Locked On Bengals - Daily Podcast On The Cincinnati Bengals - NFL SQUAD: NFL Free Agency BIGGEST IMPACT Signing?

Episode Date: March 13, 2025

In this week's NFL Squad, the crew discusses which team had the biggest NFL Free Agency impact signings that moved the needle going into 2025, which contract was the most surprising one handed out, and is there any team that made themselves a contender with their free agency moves?Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!BetterhelpDiscover your relationship “green flags” with BetterHelp. Visit betterhelp.com/lockedon today to get 10% off your first month. Monarch MoneyTake control of your finances with Monarch Money. Use code LOCKEDONNFL at monarchmoney.com for 50% off your first year. FanDuelRight now, new customers can get TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS in BONUS BETS when your first FIVE DOLLAR BET WINS! Download the app or head to FANDUEL.COM to get started. Bet with FanDuel—Official Partner of the NBA. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

NFL free agency was a frenzy, and it's still ongoing, but which teams made the biggest moves that'll move the needle for them going into 2025? The NFL crew, we sit down and we discuss on today's Locked-on NFL squad. You are talking ball with the NFL squad. From the Chiefs to the Bill's, Falcons to the 49ers, and everyone else around the NFL. It's the local experts of the Locked-on podcast network bringing you scoops, breakdowns, and the most comprehensive preview of the NFL. the upcoming weekend for hard-hitting football with our harder-hitting tape. Buckle up, it's the NFL squad. Then we have a seat for you.

No hurt feelings allowed. Squad up, you're part of the NFL squad. What's happening, everyone? Welcome into another NFL squad here on the Lockdown Podcast Network where you know it is your team every day for all your favorite sports coverage of your favorite teams. This is the NFL side of things. And we got a jam-packed episode to break down with you here. today as we go through free agency.

So make sure you grab your favorite beverage or snack, sit back, relax, and let's talk about NFL free agency. I'm Cody, your work, host of Lockdown Broncos, and on our NFL squad crew here this week, we're joined by James Yarko of Locked on Bucks, Spencer German of Locked on Browns. Peter Bukowski, as always, round of applause, locked on. I was on time today. How dare you? You are good.

I would say that we've, there's been improvement. So anytime someone's late, we booed then now. We give them the Peter Buchowski treatment at this point here. And then obviously our good friends, Kevin Ostracker, Lockdown Ravens, Mike debate of Locked on Patriots for your Lockedon NFL free agency special here. Folks, it's been crazy so far, really even the Sunday before the legal tampering period began. There was a lot of movement around the NFL, some big time trades here. But let's start off today's show by really highlighting and talking about which teams,

in our opinion here from a panel standpoint, made the moves that created probably like the biggest impact for their improvement going into 2025. Peter, let's start things off with you here today across the entire NFL. Which team stood out to you is moving the needle a little bit with some of their impact signings? I think in terms of moving the needle, the team that I felt like very quickly and expediently handled every kind of every question that I had. And if you ever tell anyone I said this, I will deny that I said it. the Chicago Bears. I know that it was expensive what they did,

but the interior of that offensive line was a nightmare. And Caleb Williams, for better or for worse, wants to hold the ball. And so you just have to live with that. If you're the quarterback, like Kevin Ostriker, Lamar Jackson wants to hold the ball too, because he wants to make every play. So you have to make sure you can block that stuff up. It's not necessarily a problem to go out and get Joe Tuny for nothing.

and to make the all-in moves, really. I mean, that's what they're doing. It was expensive, the amount of money that they're paying a center and two guards. But to solidify that area, to go from bad to competent, probably even good, that's a huge jump to make. I'm not sure anyone else in an area of need overhauled their unit in a more effective way than Chicago. Bears fans are going to go through and they're going to post this and they're say the worst person you know, made a point you agree with. That's going to go viral on social media here. Congrats, Peter. You've gone viral, my friend. Let's kick over to Spencer German host a

locked on Browns. The last time we spoke to you, we were pondering the future of Miles. Garrow will obviously touch on that a little bit later on. But from you, from a Brown's perspective, looking at the rest of the NFL, which team made a move that made you kind of scratch your head and say, hey, they're getting better. This might be a team to watch. Yeah, I like the Bears answer a lot. That was kind of on my head first went to. But what's also funny about the Bears is like there's always that one team that spends the most money in free agency and then they just finish like with an average record. Like they get like six or seven wins.

It feels like the Bears are kind of in the running for that while also being in the running for being the team that like overhauled their team the most this offseason. So I come away impressed by the Bears. I also think like the commanders have kind of been sneaky making smart moves for their team. They obviously made the trade for Laramie Tunnel, which sort of, you know, turn some heads.

