The Fumblerooski Podcast - The Price Tag -Ep 162 The Fumblerooski Podcast

Episode Date: February 22, 2023

Which pending free agents are most likely to receive the franchise tag? Which tags will lead to long-term deals with their teams? Will any of them be traded after receiving the tag? Adam Wright and CJ Medeiros discuss!

Here's Edelman broken up and the pass is no sign yet. Edelman comes down with a football and they're saying it's a catch. It's caught! It's a side-line touchdown! Unbelievable! The The franchise tag deadline has officially started, and plenty of candidates to possibly get the tag. I'm Adam Wright with CJ Medeiros. You are listening to the Fumble Ruski Podcast by Power88 and Secret Weapon Consulting. All right, CJ.

Well, we're getting some more distance between the end of football and this offseason. So franchise tags have begun. And they are going on until March 7th. And usually tags don't end up being given until closer to the last second. But we'll look at some candidates and players who should get the tag or who might not. And so, CJ, you ready for this? Ready as I'll ever be. All right. not and uh so cj you ready for this ready as i'll ever be all right so first guy we mentioned

and this is probably the most likely to get the tag is lamar jackson so lamar he wants a lot of money and he's also on unhappy with the situation that's around him. He wants to be a Raven, but he has some requirements. And the reality is this Ravens team does not have much by way of the wide receiver. And also their offensive line is starting to fall apart as well. And he, they also, he also wants a lot of money he wants 200 million dollars so it's not even a matter it doesn't even feel a matter of of if you know whether whether he does get the franchise tag it's when and what they're going to do once they place that tag yeah yeah i agree and uh before we start let me just say i as a football fan do not believe in

the franchise tag i think it's pointless the players hate it and it makes free agency less exciting that is all now here's the deal you know jeff darlington on espn pretty well-known reporter, very reliable, says, and I quote, you're crazy if you think Lamar Jackson is playing on a franchise tag or a transition tag. And they're saying how there's whispers that if Lamar Jackson and the Ravens, if Lamar gets tied and they can't reach a deal, there's whispers he might actually sit out and demand a trade. And Darlington also said, and I quote, all it does is buy you time to negotiate a long-term deal,

or if that falls through, find a way to trade him. I mean, those are the two options options really yeah as far as i can see i i can't see yeah i can't see sorry i'm working my levels here no no i can't see you i can't see a scenario where they put him put the franchise tag on and they don't get a deal done it's either the deal gets done or it's either the deal gets done or they trade him. Those are the two options that they have. I agree. And Lamar, just based off of name recognition and his level of play,

can fetch you a pretty good amount of assets if you were to trade him. Despite the fact that he's a pending free agent, he will eventually become, whether it's next year if they give him the tag or if it's this offseason, he's going to get paid, and he's going to become a free agent eventually, unless they can come to a deal. Yeah, yeah, I hear you.

I do, I do. But see, here's the deal with Lamar's deal. Lamar Jackson, as you mentioned, wants over 200 million. But what a lot of people don't tell you is that Lamar is reportedly seeking a fully guaranteed deal like Deshaun Watson. And see, here's the thing. Unironically, I'm a bit of a Lamar fan. I am. He's one of the more exciting players to watch. A lot of people talk about his running ability, but he's got a good arm too. He's a lot of fun to watch. He can beat you in a variety of ways.

But he's just too injury prone. And you know what they say in all sports, your best ability is your availability. And Lamar's availability leaves something to be desired. Because this is the second straight year where he gets hurt. And I know I sound like a broken record because I've said this many times, but it's true. Second straight year where Lamar has gotten hurt about towards the end of the year. Last few games, it's a big will he, won't he come back? And then he doesn't. Then the Ravens peter out

they either collapse and miss the playoffs or they sneak into the playoffs and get smacked yeah so he they're whether or not they decide to deal this guy away is probably going to be based off based off of that whether or not they can trust him. Because I agree with you. I don't think he's worth the 200 mil that he wants. Yeah, I mean, he's an MVP. I mean, he's a good quarterback. I'm not knocking Lamar.

It's just health is just a major concern for me. Health is a huge concern, especially for him. Like with his play style. This is why I was lack of an o-line yeah there's that this is why i was never a big fan of the dual threat quarterback the guy who's the guy who's primarily a passer but can make a play with his legs like the patrick mahomes or the josh allen i'm okay with them i'm okay with them but the the Lamar Jackson or even Jalen Hurts to an extent, those guys don't last that long.

They really don't. Yeah, well, I agree with you. I do, I do. And hold on, I don't want to cut you off. I'm sorry. Yeah. And that being said, I think he's going to get the money he wants, whether it's by the Ravens or by someone else,

because somebody's going to get stupid and pay for him especially with the way the quarterback market is plenty of teams need a quarterback right now and are just that one piece away from contending and they're going to get stupid for Lamar Jackson trust me and I mean if he stays healthy then it's fine but if he doesn't it's just not a good look. Absolutely. All right. We're going to transition from one player to another. Actually, kind of a duo.

