The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 3 and Out - CBA Latest; XFL Crossover Potential; Free Agent vs. Draft WR's; Dak's Price; Tua Stock; Mailbag

Episode Date: March 10, 2020

In this episode, Middlekauff discusses the latest developments in the Owners/NFLPA CBA negotiations, if the NFL can use some of the XFL's unique broadcast innovations to enhance their TV product, the pros and cons of paying a free agent wide receiver or drafting one in an absurdly deep draft class, and looks at some of the biggest headlines from around the league, including Dak's price tag and Tua's draft stock. He also answers listener questions in Middlekauff's Mailbag. Follow John on twitter @JohnMiddlekauff and go to theherdnow.com to find the latest content. Subscribe now! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smigel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel. Help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter.

Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hard Way with your favorite therapist and host Kear Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that it's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor? It signals to the world that you're not to be played. with and just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to listen to learn the hard way on the iha radio app apple podcast or wherever you get your podcast what's up guys

this is clivert taylor the fourth and on my podcast the clivert show i'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff like being an internet famous referee we're in the middle of a game this linebacker this linebacker walks up to me he goes a ref my mom wants you to wave at her what Time out. Quarterback on office blue with 42. Hey, Rhett, my mama want you to weigh better. What? Hey, Miss Parker.

Listen to the Clippers show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Get right to the romance and find the way to wow this Valentine's with 1-800flowers.com. From classic roses and bouquets to decadent chocolate-covered berries, gourmet treats, and more. Surprise your Valentine with what. 1 800 flowers.com.

Right now, get the 18-stem enchanted rose medley for $3999 or upgrade to 24 red roses for $10 more. Go to 1-800flowers.com slash tune-in. That's 1-800flowers.com slash tune in. What is going on, everybody, John Middilcock, 3-and-out podcast. Monday afternoon, about 415, just hit record. That's spit some football takes because that's what I do here in the 3-and-out podcast. Thanks, everyone for listening. I appreciate everyone that's been going to on iTunes and leaving a review.

I appreciate just keep doing it. If you haven't done it, do it. And thanks a lot. We've had a couple hundred in the last couple weeks since I've been talking about it. So you guys are awesome. Thanks to everyone for listening. And this is cool. I get to talk about football, you know, to pay my bills.

It doesn't get lost on me how pretty awesome this job is. And just like I say it all the time, but how lucky I am to do this, you know, with Colin and on his feed and him promoting it. It's pretty special. So I appreciate everyone listening and likes it and that responds on Apple. Coming up today, I have some thoughts on the CBA. It feels like we're coming down the home stretch. And Eric Winston told Peter King that he thinks it's going to be signed

or voted get a yes from the players this week. The XFL broadcasts, I stumbled upon an XFL game on Sunday. It was the first time I'd watch like 20 minutes straight. I was blown away by the broadcast. And a lot of you guys have tweeted at me and DM'd me about different things about what do you think about this? What do you think about that? And I hadn't really watched. There's some cool, cool stuff that they do that maybe we could transition to the NFL.

I jotted down a couple things that might be realistic. And there are going to be some things that they do that just aren't. But we can talk through it. That's what podcast are for. We got unlimited time to talk. Wide receiver market. You know, there are some interesting names on the ones. wide receiver market, have some thoughts and how the draft is going to impact free agency,

which is, I mean, we're less than 20, 10 days away. It's March 9th. But you're listening, it's March 10th. When it's free agency, start the 18th. Coming down the home stretch here, we've got that moratorium period where they can legally tamper, even though we know they've been tampering and rightfully so, probably since maybe even before the combine, but definitely at the combine. We got market values, and I think we're going to start having some things leak out what's

going on. That's usually how it happens. and then I just jotted down a bunch of things this weekend, some stories that I saw, and just some, we'll just do some quick hitters, opinions I have on it. But of course, at John Middlecoff is my Instagram handle, and we end the show every week with Middlecoff mailbags, and you just fire in there, leave a little question,

and I will give you my thoughts here on the podcast. But let's start with this, CBA negotiations. and I'm not smart enough and it would take me too long to read 450 people I couldn't do that in a day and comprehend all the information and have tangible opinions plus I'm unsure what's going to happen

so I'm just reading educated people Peter King, Andrew Brandt and their thoughts on it I've been pretty consistent with this that if you're the players I lived with a guy a friend of a friend

a friend of my cousin actually he's, I'd consider him a friend now. And he told me something a while ago. He's in the finance world. He did really well. He does really well. Made a lot of money. Ivy League guy, super bright.

