market into the stratosphere. But it's funny because three of those four teams that were mentioned as being in on him, outside of the Ravens, of course, are three of the four teams of the most cap spaced at this point as we enter the new league year, Raiders at one hundred and twenty one million, Titans at ninety two million, Commanders at eighty seven million, So they will have the money to throw if they really want him in a bidding war I believe will ensue, and it's gonna be one of the fun storylines to track as the new new League year opens up.

00:36:54
Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm really I'm really looking forward to seeing who goes crazy. But I think these teams that you keep seeing mention we just said a few of them, Raiders, Commanders, Titans. I think Giants are going to be very active patriots. Those are some of the teams that I expect to go crazy. One thing I also thought about with McDuffie. It's probably an extension, so the average per year looks a little misleading because you're not counting the year that was already on the contract and they fudge around with these money. We see you agents and insiders at times. All right, let's talk about a few dudes staying put tj Hockinson took a five million dollar pay cut to stay with the Vikings, and James Connor is back with the Cardinals on a revised contract. Usually that means a pay cut for him as well. Hockinson will now become a free agent after the twenty twenty sixth season. Any thoughts on Connor or Hockinson staying with their teams.

00:37:56
Speaker 3: Hockinson making the necessary sacrifice that the Vikings front office probably begged him to do to stay there, and he probably wanted to stay there. I think that it's been a good home for him since he was traded there, despite their instability at quarterback over the last year or so, And it makes a lot of sense. However, Connor is an essential piece to whatever the Cardinals are going to be under Mike Lafleur, because this is all he was. Like he was their offense in Arizona, like once they got hurt, he got hurt. Last year their offense took a nose dive, and then Kyler gets hurt. He ends up getting soft bench for Jacoby. Over the last three years, the story with the Cardinals was did James Connor have a good game? Did he run for a close to one hundred yards? Then they may have won. Did he have a bad game, They definitely lost. So keeping him there makes sense. And coming off of the injury, that also explains why the contract is revised.

00:38:41
Speaker 2: But they have money to spend, so interesting.

00:38:44
Speaker 3: I think negotiation there between the two and that like running back coming off of an injury, kind of at that point in his career age wise where you can't justify paying him the same amount. He does it out of a move of good faith. They do it because they know he's so important, but they also preserve the ability to add elsewhere because they know they have a lot of holes that they need to fill.

00:39:02
Speaker 2: So good on them.

00:39:04
Speaker 1: We got a question asking to say something nice about the Cardinals. They need hope. Look, maliqu Willis could be your quarterback in less than twenty four hours. That would give me personally a lot of hope. It would also give me a point in our free agency matchmaker game that I'm hoping to win. I think Maliquillis might happen, and just kind of as a something to remember, if you're watching like a pay cut or a revised contract at this time of year, the team ultimately is saying we will cut you. It's up to you. They're negotiating that, and exactly it helps the agent and the player. TJ. Hockinson look like they got to win that. Well, the contracts shortened. Now I'll become a free agent after next year. Well, you would have been a free agent in a day if you didn't accept the pay cup. But ultimately Hockinson decided the money I'm going to get there, which is still I think probably going to be pretty good, Like twelve million dollars is probably better than i could do on the open market. And I'm comfortable here and that ultimately the team was ready to move on. The Eagles are not ready to move on from Jordan Davis. He gets sixty five million dollar guaranteed on a three year, seventy eight million dollar extension. It's a four year total deal. And I find that really interesting in the context of the ESPN report that some teams have called about Jalen Carter. I threw that out there in the middle of February. I was like, I wonder if the Eagles would ever think about trading Jalen Carter. So if you're looking for like a stunner of a deal in the next week, that would be one potential one. The Eagles also reportedly are talking about possibly trading for Jonathan Garnard and are doing their best to keep Jalen Phillips. So I think they're going to spend at edge. We just kind of have to find out if it's Phillips or Gernard. It's a lot there that I just served up for you, But a very cool development arc for Jordan Davis improving in his career.