Two players on the same team, namely Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley. As Lamar Jackson has been a crucial piece to the Ravens, these two guys have been big parts of the Giants franchise as well. And it's going to be decision time in a couple of days on whether or not they decide to franchise Jones or Barkley. That one will be next. This is the Fumble Rooski podcast. Here's Edelman broken up and the pass is no sign yet. Edelman comes down with a football and they're saying it's a catch. It's in. Oh! It's in!

Side-line! Touchdown! Unbelievable! This is the Fumble Rooski podcast by Power88 and Secret Weapon Consulting. Adam Wright with CJ Medeiros. So for our next two candidates to receive the franchise tag before the March 7th deadline, we have two players in this one. And there's a reason why I picked these two players. Mainly because they're on the same team but also because they are both so crucial to their this team's success for next season and if they are going to repeat the success that they had this past year they're they're gonna have to they're gonna have to keep both and in order do that, they have to franchise at least one of these guys.

And who they take, ooh, that's a tough one. But I might, call me crazy, I might have to lean Daniel Jones. You didn't even say who you were, I mean, who they were before that. What's that? You said they're going to have to take Daniel Jones, but you didn't mention who they were before that what's that uh you said you're you said they're gonna have to take daniel jones but you didn't mention who the other one was you didn't mention who they both were before that and and and saquon barkley sorry yeah i'm just saying but yeah i i gotta say daniel jones over saquon barkley right now i know i i agree that we need to keep both

but in order to keep both i think think it starts with giving Jones the tag. Hmm. All right. Now, let me tell you something. I feel like Jones would make more sense to tag because Daniel Jones, all of a sudden, thinks he's the best thing since democracy and lunar missions. Pro football talk, Giants quarterback Daniel Jones could want, ready, as much as $45 million a season on his next contract. Daniel Jones, if you're listening to this, I doubt you are, but if you somehow stumble across this, you are not that good.

Brian Dable saved your career, and all of a sudden you think you're Patrick Mahomes. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. And apparently he wants more than what the Giants are willing to offer. And he seems to forget he was not very good until this year. And then there's Saquon. Adam, this is the 2023 nfl world you and i both know especially this day and age you do not i repeat you do not give running backs a fat contract you just don't and apparently per paul schwartz there's a gap in negotiations between the Giants and Saquon.

Saquon, apparently, they don't know how much he wants, but they're not likely to pay him that much. They're talking about about $12.5 million a year. Giants are unlikely to pay that. And if Saquon hits free agency, more than likely he's not going back because the Giants ain't going to pay for that. You know what I mean? I'm sorry. You don't give a running back a stupid contract. You just don't do that because they always get hurt. And I want everyone at home to bear in mind that Saquon Barkley, this was his fourth year in the NFL. In two of his four years, he has spent injured. So literally, it's a flip of the coin. Is he going to be healthy or is he not? Am I wrong? Yeah. I mean, so he has had issues

with injuries in the past, but I wouldn't say that his market is going to be completely through the roof, and I'll tell you why. Have you seen the running back free agents that are all over the league? It's actually insane. This is probably one of the richest free agency classes as far as running backs go in recent memory. You are correct. Saquon Barkley, who probably tops the list. Yes.

But you also have Josh Jacobs. You have Tony Pollard. You have Miles Sanders. Must I go any further from there? Then we also we've also have to a lesser extent the likes of David Montgomery and even you can mention Jeff Wilson Jr. and Raheem Mostertoster this is a very rich free agency market and if he does ask for too much you could just pay one of those other guys yeah oh i do want to point out i was wrong earlier he has played five seasons and not four so you know he had his great rookie year he kind of he was all right his second year a

little banged up third and fourth year injury bug ravaged him then this year he bounced back yeah and still i'm sorry i didn't want some of your toes there but no i will say i do think you're correct in the sense that this is a very rich running back class. It's going to be very difficult for him to get what he wants. Yeah, and I do believe that – I did believe that Saquon was going to have a good year this year just because it's weird with running backs coming off ACL tears, but they're always good again, or at least their, their, their regular selves the year after the year that you tore your ACL. So let's say you tear your ACL, let's say in 2018, 2019, you're going to suck then 2020, you're going to be back to your normal self. That's kind of the way it works.

It's the way it works. Alvin cook's the way it's been with just about any running back you can name who came off a significant injury. It always happens. And I kind of saw it coming with Saquon. I mean, he's built pretty tough. So he probably does have a year or two left of being able to play at a high level but it's just you don't pay running backs and the giants made the mistake of building their team centered around the running game so they're kind of stuck with having to with having to pay this guy either that or you replace him with a running back like him like a tony pollard or a josh jacobs yeah or um or a Josh Jacobs or, or a David Montgomery, even one of those guys, Miles, Miles Sanders too, like one of those guys.