Really, really impressive individual. And I was living with him when I was actually working in the NFL. And he got a job. He was working, you know, like a UBS-type firm in the finance world. Like he wanted to get into venture capitalists, venture capitalism. And so he left his firm and he got a job. and one thing he said he really fought for was like the title he's like I wanted to be a vice president and I mean he was at the time probably in his mid-30s he's so gung-ho on that and then six months

later I realized how irrelevant my title was what I should have fought for was power and money and first and foremost salary and money but I was I was consumed with this title like it actually meant something you could call me he's like you could have called me an intern if you're going to pay me 500 grand. So what if I'm a vice president if I'm making $100,000 and everything is based on bonuses that I have to produce? Where I should have just fought for the cash.

And when I see, and I consistently read how one concession the owners recently made was like, we won't test for weed. Or if you fail, you will not miss games. Do you know how many people in the NFL? If I had to guess, I guess a majority of the, already might be strong because there's some old owners, but there's a decent amount of owners

that are weed users, whether it's edibles, whether it's smoking, however, I mean, there's a million different ways to take it down now. If you wanted to factor in coaches and executives of a high stress job that are using THC in the NFL, it's high. You think the owners truly care about weed? Now, I've said this all along. Weed is not federally illegal, so it's like they don't have to, you know, the NFL doesn't test for alcohol. Well, why would they? It's a federally legal, you just have to be over 18.

Everyone in the NFL is going to be over 18, so you wouldn't even have to test for it. But there are insurance ramifications, I'm sure. As everyone that, like, in my business, not impacted by Corona in the sense of, I don't have, like, town hall podcasts where you have to come out. Like, everything I do,

you can just listen to on your phone. You can be by yourself quarantined and listen to me. But I have people that run businesses that I ask questions about Corona, and they say, The number one reason all this stuff's getting canceled. They can say it's for, you know, they care about the people, and it's all about making sure everyone's healthy.

The number one, all these companies are canceling, whether it's, you know, South by Southwest or some of these events, it's liability. They don't want to get sued because everything comes back to money. Like I said, my buddy said, I should have fought for money, not hollow things. The NFL players are consumed with like, you can't test for weed. The owners would have given that to you. no matter what, they don't truly care.

Or we don't want practices during OTAs. The owners are like, whatever. The coaches have to figure out how to teach. We don't care because the only thing they care about is money. And what I don't understand is, I've read a couple different numbers, somewhere between 60 and 65% of the NFL makes under a million dollars. And I would imagine the average of that 65%

is somewhere probably between $7,000 and $800,000. that group of players. So it's not like they're making 975,000. There's a lot of guys in the league making 600 grand. To me, what the league, that's the majority of the league are guys making any other walk of life.

That's a great freaking living. But every business is relative to your industry. So if you're a guy, like if you're the bottom of the roster guy making $600,000, well, that's a great living if you run a restaurant. But if you are in the NFL

and you have countless, guys in your team making over $10 million, $600,000 doesn't seem quite as good. I read a great quote from Austin Eckler, who got a big contract extension from the Chargers. He's like, when you first come into the league, you're making the rookie minimum or whatever. You're in a meeting room with a guy making over $10 million. You're like, God, it'd be crazy to make that much money. And then you make that much money, you realize, well, I finally have this much money.

It doesn't necessarily train. He's like, it's not going to change who I am as a person, but it is nice to be valued. but that those are that's the group the majority of the league is not big money guys so to me and i guess one of the things is that the average salary now of that group is going to go up a hundred thousand dollars imagine if the number one thing they were fighting for the players was not get weed legal because the owners would give you that no matter regardless they don't want their players to be suspended if you have player acts who's a pro ball guy i was going to going to throw out a name, but I mean, a lot of guys.

I think the majority of the league smokes weed. They just figured out how to get around it. You go, do you think, I don't want to put a name on it because a guy might not smoke weed, but if I have a Pro Bowl corner and he gets pot for smoking weed and I'm, you know, Robert Kraft, do you think I want that guy to get suspended? Of course not. So all the owners are going to come together. They don't, they're all going to be in on that.

