Purple Insider - a Minnesota Vikings and NFL podcast - PFF's Brad Spielberger analyzes the Vikings' Hockenson trade and the Bears' future

Episode Date: November 3, 2022

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Purple Insider presented by Liquid Death. Go to liquiddeath.com slash insider and learn about the Tallboy can, which actually has water. Find out where you can get it near you at liquiddeath.com slash insider. Hello, welcome to another episode of Purple Insider. Matthew Collar here inside a hotel room because I'm having my bathroom redone. So it might be echoey.

There might be noises. The AC turns on at random sometimes, but I will do this podcast anywhere, anyhow, especially when we have trades to discuss. And joining me from Pro Football Focus, the foremost front office expert in the universe, Brad Spielberger. What is up, Brad? How are you? Doing great. Thanks for having me. The Purple Insider folks should know that Matthew Collar could do a podcast in a tornado. The guy has all the equipment and all the moxie to get it done. So I think we'll push through. I have had, I've done

pods in many a city, many a press box. I once did one in Chicago in a park because we got thrown out of the press box. I did one in a park when I was having some other work done in the house where I just sat in my car and used my iPhone hotspot and just cramped into the car and podcast. We will talk football no matter what. This universe cannot stop us. So, Brad, let's just dive right into the Vikings trade, but also you've studied the Bears closely as well. And I really want your take on everything they did because we're watching closely the Quacey versus Ryan Poles

match up, I guess, in a way of the GMs that, you know, Ryan Poles could have been in Minnesota. So it's interesting to see that they're taking very different approaches, but TJ Hawkinson for a second and then some other change involved. And also the Vikings get some back in this deal. What is your initial reaction to TJ Hawkinson being a Viking? I actually like this move from Minnesota and, you know, as you probably know, and maybe some folks know, I'm frugal. I rarely like when teams are, you know, trading high level day two assets for players. You know, obviously it depends on the situation, but I think with Hawkinson, look, it was expected that Irv Smith was going to be ruled out. Probably his career as Minnesota Viking is done now. Not that that should always

push you to make a trade, but you also have to factor in maybe there's the intra-division premium price here, and I still like it nevertheless. With Hawkinson, you get a year and a half of control. He has the fifth-year option for next year, about $9.4 million, but he's a known commodity as a top 10 tight end in the NFL. He's a willing blocker, probably not as good as he was expected to be coming out in college. And it is a top 10 receiver on any metric you look at. I had did an article this morning.

He's you know, top five and contested catches top seven or eight in you know, I think it's yards after the catch per reception, like every aspect of receiving, he's a good player. So you know what you're getting. You can maybe navigate an extension this offseason or wait until after the fifth year option year. And I think it's just, it's crazy to see another Lions Vikings blockbuster deal this early from Quasey. Yeah, he's doing things differently and is not afraid to take swings.

Yeah, And certainly same goes for Brad Holmes, I guess that is willing to give a borderline star tight end to his rival that is also young. And that's what I wanted to ask about, because this is something that to tell you the truth, I didn't really address on the first two podcasts talking about this trade, but why do you think the will, there was a willingness from the Detroit lions to give away a player who they drafted extremely high. Now I know that wasn't Brad Holmes who drafted him extremely high, but tight end is also not a position where you have to break the bank and go

crazy. These guys don't make $30 million. They make about half of that. If you're signing the best ones. And my dog is also here in the hotel with me if you hear sounds of death. That's just her hacking up her breakfast. Anyway, so why would they trade TJ Hawkinson? That is the question you have to ask yourself.

Right, he's 25 years old, a good player at a position that has taken a longer growth. The path to becoming a great tight end is a long road. I think it could be more about a fit. Like I said, he's not as good of a blocker. The Lions want to line up in 12 personnel, run a bunch of duo, and gap running scheme and really shove the ball down your throat. That's what they want to do. With Minnesota, you can operate more in space.

It's obviously this wide zone rushing attack, and you can utilize Hawkinson in the slot a little bit, not always in line, do different things with him. So I think that is a big part of it. But yes, when you have a former top 10 pick, regardless of who the GM is, whether he made that pick or not, and he's giving him to a division rival, you do have to kind of pause and say, why is that the case?

But I also think it's also about timelines. It's sad that Detroit do have to kind of pause and say, why is that the case? But I also think it's also about timelines. It's sad that Detroit fans have to hear this again, but they're probably thinking, hey, are we going to pay a tight end right now when we're still a couple of years away, knowing that 28, 29, 30 years old is often the end of the tight end career. As tough as that is, it's the reality of the situation. So I think that is also a big part of it is they clear, you know, the fully guaranteed fifth-year option off their books. They reset there. They get some draft picks to add more players.

