Free Agency Frenzy Day 1 Recap: Willis to the Dolphins, Raiders Spend BIG, Evans to 49ers, Walker III to KC and More!

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Speaker 1: Welcome to NFL Daily, where more news happen on this day then will happen for the entire months of May, two, July, in August. But we're still gonna have great daily shows death too. I'm Greg Ross thob here in the Christen Westling podcast Studio, live on you.

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Speaker 2: Type YouTube, live on the NFL.

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Speaker 1: Channel, and of course in your ears, I'm with Steve Boyye and Jordan rod Reeg.

00:00:29
Speaker 2: What a day.

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Speaker 1: This is maybe the longest rundown we have ever made in the history of the show.

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Speaker 3: I mean it just started out with Gangbusters. I mean, okay, you know, wake up, you know two has been cut by Miami, you know all this stuff. Malik Willson out of the gate, and I'm like, wow, I thought this quarterback market was gonna be a little slower, and then Kenneth Walker, Oh, the running back market get a running back off.

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Speaker 4: I thought that was gonna be a little slower.

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Speaker 3: So teams showed you what they think of some of the draft prospects coming up without.

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Speaker 2: Quick and it just kept going.

00:00:56
Speaker 1: Jordan, I know you liked it that I keep updating, like how many are left of my original top fifty?

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Speaker 2: Like thirty five out of the top fifty so are gone.

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Speaker 1: We're taping this for everyone that's listening as a podcast at four pm Pacific, seven pm Eastern. And the Raiders just signed two more big linebackers, and more deals keep happening, so let's just get right into it.

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Speaker 2: You started with the quarterbacks.

00:01:16
Speaker 1: I wanted to and I'll go to you on this, Jordan, to start, Malik Willis, my number one overall free agent signs with the Dolphins. Three years, sixty seven million dollars, forty five million dollars guaranteed to a you know, we heard earlier that he was going to be released.

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Speaker 2: He's going to the Falcons. We'll get to him in a second.

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Speaker 1: I heard some you know, little tittering out there of like, oh, Malik Willis didn't get maybe as much money as some of the people who are big fans of him said he was gonna get. I took personal offense to that. It's not about the money, it's about making us happy. And Malik Willis is going to entertain the hell out of Miami Dolphins fans and me in twenty twenty s.

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Speaker 5: I just love this.

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Speaker 6: This is a fit that a lot of people, ourselves included predicted where Milik Willis come.

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Speaker 2: Colleen got it right.

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Speaker 6: Our queen got it right on for Agency Matchmaker earlier in the week last week. And I just love this fit because it's very clear by taking on as much dead money as the Dolphins now have to and the rest of a tune of by lowest contract and how decimated their defense is, this is a team that's basically going to have to overhaul and rebuild many parts of its defense, but has its quarterback, has its top receiver in Jalen Waddle, has a great center in Aaron Brewer, has a top running back in Devin a Chain, just signed Greg Dulcich.

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Speaker 2: Let's go.

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Speaker 6: And so I think they're just saying, Okay, we are going to score a lot of points, or work to score a lot of points, and figure out defense as we go along, draft and develop those guys.

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Speaker 1: I think Malik Willis stepped in day one. He's the best running quarterback in the league. I just think he's that dynamic as a runner. You combine him in e chan no excuses for Bobby Slowak, who's their offensive coordinator, not to make this work. But what I think is really interesting about the overall picture wise, is that this contract and kind of this situation, they're kind of threading the knee in a way that the Cardinals, for instance, aren't trying to where they're paying all that dead money to Tua ninety nine million over the next two years, but they still are putting some money in at quarterback, and the contract is such that if it works out, great, we have a great value and he probably gets a new contract like Sam Darnold did in Seattle, and if it doesn't work out, we'll revisit that in a couple of years when we're really ready to kind of take the next level in the team.

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Speaker 3: Right when tuist dead money comes off the cap and everything. So they set themselves up and they also structured it where basically the big the new money of this contract doesn't kick in until after this season, so he's only making about a million and a half in base salary this year. Now he's got cash guarantees up front. But that's where you structured over the worst you do some as we call cap gymnastics here, So.

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Speaker 2: Forty five million dollars fully guarantee.

00:03:51
Speaker 1: It is significant and it's a lot more than justin fields for instance, got a year ago to correct.

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Speaker 3: It's on the same terms with basically a couple million dollars more year with an added year on to it. But it's it's kind of the same structure. But I'm with you in terms of Malik Willis because here's somebody who came into Tennessee terrible situation, got better in Green Bay. Then the people who saw him get better and know how decent of a human being he is said we want him because we have to reshape the culture here in Miami. He's a guy we can do this with because we know who he is, and I think that's important. If they didn't go after him, everybody would have been like, oh, the.

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Speaker 1: Guy would have been a little worried. It would have been a red flag. And when he started to hear at the constell right and and the GM exactly, and when you started to hear at the comment maybe the Dolphins weren't gonna go crazy money for Malik Wills, I started getting a little worried.

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Speaker 2: That was a red flag.

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Speaker 1: But in the end they didn't have to go crazy money because the Cardinals showed us they didn't really want to spend that quarterback. We'll get to them, but they signed Gardner Minshew, and there wasn't like done a huge other market. I don't think for Willis. And that's fine. I saw what the network was doing. You did a great job on Free Agency Frenzy. You were on there for three hours. By fo there is a big buck cooming.

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Speaker 6: You know.

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Speaker 1: They were putting up the top one to one free agents, and a lot of them they just say, oh, this is the NFL dot COM's like fourth free agent.

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Speaker 2: They're not saying, you know who made the list.

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Speaker 1: But when it was Malik Willis, they were like, oh, that was Greg Rosenthal's number one free They almost wanted to get the stink off them that Malik Willis was the number one overall guy. But I'm with you, Dolphins fans. I'm now a fan of your team and me and Malik are going.

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Speaker 2: To ride well.

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Speaker 6: They've positioned you as the person to blame. Obviously if this all goes south, I don't believe it. Will I think that we talked about the contract earlier in a very very low twenty twenty five number for Malik Willis relative to a much larger contract in the next couple of years. When you pair that with the dead money, as you said Steve. If you are going to I call it a sprint rebuild, what it is is a competitive rebuild if you're going to believe that you are competitive, at least in the offensive phase, and you have to rebuild so many other parts, including a culture with front office that's being overhauled as we speak under John Eric Sullivan and a new coaching staff. You have to have control at quarterback, and that's what they have while still thinking that they can be competitive because of the quality of that quarterback.

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Speaker 1: So part two of all this, and I think that's all really well said, because if for some reason it went really poorly, Look, they just showed they can take a ninety nine million dollars cap hit in Tuo while going for a quart If for some reason they're in the top six or whatever it is of next year's draft and they like a quarterback, like this is not cross backs.

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Speaker 2: That off.

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Speaker 1: Let's talk about the Falcons though, which we're in a really interesting situation. I wasn't expecting to go so high on the Falcons on our show today, but.

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Speaker 2: Tuas going there.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, your guy, he's essentially signing for a minimum contract because a million three. Because the Dolphins are paying him whatever it is, thirty six something like that guaranteed, and he's gonna be their lefty's starter to hold the fort for Michael Pennox or is it just holding the fort?

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Speaker 4: I think could be more than holding the fort.

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Speaker 3: And here's and here's the main reason why first off two is trying to resurrect his career. Right, here's somebody who's also an ideal scheme fit for Kevin Stefanski does right. This is a timing offense, get the ball out, West Coast offense, let the receivers make the run after catch.

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Speaker 4: That's what he will do. Well.

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Speaker 3: Okay, Plus, if Michael Penix is still rehabbing all off season, Tua's taking all the snaps, right, He's getting all of the run people are gonna make. Okay, this guy's moving our offense. We were able to set it so if Pennix can't get in there by training camp and get reps in and they look like it's something Kevin Stefanski, who's been through like quarterback hell the past couple of years, it's like, I'm cool with this guy.

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Speaker 4: That's what they're gonna do.

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Speaker 1: And he's essentially Stefanci's guy in a way that Michael Pennix is not. And when I think of what Stefanski likes quote unquote, you know, I do think of like a point guard type of quarterback, a Kirk Cousins type of quarterback, and that can be to a tongue of Bailoa at his best. So we'll see it an It's an interesting balance that they're.

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Speaker 3: And real quick to add to that. I mean, who was a decision maker in this. Matt Ryan was right. So Matt Ryan probably was like, oh, yeah, Tua is a guy who can come.

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Speaker 5: In huntingham erasure.

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Speaker 4: Well, no, I'll give you.

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Speaker 1: What about the theory that Matt Ryan is setting up a situation because you know who has missed some games Obviously the concussions are a big part of the risk that Matt Ryan is setting up a situation where the weak ones starting quarterback is Matt Ryan.

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Speaker 5: Wow.

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Speaker 6: Wow, that's how you know it's the regular scenes not that crazy.

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Speaker 3: They've got dead money. They've got dead money. Uh you know flashbacks with Matt Ryan.

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Speaker 2: Remember they still that's why they brought him back.

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Speaker 5: It's on his current contract.

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Speaker 6: What I really like about this one is the I'm a huge geek about lefty quarterbacks. You guys know this, and you don't really have to change anything about your offense in terms of just the way that you have first of all, the way your tackles play on tackle and then and then also the way that you layer out like your splits for your receivers. You don't have to change the math or the formation to flip the sides on that.

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Speaker 5: So that's great.

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Speaker 6: I loved our friend Mina Kimes his tweet about how if you combine the two quarterbacks you actually get someone who throws to all parts of the field because Mike Pennix only throws to the perimeter. To a tongue of my law, loves to throw over the middle. And the thing that I like the most about this is that good football teams understand that there is so much valuable value in being in the quarterback rehabilitation market because no matter what happens this season, however much he does or does not play, or however much Mike Pennix does or does not play, there is future value in one of those two players.

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Speaker 1: By loo like, it's the same thing as fantasy football, the same thing as doc life whatever, Yes to a tongue of Viola was in the end incredibly overpaid by the Dolphins. But if you find a quarterback that at one point was valued enough to make fifty to sixty million dollars a year and you get them for one, that's generally just good business to do. The Falcons were very active today signing kind of lesser free agents. Nick Folk got a two year contract. Austin Hooper, who's a backup tight end.

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Speaker 4: He was full circling game. Yep, he gets.

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Speaker 2: Three million dollars. That was a good backup for the Patriots.

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Speaker 1: Alamadas z a kias another full circle guy he started with the Falcons, is going to be a depth receiver. Johan Dotson got two years, fifteen million dollars.

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Speaker 2: So just some depth.

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Speaker 4: I don't think they're done there.

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Speaker 2: Interesting, okay.

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Speaker 4: Rashicha heed man, don't don't know he's got he's been.

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Speaker 2: Got higher washing.

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Speaker 1: You know, Steve has been on the air. He goes down, he takes like he got her break. He's gonna be with the Seattle Seahawks. Good teas for later in the show. We go the Las Vegas Raiders. I had to drive our producers a little cool. Yeah, babe, last second, you know, I saw them down in the rundown and I thought, has a team ever spent more money in one day than the Las Vegas Raiders spent today.

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Speaker 4: I'm sure our research last year went kind of hard.

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Speaker 1: They did. But let's make the list here. Tyler Linderbaum is the highest paid center in the league now by fifty percent, sixty million dollars guaranteed. It used to be who was it? Kreed Humphrey at eighteen million dollars a year was the highest. Now Linderbaum is twenty seven million dollars a year. And the fact it was a three year deal was apparently where the Ravens just weren't even gonna come close to that, because like they wanted some long term security if they're gonna be giving that much money. But Linderbaum's thinking, I can get back to the open market again in three years, and he gets it. Monster deal. Quitty pay goes to the Raiders for sixteen million dollars. The edge rushing market went crazy today and he actually ends up being about where he was in my ranking, real coreer. The edge market kind of went almost in order of my rankings today, and May was, Yeah, that's the most important thing. Pay was like in the middle for sixteen per right before we go on air, Nikobe Dean signs for three years thirty six million dollars twenty million dollars guaranteed to be their off ball linebacker, but not the only one. I was like, well, maybe if Okay they signed to Kobe Dean. That was the first one I heard. That means maybe the Cowboys are gonna sign kway Walker because our friend Jane Slater was saying they're going to sign a name brand off ball linebacker soon, and that was about an hour before this happened. But no, quay Walker signs with the Raiders too, quay Walker and Nakobe Dean for a combined sepenty six million dollars. Kuay Walker gets four million dollars overall and about six million dollars more guaranteed, so he gets valued more.

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Speaker 2: But that's not all.

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Speaker 1: Jalen Naylor, the wide receiver from the Vikings who made it into my top seventy five free agents, good middle tier guy. Twenty three million dollars guaranteed for Jalen Naylor to be a key piece of their offense. Three for thirty five overall, and then they also re signed a guy I liked as kind of a reclamation project for another team. But actually Malcolm Koontz, who was coming off of torn acl gets eleven million dollars. And our guy John Spytech, who is trying to act cool, Yeah, trying to act all cool that like, you know, we're gonna do things the right way and we're gonna build it up slowly. I think this could be doing things the right way. But no one spent more money on Monday than the Raiders. Do you think it was money well spent?