The OTAs one is so easy. The owners, if it will get them to, you know, keep less money for themselves, they would abolish OTAs. They truly don't give a shit about that. All they care about is the revenue splits and the money. If the player's number one goal was not consumed by OTAs and off days and training camp, but was, you know what, I want the 65% of the people in this league that make $750,000 to be the minimum salary is a million dollars.

Like that would be a legit, tangible thing to argue over. Instead, I got Aaron Rogers bitching and moaned about off days. Meanwhile, he's worth $200 plus million. I got J.J. Watt saying the deal's crazy. And then when the actual players and the committee is meeting with players like Richard Sherman, who's really rich, but he's actually fighting for the underprivileged, quote-unquote, guys in the league, the majority of the league,

those guys are nowhere to be found. Well, Aaron, JJ, all these guys bitching and moaning on Twitter, if you're going to talk a big game, at least show up and make your voice heard because you guys actually have the stature to do some things. But just tweeting about it or saying something on a radio show doesn't mean a freaking thing. What did Obama say a while ago?

He's like, stop being so woke on Twitter, people. Go help somebody. Like J.J. Watt, Aaron Rogers, you actually, like I give Richard Sherman a ton of respect. He is so rich. He does not need to be doing this. At the end of the day, Richard Sherman is on the front lines fighting for the players

that don't have much in common with him. When the dust settles, surely he'll have made, when you talk about on and off the field, well over $100 million in his career. He'll be headed straight toward Canton, Ohio. And he'll be one of the legendary players of his generation. Yet he's there fighting this fight

for a lot of the underprivileged guys. And so when I see these famous players that talk a big game that aren't involved, it's like, you guys are kind of frauds. You know, it's always easy to tweet something. But if you actually can make an impact, go do it. Like, go fight for something. For example, the Watts, their entire family has been financially changed forever because of the NFL.

Now, obviously, JJ and his brother, T.J. And Derek, they put in a ton of work. And they, I mean, T.J's a badass. J.J. is one of the great all-time defensive players. Derek's a really, really. a good player. I mean, they're really good. I mean, I'm not saying they deserve the money they're making. But it's because the NFL has provided them with this opportunity. You would think that like bigger picture, but they, I can't take you that seriously if you're making a big deal and you

don't actually show up when it matters. But of course, they're too rich because the easiest thing for the super rich is to just talk a big game and then not actually do anything because it doesn't really impact them. Like this fight is about the little guy. And I think the player sometimes get consumed by training camp. I know I've said this and talked about this topic over and over, getting weed abolished, like the owners are going to give into that. Stop fighting for hollow wins.

Fight for the real thing. And it feels like this is going to pass. And clearly this deals a lot better than 2011. Relative to, I mean, this is based on every smart person I've seen written about it. Eric Winston told Peter King, he believes this deal is a lot better. That's fair. But it could still be a lot better for a lot of people.

Is it that crazy to make the minimum salary in the NFL a million dollars? Is it? Because I'll give you a couple things that aren't going to change. The franchise tag is not changing. So good players never truly get to market. The restricted free agency is not going to change. And I'm not saying all these things would be on the table to change anyway. But the rookie salary caps are not going to change.

So a lot of the tangible things that truly do impact front offices and owners aren't changing. and I'm pro the franchise tag, mainly because I'm pro, I'm pro the league doing well, and I've seen what player empowerment has done to the NBA. It's fun on Twitter, and it's cool that LeBron's led this charge. It's crippled their business. People aren't watching basketball. Most of my friends in their mid-to-early 30s

who grew up on Michael Jordan and Kobe and Jack, can't pay them to watch NBA games. Ratings are in the tank. So, yeah, players moving around all over the place in theory should be cool. It's actually not. You do benefit from having Rogers on a team for 15 years, Brady on a team for 20 years, JJ Watt on a team for 10 plus years.

That is beneficial to your league. But you would think there would be, how about this, like if I was a player, I'm just throwing this off thinking as I'm talking. If you're going to franchise tag me, it's a two-year deal at the premium number. So if I'm a defensive end and the number's $18 million, The franchise tag is two years $36 million all guaranteed. That to me, something like that. Like they have to start fighting for money.

I mean, it's too late now because it does feel like this is going to pass. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending. Opinions are flying. And nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo.

Every episode, we're cutting through the noise. Breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context, and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Sports Slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to Sports Slice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

And for more, follow Timbo Slic Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough.

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and listen now. What's up guys? This is Clever Taylor the 4th. And on my podcast The Cliverts show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff

like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker walks up to me he goes, A ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What?