So he just doesn't fit the timeline, and I think that's a big part of it as well. Boy, that is sad. I mean, that is really sad for Detroit. And, you know, what is it? What, in your opinion, happen with this Detroit team? Because even when Minnesota played them, I was like, oh, that's not your older brothers, Detroit. That's a better team. And they really did look like a better team.

And then, you know, Dan Campbell botched some late game stuff. But I thought, OK, this Detroit team, they're going to leave here and they're going to go 8-9 or 9-8. And their offense is pretty explosive. And here we are again with that team just being a complete disaster. and they're going to go 8-9 or 9-8, and their offense is pretty explosive. And here we are again with that team just being a complete disaster. I thought they had all the signs. And even Jared Goff has played good. I don't even think that he's been horrendous or anything. It just seems like maybe the Dan Campbell idea was better than the execution.

Everybody loves a Dan Campbell. Like, oh, he's crazy and he's football. But really this league is about scheme and it's about putting your players in the best situation. And they have just not done that enough to win any games. Yeah, I do think that there has been some kind of coaching mismatches

in some of their matchups. It's, you know, like you said, the Dan Campbell experience is a lot of fun. He has made some questionable decisions. I love his aggressiveness, but, you know, at a certain point, there's kind of an inflection point of you're being aggressive for aggressiveness sake. But also, I think, honestly, I like Aaron Glenn as defensive coordinator.

I thought he was a potential future head coach. He was great in New Orleans. But you're still trying to play a lot of man coverage, and you don't have a pass rush. You cannot get home with four players. Really, you can't get home with five. Even blitzing, their pressure rate is lower than Dallas and Buffalo where they're not blitzing. That's how bad they've been up front.

And so when you can't protect, frankly, mediocre corners outside of Jeppakuta, mediocre might even be a nice word to use there, that kills you. It's why Miami goes out and gets Bradley Chubb yesterday. When you're playing that style of defense, you have to get home. And I think that was somewhat foreseeable. You know, Aiden Hutchinson, you think he's a good player eventually, but a rookie, you know, this entire rookie class has been, frankly, underwhelming at edge.

And then the interior for me, though, is the biggest issue, is you draft Levi and Wizerica in the second round last year. They'll take Ali McNeil in the the third who has been a good player. But the interior, they're just so easy to beat at the point of attack on their defense. They can't stop anyone in any manner because it's both secondary and up front. And then the offense is just scrambling to try to keep up and have to score 30 points in every single game just to be in it. Right. And it just is a roster that probably if coached by Bill Belichick is maybe a 500 team, but it's not being coached by Bill Belichick. And you're right.

They really don't have one of those nose tackles that just eats up bodies in the middle. I mean, you can do kind of whatever you want to them there. There's a reason why for the history of football, all these teams have always gotten a giant fat man to stick in the middle who could take up two guys and everything else. But, you know, I do think that they're going to have to probably at some point answer for the Dan Campbell thing. And like, is this, if you win three or four games this year, you can't argue that this guy really knows what he's doing,

considering that they did improve the roster. But that is not really why we're here. We're here to talk more about the Vikings and their moves. So back to TJ Hawkinson. What would a contract extension look like for TJ Hawkinson? Because I assume that Kweisi Adafo-Mensa did not just do this as a rent-a-player and then he is under team control for next year. But when you make this kind of deal for someone who's proven and you feel good about their fit, that's one of the things you want to – a pelt that you want to hang on the wall is not only did we trade for him, but we also extended him for X number of dollars. I think they are showing that they still want to see a body of work in Minnesota,

evidenced by the condition on one of those picks going to Detroit, being if they win a playoff game, it's a better pick. And if they don't, then it obviously doesn't elevate. So that is a component of it. They obviously they should have an idea in mind of what an extension could look like, but don't feel forced to do it necessarily this off season. Maybe if they want to go into that fifth year option year, maybe even look at a franchise tag. I mean, it's thinking far down the line, but you see even this offseason with, you know, Miami and Mike Kosicki and the Cowboys with Dalton Schultz. When the tag at tight end is under $11 million, those teams had zero interest in actually extending those players. But it doesn't really matter because it's such a cheap, you know, tag there.

So that part aside, if they are looking at a deal, look, it's going to be one of the top deals in the market. Johnny Smith and Hunter Henry getting $12.5 million a year. He's better than both of those players. He's younger. He's more proven. He has more upside and he's a better player already. So it's going to be around the 15 million per year that George Kittle is making right now. And I get that fans may pause and say, he's not that guy. He's not even close to that guy. That deal was signed in 2020. So it'll be three years removed from when he's up for a deal. He's a former top 10 pick, which I'm not saying that is why you should be happy about it, but it matters. David Njoku getting his deal, it always is going to factor in. But I think the big thing, and this is probably where I think Kwesi can be sharp and use his kind of different line of thinking, you can capitalize on the position market just still being so behind.