Debo Samuel the same thing. getting some extra help both up front and on the outside for for um jane daniels and then you know they they signed jvonne kinlaw as a defensive tackle we know their defense needs some overhauling but it seems like that's something that they're going to continue to do in the draft this year and sort of find some more needs that they have to address there um but i do think like those two teams i think have stood out as like doing the most impressive things um and yeah i i i obviously look forward to seeing what other moves are made here the big names are obviously kind of off the board, but there's still some dominoes that have to fall,

especially at the quarterback position for some teams. Yeah, we'll obviously talk about two of the top veteran remaining quarterbacks available and maybe someone who's not yet even available that could potentially have some trade interests. I know Spencer, you're going to be interested in that one here a little bit later on the show. It goes on. Mike, debate, let's bounce it to you from the AFC East perspective. You're sitting around.

Obviously, you know the New England Patriots. They had a lot of salary cap space to work with. We'll talk about moves that they've made here a little bit later on the show. but who's a team or teams that stood out in your eye as making moves that are going to move the needle for them, at least on paper? Well, I don't want to steal your thunder, Cody, but I'm going to. I think the Denver Broncos have done a very good job navigating through this free agency period. Look, I love the addition of Drake Greenlaw for this team. I think that was a smart move.

I think Kufanga coming in and being an anchor in that safety position is going to help this Broncos team get from a hovering around borderline playoff team. to someone that I believe could really contend and really make some noise in that Western division this year. So I was very impressed by what I saw from the Broncos, but I want to echo what Peter and what Spencer had to say. The commanders are a team that definitely, I think, made some good moves. I agree with what Peter said on the Bears. They needed to shore up the middle part of that offensive line. Believe me, I've been watching for the last few years a team with a putrid offensive line.

And those moves need to be made. If you've got to overpay and you've got to show your quarterback that you're investing in his future, those are the types of moves that you want to make. But I was impressed by what I saw from the Broncos this week. Yeah, Cody, I mean, you just saw firsthand, right, what an offensive line can do for a young quarterback. I mean, Bo Nix, the Broncos got elite offensive line play last year in the past protection game. And Bonix is not the quarterback that we saw last year without it. It's such a valuable thing for these quarterbacks that I don't like, my, my, my, my, my, My fan base right now, the Packers fan base complaining about the Aaron Bank signing.

And yeah, they probably overpaid it $19 million. We can talk about some of the signings we didn't like. But I'm like, did you watch the last game of the season when they couldn't block the Eagles? Did you watch the Super Bowl when the Chiefs couldn't block the Eagles? If you can't block, you are screwed paying a premium for offensive line. I kind of, I kind of don't care. And that's all the we're supposed to do with a quarterback on a rookie contract, by the way. It's built out the rest of your team around them.

Something I know Ravens fans just, they didn't do that around the Marlon. for the most part on offense. They had a good offensive line, but you know, you're supposed to spend when you have a quarterback on a rookie contract. That only happens once if you have your franchise guy, the Broncos certainly do. And so the fact that they're going out there making these splashes, it's exactly what they should be doing with Bow Nix on that deal. Same thing with what the commanders are doing with Jaden Daniels.

You know, once you get the quarterback position solved and you know that you're going to have a guy there for a long time, I think it makes planning around it a little easier. And when that quarterback happens to be on a rookie deal, it gives you more flexibility. versus I think, you know, having a veteran guy there. But I agree with you. I think as we've seen in, you know, modern NFL era now, this game truly, the trenches matter more than anything. You can have elite level star, skill players, things like that.

Those guys can make a difference. But really, it's all going to boil down to your O line and your D line there. And we're seeing teams really kind of beefing up in that regard. James Yarko, locked on bucks. Teams that have stood out to you look, we talked about the bears, the Broncos. We've even talked about, you know, some of the other guys who were making moves. nobody's talked about the Los Angeles Rams yet. For me, adding Devante Adams is big because Matthew Stafford loses his guy that he's really loved in Cooper Cup.

Now you get Devante Adams on a two-year deal. To me, I feel like that's going to be an under the radar one. Is it one that's going to move the needle? No, but I think it automatically makes the Rams the favorite right now inside the NFC West. Well, yeah, and we're talking about, you know, teams that are being impacted in free agency. And we're talking commanders, which by the way, I can't wait to hear the excuse. from Bears fans as to why Caleb Williams is still terrible now that they have a good offensive line. But we can discuss that another day. You said it, not me. And I'll stand by it.