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Speaker 5: Well, I mean, we'll see once they get on the grass.

00:12:51
Speaker 2: It's not an answer.

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Speaker 6: It is an answer because we thought the Raiders were going to be much better than they actually were.

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Speaker 5: This last season.

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Speaker 6: Here here's what I like and am wary of about what the Raiders have done. I think that a lot of these guys are floor raising players, particularly on the defensive side. I think you could say Jalen Naylor is a Jacoby Myers replacement right in terms of what they want him to do in the offense. But a lot of these defensive guys will raise the floor of that defense while you draft and develop behind them. That is the point of spending this much money in free agency is to set the table not just not for this year's draft specifically, but for the next two years of draft classes for this team. Now that they have stockpiled picks and gotten rid in part by getting rid of Max Crosby, then also they have so many draft picks and you need to rebuild this team in a big way. The Linderbaum signing I think we can look at in a vacuum here because I look at it as yes, it's an overpay, right, Yes, it's an overpay born of desperation to fix that offensive line that was a disaster last season, and to get a couple of other players, including Jackson Powers. Johnson kicked outside to guard where he look where he's better. But also at the same time, it's a necessary ad for them because you're basically paying this guy to do two jobs. One protect your rookie quarterback and reset the identity of the offensive line, and to work in tandem with the play caller Clint Kubiak, to develop this offensive scheme and to say the things that the quarterback just doesn't know yet. Fernando Mendoza future number one overall pick. You need a even more than a top receiver. You need a great center to settle in a rookie quarterback in this way, and I think that's an outstanding guy to do it.

00:14:32
Speaker 1: And you help a rookie quarterback with a great run game, which I think whereas Linderbaum really fits with Kubiak and you can do everything that Kubiak wants to do with Linderbam. If there was any criticism in Baltimore, it maybe was not just the pass pro but maybe the communication and like there were a lot of free rush they he did not have his best year. You did hear a little bit of pushback on how Linderbaum was viewed. But the Steelers, I mean, the Raiders had to go so high because the Ravens were willing to pay a lot of money too. Reportedly they went up to four for eighty eight, which is the pretty big difference per year, about five million dollars per year. But they obviously believed in him that much to give him that much money. And to me, if it's kind of like the Patriots a year ago that when they made all those deals, I like, if they can hit half of these, that's a win.

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Speaker 2: And that's how I feel with this. The Patriots ended up hitting more than half.

00:15:18
Speaker 1: Yeah, but ultimately, like between kway Walker and Kobe Dean, if one of those hits great, Quitty pay and Koons if one of those two hits great, and then Linderbaum, you got to be right well, Lindenbaum, I.

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Speaker 3: Mean, like you said, it was born out of competition in terms of just you know who was bidding for him.

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Speaker 4: We know how effective he can be.

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Speaker 3: But your point about this being a floor raising group, Look where these guys came from. I don't think there's one guy on this team that came from a team with a losing record or historically has lost. That's what the Raiders have to get out from. They've got a mindset and that building where losing is okay, point right. So you've got to bring in Remember they traded for Taron Johnson too, you know who is one of my favorite slot defenders in the secondary. So guy, guys who've won, there's gonna be some some player accountability in there, which is something that the Raiders like Max Crosby was the one driving that, but A Bought the only one driving that with the Raiders.

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Speaker 4: So I think that's the part they've got to nail. The draft. I love that that's the most important for the draft.

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Speaker 1: I do love that idea, and I'm glad you brought up Dron Johnson, who we did a show Sunday night and at that point we thought he was cut, but right after we finished, he ended up going to the Raiders for pickswap and they're paying a lot of money and they did. They're like a lot of teams, but they were the most extreme that you have to hit a floor, like you said, raising the floor as a team, but literally a salary cap. Yeah, for how much money they had to spend and they had one hundred and twenty million dollars. They had to spend all this money, but man, they took some big risks, quitty paying kway Walker where guys, I think that ultimately disappointed their previous teams. They have high ceilings and our big boomer bus type players.

00:16:51
Speaker 2: But what a mix.

00:16:51
Speaker 1: The Raiders fans out there, including yes, Steven can be a lot more excited about their team.

00:16:57
Speaker 2: In twenty twenty six.

00:16:58
Speaker 1: All eyes were on Inny today, Hey, because that's where our guy, Alec Pierce was top five free agent available, my favorite wide receiver available, and he ends up staying put like we predicted on this show four years, one hundred and fourteen million dollars to stay with the Colts, depending on how you want to do the math. He's around a top ten wide receiver right now in terms of average value. Sixty million dollars fully guaranteed for Alec Pierce. We're going to get into the Michael Pittman trade, but I do want to just even mention it before we get into Pierce, because to me, they're combined. They decided to keep Alec Pierce and then they trade Michael Pittman for essentially nothing to the Pittsburgh Steelers. It was kind of like a salary cap dump of Michael Pittman, but you decide to keep Alec Pierce. Jordan and I have talked so much about Alec Pierce and Daniel Jones on the show that I want a fresh voice.

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Speaker 2: I go, and he might be Patrick Claybohn's favorite player just as the whole league.

00:18:00
Speaker 1: Yes, he is twenty what two yards per catch over the last two years, just absolutely outraged putting up nineteen seventies. Like you know, Don Corielle Chargers numbers in terms of those yards per catch? Do you think not only is he worth this, but like, do you expect to see maybe a different Alec Pierce a bigger role with all Well.

00:18:17
Speaker 4: That's the main part.

00:18:18
Speaker 3: I mean, they did not sign him to this type of money to make him be a part time d threat. You know, he's he's gonna have to be much more of a joker in terms of intermediate right he can he can run all the routes. You're seeing him right here. Just hit him on this quick, you know, kind of flag route to the back of the end zone. But they just they need to use him more, and they paid him to get rid of Michael Pittman.

00:18:38
Speaker 4: I mean Pittman.

00:18:39
Speaker 3: His production was twice of Alec Pearce's in terms of, you know, overall moving the sticks and the catches. So that's what Alec Pearce is going to become. But they're also a tight and heavy offense. I mean, so that's what they're you know, they're part of. But they've gotta they've got to draft and develop. This is part of the salary cap shell game. This also tells you they're saving some dollars to pay Daniel Jones. So that's what part of this is about.

00:19:01
Speaker 2: Two and they did. They've shown at receiver.

00:19:03
Speaker 1: Jordan's mentioned sometimes a team like the Rams will trade or sign, you know, position, maybe they haven't been able to draft and develop well. Who drafts and developed receivers better than the Colts. Pittman, Pierce down, see who's still there. But like Chris Ballard drafted all of those guys, and so ultimately you trade Pittman with one year left on his contract. But I think Pierce was the more unique the skill set and was just starting to reach his peak.

00:19:30
Speaker 2: I mean a thousand yards on forty seven.

00:19:31
Speaker 4: Guess yeah, that's crazy.

00:19:33
Speaker 2: Yeah.

00:19:33
Speaker 6: I think you look at this particular move with three interconnecting mechinations with it. One is that the Colts obviously needed to buy themselves a little bit of time, and that's why they put the transition tag on Daniel Jones. They needed to see his touch points and coming back from this injury. Those needed to be kept internally so that the team has full view and sort of quote unquote control over the rehabilitation process versus an external unknown. And then they also needed other teams to tell Daniel Jones what his market really is relative too or isn't or isn't relative to the Achilles tear. Unfortunately for him. That's one mechanation. The other one is this move plus the combination of getting rid of Michael Pittman tells me that they are ready to build a complimentary route tree around Tyler Warren specifically and Alec Pierce Josh Downs obviously in the mix as well. But having those guys in the emergence of Tyler Warren and all the things he can do in the seam and in the underneath an intermediate parts of the field, Alec Pierce expected to do a little bit more of those things too. You can see what their vision is. And of course once again we have the question about the quarterback to start the Colt season.

00:20:41
Speaker 1: I love Michael Pittman, but he is such a rugged player, and he's only twenty eight twenty nine years old. But Pierce's pure speed and sighe is just more unique now.

00:20:53
Speaker 4: He fin fifty fifty.

00:20:54
Speaker 1: He fits Pittman as a Pittsburgh Steeler, And it is funny think about him with the Steelers because they didn't used to want to be spending any money. First of all, on day one of free agency that they were not that team. And then at the receiver position. They've been, you know, anxious to do so in recent years, and now here they are with DK metcalf in Pittman. That is a that is a tough, rugged, not you know, in Pittman's case, particularly fast like duo, but a group that you know, can take your lunch money here, and then they give him three years fifty nine million dollars like a contract extension. He had one year twenty two million dollars left, so his average actually goes down. It's a reasonable deal, I think for for what they got. We don't know the guarantee.

00:21:36
Speaker 3: Yeah, look, you've got any Yeah, Darnel Washington, you know that in the rest of their tight ends to it. I mean, they've got some dudes who will steal your lunch money. And so that's how they want to play football. They clearly have identified how they want to play football. Aaron Rodgers, you know, we're all expecting him to be back. So they're like, forget the deep ball, Okay, we want guys. You're going to catch the ball, take a point ten to eighteen yards and just move the change, dig you out. Yeah, that's exactly That's exactly what they want to do. And to me with the Colts. Also, what the Colts identified by getting rid of him is they're going to pick up another receiver in the draft to develop, like you said, and it's funny how you imagined. You know, here's the Colts developing receivers. That's what we always said about the Steelers for years.

00:22:14
Speaker 2: True.

00:22:14
Speaker 3: I mean they were always drafting guys like Antonio Brown in the third round and developing them in the Pro Bowl players year after year.

00:22:20
Speaker 4: And now it's the Colts who are doing.

00:22:21
Speaker 6: Though Daniel does significantly less known issues.

00:22:25
Speaker 1: Yes, good quite yes, Daniel Jones. By the way, according to Albert Breer, I thought this was interesting. Was asking for close to fifty million dollars and the Colt per year, and the Colts were offering close to what Sam Darnold got a year ago, which was about three for one hundred. While we're here, the Steelers also active in terms of their secondary ad Jamel Dean. Yes, I like thirty six million dollars over three years. Good zone corner. You know, they're dynamic there in the back end with Joey Porter Junior as Sante. Samuel Junior also signed on Day one. Little surprising there that makes me feel better because I always like Santi Salmon junior.

00:23:00
Speaker 2: One year four million dollars.

00:23:01
Speaker 1: And then arden Key also went to the Colts and Cole Holcomb went back to the Steelers. So there's your Steelers in Colts News. Let's get to Mike Evans. I mean, I almost feel like we've insulted him in the same way that the Bucks insulted him. He has to go to San Francisco to get his top dollar. And you know, soon after that, you know, the Glazers, the ownership sends out this long thank you about they want to honor Mike Evans in the Hall of Fame, and that's all great. It was just look if you wanted to show the respect. So the man is money, but he's heading out to the most fascinating division in football, the NFC West.

00:23:38
Speaker 2: What do you think?

00:23:39
Speaker 6: And you guys know that I've loved watching Ricky Piersoll develop, But Mike Evans is the ex receiver, the number one receiver on the San Francisco forty nine Ers, as dominant a player as we've seen in recent years at the position year over year over year minus the injuries recently, really consistent player and wants to go try to win a Super Bowl and the forty nine ers.

00:23:59
Speaker 1: Anno, because the Bucks, I don't know, have as much of a chance to win the Super Bowl as the forty nine Ers.

00:24:05
Speaker 2: Maybe not.

00:24:06
Speaker 6: The forty nine Ers gained steam last season where the Bucks fizzled out, and Mike Evans I will never forget how frustrated he was at the end of that season. It's not to say any that he holds any hard feelings, of course, not to the organization that he loves so much. But this change of scenery a famous landing spot for a West Coast receiver.

00:24:25
Speaker 5: In the NFC West.

00:24:27
Speaker 6: I cannot love this anymore if he's not going to be with my beloved Buccaneers. I love that he's going to the NFC West. I love that he's going to the forty nine Ers. I cannot wait to see what Kyle Shanahan does with him.

00:24:38
Speaker 3: It's such an arms race of what you're seeing in the NFC West the past couple of days. You know, you look at Mike Evans, who so okay, we're watching Jamis wins and throw him balls. This is almost a Larry Fitzgerald situation with Mike Evans. He's going into the Hall of Fame, probably on the first ballot. Mike Evans is. But just imagine if he had a consistent quarterback like Larry Fitzgerald, he had a couple of years with Kurt, a couple of years of Carson Palmer, or two good years of Colin mur everybody else.

00:25:01
Speaker 4: He'st Max Hall.

00:25:04
Speaker 3: That's what Mike Evans was doing. Now he's got Rock Purty in an offense that's going to get him the ball.

00:25:07
Speaker 5: Thank you for taking the indirection go to the perimeter.

00:25:10
Speaker 1: Yeah, yea, thank you for taking the indirection dot at Baker Mayfield that I usually take.

00:25:15
Speaker 4: I mean, it is what it is. I mean, it is what it is. I mean.