You mentioned it. If he signs for $15 million a year, I think he'd be the 28th highest paid wide receiver. It's like you're getting a good player that it matters, makes a difference, and if you compare it to other spots, it is a discount. And he noticeably plays about one-third of his snaps in the slot that he is a guy that you can use plays about one-third of his snaps in the slot that he is a guy that you can use in a dynamic type of role maybe not right away because he has to learn to

play for the Vikings but in the long run you can even put Johnny Munt on the field you can have TJ Hawkinson in the slot you can look for mismatches there uh you know initially I wasn't sure about the timeline of Irv Smith Jr. I thought that was possible that they would be able to put both of them on the field. But that looks like that is over with. And I wanted to bring that up with you as well is with Irv Smith Jr. I mean, that is a guy that we thought after seeing him in 2021 camp was going to be the future of this team, along with Justin Jefferson. He was going to be that guy who just is a game changer from tight end position.

And it just has not ended up working out because of the injuries that he's faced. And I mean, what does his future look like if you're if you're another team looking at his situation? I mean, is he basically a guy that has to hope for a flyer at this point with his future? Because I see almost no chance that the Vikings bring him back with TJ Hawkinson next year that seems like that's almost impossible yeah it's so tough not to kind of name drop whatever but like when I worked there it was the right after that draft class Irv Smith was the second round pick in that class actually the first player we happened to encounter in the building was very nice made a joke about how we were the important people as the lawyers or something like

that but there was buzz like they thought he was going to be a dude. They were really happy about that pick. And yes, every team is happy about every pick. But I think you can kind of tell when it's genuine and when it's more maybe forced or whatnot. They thought he was going to be a special talent. I think he has a lot of those talents, but the injury has been a killer. But what I pull to look at Evan Ingram right now in Jacksonville. He is flourishing. He is playing really good football. Obviously, the health was always a little bit of a factor with him as well, but also usage and just consistency, not having changes in play callers and all that stuff.

So I do think that is a similar market. He signed a one-year $9 million deal this offseason. I think that probably is that type of deal. The one-year flyer probably won't even get that high, frankly, is what Irv is looking at. But this tight end position, you can kind of bounce back. Even guys like Hayden Hurst is playing well in Cincinnati. It's just such a tough position, so weird to gauge.

And guys just at the right time can kind of break out. So I think it's probably smart for him to go one-year flyer out because have a good year, then maybe you can sign you know a multi-year around 10 million dollar deal obviously you know got to stay healthy and play well who would have thought that Tyler Conklin would be the better player between he and Irv Smith Jr. so far in their careers but I think that what's interesting about this is you're totally right that when they drafted Irv Smith Jr. I think they felt very, very confident that he would be a good player. And then what they saw through their first two years playing alongside Kyle Rudolph

and then at the end of 2020 was this guy is just emerging. In 2021 training camp, I know it's just training camp, but it does matter. And he was dominating before getting that knee injury, but I did not think he had the same juice this year. I don't know that he fit as well. I think that the offense is more complicated and less tight end friendly. A Kubiak offense loves its tight ends and maybe not as much McVay style offense. So that was a part of it.

But I also had the thought, like, as great as they believed he was going to be, we're looking at right now, TJ Hockinson is here. That's a team drafted him high. Noah Fant is somewhere else, not in Denver where he was drafted or Smith. Like that was supposed to be this historically great tight end class. They all are going to play for different teams by five years later. And I guess it makes me think like you maybe shouldn't draft these tight ends super high because you,

they're very hard to develop because of how complicated it is and so you develop them three four years later and then they go play for someone else and then they're best the best versions of themselves like you never get to see and that might end up being the case with Irv Smith Jr. It's such a hard position to scout to develop to consistently keeping your offense as a you know a guy you can truly utilize and stay healthy and all those things. It is. It falls off a cliff as fast as running back in all those positions. The on-field value of a good one is astronomical, but it's so hard to get there.

And then also this goes back to contracts. And, again, when you're using a draft pick that high, a top-ten pick, I mean, like Kyle Pitts became one of the highest-paid tight ends in the NFL the day he was drafted. I mean, Hawkinson was probably in a similar vein. And so, like, it just kind of you don't get the surplus value you're looking for there. Obviously, if you shoot the moon and get a great pick, it can work out. But, yeah, I struggle to see how using a first round pick on a tight end is probably is a good investment.