00:40:53
Speaker 3: Yeah, and it lands him I think in the top two in APY at his position. Actually, he'll make more than Milton Williams. Actually, I think that's the same as Milton Williams. What twenty six a year was at fifty two mental maths seventy eight. Yeah, that's the equal to what Milton Williams got paid by the Patriots last year. I know the Eagles, between the two, would rather pay Jordan Davis than Milton Williams.

00:41:12
Speaker 2: So it makes sense.

00:41:13
Speaker 3: He has improved after he dropped that weight last offseason. He became a more agile player. He was always very explosive and kind of a freak of nature athletically, but he became a more effective and more agile player. Instead of just being a gap plugger, he could also make a bigger difference as a rusher and as somebody who could move from gap to gap, which was big for him in his development.

00:41:29
Speaker 2: And that's why here, how.

00:41:30
Speaker 1: About a touchdown scorer with that return against the Rams.

00:41:33
Speaker 2: That boy was slim new looks. Look how smelt he looks because he lost all that weight. He felt lighter on his feet. Now his pockets are going to feel heavier in a good way. Grenard makes a ton of sense.

00:41:43
Speaker 3: They got to keep Jaln Phillips that trade for him, They bought low at the deadline, and he was so effective for them. He reinstated some presence of an edge rusher that they lacked since his son Reddick's final days there. Because we know what they try to do with Bryce Huff didn't work out. I think they have to find a way to retain him because he's still relatively young, even though he has.

00:42:02
Speaker 2: Had a lot of injuries.

00:42:03
Speaker 3: And Grenard one of my favorite players over the last like four years. He was really effective for an just complete afterthought of a Texans team, and then he goes to Minnesota. They swap basically Grenard for Hunter. Both play really well. Grenard would make a ton of sense for the Eagles. It would be a textbook Howie Roseman move.

00:42:21
Speaker 1: Yeah, and that's that's why this Jalen Carter thing. I I just think the Eagles are going to be incredibly active right now. Mike Garrifolo reports that any AJ Brown talks have stalled. There was another report that the Patriots are not willing to give up a first round pick. The Eagles don't look like they have cap space, but they always find a way to make it done. But still, you can only pay so many defensive linemen so much money. And if we're hearing that teams have called about Jalen Carter, they could get a haul while also possibly you know, getting a free agent edge along with Dave. Just something to watch over the next few days. No, no point in in speculating too much, because we're going to find out. Most of what's going to happen this offseason is gonna happen in the next seventy two hours or so. You mentioned Daniel Hunter. He got a one year extension by the Texans. Dalton Schultz also got a one year extension from the Texans. I mentioned Hunter especially because it was like for forty million dollars. It was a crazy, crazy extension. But the bigger picture here is, you know, it just signs him through twenty twenty seven. Same thing with Schultz, but the Texans. Every other move I see this week, Cook is the Texans opening up cap space. And actually that's what this one year deal does for Hunter. Lowers his twenty six number, gives him more guaranteed money, pushes down twenty seven, so just keep it. They also resigned EJ. Speed, who's kind of a depth linebacker for them. Just keep it an eye on, Like, what are the Texans doing? I feel like they're doing something they're up to.

00:43:50
Speaker 3: Yeah, well, I mean they reached the division A round again and lost again, and they understand how close they are. They could get consistent quarterback play, they'd probably be another step ahead, or an offensive line that was not.

00:44:01
Speaker 2: As bad as two years ago.

00:44:02
Speaker 3: By the way, folks, everyone talking about how they've just been terrible. Sack numbers wise, they cut it in half from twenty twenty four to twenty twenty five. They are slowly getting better marginally speaking. But yeah, I mean Casario, Wheelan and Delan. That number, by the way, for twenty twenty seven for daneil Hunter forty five million dollars thirty point two and guaranteed salary. I don't think he'll be in Houston in twenty twenty seven. Wait, you said it's guaranteed though in twenty points that were guaranteed in twenty seven, But I bet you that's a new league year deadline to become guaranteed. Okay, I don't know, man, he is. He is one of those players talk about all time bag getters.