00:25:19
Speaker 1: But so the lack of respect thing, I think is interesting because the way I watched this unfold, it kept being his agent, you know, talking to the insiders, and they credited him, so I'm not like right source outing and they were like, hey, he's really got to go to free agency this time. And then like a week a month later, Hey, we really mean it, he's really going to go to free agency this time. And they're trying to like drum up this market. And then you know, right before freegency starts like we made it, guys, he's not gonna sign with the Bucks. And then I see something that it could get upwards of twenty five twenty seven million dollars per year, and I'm like, wow, this is a lot of Mike Evans stuff. And then he settles quote unquote for like a three year up to sixty million dollar contract. I'll be very interested to see the actual numbers, but do the math. That's a lot less than twenty seven a year. And ultimately, but he kind of did feel disrespected, Like if the Bucks were willing to go to the mat for him financially, I bet he'd be a buccaneer and they didn't. Well here and now he's a forty nine er and I love it because all I want is entertainment.

00:26:19
Speaker 2: Me.

00:26:20
Speaker 4: Here's the other thing that's going.

00:26:21
Speaker 3: While we're on that line, what if Florida teams love to tout is their ace in the hole? Yes, no, stay InCom tax Yeah, He's like, I'm gonna take less money and go to California where they where they pick your pocket with taxes. So you talk about disrespect, but at the same time, I don't blame the Bucks.

00:26:36
Speaker 4: This is the let's get.

00:26:37
Speaker 3: Rid of a guy a year sooner than a year later, right, this might be their one.

00:26:41
Speaker 6: Yeah, and it's a great I'm glad you brought that up, Steve, because it's not They've been preparing for the possibility that Mike Evans retires for years now with the way that they've drafted and developed receivers that are currently on the roster. So I think it's hard to blame them for saying, hey man, we thought that it was maybe going to be over by now.

00:26:58
Speaker 1: The only I could give him would be they kind of in the end chose Chris Godwin over him, and he didn't look a one hundred percent back for much of life. I think it would have been very tough to justify. I agree with you, Jordan, that it would like to pay him and Godwin that much money at that salary.

00:27:12
Speaker 4: Very the lead man.

00:27:13
Speaker 1: What they signed, that's right. Why they did that's uh. Coming up later in the show, A little buccaneer stuck. Let's take another break and we'll be back in just a few minutes here on the NFL channel. Back on NFL Daily, It's time to start talking about that.

00:27:34
Speaker 3: EDR.

00:27:35
Speaker 2: Yeah, teased it a little earlier.

00:27:38
Speaker 1: One of the big memories I had from free agency last year is when Milton Williams was a Panther for like twenty five minutes at least according to some of the reporting that was out there, and then suddenly he wasn't because the Patriots paid more money. Well, this time, the Panthers went even bigger on the defensive line. They end up getting Jalen Phillips, and no one's coming over the top. Although technically we've seen over the year, Steve occasionally some of these free agency deals get ripped up before Wednesday and then you just never know. But I think Jalen Phillips is joining the Panthers for one hundred and twenty million dollars. Yeah, four years, so thirty per year, eighty million in quote guarantees. And we almost could do a whole podcast and actually figuring out what these contracts are in reality later in the week, because some of them are going to be really inflated and some of them are not, and so we don't know that. But this is a monster contract that Jalen Phillips ended up getting. Just a perfect example of a guy timing free agency at the exact right time. He finally was healthy he got out there. The Eagles were trying to keep them, but they weren't trying to pay him thirty million dollars.

00:28:48
Speaker 3: Well, you see the players that are going to lose because of it. I mean, it's this is where they are with Jail. He's an edge rusher. He's a premier edge rusher. This is why Miami traded him last year because they knew the market was going to be like this and they couldn't pay these types of dollars. Great pickup for Carolina. I mean, he's someone who's very good against the run. You saw he only generated two sacks with Philly, but man, he was one of the most disruptive front four guys you know in the NFL. You pair him with Derek Brown, who's just as disruptive as an interior five technique, played them on the same side a lot like our guy edgro Everiro is gonna have some things happening there because they've got some guys in the secondary. They still need to for to five that second level mm hmm a little bit. But at defenses is this is a step on how you get better by showing players around the league you're willing to do what it takes.

00:29:34
Speaker 1: I don't think it's a risk for like the talent, but I think it's a risk because he's been healthy one out of the last five years.

00:29:40
Speaker 6: Yeah, and one's really significant injury or two out of the last fight, yeah, which was the Achilles. But he has so much pop coming back in the you know, as late as he did come back from that show, so much pop. From Week five to the end of the season. Per next Gen Stats, Jalen Phillips has the sixth most pressures in the NFL. And obviously the injury history is red flag, but at the same time, his age is very much a green flag. He will only be twenty seven this summer. And I love to Steve's point the idea of putting of overloading that front with Derek Brown, and then also Nick Gorton really showed some stuff at the end of this past season, and I know that organization is so high on him, so getting him a rushing partner and getting interior, really dynamic interior players such as Derek Brown an outside rushing partner. And like you said, Steve, they have the perimeter corners. I love how those guys play. They the entire middle of their defense from the inside linebackers to the safeties. This is where I would like to see them turn their attention to. And there's two more waves of free agency to go where I do think the Panthers are going to be active. Guys like Devin Lloyd still available, who I think would be a great fit for Katy.

00:30:49
Speaker 2: Yeah, there are there are linebackers out there.

00:30:51
Speaker 1: Devin Lloyd is one of the highest ranked, maybe the highest rank player I have left. I guess Kyler Murray is out there too. I love Phillips and I misspoke. I should have said one of the last three years. It was those back to back just devastating achilles and ACL injuries, but he was healthy and a really improved player in his second season as a Dolphin, where I thought, oh, that's a top ten edge guy. And then to have those two massive injuries back to back seasons and then come back and by the end of this season looking exactly like that guy.

00:31:18
Speaker 2: I don't think it's a risk.

00:31:19
Speaker 1: I think in terms of the talent, I think that this is the type of player that you do quote unquote overpay in free agency because they're so rare that they get to the market. You do just get concerned where him versus say a Milton Williams or even a Brian Burns who they decided to trade away. You know, he was coming off an injury. It's just the injury situation that like a guy with those two major surgeries, you're taking a little bit of a risk, but that's what you do when you're trying to get over the hump.

00:31:47
Speaker 2: Good move by the Panthers.

00:31:48
Speaker 1: Let's talk Kenneth Walker, the Super Bowl MVP is a member of the Kansas City Chiefs. Somehow I just assumed we had that in our matchmaker. We kept talking Walker and ETN where it was gonna go to the Broncos and Chiefs, but no one actually picked that. The three year deal is up to forty five million dollars. He gets twenty eight point seven million dollars fully guaranteed, though without seeing the particulars, it's probably a two for thirty million dollar contract basically, and it's like a team option for the third year. And look, I just think they needed to find big plays somewhere, and Kenneth Walker is a is a walking big play. And I love him there more because Eric Bienemy is back there, Like I have more faith that they'll actually know what to do with Kenneth Walker than maybe the version of the Chiefs we saw the last year.

00:32:35
Speaker 6: Yes, I agree with that point one hundred percent. I think that is a crucial sort of you know, hinge hiring or rehiring of this offseason if you're the Chiefs and Kenneth Walker isn't just an explosive play waiting to happen in the run game, He's an explosive pass play screen guy waiting to happen our screen king and Andy Reid, who you kind of have a play sheet that looks a little bit like covering Andy Reid's in front of you right now, Steve. But I cannot wait for Andy Reid to find joy in his screen game again. And Kenneth Walker is one million percent the guy that brings this to life in such a cool way, such a creative runner after the catch with the ball in his hand. It's just it's just so beautiful to watch and creative, and it fits right in with that sort of half scheme, half freestyle that Andy Reid loves to love to execute.

00:33:25
Speaker 4: Okay, so here's one thing we should have said before the show.

00:33:27
Speaker 3: Let's find a pairing of Eric Bienemy when he played and put it next to Kenneth Walker, and they look like clones of each other. Oh oh physically how they looked facially like everything. But Kenneth Walker was a lot more productive. Here's a couple things I like about Kenth Walker. Besides explosiveness. Over four years, he has only about a thousand touches. There's not a ton of wear and tear on him, so he can be used in a lot of different ways. But Kansas City needed to get speed. They still need to get speed on the outside at receiver, I mean, like a reliable speed person. They've got to play catch with a lot of these other teams in their division. Kenneth Walker is going to help. Still worried about some things on the offensive line. They got the right tackle together and some other things on the offensive line.

00:34:09
Speaker 4: But this is a nice start getting explosiveness.

00:34:12
Speaker 2: It's very incomplete.

00:34:13
Speaker 1: I don't like to kind of look at the team as a whole, certainly after day one of free Enzy, maybe not even day with you agree with the chief The Chiefs have lost so much defensive talent.

00:34:23
Speaker 5: That's of the Raiders at the top of the show.

00:34:24
Speaker 1: Well, I mean, how much more money can they spend. I've just mean that we have to see kind of parts two and three to this off season. Today it was about you know, moves with Kenneth Walker adding some explosiveness, saying goodbye to a lot of great twenty twenty two draft picks. You already said goodbye to McDuffie. You're saying goodbye to two more members in the secondary. You bring back Travis Kelce for one year, twelve million dollars. It was funny that that like hour when there was a report that like, no, he's going to talk to other teams, he's going to talk to other teams. No one really bought that Travis Kelce back with the Chiefs. So that's great. And then Kirostanga, what a come up for him? Gets three years twenty one million dollars, fourteen million dollars guarantees.

00:35:07
Speaker 4: Is your h back as well?

00:35:09
Speaker 2: I don't for one the thing. I really like him. And yet on.

00:35:13
Speaker 5: Terry Poe, you're so mad on Terry Poet.

00:35:16
Speaker 4: I am so because he played well for the page.

00:35:19
Speaker 1: He's a bye high though you always worry a little bit about okay, he could have been freely available the last couple of years for anyone to grab and now you're paying seven more than the last couple of days they had to they.

00:35:30
Speaker 2: Were have to be right about it.

00:35:32
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, but they were so vulnerable in the anterior last year they had to get something. And they're also kind of tips you know, where they're picking their offensive line of why I received with their two first round draft picks.

00:35:42
Speaker 2: Is there anything or second?

00:35:43
Speaker 1: Like, my god, like it's paying Travis Kelsey twelve million dollars on your cap, you know, in a year where you're really up against it, you know what I know I.

00:35:54
Speaker 6: Have to tell you, Like maybe in terms of like pure team building on a roster construction, maybe not the best idea.

00:36:00
Speaker 5: In terms of an overall brand and organization, that.

00:36:03
Speaker 6: Guy plus his beautiful fiance Taylor Swift have brought the Chiefs organization revenue beyond their wildness dreams. So I'm pretty sure twelve million against the cap is going to be just fine.

00:36:16
Speaker 2: That's fair. I thought.

00:36:17
Speaker 1: Roger Sherman had you know, one of the posts of the day on Blue Sky where he said, like, you know, he didn't he didn't know if it was a great investment either, He said, has has Kelsey's play dropped, he thought Kelsey maybe should retire. Has Kelsey's play dropped off?

00:36:30
Speaker 4: Yes?

00:36:30
Speaker 2: Is Kelsey good enough to keep playing in the NFL? Also?

00:36:33
Speaker 1: Yes, should Kelsey keep playing football after the world's wealthiest, most popular musician wrote a song about his penis no like I think that's a that's a no at that point. Let's just enjoy life. Let's go on tour, let's just chill. Football is hard. It's hard to talk about football and get a reaction from from the group in the back here. For a minute on Monday, I thought the Titan we're gonna be the team that really kind of got all of our attention of just spending a ton of money before the Raiders went over the top.

00:37:05
Speaker 2: It shouldn't be that surprising.

00:37:06
Speaker 1: These two teams at the top of the draft with the most amount of caps base are spending a lot of money. Let's let's talk about how the Titans went ham on Monday. Titan Wandell Robinson four years, seventy eight million dollars, thirty eight million dollars guaranteed one of the only two matchmaker hits that we had.

00:37:24
Speaker 2: It's absolutely outrageous.

00:37:27
Speaker 1: Colleen and I right now after day one, or at least as we're taping this, or tied one to one, Jordan and Patrick have a goose egg, but one is not great. But at least I got Wandell Robinson to the Titans back with Brian Dable, Jonathan Franklin Myers, a guy who we thought would go to different places. We should have known he's going to Robert Sala three years, sixty three million dollars forty two million dollars guaranteed, And in fact, we actually did talk about that connection quite a bit this offseason, just wasn't part of that particular game.

00:37:57
Speaker 2: Cordial Fla a.

00:37:58
Speaker 1: Guy you know, I wasn't sure how high I should put up on the one on one, but I was like, he was really good last year. I'm going to put him pretty high. And you know what the Titans agreed with me. Three years, forty five million dollars, thirty two million dollars guaranteed. A Lante Taylor gets sixty million dollars forty two million dollars. The employer man he is, and he clearly had teams when I saw that deal, compared to a lot of these copy and paste cornerback contracts where he got another ten million dollars guaranteed than flat and what is it twenty million dollars. I was like, oh, he had a market of three four teams that just kept pumping it up, pamping it up.

00:38:34
Speaker 5: Maybe all the other teams that we predicted it know too be also.