You know, given the range of probabilistic outcomes, more often than not, it's, it's a, it's a big gamble to take. Folks, you've heard me talk about liquid death, and I'm glad to see that some of you are getting on board. I got a great tweet from a listener the other day talking about how liquid death has helped him kick sugary drinks and slim down. And also for the longest time, my wife was the type of person to carry a water bottle everywhere because she didn't like the idea of buying so many plastic bottles. Well,

that's the reason it's called liquid death to bring an end to plastic bottles and instead use aluminum cans, which are easier to recycle for profit and do not end up turning into trash. Liquid death is even donating 10% of its profits to kill plastic usage. So you're going to want to look for Liquid Death Mountain Water and Flavored Sparkling Water in the water section, and here's how you find it. It looks like a beer can. It's the only water that looks like a tall boy.

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Of course, they're 6-1, so you're in the driver's seat to be a legitimate Super Bowl contender when you are 6-1. But there are also some things that make it look like a bit of a house of cards, where Zedarius Smith has had to be absolutely excellent. I mean, one of the best defensive ends in the league for this to work out. Patrick Peterson has had to be great as well. And their defense is still very shaky at times. The interior of the offensive line is doing the same thing it's done many years in a row,

which is give up interior pressure and get Kirk Cousins hit. I guess I wonder what you think about the results versus what they did in their process. Like, does this sort of prove that they had the right idea or is that still very much the jury is out? So I will raise my hand and say I was wrong about some of their offseason and thinking that they should have torn down or kind of been more sellers and more conservative as opposed to making some of these moves. And why I still think it was OK ultimately was a lot of them were short-term. I mean, look, Z'Darrius Smith's deal is a one-year contract. Like it's not actually a three-year deal. It's a one-year $10 million deal.

Frankly, he's now going to ask for a new contract. It's not even the team is going to try to get out of it. He's going to try to get out of it if he keeps playing at this level. And so that was kind of it. It was a lot of patchwork, a lot of stuff that, yes, they've done a couple years in a row now, and often it hasn't worked out. We're now seeing the one-score games swing in their favor, and they're winning a lot of those close matchups

that really could go either direction. You know, Arizona game, frankly, included, with that muffed punt near the end of the game there. Like, they've had some magic and some luck, but look, I also think credit to them. The NFC is bad. It's very, very bad. We did know that coming luck, but look, I also think credit to them. The NFC is bad. It's very, very bad. We did know that coming in, but we also thought, hey, at least Green Bay, Los Angeles, and Tampa will be good.

They all stink. So, you know, I think they were smart to kind of play a little bit in the middle, which can kind of kill you and make things more challenging going forward. But they knew they could navigate it a little bit, maybe have some things bounce their way. So long answer short, you know, I think it was still smart to not go multi-year on a lot of those deals to truly sell out and make a bunch of big moves. But at the end of the day, yes, I think they're a one-win playoff team potentially. I don't think they're actually a NFC championship or further team, and that's just kind of where they've been the last, what, five, six, seven years. But yeah, you know, credit to them.

I think they've done better than even I expected. Well, but the question really is, I mean, what do they need to do in order to justify the approach that they took? Because you mentioned, like, that's how you see them right now is maybe you win one playoff game. And they have plenty of time to prove that you're wrong about that over the rest of the season, especially if they say healthy, like the opportunity is there to go to Buffalo and show you could play with them or face Dallas here at home and show you can play with them. We're not convinced really yet based on just, you know, beating Arizona, barely beating Detroit, barely beating new Orleans, barely. But, you know,

I think that it's funny how the NFL season works where if you stay healthy and other teams don't all of a sudden you're a stronger version of yourself than you were before. Right. And so where, where's the bar? Because if they get a home playoff game, that's pretty good. And that's maybe unexpected because we thought green Bay was going to be better. But if they go 10 and seven to get that home playoff game and then they get beaten down by San Francisco or something, it's pretty hard to argue that it worked. Even if you had a good season, a fun season, because then you're going to look around and go, now what? Like all these all these players like the the dead cap money that they pushed down the line and everything else, it's all going to look kind of like, well, how do you get better?

Because you made a lot of sacrifices to even to get to this point. So I think the bar has to be extremely high for this team still to justify what they did. Yeah. So I would say in agreeing with that, I mean, Kirk again, is on a one-year deal. So do you again, give him a pseudo franchise tag, which is basically what they did this past offseason and navigate that on a year-to-year basis is he willing to do that he's obviously playing some good football they have a legitimately good offense and the defense frankly i think is pretty bad um and like you said zadaria smith kind of playing really good football and it doesn't really matter i will say the other counter they really haven't had their first two picks in this year's draft and granted there's no guarantee those guys come back and then are all of a sudden good maybe they just

end up being four picks but i like lewis c night i like andrew booth both coming out i thought it was good value where they got them in the draft um and maybe they do return and then you kind of have this this influx of young talent next year where you actually kind of get you know it's always a cliche but like he's a first round pick this year, all that stupid stuff. But you know, it kind of does apply here. And that I think is how you maybe take it to new heights.