Time out. Quarterback on office, Blue 42. A rep. My mama want you to wave at her. What? Where's he at? Hey, Miss Parker.

Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano, and our podcast, Point Game is about defying the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed. And finding ways to win no matter what.

He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ. was at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows, without Luca and Austin Reeves, I got to manipulate the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs. I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup,

he has to really guard guys like Nas Reid. He has to guard Julius Randall. And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night basis on offense. And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nash would get that thing That man, hell get the flying.

He running up the court, licking his fingers why he got the ball like, after you go through a training camp with that I said, you figure it out real quick. Get your ass up and down the court, and you're going to get the ball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

But I would say that would be, and I know that it's complicated, and I'm sure people that were involved in the player side would push back. But I think the, the ultimate desire to get so worked up over practices in June and, you know, how many off days you get in training camp when you really should be fighting for the hard dollars because that's all the owners care about. That's literally the only thing the other side cares about.

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Walk a mile in my shoes. Walk a mile in my shoes. We've all felt left out. And for some, that feeling lasts more than a moment. We can change that. Learn how it belonging begins with us.org. Brought to you by the ad council. Okay, let's dive into the XFL.

And I was watching Sacramento Kings game, and it came to halftime. I'm actually going unless the coronavirus cancels the game. I'm going to go see Zion Williamson live Wednesday night. Pretty excited. I like watching the elite players in sports. If they can get me to buy a ticket, I'm a media guy. I mean, I could get a media credential. But if I buy a ticket, you're moving the needle.

So there's a reason why Zion last year at Duke had these enormously high ratings. The dude's a needle mover. and I'm pretty fired up to watch them. But the Kings who are making this little playoff push, they're kind of battling the Pelicans for the last spot and the Grizzlies. Game was on NBA TV and it comes to halftime. So it's like, you know, what the hell am I going to watch? Like 7.45.

I got 20 minutes to kill on Sunday night. So I flipped to ESPN and they got the XFL game on. A lot of you guys who hit me up like, Middlecalf, you watch the XFL, what are your takes? I'm like, you know, I haven't really watched the XFL. I had for bits and pieces, but never long. and I watched for 20 minutes straight. And I was blown away by the broadcast.

And the broadcast was fantastic. They have the coaches miced up. The mics are super hot on the line of scrimmage. Like you can hear the tight end talking to the tackle on top of the quarterback. I've seen them do the halftime interviews inside the locker room. And I've seen them,

they interview players after sweet play. Like if you score a touchdown or get a sack on a third down, like you'll usually interview immediately with a sideline reporter. And it got me thinking. The NFL's never done higher ratings than it's doing right now. And that's why they're pushing this CBA to get the deal done so they can sign this enormous deal. And the deal is going to be big.

Whether they get the CBA done and they do it next year or this year, it's going to be huge. Golf just signed for over a billion dollars. Like doubled the previous media rights deal. Well, I think we could all agree. And I love the PGA tour. But they're kind of dependent on Tiger Woods, one. and a big reason they got such a high number is Tiger the last three or four years really helped their ratings get back.

But too, it's just media rights. You need content, live rights, and gambling is also going to help golf. Quick hot take, golf's the second best sport to bet beside football. As a fellow gambler, I love gambling football, college and pro. Gambling in the NBA sucks because with tanking and load management, it's impossible.

Baseball is unbettable. and betting on golf is really fun, especially matchups, major tournaments. I'm telling you, if you haven't dabbled, dabble. But you always want to be improving your broadcast, right? I heard, I think on Bill Simmons podcast, he had like a media guy on, and I heard it explained really well,

and I think it's so true. You just need to look at these broadcasts, like, they're just a television show. Tony Romo's a television star. How much do you think television stars make? It's the reason John Madden got $8 million. in 1992. There's a reason why ESPN will pay

Payton Manning $15 to $20 million. They just need TV stars. Jay Billis is a TV star. Kirk Herb Street is a TV star. Just like back when I was growing up, Seinfeld and Friends and Will Smith on Fresh Prince, like all these shows, Urkel,

the main shows that we don't really have main shows anymore, paid their stars a lot of money. Now it's obviously you could counter and go, well, they're the TV, the players are actually a TV star, and that's true. But do this. Flip on a game, any game, any sport, and just hit mute. The broadcasters are, you know, kind of important.