And they're, they kind of backed themselves into a corner here because Daniel Jones is not, is not the type of guy who can just lead you to a Superbowl alone. He needs, he needs help around him. You know, he's obviously not patrick mahomes or josh allen or joe burrow yeah and that's something i think a lot of people are forgetting everyone was so dazzled by jones's turnaround that they forgot that dable saved him. And I feel if he goes somewhere where he doesn't have a Dable-like head coach, he's setting himself up for failure. Yeah.

So coaching was a big part of the turnaround, but I also think there were some things that worked against him. Like the wide receiving core was not that good. And also the Giants offensive line, while it improved, he was still among the league's most sacked quarterbacks in the league, which is not a good sign. So this is a situation that can improve around Daniel Jones, and his stats will get better with it.

When you have a better wide receiver than Darius Slayton, no disrespect towards Darius Slayton, just he's not a real wide receiver one. If you get something better there and you also work on that offensive line and complement it with a better defense as well, I think Daniel Jones will thrive. You could even make a case he can make a Pro Bowl. Perhaps. I mean, this year he did have a career high 3205 passing yards 15 passing touchdowns and five picks i mean the career high was obviously his passing yards but i mean i i don't know if that's 40 million a year worthy if i'm being honest and you could say is all these things working against him but if you look at his previous year, where he had 2,400 yards,

about 10 touchdowns and seven picks, you can't tell me that the Giants team magically got better. That increase in stats, that's Dable 110%. Yeah, no, I agree. Dable definitely helped him, and he turned around his career. Not just statistically, because statistically it wasn't exactly. It wasn't even that. It was all right.

It wasn't his best in a lot of categories, but if you give it the eye test, it was definitely he was the most efficient, which is important. But I do want to change gears here and go to our next running back who we have, which is Josh Jacobs coming off of a career year and is poised to break the bank whenever he does get a contract from whoever it may be, whether it be the Raiders or someone else.

That's next. You're listening to the Fumble Rooski Podcast. No sign yet. Hamilton comes down with a football. They're saying it's a catch. It's a catch. It's a catch. Sideline. Touchdown. Unbelievable.

Swings it way down the field to Watkins. Sammy Watkins for the touchdown. This is the Fumble Ruski podcast by Power88 and Secret Weapon Consulting. Adam Wright with CJ Medeiros. So, our next player that we have for a potential candidate to get the franchise tag is Josh Jacobs. So, Josh Jacobs is kind of an interesting situation. It's very unique from all of the other franchise tag candidates that we have because the Raiders did have a chance to exercise his fifth year option over this past offseason, and they decided not to do it.

And in some ways, right 850, 872. How did he respond to that? Well, let me tell you. He had nearly 1,700 rushing yards, 12 touchdowns, and added his career high in receiving yards with 400. He had a monster year. And he finally fulfilled his potential to be one of the best running backs in the game. And now the Raiders are faced with a decision to make whether or not they are going to give this guy the tag or even re-sign him at all.

They may decide whether or not they even want to bring him back. So, CJ, what do you think? I am very indifferent on this. Well, for starters, you already know how you know about how a player that's always been good but not great and then in a contract year they become a world beater that's always suspicious and that's always like a red flag but then there's the issue of, like, the Raiders and what they have. Now, I don't believe, and I could be wrong, I don't believe that the Raiders are exactly, you know,

swimming in money right now, you know? And when you look at what they're going to go through, how do I, hold on, how do I put this? The thing is with Josh Jacobs, I don't think they're going to keep him. I really don't. And it's not just me. It's really not.

It's literally the Raiders fan base. I've been on different Raiders pages from Raiders Ramble, Raiders Wire, Just Blog Baby, et cetera, et cetera. They all don't think he's going to come back. And hold on. I just, I don't know. Like you, Adam, I'm very indifferent. You know, I can, I can kind of break this ice here of this indifference. Hold on, wait. Just look at their situation here.

This Raiders team, they have a lot of talent around them on both sides of the ball, in fact. Hold on, Adam, I'm sorry. I just want to say I was wrong. Turns out the Raiders have have 46 million in cap space. Yeah, they're third in cap space. I thought they had less. But another thing I do want to point out before you keep going is the Raiders need a quarterback more. Just bear that in mind. And if they try to trade for Aaron Rodgers, chances are going to have to take most of his contract. Right. So, but that's kind of part of my point.

With that in mind, this team, like, yeah, you don't want to, in most cases you don't want to overpay your running back. But in this case here where you're trying, you're clearly trying to go all in to contend and do it with Aaron Rodgers, which means you're doing it right now. Then you go in and you get that running back. You go get Josh Jacobs again and you lock him up for a few years. Is he going to make it through that deal?