Cause again, you're not going to spend like gangbusters. Again, you have to take care of some guys on your roster or plan to take care of some guys in your roster, including the quarterback, which obviously is always going to be expensive. You know,

got to get ready for Justin Jefferson. And I'm feeling is you can see like him slowly starting to break down a little bit. I feel like he's limping to the sideline four plays a game. He's still, you know, great in the red zone, can separate with the best and make good player. But, you know, he's not going to be there much longer, I don't think. So, you know, it's interesting. They're still in this kind of state of flux. I understand, you know, saying the bar should be maybe winning multiple playoff games

or beating some of these legit teams that come in, forget the playoffs, but beating a Buffalo, beating a Dallas, showing that you actually can't hang with the big dogs. They took a step up in class against Philly and got embarrassed. So we have to see some different results there. But at the same time, new regime trying to build a foundation and build positivity and buzz and all that stuff. You kind of can sell yourself on that a little bit. Sell yourself on bringing in new players, free agents, all that stuff, you know, because you now have people buying into what you're on the same page with a lot of the key players and make them believe in him. It always takes winning because Dan Campbell is a great example. You think that everyone in Detroit now is buying everything Dan Campbell is selling just because he's a good guy and everything? Like, no, of course, you got to win. You got to show that it can happen.

So going six and one as a first impression and first impressions always matter the most, like right away, they're saying it worked. This guy's culture worked. We're buying in. And the most important person to buy in is Justin Jefferson. That's a huge deal that the first test for Kevin O'Connell was Jefferson was unhappy with not being moved around enough in the offense. And so O'Connell did it. And it's like, there you go. That's how Stefan Diggs probably should have been handled. And, uh, that, you know, right away, the coach has said, I'm going to listen to you. I'm going to work with you. We're going to make this go and it's going to result in winning. The issue is only if they start to fall off because of some of the things that are their weaknesses when they play these tougher teams. I think that the bar should be you put yourself in position

to have a chance to reach the Super Bowl, which to me does not necessarily mean multiple playoff wins because you might play a great game against a great team and lose by a field goal. Greg Joseph, a little shaky so far this year. A lot shaky, actually. First kicker in Vikings history, actually, to cause problems. So, you know, so let's say that happens.

But they won 12 games. Like, you can't sit there and say, well, you just totally failed because your guy missed the field goal. You were in position as a 12-game winner to potentially be a Super Bowl team. So what they do down the stretch here of the season and now with TJ Hawkinson, which I think is a big upgrade from what they were getting. I mean, there's really no excuse to not get there. I mean, if you end up going one in three over the next four games or something, that's going to be like, oh,

okay, well, this is kind of what usually happens. I think these next four games are a huge determining factor. You get Hawkinson in here. I know he next four games are a huge determining factor. You get Hawkinson in here. I know he's not going to be able to play 70 plays right away, but still should be an instant upgrade. There's really no excuses for that. So you're saying like at this moment, well, I might've been wrong about the off season and blowing some of the stuff up. I'm going to say, let's talk in December. If you get to December and you are en route to running away with the division to the point where you can rest starters in the final game of the season and so forth, then you absolutely hit the nail on the head. You gave yourself a chance to reach the Super Bowl,

and whatever happens in the playoffs happens. That's kind of the way I look at it. I think from a Viking fan base, though, they have a different view. I think it's more of you kept bringing back Kirk. You brought Kirk here to go deep in the playoffs to get to the same place Case Keenum did. So that has to happen otherwise. And also here's another thing too. It's not just the final record. It's also Kirk Cousins has to play better because if you're talking about what a journeyman backup quarterback could have done, which is his performance right now. It's what you'd expect if you brought in Kyle Orton to play for this team,

is he'd average six and a half yards a pass and have a 90 quarterback rating and you'd win with turnovers, right? Like that's not what you paid Kirk Cousins to come back for. You could have traded him for a third round pick. So I think that that's a separate analysis is like the whole thing and then the decision at quarterback. No, I totally hear you. It's always going to come back to that, although I think I may have watched, unfortunately,

more Kyle Orton than you did growing up as a Bears fan. He was a Buffalo Bill. He was a Buffalo Bill. I covered a whole Kyle Orton season, went 8-8, shockingly. That's what he does, man. The neck gear, that's what the guy does. But, yeah, no, no, no. I do hear you. And again, it always is going to funnel back to that.