00:38:38
Speaker 6: By the way, say Surrosing, I stay, yes, we did. I stand by Jonathan Franklin. Myers had a great market. I stand by that, ie that out of the combine, and the forty nine Ers and Bengals were both reportedly included in that, and the forty nine Ers were in on him. And so I'm like, I stand on it. I know I didn't get a point talent, okay, but I stand on the table.

00:39:00
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, well, and I love this.

00:39:01
Speaker 5: I love this fit for him.

00:39:03
Speaker 6: Obviously, the connection on most of these players, not all, but most of them are either Brian Dabele or Robert Salah right.

00:39:10
Speaker 1: Rebuilding the you know giants doesn't seem that exciting to me. You get Wandale, you get Daniel Bellinger for three years twenty four million dollars.

00:39:19
Speaker 4: It's okay.

00:39:20
Speaker 2: I did like him, but.

00:39:22
Speaker 1: Then I saw the money and that actually was the first contract of the day. That I was like, Wow, eight million dollars for Daniel Bellinger. Mitchell Trubisky, by the way, is also a member of the Titans, and Cordelle flat was another dable. So it's a lot of it's a lot of Giants, it's a lot of familiarity. That's how free agency goes. This was a team that also needed to get to the salary cap floor and spend some money. But it's almost like Mike Rabel the old Titan and inspired some of his old friends Tom Brady and then and then the Titans to be like spending crazy on day one a free Agents well, a.

00:39:50
Speaker 3: Lottay Taylor is the only shigning that they made today that wasn't inspy. The Brian da Ball or Robert Sala, you know, and earlier, you know, I talked about how the Raiders they brought in guys who came from programs who've won, where there's been locker room accountability. When you're coming from the Jets, when you're coming from the Giants, those are programs programs that haven't won, and we've seen there's dysfunction. So let's see the character of the guys. That's what Brian day Ball and Robert Sala are hoping to do. But that's why getting a guy like Jonathan Franklin Myers who came.

00:40:16
Speaker 5: Up the hard route and a great locker room.

00:40:18
Speaker 3: Great locker room guy like if that's what he can do. Plus he's gonna be paired next to Jeffrey Simmons. Have fun with that one.

00:40:24
Speaker 4: I mean, those two dudes are gonna knock the snot out of people.

00:40:27
Speaker 2: The great combo.

00:40:28
Speaker 1: And they didn't sign like an edge today and so you think, okay, well you got that number four overall, Yeah, draft, you're right in the sweet spot for a pass rusher right there to put next to those guys. And then suddenly you have an identity on defense with Robert Sala that you can be excited about. Speaking of identity, Rashid daheat he's back with the Seahawks. I do love a little Seahawks keeping the guys that they wanted at their price. They had to say goodbye. Kobe Bryant is going to be with Bears. We'll get to that. We haven't heard about Riquillen, but not expecting him to come back. So Rashid Taheed is back three years, fifty one million dollars so that's eighteen per year. And then Josh Job what a come up for him, a guy that essentially didn't make the Eagles roster and now gets eight million dollars a year. I like the moves, I like the discipline. I like the price there. Shihed's market maybe wasn't quite as big as you would have thought, like you would have thought he would get more money than Wandel Robinson for him, and he got significantly less. But I think that worked out well that the Seahawks had a price for him, they stood to it, and it ended up being the best price, and now you have a really nice secondary piece behind Jackson Smith Dia.

00:41:44
Speaker 4: Yeah.

00:41:45
Speaker 6: The team, a team that has felt so complete over this last season, is able and smartly decides to be to your point, disciplined enough to stick to be being super selective the our guys, guys that they wanted to bring back in, the guys who they clearly have committed to in this first wave of free agency agency, and read their read their markets correctly as well. They don't have a lot of places to fill this roster on free agency. In fact, the only things I really see for this team is that they can continue to add via the draft, specifically some of these young players to be behind the stars that are on this roster.

00:42:25
Speaker 5: Running back exactly.

00:42:26
Speaker 6: And and I think that this John Schneider team is a team that's like, yeah, I could get one of those third or fourth round or maybe a late free agent free agency pickup. This is still such a smartly run and complete team that I think they were allowed to be super selective with the specific guys that they wanted to identify and target early.

00:42:43
Speaker 1: I think they still need a member of the secondary or too, but they've shown that they can identify maybe some cheaper guys in free agents and develop and developed Drake Thomas their linebacker. Well it comes back for a small deal taie a quota. Uh, he's going to have a bigger role. Probably. They liked him at through what he did last year when Kobe Bryant or when some of the safeties were out, and I'd like to I want Shiheid to make more big plays for the Seahawks.

00:43:09
Speaker 3: You know, well he only remember he had half a season. Lord as system, he'll make more.

00:43:12
Speaker 1: And he did it as a returner. He's now going to do it as a receiver. Sam Darnold smiling somewhere. I got to say something on Monday on NFL Network. Yeah that I don't know if I ever got to save before, which was, how about those Bengals on day one of free agency making really smart moves? Steve thinks that boy Mafe got a lot of money, and he did sixty million dollars for three years. But I'd rather have boy Mafe three for sixty than the Adafe away contract out there.

00:43:45
Speaker 4: Oh man, that's the one, maybe even.

00:43:47
Speaker 1: The Jalen Phillips contract. Considering the money, I like Boi Mafe a lot. It's the type of player I want to bet on in free agency twenty years seems fair. And then Brian Cook, the safety from the Chiefs, a really aggressive, fun player, goes to the Bengals three for forty two. They obviously need help on defense, but it's not it's not old money, it's not bad money. I think it's I think it's good money. That Bengals fans should be excited.

00:44:10
Speaker 3: They have needed a safety ever since let Jesse base and so getting someone like Brian Cook, who played collegiately at Cincinnati after starting his career at Howard University, can really run. You know, he's got got a lot of good coverage skills. I think that's significant. Look, boy mafe is someone with a lot of talent, and that is an affordable edge rusher contract. We know they didn't want to Patroy hendricks and so we'll see. My whole thing with the Bengals is they've yet to develop. They've they've a position and they haven't developed anyone to maybe boy In Mafey with his ability can figure something out.

00:44:43
Speaker 1: But that Joseph Aside just got a big contract from the Jets that that we'll get to Trey Hendrickson they had to trade for before he really exploded. Mafey to me is he's different than Jalen Phillips. But to me, pressure is production and he's always provided a lot of pressure and so I'm just that I'm excited just for a little optimism.

00:45:03
Speaker 6: Well, what I liked is they did sort of a tandem approach, which is the rush and the coverage. Because you know, Brian Cook mostly has played like that deep safety role. He can be used as a blitzer when necessary, but he's really been strong, especially in his vision and limiting that explosive play rate, which is what the Bengals. We know struggled with so much last year, and they also added a pass rusher too, so it's kind of like this complimentary. They need help everywhere on their defense obviously, but I like the approach that they very methodical, sort of like, Okay, we have part to hole here, and we can't really have one without the other on this defense.

00:45:40
Speaker 5: I know, well, that's a weird taste in my mouth.

00:45:43
Speaker 2: You mentioned it, Jordan in Indianapolis.

00:45:45
Speaker 1: I have a feeling Zach Taylor and Duke Tobin they know that they got to push forward. This whole show has just been prelude to talking about the New Orleans Saints and a nice day one for the New Orleans Saints. I think maybe you guys disagree. Big money for the guard David Edwards four years, sixty one million dollars. Travis etn is a member of the New Orleans Saints four years, fifty two million dollars. I thought it was very interesting that rap sheet on NFL Network said that there are some that believe that Alvin Kamara may be ready to hang him up and start sipping my ties. Yeah, and if you look at the contract that he signed just a couple of days ago, where he restructured it. It was the type of contract that you would sign right before retiring to help your team out in terms of dead money. I don't know if that decision has been made, but it sounds like there's belief with the Saints that there may be no Alvin Kamara. He's someone I'm going to be pushing for the Hall of Fame someday about that.

00:46:52
Speaker 3: Well, I mean, if they go out and make a moop for traves et in this early right, they must have some indication he's not going to be there because they are similar types of backs.

00:47:00
Speaker 4: Etn is younger and.

00:47:02
Speaker 3: Etn Is is is much as we may think of it as kind of a change of paceback. Look at his workload. He is a bellcow back. Look at the number of touches he's had. He's twice in his four year career gone over three hundred touches in a season. That's that's rushes and catches. Alvin Kamara has not been asked to do that. He's been mainly a split back guy. So I think this is a signal that Kamara could be gone. I'm not saying that he is, but you know, the Saints. The Saints made some moves that they had to make to open things up for Tyler Schuck a little bit. I think defensively, they also could be making some moves to Mario Davis has gone at linebacker. We don't know Cam Jordan's future, is he a free agent, if he'll be back or not.

00:47:40
Speaker 4: But these are some moves.

00:47:41
Speaker 3: In terms of getting youth and competitive players in here that you they kind of they kind of foreshadowed last year with some.

00:47:49
Speaker 4: Of the moves that they made.

00:47:49
Speaker 6: Well, they love they love Danny Stutzman, and I'm not saying it's a one to one replacement, but they drafted him last year and that coaching staff was so high on him.

00:47:59
Speaker 5: But obviously with Davis is playing at.

00:48:01
Speaker 6: Such a high caliber clip that he has been for you know, his entire careers, and he's such an emotional leader too on the team and it's hard to take him off the field. But man, they they love this guy, the second year linebacker out of OU and they have a lot of young guys on that defense all over that need to take a step forward in order for this team to be creditable.

00:48:22
Speaker 5: Greg. But I do like, yeah, that's tough.

00:48:25
Speaker 1: I don't think they wanted You know what's crazy is I agree. I think he's a really good player. He started his career so well. But you cannot find a Saints fan that is unhappy about Alonti Taylor leaving. He had a very up and down career for them, and in general, like both his coaches and the fan base were very up and down with him. But I think I think he could be great in the right spot. Good point on etnbing a belcow thirteen and ninety nine yards from scrimmage last year. That was actually the third most that he's had in the season. He's had two seasons more than that.

00:48:58
Speaker 4: Yeah, look at the touches.

00:48:59
Speaker 6: And yeah, he's a Louisiana native. Right is that the Saints have for all? We give them a lot of crap on this show and have for a few years, but they do know how to play to their fan base.

00:49:11
Speaker 5: They really really do.

00:49:13
Speaker 1: Trevor Lawrence, by the way, in Travis DTN, this is breaking up one of the best romances in football. They played together for eight straight years. Trevor Lawrence and ETN both sent tweets, you know, back and forth after this happened. We've come a long way. Gonna miss you. Said, Trevor been a hell of an eight year run. It's them with their their kids and I love that. And Etn maybe wasn't a perfect fit, I guess for what Liam Cohen wanted to do. But I think he's going to be great with Kellen Moore. And the bigger news is David Edwards, Like, that's a big time contract to get in free agency.

00:49:48
Speaker 2: I thought he might go to the Texans.

00:49:49
Speaker 1: They end up spending more money elsewhere, But fifteen a year for a guard who really rebuilt his career under another former offensive line coach that the Saints once had, Aaron Kromer, who's who's now not in Buffalo. They're trying to rebuild that offensive line and I like that move.

00:50:05
Speaker 2: All right, let's go to the Giants.

00:50:07
Speaker 1: I was really curious what would happen on day one of free agency with the tight ends. Would they fly off the board. They did, Giants bringing Isaiah Likely for three years, forty million dollars, very similar, almost identical to the contract that their right tackle Jermaine Iluminor got to stay with the Giants. He went and looked at free agency. It ended up being staying with the Giants was the best deal for him, and then Tremaine Edmunds, the former Bears linebacker, gets a big deal three for thirty six. Let's talk about Likely. You know, John Harbaugh, he knows them well, brings them in. You already have a tight end there in THEO Johnson, but they kind of do different things, fun tandem there.

00:50:50
Speaker 6: Yeah, I think you're gonna see. I mean, it seems very obvious a lot of twelve personnel, two tight ends, two receivers on that team, particularly when you look at the receiving corp there. Like you mentioned, he's a Harbaugh guy. John Harbaugh is in control of this team, and he knows exactly who Isaiah Likely is and he knows exactly how they want to use him. So this seemed like, I mean, honestly, I did someone match make this one? Please tell me one of us did, because this seems too obvious to have us overlooked it and our free agency match maker game.

00:51:23
Speaker 5: But yeah, it is.

00:51:24
Speaker 6: It is I think really interesting because Harbor had the Mark Andrews Isaiah Likely pairing for a while. Now he's going to the THEO Johnson Isaiah Likely pairing. I you know, I like, they do different things and and I just think it's gonna be.

00:51:38
Speaker 2: Really, it makes me hate the Andrews contract.

00:51:40
Speaker 1: Why did they give Mark Andrews that contract that he didn't get that much less than Isaiah Likely got.

00:51:46
Speaker 3: It was a weird extension, and at the time they did it in the middle of last season, that kind of tip that Isaiah Likely would be gone they were sticking with Mark Andrews, and of course they blow the staff out.

00:51:54
Speaker 5: John Harbaugh's like, don't mind if I do.

00:51:56
Speaker 4: Yeah, you know, God Monk has gone. Like I thought.

00:51:59
Speaker 3: I thought Likely was a candid to get to Cleveland with them getting rid of anjok who. I know they've got fan in there, but I think you know those two because Likely is an as sending player.