Maybe not, but it's worth it if you get his foot back in the door and you bring him in just for the, that one to two, um, you know, champion championship caliber, you know, all pro level style of play. That's, that's what you want to bring to bring him back for. Um, and if it means you're going to suck for a few years and so be it, but this team has gone all in. They went and got Devontae Adams. They signed Chandler Jones last offseason as well. I mean, they have talent everywhere you look. So they need to figure this out. And perhaps, yes, put the franchise tag on Josh Jacobs.

Hmm. I mean, if they could afford it, I'd say go for it but uh like i said i'm struggling to find words here because like because like you said you know we're both really indifferent to this but yeah i would say it's probably their best bet especially if they want rogers right you you're going all in i mean why why why half ass it you know you bring in aaron rogers but then you let go of your star running back? That doesn't make sense to me. It really doesn't.

Yes, you'll have to take on that contract, but I don't know. Something about the salary cap just makes me feel like it's just not as much of an obstacle as you might think. And I'm not gonna say go out here and go out and say i don't believe in the salary cap it exists yeah we used to have a co-host that didn't believe in it remember we did but it's easily manipulated like you look at the saints last year they went from the like the worst team in cap space to like number one in a matter of days and they didn't even have to cut a player so you get players on like all over your roster it's a big roster 53 guys and you manage to tweak some things back and forth then you you can find a way to pay Aaron

Rogers and you know take on his contract and find a way to keep Josh Jacobs happy, at least for a year or two. And then you find a way to work on that defense, whether you do that through the draft or through free agency as well. You figure something out. But, I mean, you have to go all in here. If this is your plan to bring in Aaron Rodgers, then that's the game plan. You're going to win right now. You're going full out Los Angeles Rams in 2021 and Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020.

You bring in that veteran quarterback. You structure the entire roster around winning in 2023 and possibly 24 as well that's the way i look at it yeah that's fair um you bring that guy back and if you don't bring him back then okay like like we said earlier we there's other running backs on this market i mean you can go and look at miles Sanders, David Montgomery, Tony Pollard, and we will talk about a couple of these players, namely Tony Pollard in a couple of segments. But just to change topics again, we're going to talk about our next franchise candidate, and it's an interesting one because it's Gino Smith,

a career backup quarterback who is now going to be a free agent and we're not sure if he's the guy or not, but do the Seahawks bring him back and franchise him? What do they do with him? And if they do franchise him, do they trade him? That's's next you're listening to the fumble ruski podcast here's edelman broken up and the pass is no sign yet edelman comes down with a football. They're saying it's a catch. It's a catch. Oh!

It's a catch! Side-line! Touchdown! Unbelievable! Slings it way down the field to Watkins! Sammy Watkins for the touchdown! Welcome back to the Fumble Rooski podcast by Power 88 and Secret Weapon Consulting. Adam Wright with CJ Medeiros.

So, we have this next candidate who won't be named Geno Smith. He's been a backup for most of his career. At least I don't believe he has been. I don't think he's been a full-time starter since 2014, nearly 10 years ago. And even then he wasn't anything to write home about. And yet this guy managed over 4,000 yards, 30 touchdowns to 11 interceptions. Now this Seahawks team just traded their franchise quarterback, perennial Pro Bowl caliber player. He's almost every year throwing for 30- plus touchdowns over 4,000 yards.

Geno Smith did exactly what Russell Wilson does every year as a Seahawk. It was incredible. Only problem is now he's a free agent. So the Seahawks were considered kind of in rebuilding mode. And maybe you could consider this past year a bridge season but what do you do with geno smith do you place the tag on him and trade him do you place the tag on him and bring him back for a year while you develop the rest of your roster cj what do you do with this if i'm geno smith I'm resigning with Seattle. I don't know what it is about the Seahawks, but apparently he's good there. I don't know if it's Pete Carroll or the weapons he has around him, because he does have weapons.

You know, you got DK Metcalf, you got Kenneth Walker, and you have Tyler Lockett. And you've also got Greg Dulcich and Will Disley and another tight end, Parkinson, I think. So, wait, who did I? Oh, whatever. Yeah, you know, you got Fant among others. So, I just.

Geno Smith. It's a tricky situation, isn't it? Yeah, it is, it is. Because you look at it and you hear the name Geno Smith and you would say, no, no, thank you. But then you see how he played last year. You give him the eye test. You look over his numbers and you'd say, hmm, yes, yes, very good.

But I don't know if he can win a Super Bowl with him. But if you even want to stay relevant, I think both sides should come together. It's literally just too perfect. Because I don't personally see Geno Smith recreating that success. I do not. You know, I don't see him recreating that success anywhere else. Unless maybe he goes to like Green Bay or somewhere like that. You know, assuming that they get rid of Rodgers.