And yeah, if he's not a difference maker, it's the same thing I'm saying about, you know, with the Niners trading for Christian McCaffrey, ignoring running back value and all that. Look, he's a difference maker. He's the best running back in the NFL when he's healthy by a margin. It's more about you're pushing the chips in. And if Jimmy Garoppolo has a Garoppolo performance,

which can happen at any moment, you're screwed. I mean, Kansas City comes into town and absolutely blows the doors off you because that's what a team with a good quarterback can do. So if that happens in the playoffs in Minnesota, yeah, you can say, look, we went down by a couple scores, and oh, what do you know, Kirk Cousins couldn't really do anything about it. That is a foreseeable outcome and a foreseeable event. At the same time look i still

hearken back to their win against new orleans in new orleans in the playoffs he played well in that game they obviously you know could have advanced further and done more with that season but i hear you it's always the case keenum it's not about case keenum it's yeah the the message you sold was we got this close we're now upgrading at the most important position in all sports to get further if you don't at least get there one time i know it's hard but you know as bad as the nfc is like you should have a chance to make the the conference championship game it's fair i think it's a fair bunch benchmark to hold even as as tough as as uh you know as a guy as you are yeah well and i also think that it has to do with his performance in general. Like if he can't take you anywhere higher than anybody else could have gotten you with

Gino Smith or Marcus Mariota money. And this was the year of the average backup quarterback or whatever is available. So if you get quarterback play that is reflective of a guy that you could get anywhere, what would 20 million more have done for the roster that's really the equation it's not like oh they should have gotten rid of cousins just to get rid of cousins because they're tired of them or he's not clutch or anything like no it's always been about the money it's all it's like you would have made on a trade 25 million dollars you spend five of that on marcus mariotta and and he would have given you similar play as he's done this year.

They're expected points added is right next to each other on the list so far. And so that's that I'm talking about. I'm not saying it hasn't worked with Kirk. They're six and one. If he plays this well and he's clutch and they win games and they get 12 wins. Yeah. But I do think there is some separate analysis between that specific decision and the rest of the roster that we're going to kind of look back at as we evaluate this entire thing. But I wanted to get to the bears because you studied them closely and interesting stuff. I mean, I actually like the chase Claypool thing because at some point you have to get players who know how to play football. And that deal was available. You also made sure that the Packers didn't get

him, which is a nice little bonus. And then stacks draft capital by not overpaying for a linebacker, which would have been foolish. So they get a premium position player that they can extend and have with them for a while. Who's proven he can play in the league, and has just had the worst quarterback play. My gosh. I mean, from washed Ben to Kenny Pickett slash Mitch Trubisky, I mean, Chase Claypool could not have had it worse. It also helps you figure out how good Justin Fields actually is. So I like that on a lot of levels, but I wonder how you feel like they did.

Yeah, no. Holistically, I think it was a great deadline i think they were one of the quote-unquote winners of the deadline when you look at all the moves together i do think giving a potential top 40 draft pick for chase claypool you know it is a lot it's it's in a vacuum that's an overpay but yes bringing in a legitimate wide receiver they have one right now now they have two um a guy also i think is a perfect fit he is a deep field you know go up and get it jump ball receiver but he can also block well the former tight end obviously can can win over the middle can win as a z that can kind of move around the formation they do jet suits with him they do a lot of different things with him and i think

the bears will be similarly creative um you know honestly i think the second half against minnesota to now and the play we've seen from justin Fields is why they felt like they should go make this move and think this guy could be the guy. I know his first month of the season was dreadful. He's been pretty darn good the last month of the year. And, you know, I'm as objective as they come. I wouldn't be saying that if I didn't believe it. And now it's a great fit. You are probably extending both Mooney and him for close to $20 million a year in about nine months.

But, you know, it's a good problem to have. They need to spend money. I love shifting resources away from defense and towards offense. Look, if it was an edge rusher, it's a different story. But giving an off-ball linebacker $20 million per year when you have this roster would be insane. And so it's super refreshing and encouraging to see the GM make all these

moves and moving the resources to the more important side of the football to try to actually evaluate Justin Fields and find out what you have before this draft where you still do have a first and a, you know, Baltimore second and a couple other extra picks. Yeah. I'm encouraged. I'm happy about it. It's exciting. Yeah. It's just, you know, Claypool better show up and play some good ball but it's it's gonna be fun the rest of the way and you know it just it just enables you to actually know what you have which that value cannot be understated because they could have been in the

quarterback draft market this year if you know if they don't know so it's it's big and yeah it'll be fun i'm repeating myself over and over again but I'm looking forward to the second half of the year. Folks. I know you've heard me talk about soda stick for a long time now, but I'm telling you, you have to start following them on social media for new fresh gear. They are releasing all the time. Of course, they have the classics like the Moss moon design and the Metrodome shirts and hoodies. But as the local teams go along in their seasons, soda stick is constantly putting out new stuff,