Now, I'm wondering what's going on in the NFC West because teams that are doing the opposite of teams like the Bears and the commanders are the 49ers and the Seahawks. I don't understand what is happening with these teams. Like, I don't know what their roadmap is to success. I think the 49ers now with all of the guys that they've gotten. rid of have like 90 million in dead cap this year you know Seattle trades away their quarterback you know they bring in Sam Darnold but I mean I don't know a one year sample size on Sam Donald that seemed like an awful lot but now they have no receivers because they trade DK away JSN I mean he's a good receiver but now he's all by himself and it's like you know these things are absolutely terrible uh so I mean

if I hear one person talk about the bucks winning the weakest division in the NFL in 2025 I'm going to lose it because the NFC West is a dumpster fire outside of the Rams. I'll feel you there. And look, it certainly opens things up for discussion here as we continue on our NFL free agency NFL squad show. Up next, we're going to discuss a couple of the veteran quarterbacks that are remaining options. And where might they land? Russell Wilson, Aaron Rogers, has he retreated yet from the cave that he's in? We'll break that town and much more here on today's NFL squad.

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We're going to discuss all that here. But let's talk quarterbacks here. James, you talked about it with Sam Darnold landing with the Seattle Seahawks here. Obviously, at the start of free agency, that was one of the big needles there. Daniel Jones ending up with the Indianapolis Colts. To me, a little bit of a head scratch. there probably wouldn't have been my first choice there. I would have maybe went for Zach Wilson in Indianapolis or somebody else or Justin Fields.

Obviously, he's with the New York Jets now. There are two veteran names available, Russell Wilson. And as the time that we're sitting down recording this, Aaron Rogers has yet to come out of the darkness. So with that said, I know the giants are waiting on that. Spencer German, lockdown Browns. Russell Wilson has a visit scheduled with Cleveland. And James before the show had a really great saying that he put out on Twitter. it didn't get traction.

So James open it up real quick so Spencer can set the tone here for the audience. Brown's country, let's hide. Oh, that would be a good one. So I mean, Spencer, ideally like your team, Cleveland, they're in the market for a starting quarterback at this point. And I know you wanted our good friend Aaron Freeman on of lockdown Falcons to jump on to potentially talk about Kirk Cousins. Could he be traded? There's a lot of discussion around that. But right now, the realistic options that are available, Russell,

Wilson and Aaron Rogers as the time we're sitting down and recording this. Your thoughts on either of those guys with the Cleveland Browns, do you see a fit? Does that move the needle for you or obviously for the dog pound? Yeah, well, first I'll say, that side sort of feels like the mantra of the Browns this all season. They don't have a lot of money to spend. So they're kind of like, yeah, we'll just kind of hang out and just, you know, be lurking. We'll be here.

We'll be here when the dust settles in a lot of the big names. And that's kind of how things have played out to this point. But yeah, like the Brown's quarterback situation continues to fascinate me. Um, we know Andrew Barry promised at the beginning of the off season to overhaul this group, understanding that DeShon Watson probably wasn't going to play for them next year. And he's kept that promise so far. He made the trade for Kenny. And to be clear, like if anyone doesn't understand at this point, the, the general consensus is

Kenny Pickett's coming in to be the backup. Like they view him as a guy who compete for the job, but they don't necessarily think he's going to start for the Browns. And that's why you hear, you know, the rumors about both Russell Wilson and the Browns's being linked to Kirk Cousins, which I would have loved to talk more about with Aaron, just to get a sense about what he's kind of feeling on this thing. Because, you know, based on conversations I had at the combine, it felt like the Falcons were really dug in on this thing that Terry Fontna

wasn't going to move on from him. But since then, there's been more conversations about, like, can the Falcons really afford to keep him there and sort of add this pressure to Michael Pennix? Like they kind of want to make the situation as, you know, as happy as possible for him. And what does it say about an organization if they, you know, won't give a player what he wants in terms of giving him a chance to go play somewhere else. It's a lot of pride for the Falcons that they just kind of hang on to him.

And I do still think that is plan A for the Browns. I actually kind of wondered like as soon as I saw the Blues that the Browns were hosting Russell Wilson, I wondered if this kind of stems from, you know, maybe they're trying to have communications with the Falcons on like what they're going to do. And the Falcons are dug in on like, hey, we're going to, we want you to trade for him. And the Brown's like, we're not trading for him. So maybe this is their way of calling their bluff and being like, okay, then, we'll take our business elsewhere and find someone else and good luck trying to trade him.