But if you're Seattle, I think if Hayden broke, don't fix it. I'd say like I saw like a proposed deal of like four years, $60 million. I think that's fair because every quarterback is going to get a bloated salary. Yeah, you look at the situation that he has, it is pretty favorable. And if you look at the rest of their free agency class here, it's not that good. Like it's not like they're losing everybody. I think the biggest name that they're losing here is Rashad Penny,

and they already have Kenneth Walker who's replaced him. So this team looks really good going into next year, and they have two first-round picks. I mean, it can't get any better for this Seahawks team. And with that number five overall pick, it's a no-brainer. You take an interior defensive lineman, and then you have another first-round pick to go along with it. They did really well with this trade for giving away their franchise quarterback

in Russell Wilson, and it looks like they came out on the winning end of it. And now you have their – I mean, it couldn't have worked any better. Their backup quarterback is playing at the same level that Russell Wilson was when he was here. So, I mean, yeah, I would say you kind of have to keep him. Keep him around. He's a nice – he is the perfect bridge quarterback here for while you're waiting for your quarterback messiah to come to come along you probably won't

win a super bowl with him no but you could at least stay relevant during that time while you are rebuilding the rest of your roster and then once it's time to um kicko Smith to the curb, it doesn't have to be on bad terms. They could trade him somewhere else where he could be in a good situation. Or you let him hit free agency and you say, dude, you played really well over the past few years. When you hit free agency, you are going to have teams who are interested, who are going to want you as your franchise guy, and we get to move on to the guy who we really want to contend with.

It's a win-win for both sides. So you kind of have to go along with it. This is a good young roster around them. They're trending in the right direction. Looks like the Seahawks are a nice little professional organization. I honestly didn't see it coming. I didn't. Yeah, I don't think anyone really saw that happening

yeah well you got to give credit where it's due their coaching actually been a lot better than we thought it was we always thought it was russell wilson who was wearing the pants in that relationship between himself and pete carroll but now it looks like it was actually it was actually carroll the whole time so we'll see i mean it looks it's looking good for them and also their drafting has been pretty good but it was a this was a especially this past year this was a great draft for them yeah you know you got charles cross tarik woolen there's another one i'm forgetting oh kenneth walker. I still wish DK Metcalf became a New England Patriot. He probably wouldn't have panned out.

Yeah, although on a side note, I don't know if he would have panned out. One, schemes were different, and two, I don't know why, but our rookies are always here. He probably would have gotten a career-ending injury for a snap at training camp. It's possible. I don't know the head coach bill is an all-time great gm bill is very spotty he's good with he's good with drafting on the defensive side but offense

oh he has some trouble with that unless it's unless it's running back the running back position has been good but But drafting anywhere else. And O-line to an expense has also been pretty good. It's been all right, yeah. It's been fine. Isaiah Wynn, as much as we get on him, most of his tenure here has been all right. Yeah, the issue is with him, his biggest issue is just that he can't stay healthy. That's pretty much it.

Right. Yeah, and I guess I'll give him tackle because tackle has been good, and it's really hard to develop tackles. All right. All right, so we are going on to our last player, and we can touch on another one as well. But our last player over in Dallas, so that one-two punch might be coming to an end

in that Dallas Cowboys backfield of Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard. Pollard is going to be a free agent, and Ezekiel Elliott is old. So what are they going to do about it? Find out next on the Fumble Rooski Podcast. podcast. It's a catch. It's caught. Diggs. Side-by-side. Touchdown. Unbelievable. Swings it way down the field to Watkins.

Sammy Watkins for the touchdown. You are listening to the Fumble Rooski podcast by Power 88 and Secret Weapon Consulting. Adam Wright with CJ Medeiros. All right. So for our final franchise tag candidate, we have Tony Pollard. So Pollard had himself a career year. He's still so he barely got over 1,000 yards, which is the first time ever. First time he's even gotten over 800.

And rushed for his yards per attempt was a whopping 5.2, which is incredible for a running back. That's pretty good, especially for his usage. Usually when your usage rate goes up, your efficiency goes down because, I mean, just based on math, you know. Yep. More carries means some of them aren't going to be that good. All right, this isn't a math podcast.

This is a math podcast. Exactly. We'd be failing that. We wouldn't have an audience. No, no. I wouldn't even be good at this. Fumble Ruski math. No.

Bad. So, Tony Pollard. Do you give him the franchise tag? Because I feel like you kind of have to. You're kind of transitioning from Ezekiel Elliott, who as great as he has been during his prime days, those are behind him. And he might still be an effective running back to an extent, but you kind of have to commit to Tony Pollard here, do you not?