00:52:07
Speaker 4: He's become a very reliable blocker, and.

00:52:09
Speaker 3: I think that's where Harbaugh is like, this is a guy with the type of quarterback we have who's mobile on the move like Lamar, that knows how to deal with that type of quarterback. I think this is an excellent pick up the game because Isaiah Likely is an ascending player.

00:52:25
Speaker 2: And I know jermana luminoor.

00:52:27
Speaker 1: You know, maybe he didn't get like the peak value that he wanted to see, but he's kicked around the league a lot, you know, born and born in England, came over, learned the game late, and I went and looked like he you know, he's made something between twenty and thirty million dollars in his career. He's a thirty one year old player and bounce around. This is a life changing contract for him. So it's like it's kind of a reward for a career that's been slowly building over the last eight or nine years. And I think it's really good value. There were not many tackles out. There were Steve Walker still is not signed, by the way, and the tackle marks like totally developed, and I think Aluminor and the Giants, I think it's going to age well. Unlike that Edmunds contract. I thought that was one of the most surprising worst contracts of the day. I don't get that he made almost the same amount of money as Quay Walker, and especially na Kobe Dean with the Raiders, like he's a guy that just got cut, who was kind of declining, who's played a lot, entered the league at age twenty. Just I don't know, they felt like they tried to get some other guys today and maybe the Titans out spent them for a couple of them, and then they were like spending bad money.

00:53:34
Speaker 6: After good I will not say that this was the right move for them to make, but in terms of the blueprint of what they were trying to do here at this position, I can kind of see what they were actually trying to do. And that is one of my big gripes about the way that Joe Shane had previously built.

00:53:50
Speaker 5: This roster was there are a lot of parts.

00:53:53
Speaker 6: And no connective tissue or identity. There's a lot of high traits players. There's a lot of players who were either draft picks or you know, they traded in the case of Brian Burns, guys who in a vacuum are really really solid players, but nothing connecting them all in terms of an identity. I think they were looking for a linebacker specifically to try to help bring all of the different parts and pieces of this defense together in a functional way. They couldn't. I don't think they This is not reported, but I don't think maybe they could get some of the players that they were thinking of if they were in the market on some of these players. And then so what happens Then you have to pay higher price for a player who still is supposed to fill that role with you.

00:54:34
Speaker 4: All I see is a.

00:54:35
Speaker 3: Bunch of really good inside linebackers still out right, don't Lloyd's out there.

00:54:40
Speaker 2: Well, here's the biggest thing for me.

00:54:42
Speaker 1: That Bears didn't want them, and the Bears needed an inside linebacker.

00:54:47
Speaker 2: That worries me.

00:54:47
Speaker 1: The Bears signed it inside linebacker Devin Bush. We'll get to it for less.

00:54:52
Speaker 4: I don't get that one either.

00:54:53
Speaker 2: For less money.

00:54:54
Speaker 1: At least he's coming off his best season, a good season, and they have like a vision for him. Dinard Wilson. Like I was trying to think of the connection. I don't know if there is one. He's the defensive coordinator. He was in Baltimore, then Tennessee, Tremaine Edmunds obviously in Buffalo and Chicago. We'll see, you know, they all can't be winners, and neither can our pick.

00:55:12
Speaker 5: I mean it might be down to communication style. Who knows. We don't know.

00:55:16
Speaker 6: We're not in the helmet with these guys, but on the field with these guys, that's the thing. And when I talk about connective tissue, you're you're looking for like something someone who could just glue. All of the pieces around that are moving parts around that are very high quality players in some cases, but don't have a cohesive identity. You're just looking for, like someone to set like a solid floor or to reset what a position is going to look and feel like, and then around right sort of build the soul.

00:55:44
Speaker 1: They need another linebacker, they don't really they now only have one. So I do get that that's a position that they have to add, like a couple guys they I think they need help in the secondary.

00:55:53
Speaker 2: They have an incomplete I.

00:55:55
Speaker 4: Think he could play the old Charake roles with they're looking at him.

00:55:58
Speaker 5: Yeah.

00:55:58
Speaker 1: So I mentioned on Sunday night how Rashan Gary almost got hacked. You know, he said he got hacked. Yeah, well he didn't get hacked. Well, he did get hacked. Let's I mean, let's be honest. Rashan Gary sent it out and then his agent probably told him, hey, man, take that off, especially because you use the same AI that other players used to write their own goodbye and have the same graphics, or the agency is making the format for them. I can't really tell what's going on either way. It was like the exact same as a couple others that I saw around the league. He deletes it, then he gets traded. This happened early Monday morning. The Cowboys now have Rashan Gary. They send a fourth round pick in twenty twenty seven, a little higher than I would have expected. They also signed safety Jalen Thompson later for three years thirty six million dollars. Overall, I thought, like kind of the cheaper positions in free agency normally safety, off ball, linebacker, running back. Safety got a little more respect than usual, starting to bump up, like the safety's actually got paid today.

00:56:56
Speaker 2: Just like an overall point.

00:56:57
Speaker 1: I had Rashan Gary, though, you know, he was a guy that the Packers were ready to cut.

00:57:03
Speaker 2: Was do eighteen million dollars.

00:57:04
Speaker 1: So what the Cowboys do is they just say, looking at the edge market out there, eighteen million dollars for Gary, we're okay with that.

00:57:13
Speaker 2: Do you agree?

00:57:15
Speaker 3: That's clearly it came out economics, you know, because they did swing for Max Crosby, and once he didn't get that, they were like, you know what, we got a chance to get for Shan Gary. And I think he's somebody who could be a good, complimentary, effective player. And when I say that, when you line him up next to Kenny Clark or Quinn Williams in tandem, he can work better than maybe be an overall winner. And there's a lot of scheming that's going on in the NFL right now. We know Christian Parker is a mcmangio disciple, and they love to scheme their outside linebackers off the guy next to him. That is a trait that Vic Fangio likes to do. So I think they're hoping that Gary, who's not known for having a ton of rush moves, but a great power player, athletic guy, that in ten with the Quinn Williams or something they can work well together.

00:58:03
Speaker 4: So I think that's why they made that type of acquisition.

00:58:05
Speaker 6: Yeah, they're not chasing an outlier twice, right, they chase Max Crosby, huge outlier player, which asking for outlier figures to actually make that happen. They weren't willing reportedly to give the second first round pick. Jane Slater was reporting day of or day before that it was like they weren't quite willing to go up that high, but they were very much in the mix on this.

00:58:28
Speaker 1: Reportedly, they were willing to give a first the second and a player. So it was just they wouldn't give that second first.

00:58:34
Speaker 6: Sure, yeah and so, but I think what to credit to them? They didn't then chase another outlier. Instead, they went for the math equation of their front. Like Steve just pointed out, this is all about like parts to hole within the front structure of a defensive line. If you can't have the outlier, they don't just pivot to another outlier pie in the sky attempt. They're instead going a little bit more meat and potatoes on it, which I think is a smart plan.

00:58:58
Speaker 1: I just think the eating the market aspect, and they did it before free agency open. I'd rather have boy Mafi. Now, maybe he doesn't fit. I mean, Christian Parker coached Rashan Gary.

00:59:07
Speaker 4: Am I right?

00:59:08
Speaker 1: I mean, wasn't he his coach? So that's the familiarity. He knows what he can do. I love that Rashan Gary. I want to see that Rashan Gary again. He just wasn't that guy the last year or so?

00:59:22
Speaker 2: Real injury.

00:59:23
Speaker 3: What's interesting the more this goes along, though, Let's see what the market is for Trey Hendrickson.

00:59:27
Speaker 4: It might not be nearly.

00:59:30
Speaker 5: It can't be.

00:59:31
Speaker 6: Otherwise It would have happened already.

00:59:33
Speaker 3: Yea, so maybe Dallas is still in play. If that mark I saw, I think I think he ends up.

00:59:39
Speaker 2: That would be a big hit for me.

00:59:40
Speaker 1: On the Old Matchmaker Show, I had that, Uh yeah, I saw something. It's like Trey Hendrickson's waited a long time to be a free agent. He's not going to rush himself, Like, yeah, he would if he was getting the amount of money some of these other guys are getting, or at least what he hoped to get, Like maybe he'll get the Foe money. I kind of doubt it at this point, which is crazy. Let's go to it six the eight million dollars guaranteed. Uh yeah, I agree.

01:00:03
Speaker 6: Age for age relative to cost specifically for sure.

01:00:06
Speaker 5: Yeah yeah.

01:00:07
Speaker 1: We kind of talked about that too, because I wanted to defend myself in terms of the ranking of Hendrickson that some people thought I had him a little too low, like below you know, some of the younger players in free agency. But I still had him ahead of way in Mafey And even then I thought, I don't know if he's gonna get as much money as those guys, because I think it's gonna be like a two year, fifty five million dollar contract, which is which is great money, but you're thirty two years old coming off an injury. You're not gonna get sixty eight million dollars guaranteed like a da fe oa. Oh my god. The Commanders spent a lot of money on Monday. Sixty eight million dollars guaranteed one hundred million dollar contract for Oway. No one made himself more money at the end of the season than Oway and Jalen Phillips. Sixty eight million dollars guaranteed. A lot of that money, especially for Oway, is off of what he did down the stretch.

01:00:53
Speaker 2: For the Chargers, you're shaking your head.

01:00:56
Speaker 3: It's look, it's a different scheme. I mean, you go out to dan Quins scheme. Now they're gonna be running out the new DC. Deronty Jones comes up, But he's a Brian Flores guy, right, So a lot of mixed match stuff is going to cause ask some some versatility.

01:01:11
Speaker 4: But that type of number to a defense that's got a lot.

01:01:16
Speaker 1: I mean, reminds me a little bit of old Dan Snyder Commanders day.

01:01:19
Speaker 3: It's it's just, I mean, they've got so many issues on the back end. They had to play Frankie Louver out of position last year.

01:01:27
Speaker 4: It was a beef.

01:01:28
Speaker 3: They put him on, they put him on the edge, and people just were like, Okay, he's taking himself out of the play by alignment and that's not his fault. So maybe this is something where they try to bully things because he Oh it was really good for the Chargers last year, but they had some freaking dogs all over that defense.

01:01:42
Speaker 4: At every level.

01:01:44
Speaker 3: I mean on the edges you had flex players. You have my guy two Leetweo Polo tu see. I said it like you love it. At every level they had guys who could spring him. Yeah, was not the priority. You look at that commander's defensive front. Last year they st acted to be good on first down stop the run. That did not work, And now they're trying to be a little more prevalent against pressure or to create pressure.

01:02:09
Speaker 4: We'll see.

01:02:09
Speaker 1: I don't want to be too critical because I just think it's like it's a lot of money, money, money, But ultimately I still had him as like a top twelve. He's a good player, and like I said, these are the types of players coming into their second contract.

01:02:20
Speaker 2: They get paid a lot of money and free.

01:02:21
Speaker 5: They're absolutely paying for potential. I liked it. They're paying a younger player. That's a nice change for them.

01:02:27
Speaker 6: But yeah, Odafeoa was in a math front like and it was a highly productive one Jesse Minter, but he had you know, Khalil Mack and Twee Twee. Polo two was they were just kicking butt all up and down in rotation with each other and it was fantastic to watch. But again, it was a math front, and this is not a math front. This is a pure rush front essentially. And Deonte Jones I think is going to be really exciting as this defensive coordinator. I don't know how much we're actually gonna veer from dan Quinn here, but one thing about a Flores guy is that the pressure is going to come a lot from the secondary. And so while I love that for our guy Frankieluvu, who's already on the roster, I'm not quite sure what it looks like for a front that is not necessarily going to be able to spring him loose the way that he's.

01:03:09
Speaker 4: Well, what's on the back end.

01:03:11
Speaker 3: I mean they had begin cooked for two or three years on that back end that this it doesn't work without guys in the.

01:03:16
Speaker 4: Back of defense.

01:03:18
Speaker 1: And we'll see what they do in the coming days. And yeah, if you're watching us on YouTube, let's throw up that graphic again of all the Washington signings. Because Laramie Tunzel is back there and he's not doesn't technically count as a signing. But you bring back Mariota who one year seven million dollars compared to some of the deals out there for him, looks good to me. For the Commander, one of the best backups in the league. I like the trailing Burks coming back. They had re signed a couple of players before we got to Sunday, and then a Meek Robertson who Patrick randomly took very early in our matchmaking draft. He actually goes to the Commanders for nine point three million dollars guaranteed.

01:03:53
Speaker 2: So that's just like a solid depth piece that they act a.

01:03:56
Speaker 4: Great side story room.

01:03:58
Speaker 3: Yes on Larry Tunzell, the guy who go shoots his contract, guy named Lalusani.

01:04:02
Speaker 4: I used to coach him in youth league football. Wow, my starting wide receiver.

01:04:06
Speaker 2: He's buying dinner next time.

01:04:07
Speaker 4: I love I'm so proud of him. I'm so proud of him.

01:04:11
Speaker 3: Yeahs Robert m DJ's cousin, So that's how he met Larry made old miss But Lalu, I.

01:04:16
Speaker 4: Am proud of you, my man. I'm happy for you and I love it.