If that happens for you, congratulations, but it's not going to be us. So I still think the Kirk Couss thing is in playing kind of in the back of my mind here. But Russell Wilson's interesting because, you know, he just played for the Steelers last year. I think the thing that kind of turns me off to him is more so like what we saw at the end of the season last year. Like it's evident there's still something left in the tank there. But that five game stretch where they just, they lost out and they lose the playoff game to Baltimore, obviously round one. you didn't see a guy who you really felt like

could take your team over the top. Now, the Browns can't really be, you know, the beggars can't be choosers, right? It's kind of the phrase I've been saying with the Browns this year. They don't have a lot of options at their disposal of quarterback. They're just sort of trying to make work. And I do think there still is a rookie on their radar that they're targeting in the draft next month.

So I get the idea of, hey, let's get Kenny Pickett in here as a backup, guy who's played in this league and, you know, maybe cleansed himself a little bit by going to Philly. Let's get a veteran who's kind of been around you know what to expect from them. And then let's get a rookie and sort of pair this group together with three different sort of buckets of players.

And that's kind of the vision that I have for this team. Whether that's Russell Wilson, I guess remains to be seen. I still think, though, this ends with with Kirk Cousins on the Browns. Wow. You do have a Super Bowl winning quarterback there. Kenny Pick it. Come on. Let him start.

Let him start. Kevin Ostrich, obviously Ravens fans, you know, very excited at the possibility that, hey, Kenny Pickett might be playing some games for the Browns this upcoming season. Let's turn it to our resident. Aaron Rogers, nowhere here. Peter Bukowski of Locked on Packers. Did I see the bad signal? Radio silence.

I don't know. I mean, I smell something burning. That might be something from Aaron, though. You know, with that said, Peter, your thoughts on where Aaron's going to go. Because right now, really the two teams in limbo here, people are talking about the New York Giants at this point here. He wouldn't have to go far. Obviously, you know, just the other side of the locker room there at the stadium.

But for me, if I'm the Giants, why would I want to attack? my wagon to Aaron Rogers. If I'm Brian Daibel, Joe Shane, and what is likely expected to be, this is it. Show us something or you guys are gone. Do you want to attach that to Aaron Rogers? Would you? I know you probably have a lot more insight on this one. Well, you hit the key point on the head.

They got to do this or they're done. They have to win right now today. And so Aaron Rogers is probably their best option to do that or at least to inject some life into this fan base, excitement and ownership. This is why, I think we talked about this on the last squad show, this is why you can't make, because I was teasing Patricia about this. This is why you can't let a lame duck organization from the front office to the coaching staff make these decisions. It has to be John Mara saying, I want Aaron Rogers, make this work. Because the front office is going to make a bad decision out of their own self-interest.

But guess what's going to happen? they're going to sign Aaron Rogers. And what they should do is also draft a young quarterback. Give themselves that dual runway. Sign Aaron Rogers. Aaron, this is your team this year. And then we need you to be here for a year,

maybe two while we get Jackson Dart ready. Or we get whoever draft someone in the top five to go along with Aaron Rogers. And then maybe use that high second round pick on a Jackson Dart, someone like that, a Tyler Shuck, someone like that, even though he's like, you know, 27, 28 years old already. But it's one of those things where I think that's the best path forward here.

Are they going to allow that? Are they going to be allowed to make those decisions? I guess we'll see. I wouldn't want any part of Aaron Rodgers, to your point. Like I wouldn't want them in Pittsburgh. I wouldn't want them in New York. If I had to pick, the problem is they don't get to pick, really. Yeah, and that's a tough thing.

I want them in Pittsburgh. I want it. That does you everything you need to know about whether Pittsburgh should do it. The answer is no. What's funny about Aaron Rogers. What's funny about Aaron Rogers, but as you going to Pittsburgh, too, is like, you know,

Mike Tomlin seems like he's bulletproof, right? Like, he can take any team to the playoffs with any player. This kind of feels like, because Steelers fans have been pretty vocal the last couple years on like, hey, it's time to move on from Mike Tom when he has the same results

every year. He gets the playoffs and losing the first round. This kind of feels like, like the fork in the road where it's like, Aaron Rogers is either going to come in and he's going to take Aaron Rogers to the playoffs, and then it's like, okay, just give the guy a lifetime contest.

He's never missing the playoffs or he's going to sabotage everything because it's Aaron Rogers and this is what gets Mike Tom and fired. So I do think that's kind of funny. On the flip side, though, to Peter's point, like, I think it's hilarious. The desperation from the Giants is on full display here when they literally had to look across the hall. Like Sarah building with the team he just played for and saw what a disaster it was. And they're like, you know what?