Adam, I 110% agree. I think Tony Pollard is the future in Dallas. He and Zeke are a one-two punch, but I would say you tag Pollard, work on an extension, and maybe, I don't know, try to have Zeke take a pay cut. But if he doesn't want to play ball and take a pay cut, I would say you might have to consider trading him. And then maybe you draft a running back, you know, in like the mid rounds, you know,

to kind of simulate the old one-two punch because the emergence of tony pollard and his better receiving ability and the fact that he's faster and just more efficient than zeke i would say like the writing's on the wall for zeke if if you're if i'm dallas i say to look, buddy, take a pay cut or take a hike. Yeah, and he may not be the guy anymore, but he's being paid like it's still. Yeah, and he shouldn't be. His contract is god-awful. Exactly. And he was given that because he was playing at such a high level. So you kind of understand it there.

However, I mean comes there comes a point where you have to veer away from him and i'd love for we would i'm sure dallas would love for him to still be on the team but he's not the one he's not the rb1 that he once was he's just not he's a complimentary piece to Tony Pollard. So what you do with that is you get him to take a pay cut or you trade him. However, I'm just thinking out loud here. I don't know. I don't know if any team will actually take on his contract.

Like if you try to trade him, I don't think anyone would'd be any takers they'd wind up cutting him the only way a team takes his contract is if dallas gets pennies on the dollar in return i mean i'm talking like a fourth and a sixth i mean stranger things have happened it's's possible. But I don't know. I just don't see it. Yeah, I don't know. Don't be shocked if he gets cut, though. I think your point is correct. Yeah.

I mean, I just don't. I see the more likely scenario he gets cut rather than being traded. Like, I'm sure they'll try to, but no one's going to bite. They're going to say, we're not taking on this deal, and no one else is, and we'll just pick him up once he's a free agent. I agree. He's just not that guy anymore. Once again, I do feel the need to reiterate,

the only way they move him and don't have to take the majority of his contract is solely if they get next to nothing in return. Yeah, no, you're absolutely right. But Jerry Boy is stubborn, so that ain't going to happen. Yeah. I mean, we pretty much covered it for Tony Pollard here. In fact, we actually wound up talking about Ezekiel Elliott even more because, I don't know, it just feels like such a –

It's a no-brainer. It's a no-brainer. It'd be a stupid idea to not franchise tag him. If you let Tony Pollard go, you better bet your bottom dollar that he's going to get, or that you can get him back on a deal because that is not a game you want to play. I know, especially with his age.

He's still kind of in his mid-20s. He still isn't. And in the years that he has, he's only, the years that he has played, he wasn't getting a lot of reps, meaning he still has fresh legs. His body is younger than his actual age for a running back because he's been playing less reps.

Usually for running backs at his age, they're starting to break down because they've been playing so many years and they've been dealing with the punishment. Tony Pollard hasn't. So that is something to, that is something to keep an eye on, uh, for the Cowboys in the next few years, his age is misleading. He's still, he's still kind of has fresh legs. That's, that's part of the beauty of having a running back by committee. It's an ugly part of fantasy football i'll tell you that oh ain't that the truth yeah if tony pollard was the guy this year then he would be the number one running back in all of football i can tell you that much um unless you know i don't know what do i know um all right so we are on to our final segment now, which will be the Fublaruski fan box.

So now looking with the NFL season, the 2022 NFL season in the rear view, and we are looking forward towards the NFL offseason. So many strange things have happened in the past couple of offseasons. We want to know, what is your boldest prediction for this NFL offseason? That's next. This is the Fumble Rooski. Here's Edelman broken up And the pass is No sign yet Edelman comes down with a football They're saying it's a catch

It's a catch It's a catch It's a catch Side line Touchdown Unbelievable Swings it way down the field to Watkins! Sammy Watt takes for the touchdown!

This is the Fumble Rooski Podcast by Power88 and Seeker Weapon Consulting. Adam Wright, CJ Medeeiros we have reached the fumble ruski fan box so we post a question filter on our instagram every monday and we can you can respond with hot taste questions and more we will discuss it and give you a shout out on our podcast respond to next week's fan box question to be featured on our show all right so the question of the week was what is your boldest prediction for this offseason so you guys really didn't disappoint this week eli turner said aaron rogers retires so we got a lot about aaron rogers but for him to retire i just don't know if it's

going to happen i wish you because because it's at a point where, listen, if you come out and you have to tell people, and you tell the media that you are taking a darkness retreat for four days to figure out, if you were just to do something like that, like back behind the scenes, then okay. Then you might actually retire. But if you're telling the media, you're going to tell, you're going to go on a four day darkness retreat to figure out what you're going to do. Chances are you're coming back. No one asks for attention like that. And like mentions this crazy thing they're going to do just to retire, just to hang it up. No, you're going to still play.