00:44:42
Speaker 1: He is that dude. And to get that much guaranteed salary in twenty seven that probably he probably is making that money, which is a crazy bet on one of as John Gruden pointed out once on Monday Night Football, awkwardly the best bodies in the NFL. He said, if you could have one body, I always remember this when he that's how long Hunter has been in the league that John Grunen was announcing Monday Night Football, he would want to have Daniel Hunter's body, And yeah, like the one of the best paid players of his generation too, Daniel Hunter keeping it going I think Will Anderson will get a long term contract this offseason. Two. I mentioned the Bills making some cuts earlier. This happened back on Friday, but I did want to note Taylor Rap, Curtis Samuel, and then Toron Johnson out the slot corner just an indication that it's got to be different. I was surprised to see Toron Johnson, who I think will have a market as a slot cornerback. But just like, Okay, if there ever was a Sean McDermott guy, Doron Johnson is that guy. And we're getting rid of some of the Sean McDermott guys.

00:45:42
Speaker 3: Yeah, and they're currently looking at at a cap deficit that they have to get out of.

00:45:45
Speaker 2: So you're gonna see some of these moves.

00:45:46
Speaker 3: You're gonna see restructures because this is another team that got to the Divisional round, had Super Bowl ambitions. This was supposed to be the year no Chiefs, no Ravens in the playoffs, and now with a new head coach but the same pressure to deliver.

00:46:00
Speaker 2: You got to find a way to retool this roster.

00:46:02
Speaker 3: And I think about some of these guys on the defensive side, like a Taylor Rap I don't think that people were very fond of him in Buffalo with the way that he performed, not that he had a terrible season, but they just don't think that they were super fond of him and his presence in that secondary.

00:46:14
Speaker 2: So sometimes this is what you have to do to get better.

00:46:17
Speaker 1: And I know, but this was Toron Johnson. Bill's fans. If you're watching hit us up, you know, I thought he was still solid. I know he's had some injuries. You know, he is thirty. Maybe just doesn't fit that this scheme, and it does show that the cap is real by the way that one of the dumbest comments I've ever seen in my life right now said the Eagles only have one real championship. I don't even know what that means. They beat the alt they beat the goat Tom Brady in one of the best games he's ever had, five hundred yards or something preposterous, and then they beat the crap out of one on the other goats, Patrick Mahomes. How are those not as real as a.

00:46:54
Speaker 3: Yeah, I don't understand that that was the cowboy. New Orleans was incredibly dominant and lopsided. Those are two very real rings. Almost why they say, don't read the comments.

00:47:03
Speaker 1: They say, don't read the comments. Another guy that that snuck into my top fifty once once we got some of these signings and tags was justin Stronat and I knew, influenced by Ali Connelly, I was a little higher on him than probably consensus. An edge linebacker who can rush the passer, you know, an inside linebacker, but who can can rush the quarterback. And the Broncos agreed that he's an important piece for them. He is staying off the market thirteen million dollars over three years, ten million dollars guaranteed, you would assume in the next two years. So a good bit of business for him. Kind of a journeyman type who gets the most money of his career. And I and I did the math, shook from my original top fifty eight are off the board. That's it so far. So that's from re signings and tags. So for the most part, I think we're going to have a lot of like the big name players changing teams in the next.

00:47:55
Speaker 2: Three eight hours.

00:47:56
Speaker 3: Yeah, you're right that that's a that means we're gonna get an active Monday, Tuesday, WEDNESDA this week for sure. I also think about one of my most loyal Twitch viewers is a Broncos fan, and he jumped in there on Friday and was like, we got to keep Stirnad, we got to keep Singleton. Like these are guys that just define the Broncos defense. So to see him get paid was nice.

00:48:15
Speaker 1: Uh yeah, I he really earned. It makes you wonder Alex Singleton is a free agent there and so I m hm, you don't know if he's gonna come come back. I did not crack my my one o one, but but a solid player who's played a lot for them. Another trade or another move over the weekend. Zire Franklin is going to the Packers. He's a linebacker who's been with the Colts for a while. Uh, he's going to Green Bay for defensive tackle. Colby Wooden kind of assigned kway Walker is on his way out. I think in gredient Bay tire Franklin actually has a decent contract that they are taking as part of this deal. Colby wood In more of a younger, you know, defensive tackle prospect for the Colts. What did you think about that move for Green Bay?