And a really good one are really hard to find. They really are. So I've come to grips with like, these guys are worth every penny. If they're good at their job. And Tony's really good at his job. John Madden was really good at his job. John Gruden was really good at job. These guys are entertainers and TV stars.

Well, ultimately the broadcast is just a television show. It's one thing that I've become kind of numb with. Sometimes I fight it because I never want to lose the love of the sport. But the more I'm involved in the business of it, you kind of do. Because this whole thing, I'm basically just a critic for a television show. And the members of the television show are everyone. Are the players, are the coaches, are the owners, are the broadcasters? I talk about it all.

It's just an ongoing television show. show, and this podcast is the equivalent kind of like what Us Weekly was in 2007 with celebrities. The celebrities that I talk about happen to be involved in sports, in football. The NBA is the same thing, baseball's the thing. That's what the whole job is now. And I thought the XFL, two things really jumped out. The play call from the assistant coach, the offense or defensive coordinator,

calling, but especially the offensive coordinator, calling the play to the quarterback, was really, really cool. And then the mics on the field, when you could hear the players, was also really, really cool. And everyone in business always says, right, you're growing or you're dying. Well, the NFL is going to have to keep adapting their broadcast,

and I just wonder if there's a way, and I have to talk to coaches about this, but if I just hear the play call, X right, Razor, Jet Motion, Left, Right, whatever the play call is, I don't have one. Spider 2, Y, banana and then the play's called, that would be pretty cool. And I actually think that's something that even if I'm watching it as a opposing team,

because the number one thing the coaches would push back on it, it's a competitive disadvantage. Where the XFL, the coach, you just have to do whatever the league's telling you to do. But I don't know if that would necessarily be a competitive disadvantage. You're just calling the play. We get to see the play no matter why do we care whether we know the name or not to it. I don't think an opposing team would gain much just seeing that interaction. And I do think if you could cut it perfectly, it would be really, really, like,

it would be an inside look that would be pretty powerful to the broadcast. Because the game I was watching, I think it was Norm Chow was calling the plays, the former SC and Titans' offensive coordinator. And it was awesome. It was really, really good. The hot mics on the field get a little more complicated. Because right now, right, what we have,

we hear the quarterback a lot going, you know, Razor, Razor, Omaha, saying whatever he's saying. And it's fine. But the mics are so hot in the XFL, I can hear, like, I think I heard a guy cuss. Like, get the fuck over. You know, stuff like that.

You're like, whoa. Now, I do think that this could have problems in the NFL because so many people watch these games if there was some sort of screw up or like, what am I supposed to do? And it's a famous player, like it's Odell Beckham near the line of scrimmed. it would go so viral and embarrass the players.

I'm not sure that would happen. But I'm all for getting a camera inside the coach's box and hearing the play call. Now, two things I don't think would work or have much value. Every time the sideline reporter interviews the player after a sweet play, those are kind of worthless. I mean, the player just says a couple stupid things and goes to the side, at least the ones I saw. and I don't think, like where I do think there would be valid pushback, I didn't see this in the game I was watching on Sunday,

but I've seen it in the past. A sideline reporter goes in at halftime in the locker room. So the game I was watching, it was like, you know, half time in the locker room, she's interviewing, you know, a defensive tackle, and he's like, we've got to come out and play better. All of a sudden, in the background, you can tell there's like two minutes left before they have to go out, and whoever the leader is on the team, like, everyone, bring it up, get your mind right.

It's like the guy starts giving the Newt-Rogney Half-H-Rah-Raw speech and he starts dropping some F-bombs and they have to bleep it out. I just think that if and I think coaches and even owners would push back. You can't like the locker room at halftime is kind of sacred place

live and in the swing of things. But I do think there are elements to the XFL and we see it all the time, right? Teams in football in the actual sport they steal stuff from high school and college. You think the football flows downhill? It actually flows uphill. Where did the spread offensive start?

Like 20 years ago in high school? I mean, when they really just spread all over the country. Now look at the NFL. It actually works the other way. Well, why wouldn't you utilize, I'm sure the NFL wanted the XFL to be very aggressive and try some out-of-the-box things and see if it works? It's no different like spring training in baseball.

try robo-umps they try different things they try stuff in the minor leagues in the g-league they've tried a bunch of random things to see if they could work in the NBA well that's where the x-fel kind of gets to operate as just this blank canvas especially because they're in bed with fox and esPN to try some pretty innovative things and you go you know what this wouldn't work this wouldn't work but i think this would work and it would be pretty sweet so don't be shocked you heard it here first if in like three or four years the xFL there's a lot of carryover to things they do on the broadcast booth to what happens to the NFL games.