And I still wouldn't rule it out, but I feel like he's coming back. I feel like he's coming back for a couple of years. Yeah, he loves the attention. The only question is whether or not it's going to be as a Packer, which is something I actually do question. Ian Mulhern said said hang on uh brogdon hill said lamar jackson goes to the jets there's a couple of ways that could happen if he hits the open market which i feel like he's going to get likely least likely if he hits the open market

he could get he could sign there. He's going to get traded. If he winds up being on the trade block, then yeah, it is a possibility. I'm not sure what pick the Jets have this year. What number pick? They're kind of towards the middle. They don't have any top 10 picks this year. Because they barely missed the playoffs this year. think they're picked 13 that 13 that's actually kind of high you sure yeah because i've been doing some mock drafts and the pats are at 14 and the jets are at 13 i believe okay so would

if you're the ravens do you give up lamarar Jackson for the 13th overall pick? No, you do not. Because you're going to need another quarterback, unless they want to roll with Huntley, but Huntley is also hitting for agency. Unless they hit the reset button and they say, okay, let's just use this 13th overall pick for something else. But I don't know. I mean, Stroud, Young, and Levis are all going to be gone unless you want to roll the dice on the project that is anthony richardson right um and so while we're on the topic of lamar jackson ian mulhern said lamar jackson leaves baltimore

and as we have said if he leaves it's going to be via trade it's probably i just don't see the the ravens not giving him the franchise tag also i believe it's been reported by baltimore that they are going to give it to him eventually it hasn't been official yet though daniel blaziak says aaron rogers to the jets to win the division because the bills super bowl window is shot so i mentioned this i mentioned when i was posting about when i was posting everyone's fan box responses i scratched my head because i thought okay the boldest part you're the boldest part of your statement was the side take that you had saying that the bit just casually

saying that they're the bills championship window is shot. I disagree. I mean, their window is shut. But Adam, I do think you're onto something where it's like, oh yeah, you know, Aaron Rodgers goes to Jets, leads them to the division crown. Oh yeah, also Buffalo Super Bowl window is shut. It's like, you know, that's a pretty big tag there to just casually throw at the end.

Yeah, that being said though, the bit Aaron Rodgers to the Jets is actually not as bad a fit as people think in a lot of different ways. It's not a great fit, but it's all right. In a lot of different ways, not just from the roster standpoint, but also just the sports market. Aaron Rodgers is a guy who likes attention. And as much as Nework football has been a joke

for years outside of a couple of fluke years where they were giants won a couple championships recently um besides outside of that you know they do have a passionate fan base and if new york football was going to get good again, then New York will love you. It's the big apple, man. And if there's anyone who's going to turn it around, it's an all-time great talent like Aaron Rodgers. I'm just saying. And they also have Garrett Wilson, who will help him. I'm a big believer in Garrett Wilson.

I can tell. All right. Josh Houle said Derek Carr to the box so the the box should hit the reset button because most likely in most scenarios they do not contend again in the next couple of years so they might as well get something in the in return get a head start on this on this reset button because you have some pieces around you not to mention they're in the depths of cap hell as well yeah if they were to decide that they didn't want to hit the reset button if they got a derrick carr even an aaron rogers to an extent let's say a lamar jackson then they could be competitive and if they played their cards right maybe maybe contenders still i don't think so, but it's possible.

Lower-level contenders, but they'd still be the best team in their division. They'll be in it. Jay-Z ate hockey, says Barkley goes to the Bears 100%. With that offensive line, I think not. It's not a necessity either. This Bears team, there are two things at the top of their list that they need to improve on. Number one is that offensive line.

Number two is the defense. And while David Montgomery is going to be a free agent, it's not a necessity to focus on running back. Also, everyone's forgetting about Khalil. Everyone's forgetting about Khalil Herbert, who as the number two guy had over 700 yards this season and averaged over four yards per carry. I'm sorry.

It's just not a necessity. Barkley is the big, shiny object who is very tempting to the Bears, I bet. But they don't need him. And they'd be stupid to go after him with a 98 mil. It's literally a luxury signing. Don't get fooled. Cole Hinkley said Tyler Huntley starts. So he is going to be a free agent.

So if some team decides they don't want to go for a quarterback this year, like a veteran one, they could fill in with Tyler Huntley. I feel like Huntley's not that bad, though. As I like to call him, I can't believe it's not Lamar. He could probably go somewhere and have some success, maybe like Tennessee. I don't believe it's not Lamar. He could probably go somewhere and have some success, maybe like Tennessee. I don't know. He's a serviceable player, but it would take a lot for him to be a team

that you could be competitive, a player you could be competitive with as your quarterback of a team. Maybe he goes to Tampa. You never know. It's possible. The other Lamar to Tampa. Floodster Sports Zone said, Buccaneers roll with kyle trask as their

starter all right adam can i uh can i uh jump on this one yes no no that is just the death sentence and yes i know what you're gonna say i know kyle trask was a second round pick but good lord that guy is awful i have absolutely zero confidence in him he was picked way too high he was carried when he was at florida and i i just i genuinely do not see him doing anything i just i don't like his arm strength i don't like his accuracy nor do i like his mobility that is all kyle trask is bad the end no i i i completely agree um and i and it kind of it kind of implies that they're they're they're hitting hitting the reset button if they're rolling with kyle trask yeah um so connor fallon said Seahawks sign Lamar and trade for the number one overall pick. So Connor, you're not slick. We know you're a Bears fan and you just want a King's ransom for that number one pick.