whether it's the new Horn State gear or the Vicodontis Rex shirts, lots and lots more from all the Minnesota clubs. Go to SodaStick.com and follow them at SodaStick on Twitter. That is S-O-T-A-S-T-I-C-K.com on Twitter and and use the code purple insider to get 15% off your purchase. Well, and I think if you're in Chicago, what you should also be looking forward to is the next off season, because if they walk out of this year, feeling good about Justin Fields, I mean, it can just be a bonanza for them with the way that they've set up the cap. And that was kind of the whole deal where it's really like,

can you look into the crystal ball of the future when you're being, you know, when you're taking over a team as opposed to saying, let's fix this thing right now. And a major part of this is always ownership and what they're willing to do. But can you look into the future and say, this is, this is our path and the path doesn't always take you there. The New York jets have sputtered on this many times, but I mean, even the jets are a good example. Their rookie quarterback contract quarterback is bad right now. And yet there's still competitive and winning games, which tells you about the ability to build a team there. Had they had a quality backup quarterback instead of Joee flacco if they had tyrod taylor or something and he was playing over zach wilson like what are they they have one

loss or something i mean really like wilson has been that bad and then joe flacco wasn't any good either but their d their defense is excellent with robert sala they have playmakers garrett wilson's been phenomenal like you just see the route for Chicago. Uh, I may have called Justin Fields a bust a little too early, but the way he played to start the season was so horrendous. It was like Josh Rosen esque. And the numbers were Josh Rosen esque was like, I don't know, man, I just don't see it. Um, he started to bring it along. Now I think they do at this point, after seeing this, unless the wheels come off, they probably do have to give him a third year.

100%. And I think part of it, frankly, is on them. Again, I'm not going to make excuses for him in changing their approach. It was very reminiscent to Jalen Hurts last year, where Nick Sirianni comes in, is a pass-happy head coach. Shane Steichen, also a pass-happy offensive coordinator. And they were dropping back 40 times with Jalen Hurts. They had their mini- bye, just like Chicago,

before the New England Patriots game. And they sat back and said, we are not utilizing this guy's skill set properly. We need to have some designed runs and not just zone read and read option. We need to have some pin and pull concepts, some counters, some various different ways to utilize his skill set. And they were, I mean, incredible against New England.

And they've been good since. I mean, Dallas, there was some garbage time, but actually it was kind of a close game until the third quarter or so. And then the rails really went off. He had three touchdown passes and moved the ball on the ground effectively against maybe the best defense in the NFL. So I am, I'm super encouraged. I think you're seeing a lot of it.

There are still some mistakes in the Washington game, missing maybe the easiest touchdown pass of the season to Ryan Griffin, the tight end. And like, there's little mistakes, but I in the Washington game, missing maybe the easiest touchdown pass of the season to Ryan Griffin, the tight end. Like there's little mistakes, but I think the difference too, it also helps a ton to have just gone through this with Mitchell Trubisky. He doesn't seem to make the same mistake multiple times.

He makes a lot of mistakes. And well, besides holding on to the ball too long and getting sacked after five seconds, that's the one that they got to work out of him. But you, you see him, he makes a

certain mistake on a throw or miss a read or miss a progression. You don't see it happen again often. And so that's, I think, super encouraging. I do think they're going to give him a third year. I think they are big believers in him becoming that guy. What's the NFC North look like in 2024? 2024. I mean, it's, it's funny because it's going to depend on the draft pick at quarterback for Minnesota and Detroit and maybe green Bay. I mean, it's, it is a good outlook for Chicago. I think that was also a smart, you said, I mean, you're saving all these resources. You're copying kind of the Buffalo bills model, not making a Josh Allen comparison, but before he got there, they had a ridiculous dead cap number of the bears now 85 million i think it's the most dead cap in a single season in nfl history but you have 125 million dollars in cap space you're going to spend a ton whether

you're leaving field or not you have to spend a ton um yeah i mean that is kind of i think what they were looking at and saying if we get this right if we add some talent around him then we could have rogers at the door and a miserable financial situation for green bay minnesota kirk cousins maybe at the door and a not very good final situation there and then detroit just unfortunately keeps being detroit they could be at top of the division in 2024 if fields becomes it feels becomes that guy they will be at top division in 2024 Detroit's just never gonna be nothing never no but I mean I want to believe I almost feel like there's less confidence than ever when you draft the number one quarterback it's almost like I don't know there's six dudes and

they're all pretty close to each other I'm not sure I really understand the Will Levis thing after watching him a little bit but thank you for saying that i i don't understand it at all i mean he was so bad against florida he had a 10 yard safety he took because he just kept going backwards he was atrocious against tennessee now he just got me on my on my thing but yeah he i'm sure he'll go ahead of of bryce young and cj stroud because he's got moxie and intangibles and the teammates love rallying for him. I think he sticks. Yeah. I mean, none of us ever know. It should always be said. Sure.