Okay, let's dive into the NFL free agency and specifically the wide receiver market. And what makes free agency very, very different than your typical marketplace is in a month and a half from now, maybe a little less, like a month and two weeks. Yeah, a month and a half, I guess, you have four weeks in a month. there is a lot of cheap labor coming down the pipe at the wide receiver position.

And think about this. Like if you want to buy a house, if I gave you a million dollars cash to buy a house, well, if you were living in Florida or Texas, the house you could buy would probably be a lot different than the house you could buy in Beverly Hills or some sweet place in New York. If I told you to buy a specific house, on a certain street, there is a finite number of houses on that street, right?

There's not just, you can press a button, and the street starts adding three or four homes. Like, the street's the street. Where in free agency, the group of free agents is the group, the guys who are unrestricted free agents. When I worked in the NFL, still to this day, and well before, I guess it started in the mid-early early 90s that Reggie White first year,

there's a group. You are a unrestricted free agency. Then there are the group of cap casualties who then also become an unrestricted free agent. It has the ability to sign wherever. What makes that group of men, and specifically the wide receiver position this year, kind of somewhat of an outlier in a bad way,

is there is another group at that same position coming in the draft, and it's supposed to be a quote-unquote historically great wide receiver draft. Well, what do you usually have to do in free agency? You have to pay a premium because you're usually not just bidding against yourself. Like when you extend a player, even if it's a year or two before he hits unrestricted free agency, you're getting somewhat of a discount because you're buying out years of service time.

You're giving him financial stability. But you're not bidding against other teams. Like the 49ers right now are trying to sign George Kittle and DeForest Buckner. Well, if George Kittle have the cowboys, the Eagles, and the Patriots coming after him, the Niners would have to pay a lot more money than potentially they might have to pay. Or if DeForest Buckner, the Philadelphia Eagles could sign DeForest Buckner. I'm just using the Eagles. It could be the Colts, whoever, that price would go high.

But they're just kind of bidding against themselves because he's not really going anywhere. Now they're bidding against his agent who's trying to use leverage, but he's not a free agent. Like if Amari Cooper hits free agency and he's the one kind of, like, like, I would say, prize of this group, because once upon a time when I had a radio show, which is now just a podcast, the Haberman and Middilkoff show, it was on the Raiders channel. And I did the post game for the Raiders. And that was during the Carr, Mac, and Amari era. And Amari, it was like my second year on the radio, and Amari was drafted.

And for those first, his first two years, Amari looked, and we did a segment. And this segment sounds a little crazy now. We were very, very adamant. Like, this guy's going straight to the Hall of Fame. Because he kind of had this Jerry Rice vibe to him. It was quiet, but his game, it was just going to work. I don't think that anymore. I would not call Amari Cooper a Hall of Famer.

I actually wouldn't be comfortable paying Amari Cooper $70 million guaranteed. And I think he's a really good player. But he's got to be in the right environment. You know, there's some tough disc questions. I know he's been durability questions a little bit, though he does play, but when he's not 100% he's not exactly himself. But Amari's a good player.

If Amari is your number two, you have one of the best number two's in the league. Is he a true number one? Probably not. Probably somewhat of a tweener. Good player, going to get paid. But when you look at like Randall Cobb and Emmanuel Sanders, Randall Cobb's kind of had a resurrection year in Dallas,

had like over 50 catches at several touchdowns. Emmanuel Sanders flipped his career immediately when he came to San Francisco. go and started making plays for him. The thing I would say if I was a general manager, and I did a segment last week where you do know exactly what you're getting with a veteran player. Like if I sign Emmanuel Sanders, really my only red flag is that he's older. But historically, he's been really durable.

He had one major injury, but he produced for like seven straight years. And when he's played with good quarterbacks, minus the last couple years in Denver, he kicked ass and took names. Randall Cobb has been very productive player over. career. But would I rather pay, like, what if I got a bid to get these guys, and I got to get to, instead of paying them $4,000 or $5 million on a typical year, because there's so much money, that number might get closer to $10, and I'm drafted 14 in a year where the wide receiver draft is loaded, and I can get that guy at pick $14 for like $4 million a year. Now, there's the unknown. That guy might

not be better than Emmanuel Sanders, and history would show us, you know, very hit or miss. Probably won't but that's not really the way these general managers think. So I do think this market, it's like I said with the house, if you want a house on the street to get another house on another street, you have to go to another street. Where if you want a wide receiver, you can easily, and it's somewhat with the tackle market too. Jason Peters, Trent Williams, all these tackles are available.