We're so desperate for a quarterback. Let's sign up for that in 2025. That sounds like a fun time. It's either that or Russell Wilson. I mean, their options are very limited. And if you're that front office, once again, I mean, attaching your wagon to that, your future, it's tough. You might as well just start packing your office as is because that's probably not going to lead to wins. Now, I would say with Aaron Rogers in Pittsburgh, he can't pull the stuff that I feel like he was pulling.

Obviously, you know, he's throwing Mike Williams under the bus in New York. You can't do that to D.K. You can't do that to Pickens. Those guys will punch you in the mouth. Like, those guys won't tolerate that. So that would be an intriguing thing to see here. Kevin, let's put a little game here. We'll go around with Kevin, James,

and then a mic here, a little roundtable game for Kevin, for you, if you had to choose for the Steelers to have Russell Wilson or Aaron Rogers, who would you pick? If I'm picking it from a Steelers perspective and not the other side over on the Ravens, I just, I feel like Russ might give them a little more,

but there are all the conversations about Russ and does he have the dead arm? Does he still have the strength to get that ball down the field? His thing is he's jump, he just jump all rust. S2 receivers they can do that for them, but can you get the ball down there consistently? The thing, though, is that Russ still has at least a little mobility. I mean, I think that's the thing that might be more valuable to Pittsburgh at this point. And that division, too.

Yeah, with the way the AFC North plays defense with, you know, Baltimore and Cleveland, unfortunately, no Miles Garrett in Baltimore. So we're now shifting to a J.R. Alexander, uh, agenda, Peter. Well, uh, I think for me, though, I know, I am. Send me that pick. I'll give you a fifth and we can start talking. But I bet, yeah, okay, all right, there we go. You should agree on the trade right there.

But to me, I feel like Russell Wilson, just with the mobility aspect, I mean, I think that with Rogers, I mean, you have a guy into Sean Elliott who even, you know, said Roger should be in a retirement home or whatever he said a couple of weeks ago. So is that going to cause any issues? It's just weird, though, because the Steelers are essentially fighting for two quarterbacks that could what at this point in their careers, get them the seven seed, 10 and 7 record and they're in like a battle for these guys like they are in the thick of it right now maybe maybe baby 10 and 7 let's go the streak is alive maybe maybe we get crazy here and just say is

james wins in the best option at this point is is a guy like joe flacco maybe we get even crazier and say if daniel jones wins that colt's job is anthony richardson on the block and then they make a weird trade in august for anthony richardson i just if i'm pittsburgh you have to sign one of these guys unless you have another option. But how far does that needle actually move? And plus you just paid DK $150 million. Is this just another wash year? You move on from Tomlin after 2025 and you start over or a different quarterback.

I don't know what their plan is. That's tough. Mike, debate, locked on Patriots. You guys saw obviously Aaron Rogers twice this season. Didn't see him obviously in his first year because he tore his Achilles. Where do you think he ends up if you had to choose rapid fire here? Where does he end up? I think I agree with Peter.

I think he ends up in New York. I think New York right now because. of the desperation that they're under are looking to make a big splash. And right now, Rogers, I think, is the bigger of the two splashes when it comes to either he or Russ. Now, is it going to translate to wins on the field? That's the big question right now. Rogers does not have the mobility anymore.

It does not have the arm anymore. And it's going to be very tough for him to take that roster as currently constituted to a high level. But is it enough? Yeah, thank you. Absolutely. They can't block. And is it enough to raise the bar slightly to give these guys,

meaning Shane, meaning Brian Dayball, an opportunity to build something and at least show ownership that they've done something here to warrant them coming back for at least one more year, if not beyond. That's going to be the big telltale. But right now, I would say with all the signs, the way they're pointing, I would probably go with Rogers in New York at this point. James, you know, there were a lot of rumblings initially a while ago about where Aaron Rogers could end up. Tampa Bay a few years ago was one of those potential names there. Where do you think he ends up? Let's go. Let's give you the two for like if you had to choose, Russell Wilson, where he's going to play, Aaron Rogers, where he's going to play, where they ending up. Rogers, Minnesota. Finish the story. Finish your Brett Farrv storyline. I need that. Rogers to Minnesota.

Russ, I think probably ends up in New York. And I need James Winston to Pittsburgh more than I need oxygen. the volatility that is going to inevitably arise between D.K. Maccalf and George Pickens and the fist fights that they're going to have. Plus, James being Jamis would be the most beautiful thing to witness as an NFL fan in 2025. So give me Rogers to Minnesota, Russ to New York, James to Pittsburgh. Let's do this thing. Give us the AFC North on Hard Knocks once again. We would tune in.