01:04:20
Speaker 2: Yeah.

01:04:20
Speaker 1: I wanted to mention when we talked forty nine ers earlier, there is more chatter that Trent Williams really could be up for grabs.

01:04:27
Speaker 2: He's looking for more money.

01:04:29
Speaker 1: Laramie Tunzel, who's younger, gets more money, a two year, sixty million dollars.

01:04:33
Speaker 4: He's at the top of the contract. Hall of Fame negotiated with Tunzel.

01:04:37
Speaker 1: Oh yeah, yeah, no, you're absolutely right, and in like Trent Williams is going to want that money, but right now I think Tunsl's a more valuable player. Let's move on to the Rams, who just kept spending in the secondary. Jalen Watson thirty four million dollars guaranteed from the Chiefs, one of the top cornerbacks available. They essentially import the chief secondary. I guess he didn't bring in Brian Cook. He goes to the the Chiefs, the safety, but they have Trent McDuffie, they have Jalen Watson. I remember watching them, you know, in the Super Bowl when they were such young players the twenty two draft glass plane right away, and now here they are transplanted and getting paid a lot of money by your Rams.

01:05:16
Speaker 6: Yeah, it's combining two recent blueprints for the Los Angeles Rams by the Los Angeles Rams. When, by the way, remember when they imported the Florida State pass rush in the draft. That's the type of chemistry that they like to see. And then again with these two Chiefs corners, they really appreciate guys who already know how to play off each other, not wasting any time in a team that is absolutely believing it is bound for the Super Bowl this coming season. And then again, the other blueprint is the f Them Picks era. The dawn of this era did not just start with the Jalen Ramsey trade.

01:05:48
Speaker 5: It also was Marcus Peters.

01:05:49
Speaker 6: So they did so for one corner, they went for two plus multiple corners that really overhauled their secondary in that sense. Now they're back in a previous era of that same Rams team with the same leadership and very very similar players on both sides of the ball.

01:06:06
Speaker 3: If you don't to talk about blueprints, what the Rams just did is it took a blueprint from the Seattle Seahawks.

01:06:11
Speaker 4: Okay, when I say this, you get Trent McDuffie.

01:06:12
Speaker 3: He's Devin Witherspoon, right, He's a triangular corner inside outside, can rush off the edge. Quinton Lake is your Nick emn Warry, deep safety, strong safety, can rush off the edge. So now you've got these two triangular guys. Then you add Watson on one outside. Now you can move.

01:06:29
Speaker 4: People all over.

01:06:30
Speaker 3: You con could play a big nickel, you can play a true nickel. You can do all kinds. I've talked to people with the Rams about this. There's so many things you can do now with those guys up front, because you can show a heavy look, but because Quinton Lake can cover, Yes, you cannot schema like they can.

01:06:48
Speaker 1: And they brought back Cam Curl too, who they know and rock solid there on that there week end Man. This is a I like the moves because I like the players great moves. I do think process wise, you know, half to more of these moves that we talk about and we like today they're going to be bad because that's just how freegency go. Process Wise, I feel like cornerback is as risky a position as there is to spend and Steve Spagnolo and the Chiefs like their secret sauces. They take these middle round guys and they develop them, and they bringing anyone in and they kind of make it work. At one point people are like, you're really going to start Jalen Watson in the Super Bowl?

01:07:24
Speaker 2: Are you kidding me?

01:07:25
Speaker 1: And it works and McDuffie turns into a superstar as a late first pick, and you're paying, you know, top tier money for them. They Chris Schul has got to deliver. My somewhat hot take is that Chris Shula and Raheem Morris have gotten like a little too much credit for a pretty average defense over the last few years, Like okay defense, but they get a lot of pop for a for an okay, there's a lot of okay defenses out of there. They got to be better than okay. They got to be getting led by their defense.

01:07:54
Speaker 6: And defense underperformed expectations most of the year last season. And so to your point, yes, Chrishula, big year for him has to take a step forward with that group, that young group that's still mostly cost controlled by the way they've spent their spending big on the Trent McDuffie contract, obviously, but this is so interesting to me as well, because Greg, to your point, the inverse about the RAMS is true. They can't draft corners. They are aware of this at this point, and so but what can they do and what have they done very very well, which is pay and invest in proven players, players with professional data behind them that they know, they can see where they fit, they can see what the puzzle isn't exactly what that return on investment should look like. It's really interesting that Spagnola can do the opposite and has done the office oppositely few years later, the Rams less sneed and the RAMS are the ones that asking a lot. He's the meme, he's the meme of Spider Man holding the train from like he's straining.

01:08:57
Speaker 1: Is great, how like great he has been for them, and that he gets his players paid, Like, think of how much money Steve Spagnola has helped degenerate for players. But date man, they are asking a lot in the Rams. It just makes this division so fascinating. All right, we're gonna pick up the pace down the stretch here at the show. Steve has been on air for about seven hours by day.

01:09:22
Speaker 2: We asked if he wanted out. You know, it's like he's got.

01:09:25
Speaker 1: It's like Tatum coming off his achilles on a minute's limit. There's no minutes limit for Steve Weiss. We're going to talk about a trade that happened very early. The New York Jets acquired Minka Fitzpatrick. They give up a twenty twenty seven to seven, So the Dolphins, based on that return, we're ready to cut Minka Fitzpatrick. But instead of getting cut, he goes to the Jets signs a new deal. Then they signed to Mario Davis fifteen million dollars guaranteed two years, twenty two million dollars. Another former Aaron Glenn Guy New Orleans comes in. David Anyamata get ten million dollars. He's been just kind of kicking, you know, the can forward and man, it's a lot of different players. Kingsley and Akbari gets one year, ten million dollars. I mentioned Joseph Asai from the Bengals three years, thirty six million dollars. Remember that they brought in to Vandre's sweat in the trade. This is a totally revamped defense. I'm not sure about the process, Jordan.

01:10:25
Speaker 4: Why'd they pay Minka too?

01:10:27
Speaker 6: I I think I know what this process looks like to me, it looks like and I saw your post about it earlier, Greg, I want to hear about your thoughts on this here in a second as well. You don't just you're not just setting us up for success. Greg, as the host, I'd like to also hear your take on this.

01:10:41
Speaker 1: This well, someone needs to be set up with success when it comes to the Jets.

01:10:44
Speaker 5: This is but this is very patriotsy light.

01:10:51
Speaker 6: This is very panthersy from a couple of years ago when or excuse me, last offseason and the one before that, when they're basically making up for just decimate a decimated side of the ball, in this case, multiple both sides of the ball, decimated roster, uh failure to draft well, to replace guys, to assent develop players into roles that could give this defense. Especially I'm looking at these some of these signings an edge and also trading away your stars in this regard, this is basically a floor resetting all if most, if not all, of these guys will be replaced by draft picks in two years or less. So at least when you when you sign guys like this, when you sign this this volume of players like this to these prices and this amount and at the ages and all of that stuff. This is a team that absolutely knows that it has to be competitive this year is trying to walk the line between you.

01:11:50
Speaker 4: That is correct.

01:11:52
Speaker 1: Yeah, I said it feels like they're trying to get over the top, that they're trying to win a title.

01:11:57
Speaker 2: This what are they doing?

01:11:58
Speaker 3: The moves they made made it seemed like they feel they're right there.

01:12:01
Speaker 4: You fire your entire coaching staff.

01:12:04
Speaker 1: Yeah, this is why you should have fired all of the coaching staff and the front off.

01:12:07
Speaker 2: Just you just waste another year doing move like this?

01:12:10
Speaker 4: What what is? What is the plan?

01:12:13
Speaker 6: Maybe maybe I'm just a silver linings person where I'm like, yeah, I think that this is following almost like copying, pasting a different version of what some of these teams that had to rebuild, like multiple.

01:12:24
Speaker 2: Drafts, I guess.

01:12:25
Speaker 1: But like if they're zero and five, they're all getting blown out of the building. To Mario Davis, I mean, I mean Aaron Glenn and Darren Mugie and you have a thirty six year old linebacker, like a thirty five year old defensive tackle.

01:12:38
Speaker 2: Yeah.

01:12:38
Speaker 1: To Maka Fitzpatrick who was about to get cut and is on the back.

01:12:41
Speaker 5: End of saying that's look at all their draft picks. That's all I'm saying is all.

01:12:44
Speaker 1: The other teams when we're talking about like the floor raising, like those were still guys in the in the middle of their career.

01:12:50
Speaker 6: But I what I mean is like when you look at teams who have to make up for the fact that they've either had a disaster of a team build for a couple of years in a row, or they they are just estimated in terms of their drafting. These guys are not making it to their rosters. All other Patriots for a couple of years in a row, you have to at least pay higher money to patch areas of your roster and then it replaced them as quickly as possible with the plethora of draft picks that they have available. While I don't think that this necessarily is a is a set of decisions that commits to Aaron Glenn by any means, I do think it is a set of decisions when you factor in the draft picks as well, that says, hey, Darren Mugie, SI, let's let's see what you got here.

01:13:28
Speaker 4: They better get Kyler Murray. I mean they, I mean who's.

01:13:31
Speaker 6: I don't think that they're going to be competitive with it. I mean, that's kind of think they're I mean.

01:13:35
Speaker 3: These guys, these guys, these guys, I have no idea what they're doing, Like absolutely.

01:13:41
Speaker 1: What it is committing to Aaron Glenn because you're signing all his old player No, if he's I mean.

01:13:45
Speaker 4: He's committing, he's committing to himself.

01:13:47
Speaker 6: I just I just don't think that the act of signing these players. Yeah, sure, you're seeing what he's got in this year, absolutely beyond this year. I don't think that any of these I don't think that any of these guys you could say in Stone, are going to be there in twenty twenty seven.

01:14:00
Speaker 4: Literally looks like.

01:14:02
Speaker 3: Sigh, sure, right, but this almost looks like an NBA, like Washington Wizards, like cap clearing if you're signing all these guys to one year deals and stuff, so when you blow everyone out after the year, you can have a clean slate and you hope you have dressed Harry.

01:14:17
Speaker 2: I'm gonna quote Ali Connolly.

01:14:19
Speaker 1: I did ask him for permission when he saw some of these signings, and and if I could quote him on this, he said, absolutely preposterous being the Grandpa Saints. And this is the key part, running a style that the architect of the defense has ditched himself, and that is the key part. Can Aaron Glenn coach defense? He's taking himself back from the he was in awe like they underperformed so poorly running kind of an old defense. And the defense he's talking about is really the Dennis Allen defense who he's evolved with the times.

01:14:48
Speaker 2: Has Aaron Glenn evolved with the times? We will see.

01:14:51
Speaker 1: I think I think Osai like makes some sense, and I don't doubt that they'll be better because they can't be worse worse.

01:15:00
Speaker 4: They can always get worse.

01:15:01
Speaker 2: They can't get much worse.

01:15:02
Speaker 4: You can always get.

01:15:03
Speaker 2: Worse in a bar. Just own your model. Like when a guy who's.

01:15:07
Speaker 1: Like good player, good player, but keeps coming at a certain price and you're paying double that, they're just burning Woody Johnson's money. Let's move on to the Bucks. We said we were going to pick up and then we wastelewer.

01:15:17
Speaker 2: That's on me. The Bucks.

01:15:18
Speaker 1: They prioritize my guy Kate at and over Mike Evans. Who's the real franchise legend. It's Kate Atton twenty million dollars guaranteed three for thirty. I mean, obviously that wasn't going to get Mike Evans in the building. So I have a tongue in cheek when I'm saying that they prioritize them, but they did have to pay him pretty good money. Kenneth Gainwell got a nice contract all the Bucks replacing Rashad White two for fourteen, and then Alex Anzeloni. Very different views on this contract when I went around with a canvas stick, because like the Athletic had it as one of the best signings at all of free agency. Two years, seventeen million dollars. You reportedly took less money than the Giants offered, according to NFL Network, although there is like the income stack. Actually, yeah, they always love advertising that stuff. To me, he's a limit He's kind of a limited player. But I like the and I like the game well move, and I do wonder if they're sitting out there, Jordan, maybe looking at the edge market still they're including Trey.

01:16:14
Speaker 6: Yeah, although I'm thinking about the Bucks' history at the position, and I just don't I think the age would probably be a factor here with with Trey Henderson.

01:16:23
Speaker 5: Relative to the cost.

01:16:24
Speaker 6: But I love pairing Bucky Irving with Kenny g Bucky and Kenny, I just I absolutely love this tandem here. And I you know, this is a you know, Zach Robinson's there now, so they're gonna do a couple of different things in the run game. They're not just gonna be one dimensional there and hopefully not run a ton of pistol.

01:16:45
Speaker 2: We'll see, And he's a fun combo with us.

01:16:49
Speaker 5: It's just it's just really fun.

01:16:51
Speaker 6: I think they just need to get back to what they do well, running the ball well and setting up shots for their receivers and have Chris Godwin hopefully who's healthy, carve up the middle of the field and have Kate Atton block his butt off.

01:17:02
Speaker 5: That's basically what I fixed the Bucks.