00:49:01
Speaker 3: I thought it was interesting that they're resupplying their linebacking court because I feel maybe I'm in the minority here, but I've liked kway Walker a decent amount, but he's also made some boneheaded plays in his career. Athletic guy that could definitely fill a lot of the job that they need filled at that position. But you think about Edge Cooper being lined up alongside him and the other studs that they have, it kind of makes more sense. And the Colts meanwhile kind of beef up up front. It's one of those interesting like one to one trades where it's like, hey, we have a need here, we have a need here. We don't really care to keep this guy that much if we can fill this need, all right, same here with this guy.

00:49:35
Speaker 2: Let's get it done right.

00:49:37
Speaker 1: And he's only making only six million dollars, which I was like, do you need to pay that much for him? Like is he a scheme fit? And then I thought, oh yeah. Jonathan Gannon is the defensive coordinator of the Packers. Remember him. Jonathan Gannon has a great history of taking linebackers and just getting the most out of him. Like if I would say he has a specialty, that's one of them. So if he has a vision for zaire Franklin. I do too. He you know, he helped you know, many linebackers over the years. So let's make it happen. I mentioned the Rams earlier. We're talking packers while we're here. You see this for Shaun Gary, stuff like what happened over the weekend.

00:50:24
Speaker 2: He was hacked.

00:50:26
Speaker 1: I mean, he says he was hacked. He put this statement out on Instagram that it was his time in Green Bay is coming to an end and blah blah blah, and then just like a little while later, he deleted it and then he said he was hacked. What do you think happened there?

00:50:43
Speaker 3: Oh? Okay, So I didn't see the initial post, and I would judge a lot of my analysis on this on how well the graphic was done, because it's either a prepped statement or it's something that's made out of emotion. There's usually a paragraph long caption that says goodbye the city that they were in and they're preparing for something new. Multiple Browns did it this offseason, and I didn't see it, so I can't tell you, but it looks pretty professional.

00:51:08
Speaker 1: When I got the call in twenty nineteen, it was one of the greatest moments of my life and always.

00:51:12
Speaker 2: Not getting hacked. I'm sorry, that's not getting hacked.

00:51:15
Speaker 1: That's what has come to an end.

00:51:17
Speaker 2: The agent called him and was like, take that down now, right.

00:51:21
Speaker 1: My read on it is they're trying to negotiate a different contract. Maybe it's a pay cut, maybe it's a some sort of restructure, and at some point he either was getting emotional or he thought it was over. But the contry, the negotiation not over until it's over, and my guess is that him and his agent are still working on like a possible deal.

00:51:46
Speaker 3: Super producer Eric Roberts has sent the screenshot to us in via text and yeah, he did not get hacked at all.

00:51:54
Speaker 2: This is super real. This is absolutely real. Your theory's very correct.

00:51:58
Speaker 1: We can't be still using hacked twenty twenty six because who's getting hacked?

00:52:02
Speaker 3: Although I will say I don't know if he got dms from people in the business who were like, hey, I'm up for an award with these podcast awards, click here to vote.

00:52:08
Speaker 2: That's getting hacked.

00:52:09
Speaker 1: Okay. By the way, we have a comment. I asked the Bills fans out there, any anyone for some Tarron Johnson perspective, and from super listener. Brad beats in here tarn Johnson. His tackling grades were down the past two seasons, with a mistackle rate at seventeen percent plus per PFF. I think it was really just about the cap hit and moving away from the four to five defense a great perspective. There a few more mistackles, changing defense, big cap number, this new coach. It is how these things happen. So keep an eye on Rashan Gary by the way, he would be an interesting guy to add to the edge group. Some official releases that we were keeping an eye on and expecting. Joe Mixon is officially cut. Don't know if his career is going to continue. Marshaun Lattimore was officially cut. It's crazy, but with his injuries, I'm not totally sure his career is going to continue. Their main Edmonds a linebacker for the Bills. His career will absolutely continue. He will have a market, but they did not find a trade for him at a big salary number, and so he is now hitting free agency. We have kicker news shook Chad Ryland staying with the Cardinals. The Colts re signed Blake Groupie, and then one of the wildest bits of news of the entire offseason. Eddie Pinero got ten million dollars guaranteed. I need to see the fine print if that's true. Ten million dollars guaranteed from San Francisco four for seventeen total. The forty nine ers have been trying to solve this kicker situation. Yeah, for so long. I almost feel like they spent so much money shook just to convince themselves that if we spend a lot of money, then Eddie Pinero is going to stay as awesome as he was for the season that he just had for us.