That would be appointment viewing. Just have a camera following around, D.K. And Pickens. them up as the entire game is going on. That would be entertained there. Obviously, our conversation on today's NFL squad, free agency frenzy episode is going to continue as we're going to go around the horn here and talk about whether or not the teams that the host cover, they made big enough moves that have them comfortable before

the NFL draft. We'll break that down much more here on today's NFL squad, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. Today's NFL squad show is brought to our friends over there at Fandu. And as you all know it, Fandu is America's number one sportsbook in the month of March is very excited because you've got the NBA season ongoing to push the playoffs. You've got NFL free agency, but you know what the real big main event is? It is March madness and Fandu is making it even easier to get in on the action because

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however you choose to do so, make sure for all your respective shows, even if your host, your team is not represented here, becoming every day or of that show by hitting subscriber, follow wherever you get your podcast, a lot of NFL news content coverage coming along the way, because really for the true fan, there's never an offseason. You got free and see the draft, OTAs, a little bit of a break in June, and then training camp preseason. It's fun. The Lockdown Podcast Network is the absolute place to be for your favorite teams here. Let's go around the horn here and talk about the teams that you guys cover and whether or not your team made moves that have you feeling comfortable about the direction that they

are in. Mike, debate, let's start with you because the New England Patriots had arguably the most cap space available here. Mike Brable now is the head coach. Some moves made for them, obviously, for Drake May. In your opinion, are you happy with the start to free agency for New England so far. I'm happy with what New England did so far. I'm not ecstatic because in my opinion, the two biggest needs on this team are still left tackle and wide receiver. And they've yet to address either one of those in Ernst at the time that we're recording this. But one thing I will give the New England Patriots is they prove that they still have a checkbook. It still opens and they can still make those checks out to bring in players that they need. Now, they overpaid for a few guys. They had

to do it. They had no choice. New England is no longer the premier destination. You don't have Bill Belichick and Tom Brady saying, take a little bit less, but you can come here and you know you're going to compete for a ring. They don't have that. Mike Brable does have a little more cachet, does have a little more appealability than they had last year with Gerard Mayo, who was a rookie head coach. Brable's been a head coach in the league. So he knows that he's going to be able to bring in certain types of players. And the players that he's coveting right now are very interesting in terms of the culture that the Patriots want to bring in. I love the addition of linebacker Roberts Blaine to this team.

I think he's the type of guy that Brable loves to coach, and I think he's going to find him very good, and I think he's going to find him to be a very good fit in that defense. Obviously, you love the addition of Carlton Davis. He's going to be a little bit of an overpay, but at the same time, you needed to do that to get a solid compliment on the opposite side of Christian Gonzalez. And last but certainly not least, Milton William. Williams, the biggest domino to fall. That's a big contract, a lot of guaranteed money, a lot of annual value, a lot of overall value. But once again, this proved to the fan base and it proved to the rest of the NFL free agents that are still out there. New England can be a coveted destination for a lot of players out there. So by writing that check, it proves the Patriots are back in the game. They're going to continue now to try to ride that and we'll see what happens. But ultimately, the final is going to be determined by whether or not they address their two biggest needs.

But so far, so good, Patriots defense was a mess last year. And they've shored that up and they've shorted it up in a big way. Kevin Ostriker locked on Ravens. Obviously, the big move so far that we've seen from them, Lamar Jackson gets another weapon veteran wide receiver, DeAndre Hopkins coming over. How are you in obviously the Ravens flock feeling about that one? Feeling pretty good about it. There's honestly been a mixed reaction by the fan base about it,

because, you know, the Ravens have done this dance before with a lot of veteran wide receivers. D'Andre is going to be 33 by the time the season starts. So by no way are they getting prime Houston Texans, DeAndre Hopkins. And no one is expecting that. But it's a $5 million deal worth up to $6 million. I don't think anybody's necessarily expecting DeAndre to come in here and have 100 catches for 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns. It's going to play behind Zay Flowers and Rashad Bateman is a number three option. The number three option last year was Nelson Aguilar and then Deonté Johnson,

in that roller coaster ride. So there was a very low bar for what the Ravens had to surpass. And I think DeAndre is a guy that, again, he doesn't necessarily separate a ton, but he gets open and he's able to go up for contested catches. He's 6'1, right around 212-ish pounds. The Ravens need one of those bigger-bodied receivers that can give them that contested catch option in that room. They've been really looking for one for years.