But in comparison to Stroud and Young and even Anthony Richardson, whose box score statistics don't look all that good, but I've watched a lot of him. And I feel like Florida has been so outmatched by like Georgia or Tennessee, and he's kept them in games by grinding. But that's, you know, not the point, uh, plenty of time in draft season to talk about that. But I just think that Detroit has set themselves up to be one quarterback away from going from the biggest joke

ever to not. And, and here's my evidence, the new Orleans saints and the Buffalo bills. When I was growing up, the New Orleans Saints were hysterical. I mean, from the time the Dome Patrol ended until the time Drew Brees got there, LOL. Like they were just a joke. And then you get Drew Brees and all of a sudden you're the class of the league. And the Buffalo Bills, this is my entire life growing up.

I've told this story on the show numerous times, but like the reason I watched the whole league growing up and not just having like a team is because they were so bad. There was no reason. The worst time of my Sunday was when their game was on. I would watch other games. I wouldn't even bother. They were that bad.

And now here they are. One Josh Allen away. So Detroit is always one Josh Allen away. And Chicago is Justin Fields having a Tua or a Josh Allen jump. So now Tua doing this makes it a little more interesting too, because it was like, well, Josh Allen, that's never really happened before. And then Tua gets a bunch of talent around him. So that it's a very, very interesting thing.

Just before you go, the rest of the league, who won it the most in the trade deadline yeah i mean i did love pittsburgh just getting i mean that can be a a blue um a blue chip tackle they need or something like that so i think it's a good a good trade for them um who else i mean denver look our old buddy george pay he's going to get judged for eternity for the Russell Wilson and Nathaniel Hackett deals. But I think getting a first round pick and more for Bradley Chubb, look, he's a good player. I just don't think he's a great player. You get the entire $7 million off the books.

You get a first round pick for a guy. Look, he's not even as good as Baron Browning or Randy Gregory on his own team. Like he's the third edge rusher. So I thought that was one of the big, biggest wins of the deadline as well. It's just, no one's going to care about anything George Payton does besides, besides those two moves. I mean,

there is a part of me that always wants to get to the end of this, where we talk about some of the trash teams and the things that they did. And to say, hang a banner. I just like put, put up a, we got draft capital back banner. Detroit's been putting up that banner for many years.

Good, good. You sold, you sold at the deadline. You won. Good for you. Celebrate. Are your fans in the streets? Do they give, they give out rings for that? Like good for you.

Right. Do they? Sorry. Jacksonville getting Calvin Ridley. I thought was awesome. I think it was a smart move, a great move. Obviously crazy. Like no one saw that coming, but you know, don't't buy someone for 2022 your season's already lost as it always

is you know just like we're talking about Detroit but you get a number one wide receiver for maybe very cheap um and yeah I love that move for them too I do feel like Jacksonville has played way more competitive football and it's sort of bored my mind like that. They, I mean, they're the one loss team like this year that they've been close in many games, but with, with Denver, it's definitely hang a banner. You won the trade deadline and absolutely nothing else. And you know, maybe that maybe there is a bit of a future like a neon sign. That's warning people about like, not everyone can be Tom Brady going to Tampa Bay and winning,

or Stafford. Like, teams saw these things happen and went, like, we should be that team next year and trade for this older quarterback. But sometimes it's Brady, and sometimes it's Donovan McNabb as a Viking. I mean, the Raiders stink. No, it's funny. Everyone now, oh, the Rams model.

Let's follow the Rams model. And it's been a disaster for every team that's done it this year. No, the Jags are 0-6 in one-score games. They've lost six games, every single one by one score. They are going to get better. They have talent. They're super young. Although I do think Lawrence, I don't know what his deal is,

but he has such a high inaccurate pass rate. And if you watch the tape, it's evident. He just misses throws. But now we're on a whole different tangent. I'm buying on them in 2023. I think they will be a good football team. They just got to get some, some small details sorted out.

Follow him on Twitter at PFF underscore Brad. And now also you have taken at least some of the shoes of Eric eager on the PFF forecast podcast. So that is very cool for you to get that opportunity as well with George to hurry there on that show. So if people were not already listening when Eric was there, well now joined to hear Brad Spielberger, always great to get together with you, man,

the best analysis of front offices in the game. And you almost made an office reference. I don't know. Did you notice it when you were like making trades for trade sake or whatever, you almost went to the malfeasance for malfeasance is sake. And I wanted to make sure I brought that up before we wrapped up.

Because if you did that on purpose, it was a brilliant reference. I didn't, but I do love the reference. So I wish it was intentional. I wish I could take credit for that. Perfect. Well, work that into your daily life. Brad Spielberger, thanks a lot, man.

Thank you.