00:53:52
Speaker 3: Look, they started last year with Jake Moody, it didn't work out. They ended up with Eddie Pinero, and it worked out remarkably well.

00:53:59
Speaker 2: He was what he was what twenty eight ofe You barely missed the kick.

00:54:02
Speaker 1: But it was one year and Ed's had a long career.

00:54:05
Speaker 3: Yeah, and over the course of his career, he's hit eighty nine point seven percent of his field goals. So yeah, he's not rock solid, but he was also the guy that began his career in the windy city of Chicago, spent a few years in Carolina. Look, you spent a draft pick on Jake Moody and it never worked out. You gave him time to figure it out and it didn't work out. Then you got this veteran who came in. You're rewarding him, and you're also trying to confirm your bias toward him by spending this much money and hoping it works out. And they're far from the first team to do this. The Browns did with Dustin Hopkins like two years ago and ended up with Andre Schmidt to start this year. So I think it happens more often than we realized, but hopefully it works out for them because he was good this year.

00:54:41
Speaker 1: Some other odds and ends. Before we get out of here and kind of start looking ahead to Monday, the Dolphins released their kicker Jason Sanders and their fullback alec Ingold, So if you want a fullback, that's a good one on the market. Traylon Burks is back with the Commanders for like a contract up to four hundred million dollars. My most niche take right now is that Trail. I'm still not totally giving up on Trail, and Burke's just being kind of like a fun number four based on his commander's tape. Man he had some crazy catches. I know there was that one that was like the catch of the year, but he I don't know. I kind of liked that move for the Commanders as like a fourth fifth receiver to see if he can do something that. The Cowboys put a second round tender on their kicker, Brandon Aubrey haven't been able to work out a long term deal. Darius Williams, the longtime Rams cornerback, retired. The Panthers are expected to cut Andy Dalton if they cannot find a trade partner. That was David Newton from ESPN that reported that the Cardinals released Dalvin Tomlinson. Tommy DeVito is back with the Patriots right now. He's their third quarterback, but maybe he'll become their backup. And then Drake Thomas, who had some nice moments there for the Seahawks at linebacker, is back in Seattle for two years eight million dollars. Let's start spinning ahead a little bit, shook kind of what's next? Is there are anything you're looking at as we head into Monday and really the meat of this free agency season.

00:56:04
Speaker 3: Well, honestly, I now that we just covered it very quickly here. I want to know if a team would be willing to risk a second rounder to go after Brandon Aubrey, So I think they would. I think that I think that that tender is actually pretty competitive, just given like a late second. Yeah, I would if I was in need of a kicker desperately, I think that I would.

00:56:27
Speaker 1: Why not? Funny who just got a late too? The Bears did for Curtis Samuel. Do they need a kicker now? Kiro Santos is fine? I was like, would he? I think that is pick sixty. That was why I was sticking in my head. If nothing else, just make the Cowboys spend, spend a huge amount of money, but then it kind of ties you up for a week. That would be really funny. It does feel like Alec Pearce is maybe a candidate here to get the most guaranteed money of anyone in free agency, now that he is this close. The Patriots, the Raiders, the Commanders, and the Titans are all reportedly in the mix for Pierce. Patriots fans are really getting excited about it, but you know, Vegas Commanders again, it's these same teams. I still if I had to pick a team, I would go Colts. But as we get closer, I might go with the field over the Colts now, even though I kind of think in the end the Colts will find a way to keep him. Yeah.

00:57:30
Speaker 3: So Pierce said this past week that he felt he earned the right to test free agency, but he also acknowledged that quarterback has a big part in it, you know, plays a big role in making his decision. And yes, the transition tack is on Daniel Jones, but we don't know when exactly he'll be back or what form he'll be in. And if Pierce believes that he is going to, you know, have sustained success, it's going to have to be with the quarterback. So if you look at the other three candidates, Drake may is very enticing, very enticing, probably gets more money offered to him the Raiders or the Commanders. But you have Fernanda Mendoza expected to be the number one pick of the Raiders coming in there.