So look, this fan base has been burned by guys like Jeremy Macklin and Des Bryant and Sammy Watkins and that list goes on and on and on. So I think you got a lot of people, even, you know, Michael Crabtree, I could go on for probably 30 minutes about these wide receivers. Even O'Dell Beckham a couple years ago, who they paid $15 million and didn't really do much on the field there for them. This is not $15 million. And plus Baltimore doesn't really like to dive head first into pregency anyway.

This is a typical Ravens off season. They re-sign Ronnie Stanley. They bring back Patrick Ricard. And then they have DeAndre Hopkins now. I think that's a typical start to this offseason for Baltimore. But in terms of needle moving moves, I think the needle moving move for them is just to hold on the ball in the playoffs. I mean, if they make all these signings, all these trades,

all these draft picks and then they fumble it away, turnovers, they don't force turnovers of the room. They've had the talent to win the Super Bowl, the last sample of the seasons. The issue is they just, whatever it is, bad voodoo magic or whatever the situation,

coaching players, whatnot, if they can't execute when it matters, no signing, no trade is going to matter for them. So that's where I am with the Ravens personally. I just want to say this about another team. Is anybody here concerned for the safety of C.J. Stroud?

Because I personally am. Dude, I was going to cede my time talking about the Packers because no one cares to hear about Aaron Banks to go, what the hell is going on in Houston? You couldn't block last year. And so your decision is cut Shaq Mason, trade your best offensive lineman in your franchise history? like what are what are we doing this is this is insanity if this were a major market team if

anyone actually cared about the houston texans anywhere in the world this would be like the biggest story in the NFL that that the golden child i wish sarge were here damn it i wish sarg were here like what what is happening what are they doing i feel like i'm taking crazy pills this is insanity yeah no and also too even can you agree like that that is a unit like c j stroud and let tankdale likely not going to be back this upcoming season. He's probably still going to have a lot of recovery to do there. You have Nico Collins who dealt with some injuries last year. I'm very curious to see what DeMico Ryan's in that front office,

they have planned to like, are they going to do a, are they going to trade for people during the NFL draft? You know, with other teams, usually you can maybe try to find guys on the back end or are you going to really try to build around CJ in the draft with the offensive line? To me, that's tough, it's risky because all the shots he took last year. He's an incredible player. but man, even in that playoff game against Kansas City, he got rattled. He got banged up a little bit early on in that game.

And I think it really changed their ability to really kind of push against Casey in the playoffs. That definitely was a little bit of a frustrating thing to watch. Great point there, Peter. Peter, you should also be happy about Nate Hobbs. I think Nate Hobbs is a dog. No, no, I like Nate Hobbs. I'm interested in talking about Nate Hobbs, but I can't imagine like the national audience that anyone else in any feed other than our boy Q's feed.

Like no one cares to hear me talking about Nate Hobbs. I promise you that. We'll go there. Now, Spencer, German lockdown Browns. Obviously, you mentioned the salary cap space and the issues. A lot of the restructures that Browns have had to do, really the mega set in contract by Miles Garrett has ruined it for the Cincinnati Bengals. Their guys paid Jamar Chase a lot of money to make him the highest played non-quarterback in all the football. 40 million guaranteed per year.

Was this really their big move here, in your opinion? Or do you feel like they could still add some value here? Yeah, I mean, aside from adding another quarterback at some point, which people have their eyes on, I don't know if that's quite as big as signing Miles Garrett, obviously, because if it's Russell Wilson, you're just kind of like, okay, cool. But it's a name, so people get, I guess, you know, we'll be into it for that reason. But yeah, the Miles signing was the big move, right, of the offseason for them. And it was out of nowhere on Sunday, especially after the report on last Friday,

where Tom Pelliserro basically said, like, yeah, he's willing to miss games. And so I was kind of buckling in like, okay, we're going to be in this for the long haul. It's going to be a story all offseason, training camp into the season. And then two days later, he sort of concedes. And it's interesting, like, yeah, from the Browns perspective, that moves massive because he stays. And, you know, I understand there were some Browns fans who felt like you could trade miles and really lean into a reset or rebuild, get draft picks. But I think we can all agree in Cleveland, like retaining arguably the second best player in franchise history, maybe the best player in franchise history other than Jim Brown is a win for the franchise in the grand scheme of things.

but I think what's interesting too is just like the ripple effects that the ripple effects that this had across the league. You mentioned the bango situation with Jamar Chase, you know, because they've been out there saying publicly, we're going to make Jamar Chase the highest paid non-quarterback. Well, Miles Garrett just up the ante on you. So good luck with that. But then on top of that, like, what does this mean for Michael Parsons? And also it sort of set the tone for free agency. Teams now couldn't really plan around maybe acquiring Miles Garrett anymore if that was ever part of their plans.