01:17:05
Speaker 3: If Zach Robbinson doesn't change his way as Kate Otton's gonna be catching a lot of stuff on the sideline. He's more of an across the middle guy. He's got to change that from some of the issues that they had in Atlanta. But look, I think I think you go for Trey Hendrickson. I think this is a big, big year for Todd Bowles and that staff in Tampa to the way they collapsed last year. I mean, I think they've got to get something done. You go for like you make some of the moves this year for Tampa, like the like the Jets made right. You get some veteran players, even if they're on short term deals. Because you get Trey Hendrickson this year, you win. You buy yourself some more time and get a contact these sens as a coach, and then you draft and develop, you know, Jason Light some of these young edge players, but you get a Trey Hendriington to get you.

01:17:46
Speaker 4: Over the top.

01:17:46
Speaker 2: And they've tried.

01:17:47
Speaker 1: They drafted Chris Brassewell in the second round. He hasn't really worked out. Yah Yaddaby was a big hit. Hassan Reddick, who was kind of similar to Trey Hendrickson as a free agent in terms of an older guy that you brought in so you could spend more there.

01:17:58
Speaker 2: Logan Hall is a free agent and receiver.

01:18:00
Speaker 1: Where you don't have Evans, you do still have Jalen McMillan, Abuka and Chris Godwin and some good backups in Cam Johnson and Ted Johnson. So I do just think Evans got boxed out a little by that. Chris Godwin contract in particular, but also they just have good young talent. The Bears got on the board with a couple of defensive signings. Kobe Bryant is leaving the Seahawks. He's going to Chicago. We heard that Kevin Byard might be the priority there over Takwan Brisker Neat.

01:18:28
Speaker 2: Both of them remain free agents.

01:18:29
Speaker 1: Rist got the injury stuff, but Bryant would be a good a good combo I think with Bayard and then Devin Bush at linebacker twenty one million dollars guaranteed three years, thirty million dollars. Like I said, the off ball linebackers got paid coming off a career year and interesting two for there for the Bears on.

01:18:48
Speaker 6: Defense, Yeah, I think it's interesting because they this is Kobe Bryant especially was one of the signings that I got really pretty excited about for the Bears and seeing what Detis Allen in the renaissance can can do in activating him and this. You know, we're looking at these moves in a vacuum, and the Bears have already had like quite a quite adventurous free agency period slash enter to free agency period with your dominant firing and then some of the shuffling on.

01:19:15
Speaker 1: The offsby reportedly we're going to give up a first for him, but it was a late first and so that kind of killed them.

01:19:21
Speaker 6: Yeah, it was the the Ravens picking higher than the Bears, which almost never happens, guys.

01:19:27
Speaker 5: So that's like, that's like pretty incredible.

01:19:29
Speaker 6: And then I, you know, I think it's interesting because this is a Bears team that needs needed to get a little bit more of a past or a lot more of a pass rush going. So that's still something that I'm interested in seeing how they do. But it looks like, if I read my very quick notification correctly, Braxton Miller is going to be coming back. So while they wait for Ozzy Trappilo to recover from that injury, he might give them a little bit of insurance. We can cut that if I read that Jones, Braxton Jones, excuse me, that.

01:19:58
Speaker 5: Was a player, Braxton Jones.

01:19:59
Speaker 2: Player name a guy, name a guy.

01:20:01
Speaker 6: Yeah, And also wanted to shout out my dear friend Kevin Fishbain and his wife Annie, who at the start of free agency and on the day Drew Dolloman retired, gave birth to their first girl.

01:20:11
Speaker 4: Wow.

01:20:12
Speaker 6: Their first of three or excuse me, their third of three children and their first girl, Gracie may Fishbain. Congrats the Fishbains, Kevin your girl, dad, don't be scared.

01:20:20
Speaker 4: Well done. We'll put on the Devin Bush thing.

01:20:23
Speaker 3: This this kind of caught me a little bit that he they came off the market as quickly as he did.

01:20:27
Speaker 4: Clearly they feel he is a scheme fit.

01:20:30
Speaker 3: He doesn't fit a lot of the linebackers that Dennis Allen typically has at that spot.

01:20:35
Speaker 4: He's got some hammers.

01:20:36
Speaker 3: You know, you think about some of the guys you had, guys like Caden Nell's guys.

01:20:39
Speaker 2: I couldn't Actually I thought about Kiden Nells. Couldn't he do? Didn't he? Kind?

01:20:43
Speaker 1: I know he's not that big of a guy, big dude, I know, But didn't didn't Bush kind.

01:20:48
Speaker 2: Of last year be that guy?

01:20:50
Speaker 1: Now he was very lucky to be playing next to sweat correct, but he was that move guy that you could rush and so so so.

01:20:56
Speaker 4: Let me tell you this.

01:20:56
Speaker 3: You have two inside linebackers who are high volume tacklers.

01:21:00
Speaker 4: What does that tell you?

01:21:01
Speaker 3: The guys up front weren't very freaking good and these guys had to make a ton of plays they put a beating on their bodies.

01:21:07
Speaker 4: One okay too. They've got great instincts and they.

01:21:10
Speaker 3: Know how to play their football players, right they They've got that feel.

01:21:13
Speaker 4: So that's one thing I really like about Bush right here.

01:21:16
Speaker 3: It's just when you when you look at bad teams, that's where your high volume inside linebacker tacklers are. Every year, your leading tacklers would be on bad teams because teams don't have to throw the ball on them because they're jamming him, you know, down down the things. So and I'm beginning, I'm not necessarily saying, uh, I don't like this.

01:21:37
Speaker 2: It's it was just a different I was surprised.

01:21:39
Speaker 4: It wasn't a fit that I was expecting for.

01:21:41
Speaker 1: I wasn't sure what to think about Devin Bush in terms of like ranking them and putting them against the other offt balling rich because if.

01:21:47
Speaker 2: You just watched just last year, he was a fun player to watch.

01:21:50
Speaker 1: Devin Bush was fantastic, and he had been more or less a bust before then. I was like, what do you trust they're trusting last year? They have a vision for some reason. Now this Ryan Poles Bears like situation, just everything just feels like it's gonna go well. And I'm like, well, if they like Devin Bush, they must have a vision for him. I see it, Ryan Poles, anyone that comes on our show two straight years at the scouting combine, you're gonna get better coverage on the show. So just a thought for everyone out there. The Patriots, they get a lot of coverage. They won't get much in this show because I think they were in on Alec Pierce.

01:22:25
Speaker 2: Didn't get him.

01:22:25
Speaker 1: They do get Draymont Jones three years, thirty nine million dollars. Not sure if I'm in love with the whole, Like, hey, let's keep bringing in, you know, like these big edges like he they had Harrow Landry, which is a different type of guy from the Titans. Draymond Jones at one point with the Titans and everything and three years thirty nine nine scheme.

01:22:46
Speaker 4: It's it's an edge setting scheme.

01:22:48
Speaker 3: They want to shut the edge, collapse a pocket more than they want a guy who win. That's just how my verbel coaches. That's that's how he played.

01:22:55
Speaker 2: And he played well last year.

01:22:56
Speaker 1: A Draymond jokes, I guess what I'm saying is And of course he started with the Titans. Wasn't a carryover I mean with the Broncos. I misspoke there. He was with the Titans very briefly in twenty twenty five before he went to the Ravens Long Day, so he gets a lot of money. That means they probably won't re sign Caleb on Chason. They did sign Reggie Gilliam, who's one of the most fun fullbacks in the league. I know Bill's fans won't like that him going to the Patriots, and then they cut Glawny to via Caid Mays is an interesting offensive lineman. They probably had never been mentioned on NFL Daily until recently, and we put him pretty high in the top fifty five or so free agents. Gets fourteen million dollars guaranteed from the Lions. They start to remake their offensive line, and I feel like this was going to be very popular with Brandon Thorne and his sub stack that the trench Mob. I feel like this is going to be the hipster Oh that's the pick of the year.

01:23:51
Speaker 6: Yeah, you said that off air. I was glad you also said it on the show because it's a good line. I think that's true. I think that's the one where all of the you know, the film watching community will sort of be like, oh, we you know, we said this back in in free agency, that this is going to pop. It's him and Drew Petsing paired together now, which I really like. I think that Drew Petsing working with a good center has some potential. And the Lions struggling to replace.

01:24:20
Speaker 1: Why can't I Now they cut Graham Glasgow, they cut Taylor Decker, so they have a lot of spots to fill.

01:24:27
Speaker 2: They filled One's a lot of.

01:24:28
Speaker 5: Names going around.

01:24:29
Speaker 6: I you know what, and I and I love it because it renchors them in a way. He was a player who I mentioned a couple of shows ago. I really wish the Panthers would have kept. I think that he is super, super talented and this is going to be a fun ad for the Lions getting their offensive line back.

01:24:42
Speaker 1: That's the thing with the Panthers. They signed away as a flashy move. I'm really curious to see the rest of their free agency because they have a lot of rossills.

01:24:49
Speaker 2: The Browns, We're all doing it.

01:24:50
Speaker 1: We said it was going to be five five free agent spots, I mean five offensive line spots that the Browns need to fill. Yes, right, and they got one done the other day with Titus Hourd and now Zion Johnson. They're at three years, forty nine million dollars, thirty two million dollars guaranteed, there's a lot of money for Zion Johns.

01:25:11
Speaker 2: He I could make.

01:25:13
Speaker 1: We could do a show on who made themselves the most amount of money, like in the back end of twenty twenty five, Oway, Jalen Phillips, Zion Johnson all very high on one.

01:25:22
Speaker 4: Well, that's because Gion Johnson.

01:25:24
Speaker 3: Johnson was the last man standing on that Chargers offensive line. But look, the one thing I do like with the Browns, they're showing their identity. They're going guard center guard, right, you put two guards at your priority. That is telling you how you want to build your offense. And a lot of teams and Sean Payton started this years ago. Guard center guard will get two very functional athletic tackles, or one athletic tackle and then one kind of stone wall tackle. But guard center guard, because we had a shorter quarterback, is where we want to handle our business. And that's clearly how Todd Monkin is trying to shape this offensive front of Cleveland.

01:25:57
Speaker 6: Andy wants to run the ball and winch on gen kids obviously as a long road of recovery.

01:26:01
Speaker 5: Pretty gruesome injury.

01:26:02
Speaker 6: That he experienced, but man, was he special, like such a special draft pick for them prior to that, and they want to run the ball and Zion Johnson could absolutely great a road and he was really the only one left doing it.

01:26:14
Speaker 1: A little bit of a red flag though, that Jim Harbaugh after saying he was the greatest player of all time when he was really struggling to even get playing time and then lets him go. That's recurring when they let your other guard go too, like you absolutely need them. The Chargers talk about study and identity. They give twenty four million dollars to your hipster's favorite friend, and by that I mean Oli Connelly, our friend three years, twenty four million dollars, seventeen million dollars guaranteed for the Ravens' third tight end last year, but known as one of the best blocking tight ends in the league. And you combine him with a Ronde Gadson, and then you add alec Ingold, the fullback from Mike McDaniel with him in Miami. I mean, I don't think Scott Mattlex playing fullback anymore. But man, you you also re signed Trevor Penning as a swing tackle, which a little surprised there, Tyler Biattish you signed at center. And you know the interesting thing with Owa depending on how they handle the rest of free agency. And I suspect they're cognizant of this. Joe Horties, Uh, they're going to get a third round pick for a Dafeoway. Yeah, pretty good business compensatory pick. So how it works is it gets matched up based on the signings that you have. But assuming they don't sign anyone at the super top of the free agency market that would block out that always signing. They got them for eight weeks, got a ton of production out of them, and they're going to get like a third round compensatory pick back And uh, they're they're showing you who they are by.

01:27:41
Speaker 3: Just well, they're showing you they're going to sign play twenty two personnel. You get a full back, two tight ends, and look getting Charlie corp about.

01:27:48
Speaker 2: Two full backs and two tight ends. What would that even be called?

01:27:51
Speaker 4: I guess two?

01:27:52
Speaker 2: Yeah, but you know the bullback should have a different day.

01:27:55
Speaker 5: I know I want forty four. I want this forty four, huge forty five, let's carve it.

01:28:01
Speaker 3: But the one thing I like I can colar there is the injuries to the tackles. You've got a monster tight end who can maybe offset you know, all or Slater when they're when they're coming back, or to help them come along in certain formations, because it's not like they played a division where there aren't a bunch of jackhammers on the defensive lines like up in Tenever and Kansas City.

01:28:21
Speaker 6: One thing I really love about this is, you know, when it was Greg Roman, I think we'd be like, yeah, that'll be you know, he wants to load up heavy and whatever whatever, Right, we know what they want to do. This is Mike McDaniel at OC, which means that yes, he wants to load up heavy and do really interesting run formations and all of those types of things with the different personnels.

01:28:41
Speaker 5: But it also gives him such a.

01:28:42
Speaker 6: Blank canvas for all the different like scheme looks and different sort of fake you out thinking run personnel. And it's another person I know, by the way, Justin Herbert is back there. Like there's just such a ground for creativity with this personnel, and it's I love the sort of do hour of it, where like you look at these like massive blocking like fullbacks and Charlie Coolar is the blocking tight end and these guys and you think like, oh, old school, but no, you look at these in tandem with Mike McDaniel and you think, we're gonna see some really interesting stuff this year.