But it just doesn't make sense because if the Seahawks if the Seahawks are signing Lamar and then trading up to the number one pick they already have Lamar uh Adam I think he may I'm not going to speak for Connor but I feel like he might have that backwards whereas like they trade for the number one overall pick and then they trade Lamar. I mean, then they trade for Lamar with the number one overall pick. Yeah. I mean, it has to mean that there, I mean, the only way this works out is that they, you know, they, they trade up to the number one pick and then they trade for Lamar. And then the Ravens, the Ravens have the draft capital,

the number one pick to draft a Bryce Young, which allows them to hit the resets have the draft capital, the number one pick, to draft a Bryce Young, which allows them to hit the reset button at the quarterback and get a quarterback who can win you a Super Bowl. All right, there were a few more responses over here on Instagram. I didn't post. Going over here, and if only it could load Dean difference, wifi, Ian, Ian Mulhern in his second response said Carolina trades up in draft CJ

Stroud. So I'm not sure where that, where I know that the Panthers are kind of up there in the, in the draft. I think now quote me on this but i think they're like number nine are they nine or are they like six no no no they're number nine six i don't know who's six i think it's like i know the raiders are at seven i don't remember who's at six but i know it's not the panthers yeah so if they trade up then it's not like they need to trade up that far so i don't

think it's far-fetched to say that they trade up to draft cj stroud especially since that's their that's probably their number one priorities to draft a quarterback in the first round yeah um here's an interesting one uh mallory kleppel said t higgins to the chiefs the bangles will not trade him there. Yeah. I'm just thinking about the fit for the Chiefs. And that kind of matches what they need. Because Juju is a free agent.

And even if you do re-sign him it's not like he's anything to write home about he's a wide receiver too yeah i mean and t higgins is that wide receiver one that you need i mean i hear you but and you're not wrong but there is no way that the bangles play ball with kc a lot of people don't realize just how petty certain NFL teams are, and I don't see Cincy doing business with KC. Yeah, I mean, you're absolutely right there. They're probably not going to. I was just thinking about the fit.

It's a great fit for the Chiefs if they were to do it, and let's see what Cincy's asking price is if they decide to put it and let's see what the what since he's asking price is if they decide to to put t higgins up for sale because if the if the chiefs even if even if it's a division rival if the chiefs get uh if the chiefs offer something that the the bengals just can't ignore then they might be able to they might actually do it um you know stranger things have happened um our last response was cola dj who said derrick carr gets all pro so this is kind of a prediction for the next season but it's also going to depend where he goes and even if if he goes into a favorable favorable excuse me favorable situation then is it a guarantee that he's going to be an all pro

like first team all pro means you are you are the best quarterback in all of football for a year and does does Derek Carr have that in him the best season that he had in 2016, you could argue he wasn't even good enough then. So I don't know about that one. Like, I mean, I'm a Derek Carr guy. I believe he's better than he has played over the past few years since 2016. But is he an all pro level guy? I do not think so, no. Not even close.

He's an MVP candidate at his best that's and that might be stretching it just a wee bit well he was he was in 2016 so yeah and that was a long time ago that was like seven years ago my man so if he was in a more favorable situation than you know he could and maybe maybe i just i don't think now he's not that old right now he's in his 30s quarterbacks last for a long time yeah i know but derrick carr yeah candidate i don't i don't literally emo cousins He's literally the emo Kirk Cousins. But that's all. That's all I got to say on that. They're about on par with each other.

But Derek Carr has been an MVP candidate. And Patrick Mahomes, excuse me, Kirk Cousins really never was. All right. So that's about it. But do you have any other thoughts before we end the show tonight? No, I don't. All right. Well, that'll do it. But do you have any other thoughts before we end the show tonight? None. All right. Well, that'll do it for us tonight.

Thank you for listening to us. We have new episodes out on Tuesdays and Fridays at 7.30 p.m. Eastern time. Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel. We also have all our episodes available on Spotify, Spreaker, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Google Podcasts, and so much more. Also be sure to follow our Instagram at FumbleRooski underscore podcast to keep up with our podcasts and the latest coverage on the NFL. Otherwise, we'll see you next week. Over and out.