So sort of priority shifted in that way. So yeah, and I think on the lower end of things, like the Bronson made some moves, that makes sense, you know, low budget spending to try to just like supplement some certain positions. And I actually think in the grand scheme of things, like it kind of, the moves they've made sort of suggest they know where they're at and they're adding the death pieces and just, I think they're going to lean on the draft to sort of be where they get more frontline players that they try to get to contribute for them next year.

Well, let's head to some sunny weather now in Tampa. James have locked on bucks. You know, obviously for Baker Mayfield, he's got Mike Evans here. And luckily, they've got Chris Godwin back. As you said, you never thought he was going to go anywhere here. But you also understand the two Bucks fans want more to happen here. Are they going to make any more big moves here? Or was Chris Godwin, their only big, big giant splash that they're going to make down there in Tampa?

Well, they brought back Levante David, which I think was a big move. Wasn't that called on a show here a few weeks ago? Wasn't what? I think that was called. I think somebody called that here. Remember who it was, but I think it was called. It must have been David Harrison, former locked on bucks host. But yeah, I mean, inside linebacker was a big need for this team.

They still need another one, whether that comes in the draft or free agency as yet to be determined. They bring in Hassan Reddick, you know, edge rusher was the number one need. I think we can kind of discount last year as a situation rather than a reflection of Reddick's actual ability. And then, yeah, looks like it was, you know, Mike, you were talking about the Patriots having to dress wide receiver. It wasn't for lack of trying. You know, Godwin confirmed that he left $20 million on the table. And everyone kind of assumes that that was an offer from New England. So yeah, Chris had me sweating it a little bit. I was afraid I was going to have to come on here and eat some crow. But, you know, look, this is back to back years now that the Buccaneers'

biggest free agent signings have been keeping guys in house. Last year, it was Baker and Tristan and Mike and Antoine. This year, it's Levanti. Godwin and they bring back Anthony Nelson, which is a big part of their edge rotation. They bring back great gains, who was a big contributor on the defensive line. So, you know, and hey, they brought in Riley Dixon. You can't win championships if you don't have a good punter. And the Bucks did not have a good punter last year. But no, I don't think the Bucks are done in free agency.

I think the splashes were Godwin and Hassan Reddick, but I still think that they would address corner in free agency, find that number three guy because of all the injury problems. problems they've had. And then a linebacker, I think, is definitely a possibility as well. I'll take a quick moment here to talk about what, you know, the Broncos. I honestly, I've been impressed with their approach here, you know, because they had more salary cap space. They got Walmart money. You know, you're entering the final year of dealing with that Russell Wilson dead cap, which is around $35 million. And yet they go out. And their first moves are making that defense even better. One of the top defenses in the NFL last year, obviously led the NFL with

63 total sacks. They were pressure in quarterbacks left and right. but they fell off a little bit at the end because they simply just couldn't get home. And quarterbacks were getting the ball out of their hands relatively quickly. The Broncos added Drake Greenlaw as a coverage linebacker. You get Talanoa Hufanga look. And I understand the injury concerns that people have with them, especially considering Greenlaw had an Achilles one. I watched him come back in those two games that he played here in 2024 before they shut him down,

due to calf tightness, which is always something you want to avoid. Dude is a heat-seeking missile. He's a fun player to watch. And if he stays healthy, that gives the Broncos a little bit of, a dangerous dynamic at the second level. And then you get a guy like Hufongo, who's just a heat-seeking missile, anything that's in his way, he's going to run through it. That, to me, is exciting to watch.

And then they go on, they add Evan Ingram to really be that Joker that Sean Payton has been looking for. To me, if Denver sits pretty with those three moves right there, and let's say they make a run a Cooper Cup, that to me, in my opinion, is an off season where they're making the Broncos better. And look, once again, I think it closes that window a little bit for Kansas City. There's still the top dog until someone knocks them off. but I think Denver's made some moves this year that makes them a little bit more of a threat inside the AFC West.

And we'll see what the chargers do as well here. But, you know, with that said, folks, thank you for tuning into this NFL squad, NFL free agency frenzy. Next week, we'll be back with some of the latest news. Did Aaron Rogers make his decision? Where did Russell Wilson land? And more importantly, what's the latest storyline around the national football? You're going to get that from the local experts on the biggest story here on the lockdown podcast network where you know is your team every day.