01:29:16
Speaker 1: So you're saying, it's kind of like Greg Roman wanted to do it, except this time it'll work, you know, like it'll actually be a sect.

01:29:23
Speaker 2: I don't well, that's how I'm putting.

01:29:25
Speaker 5: I don't know that that's actually what I'm saying.

01:29:27
Speaker 2: Ravens.

01:29:27
Speaker 1: The Ravens bring back John Simpson who went to the Jets. He was a guard for the Jets for a while. They're trying to replace their interior offensive line. They lost Linderbaum three years, thirty million dollars. Uh, that's good. He's kind of gonna help replace Daniel, who knows.

01:29:45
Speaker 4: It's your balls riker.

01:29:46
Speaker 1: Maybe maybe foul Ale will return, see I fixed it. The Texans have re signed ed Ingram, who made himself a lot of money last year, three years, thirty seven million dollars. They also brought back Sheldon Rankins, who signed a two year twelve million dollar contract. Read Blanket was added late in the day three years, twenty four million dollars sixteen million dollars guaranteed to not quite as.

01:30:10
Speaker 2: Much as some of the other safeties on the market.

01:30:13
Speaker 1: Again, maybe they were looking at my rankings because he was kind of towards the bottom.

01:30:18
Speaker 2: Some concern.

01:30:19
Speaker 4: It's Greg Crankings on point scheme.

01:30:22
Speaker 6: They had it pulled up on one on like dual monitors. One whole monitor was just Greg's rank.

01:30:27
Speaker 1: They've made so many re signings and moves, they still will have more to go.

01:30:33
Speaker 2: But I know you're a big Read Blanket ship believer.

01:30:35
Speaker 6: No, I actually am not. I'm sort of neutral on specifically. I said I like that the Texans went out and got him. Yeah, because Alaya for him, the physicality potential here. I like the fit within this secondary. He's not obviously, he's a player who works the best when he's not asked to do everything. Similar to the last secondary that he was just a part of, he's not even he's not even going to be close to the star in this secondary. But he's going to need to play a role. He's gonna have to be physical, and that's what he can do so. I like this as sort of a part the whole move. The Texans obviously very clearly can think about that in this defense.

01:31:07
Speaker 5: Because they have stars all over the field.

01:31:09
Speaker 1: Shout out to Sheldon Rankins. He's signed sick NFL contract.

01:31:13
Speaker 4: He is, he's he's in the he's maybe at the base, and.

01:31:16
Speaker 2: He had a torn achilles in his career.

01:31:18
Speaker 1: You know, he was a first round pick that the Saints fans kind of were like, I like him, but nice career. Tyler Algier signs for the Cardinals two years, twelve million dollars and then I don't get it, one of the most depressing signings of the day. That's not it, you thought, Okay, I'll stop with Algier before getting to Minschi.

01:31:36
Speaker 2: What didn't you get about Algier?

01:31:37
Speaker 4: Well, first off, it's.

01:31:39
Speaker 3: It's a two year, twelve point Okay, why rush for that.

01:31:44
Speaker 4: You're gonna get that if you wait.

01:31:46
Speaker 2: I don't think so.

01:31:47
Speaker 1: I think that's a good contract for Tyler Algier getting sixty's.

01:31:50
Speaker 3: He's he's so similar to James Connor. Okay, if he got that in Denver, well, I think with the R. J. Harvey you could have the kind of that mark Ingram Alvin Kamara type of combo they resigned.

01:32:00
Speaker 2: JK. Dobbs.

01:32:00
Speaker 4: I don't get that.

01:32:01
Speaker 2: I don't get why other teams wouldn't spend more.

01:32:03
Speaker 6: But or just came from a team where they signed basically identical running backs for their one two. So he's doing the same.

01:32:10
Speaker 4: That's exactly what Karen Williams.

01:32:12
Speaker 1: You also have Trey Benson just sitting there. That's that's not gonna happen. I like that move for the Cardinals. To me, I'm not surprised. I think Algier is a good player, but he's a one bee that isn't I just it's not the money that guy doesn't Yeah.

01:32:27
Speaker 3: He's the same, but like you said, it's just like yeah, you know Kyen Williams and Blake Koram.

01:32:32
Speaker 1: I'd like him in Denver better. Kendrick Bourne, who was on our air as free agency started. I thought that was interesting, really good, uh like camera president. Oh yeah, he could be a good good NFL network two years, eleven million dollars with Michael Fleur returning to his old buddy, So you.

01:32:52
Speaker 3: Know what that tells me? With Michael floor mac Jones is headed down to Arizona.

01:32:57
Speaker 1: I don't think so because they've got their starter and his name is Jacoby Brissette, can backup is Gardner Minshew. So when they signed Gardner Minshew, I thought him getting five point seventy five million dollars was one of the most surprising contracts of the day. No other contract. I don't think Patrick will feel like I'm betraying as trust made Patrick Clayban more mad. He could not believe that Gardner Minshew got a five hundred percent raise when we thought he tore his acl and then quickly after Minshew signed, multiple insiders, including Tom Pellisero, said the plan is clear.

01:33:31
Speaker 2: Jacoby Brissett is the one, Minshew's the two.

01:33:35
Speaker 5: Here's my theory. Yeah, this is a theory.

01:33:37
Speaker 6: I'm not an insider and this is not a reported a piece of thought for me, but this is my theory. Is that they wanted if they were going to go after a guy who they thought was a starting caliber quarterback that could edge out Jacoby Brissett in their minds, specifically with this new staff, they were going to go for. Jimmy Garoppoloo does not want to leave Los Angeles. Jimmy Garoppolo is so happy in LA even as the backup after he's made all of his money, right, and uh, he's Michaelfleur's guy. I saw that as a match that could potentially happen if they were to spring.

01:34:13
Speaker 2: You're just mad you didn't get it on the match.

01:34:15
Speaker 6: No, I this this one is, this one to me is very legit gonna happen now.

01:34:22
Speaker 5: No, Greg, listen to the words I'm listening. I'm saying that it didn't work out, So you're mad, So I'll finish.

01:34:27
Speaker 6: I'll finish the thought. So he they did, they didn't get him. He wants to stay in Los Angeles. My theory is that they're like, Okay, we didn't get the guy that was going to be our bridge, that we that would have edged out Jacoby.

01:34:37
Speaker 5: So now we're going with Jacoby in.

01:34:39
Speaker 1: A backup money talks though, and he's making more money than Jacoby's so I mean, you can't do that.

01:34:45
Speaker 2: It's tough. It does feel that I feel.

01:34:47
Speaker 4: No.

01:34:47
Speaker 6: I'll outline all of that for any curious listeners later who missed it, because I Greg Rosenthal's voice in the middle of a seven I got it.

01:34:55
Speaker 1: I'm just saying it's unfortunate. Jimmy loves La so much. Because he he burned you. You needed that for the matchmaker.

01:35:02
Speaker 3: They got a draft quarterback then, I mean, I'm kind of like, you cannot. You cannot, as a new head coach say this is the freaking plan.

01:35:11
Speaker 2: I don't. I don't think teams tank in the NFL.

01:35:14
Speaker 5: I don't think it's a bridge.

01:35:15
Speaker 1: I don't think team's tank in the NFL. But I think they're aware that next year's class is good. Now they did spend some money, Isaac sayamalu is.

01:35:23
Speaker 4: Well, what you had to do that? That's a nice pickup.

01:35:25
Speaker 1: Three years, thirty one million dollars. Kendrick Bourne, who I mentioned, was with Michael Fluer in San Francisco at one point. Like they're adding some people.

01:35:32
Speaker 6: But I just don't think that Michaelafler is going to force the quarterback position. I just think he's gonna he's going to be more patient. If it's not the guy he wants, then they're just gonna bridge it.

01:35:41
Speaker 2: I've seen them.

01:35:42
Speaker 1: I just I love Carnold's coaches who tried to be pacient last one year. Monteric Brown is returning to the Jaguars three years for thirty three million dollars. Really nice re signing. He obviously had a market to get that kind of deal. Eric Stokes went to the Raiders three years for thirty million dollars twenty million guaranteed.

01:36:01
Speaker 2: Kind of had a big comeback season. Man.

01:36:03
Speaker 1: I forgot to mention that earlier, but that was part of the whole Raiders UH spending spree. Eric Wilson is back with the Vikings three years, twenty two million dollars, twelve million dollars guaranteed. Both him and Justin Strenad kind of set the market of these surprising kind of rush linebackers early. So a nice deal late in his career for one of Brian Flores's favorites. And then to get to the Broncos. They didn't sign Algier. I would have rather had Algier than JK. Dobbins. They do bring back JK. Dobbins, They bring back Sam Ellinger. Maybe they're going to trade Jarrett Stidham. That's why I mentioned that, you know, bring back to Ellinger and maybe Stidham or Jacob Maybe Jacoby Brisset's a candidate for Frank Raike And in New York, Gino Smith is reportedly a candidate. That's one open quarterback job. UH, and then they cut Drake Greenlaw while re signing Alex Single.

01:36:50
Speaker 3: That's a that's an interesting one because I say it's edge because green Law, we know how how good he could be. I think he's either going to be back in San Francisco next to Fred Warner or down in Tennessee with Robert Salad because Greenlaw what healthy, very good player. It just did not work in the Vanciosa system. And plus he was injured most of the time in Denver. But that's a dude. If he gets back next to Fred Warner.

01:37:11
Speaker 2: Just a health thing, I think. I think you're right.

01:37:13
Speaker 1: The fact that the forty nine ers last year, you know, gave up on him a little bit too.

01:37:17
Speaker 4: Is a little couldn't say healthy squads.

01:37:21
Speaker 6: Wow, I sala is really bringing back all of the his like core guy.

01:37:26
Speaker 2: If it happens his like soul.

01:37:27
Speaker 5: Guys is his heart.

01:37:29
Speaker 2: That's heartbeat guy.

01:37:30
Speaker 1: I think that's that's Tricky's got to get to that new stadium, got to have You gotta have more make it to there, Like you want to have someone that has contacts throughout the league, but you also have to have more ideas than just like bringing back bringing back your old guy because it didn't It didn't work for him last time.

01:37:45
Speaker 2: I think we got to the end here. There were a couple of other minor things.

01:37:48
Speaker 6: You don't want to your guy, your your forever guy that you'll forever believe in.

01:37:53
Speaker 5: Jake Browning, You don't want.

01:37:54
Speaker 2: Jake Browning was non tendered.

01:37:56
Speaker 4: How about that?

01:37:58
Speaker 1: There has been over two point three billion dollars, by the way, in total contracts given out.

01:38:03
Speaker 5: It's the regular season that is.

01:38:06
Speaker 1: According to NFL research, the Raiders have spent the most amount of money two hundred and eighty one point five million dollars.

01:38:13
Speaker 3: Remember that's in totality, that's the totality. Half of that will never be spent.

01:38:17
Speaker 1: Exactly nine players so far have signed a contract with over twenty million dollars a year average, and then Jalen Phillips, Alec Pierce, Linderbaum and of all people, Awante freaking Taylor have all set records for the most average per year of a player that hits free agency. Obviously, they're not the highest paid players ever at the position, although in Linderbaum you are by by quite a bit. But the other players, for guys that actually get to free agency, they've said a little bit of a record.

01:38:48
Speaker 6: How was the first day of the official regular season for you?

01:38:52
Speaker 2: Gregor felt it felt good?

01:38:53
Speaker 1: I like to call it greg miss you know, I feel like the thing is it's not over. Even as we were taping, there were more moves like Rico Daubele to the Steelers.

01:39:03
Speaker 2: I love that spot.

01:39:04
Speaker 4: I love that. I love the ric O'Donnell do the Seeler they lose gain will to get Rico?

01:39:07
Speaker 5: Do we have a huge uh strange to the Chargers?

01:39:10
Speaker 2: Yeah, who's helping us out?

01:39:12
Speaker 1: On NFL channel and on YouTube and they're like, can we get out of here? Quincy Williams is going to the Browns for two years and seventeen million dollars. Don't really love that, especially surprised by the way he didn't go back with that.

01:39:26
Speaker 3: Can I say one thing about the Bronch your time about the NFL? It's distribing me create How the hell is Jim Schwartz not employed by somebody?

01:39:33
Speaker 5: Ooh, that's probably Jim Schwartz's question too.

01:39:38
Speaker 1: I just don't get that, like maybe he doesn't want to be a coordinator out there, or just was the timing.

01:39:43
Speaker 2: It's a good question.

01:39:44
Speaker 3: Yeah, that's you know, I'm hoping it's it's voluntary on his.

01:39:47
Speaker 1: Call, one of the best defensive coordinators in the league. Maybe he'll be added at some point. Okay, so once we get off here, we'll start building the document for Tuesday show four o'clock. Check us out Pacific time Tuesday Wednesday.

01:40:04
Speaker 2: This week will be live on YouTube and the NFL channel.

01:40:08
Speaker 1: I don't think we're gonna have Steve Weiss on Tuesday, Boksa.

01:40:12
Speaker 3: I got a topic for you, the most nervous incumbent JJ McCarthy or Michael Pennix.

01:40:16
Speaker 4: Chop it up, chop it up. I want to hear it.

01:40:18
Speaker 2: It's coming on Tuesday show. We will see that