00:58:06
Speaker 2: And then the Commanders have Jade Daniels. But can they protect him, can they keep him upright? And prevents?

00:58:10
Speaker 1: Just who offers the most money there? Shooky, that's all.

00:58:13
Speaker 3: But if all the money is the same, then where are you going? Because that actually becomes somewhat intriguing. I would probably rank the Raiders last on that list because of the unknown. I'd put Drake May and the Patriots first, although he got the battle for targets with Kaish on Booty.

00:58:28
Speaker 1: Yeah, come on that money, you're getting it and a great deep ball.

00:58:31
Speaker 3: Thrower running the streak and the dagger and booter running, Booty running the dig Yeah, let's do it.

00:58:36
Speaker 1: I want it. I want it. There's a report to the commanders in on him, which would be interesting. They also seem in on tight ends Isaiah likely maybe as a possibility. One thing I'd like to see. Tom Pelisero had his list of players who will get a surprisingly good contract and free agency, and they had our two highly ranked tight ends from my one oh one, kitat And and Charlie Kohlar on his list. So I seeing that, I'm curious how quickly the edge market goes. Where does Hendrickson go, Where does Jalen Phillips go, Cowboys, Bucks, Eagles, I think all in the mix for the big edges. A Dafeoway obviously out there, to Romeo Dobbs is maybe like kind of the backup for a lot of these teams. If you don't get Alec Pierce, even though he's a very different player. I just think a lot of the same teams could be going for him. I think the forty nine ers are laying in the weeds there. But no sense predicting too much because it's all going to be happening by the time, you know, people really start listening. I also wanted to say before we said goodbye, just rest in peace to Bob Harlan, the long time Packers president and CEO. Died on Thursday at the age of eighty nine. And we had Kevin Harlan on the show last summer and he told a great story about how his dad, Bob Harlan helped to, you know, help Mike Homgren and Ron Wolf really execute the Brett Favre trade that, you know, even though he wasn't the one making the decision, he let the football people do it, even though everyone was giving them a heat. That was a time in the Packers history where you had sort of this you know, committee that was almost overseeing things and having to rubber stamp all these big moves, and Bob Harlan said, no, let Ron Wolf make the football moves. He brings in Bret Brett Favre. Similar thing happens with Aaron Rodgers and Bob Harlan ran the Packers for over eighteen years and really turned it around. If you weren't around in the nineties, like there was a minute there were Packers weren't in great shape. There was some question about whether they were going to be able to keep the team their long term. They end up doing that stock sale and go public. They renovate lambeau Field and now it's really a treasure. And oh, by the way, you know he won a Super Bowl and they won another one after he was running the team too. Obviously you know his son, Kevin Harlan. We're friends with his granddaughter, Olivia Harlan deck or two, and so our thoughts are with the family. Just wanted to mention that before we got out of there. Man Chook, hope you're ready. You're gonna be writing a lot of posts in the coming days, and yeah, we're gonna have you on NFL Daily later in the week.

01:01:16
Speaker 2: I'm ready.

01:01:17
Speaker 3: This is this is when we set the table for what lies ahead in April and then going into the season.

01:01:21
Speaker 2: This is hits a peak right here right.

01:01:25
Speaker 1: I mean, by Friday, things will be calming down and the shows are going to be great, but we'll have a off season winter. Yeah, most of the moves will will happen really that matter this offseason by Friday, and we're gonna be analyzing that all week long. So if you're listening to us now, come back with us. We're gonna be on YouTube all week long, Monday through Wednesday, I should say, at seven pm East Coast time, four pm on the Best Coast. And we're also going to be on the NFL Channel, So if you have the NFL channel, which is the free over the air NFL network, it'll be me. It'll be Steve Wisch and Jordan from the studio. Let's hit that music. Let's get out of here. Eric really appreciate everyone joining us for this live YouTube on Sunday evening. A little different. I'm really excited, and I'm also annoyed because the second we say goodbye, Shook, this is already going to be out of date. So we'll see you on Monday podcasts all week long. Can't wait for you that