You go, well, do I want to trade for Trent Williams and then pay them 20 million or just wait, and I'm, because I'm drafted number nine overall, I'll probably get the second best tackle in the draft at a quarter of the price. And I'll have them under contract for a long period time. So these are the conversations that are being had. But at wide receiver, Nelson Aguilar, who had a downseason this year. But he had 39 catches. The last couple of years had been playing on really good teams two years ago when they won the Super Bowl.

He played a pretty big role. And last year when they made the playoffs, he obviously helped Carson and Nick Foles a lot down the stretch. It's had pretty productive career. But am I given Nelson Aguilar $7,8 million? When I could just draft a guy in a month in the second round who hell for a million dollars

might just be Nelson Aguilar? So when you look at the free agent market, it's why when the premium guys, when they ever hit it, they're going to get paid. Because if you could ever get, I'm trying to think of a... Premium guys don't ever hit unrestricted free agent, but the occasional times when a Reggie White,

it happened a lot like back in the day. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise,

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Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. What's up, guys? This is Clever Taylor the 4th. And on my podcast, The Cliverts Show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff, like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game.

This linebacker walks up to me, he goes, A, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Quarterback on office blue 42. A rep, my mama want you to wave at her. What? Where's she at? Hey, Miss.

Listen to the Cliverts show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano, and our podcast, Point Game is about defining the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed. And finding ways to win no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows. Without Luca and Austin Reeves, I got to manipulate the game.

We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs. I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nas Reid. He has to guard Julius Randall. And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night basis on offense. And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson,

we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nass would get that thing. That man, hell get the flying. He running up the court, licking his fingers, why he got the ball, like, You go through a training camp with that Isaiah, you figure it out real quick. Get your ass up and down the court, and you're going to get the ball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

Amari Cooper would be closer to that type player. But a player of that, if Khalil Mack, Aaron Donald, you have no problem giving him a lot of money, right? But I do think you think twice with role players. Now, you also factor in the caps gone up. Is it worth just paying Emmanuel Sanders $7 million and also drafting a guy? And that's where I think teams it's a little easier to still give quote-unquote an overpay for an older veteran player. But when you see some of these guys, if they don't sign right away at wide receiver, the Cobbs, the Emmanuel Sanders, the Nelson Aguilar's. Like, Amari, I wouldn't, he's not in that class.

Just know, the draft impacts this stuff. and the order of this free agency comes before the draft, it's why you often see, like, I'll get this middle to early April. Like, John, why isn't this guy signed? What's this guy doing? Well, you know what he's waiting for? He's waiting for after the draft. So a team goes, hey, I'm willing to pay you $3 million now,

and that guy thinks he's worth more than that. Maybe he can get the $5 million from that specific team if he waits a month. The draft goes by and they don't land. his position and they realize, well, we need this guy, go sign him. So there is a wave of free agency that right or wrong is just impacted by the unknown. And the unknown is a powerful thing. What do they say?

The most powerful thing like in the world is hope from a positive standpoint. Like the most powerful thing in sports, whether it's right or wrong, are our draft picks. And our high draft picks, when you need a specific position and that position in a draft is known as a loaded position. So if you're a team, a wide receiver needy team, even if you have some money, I'd argue double down, buy one of these guys and draft a guy,

especially if you have a young quarterback. But if I'm somewhat limited in cash strap, do I want to overextend myself or do I just want to wait till the draft? And I think you're going to see a lot of teams wait till the draft on wide receivers. Get right to the romance and find the way to wow this valentines with 1,800flowers.com.

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Visit AdoptuSkids.org slash podcast or subscribe to navigating adoption presented by Adopt U.S. Kids. Brought to you by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families and the Act Council. What grows in the forest? Trees? Sure. Know what else grows in the forest? Our imagination. Our sense of wonder. And our family bonds grow too, because when we disconnect from this and connect with this,

we reconnect with each other. The forest is closer than you think. Find a forest near you and start exploring at Discovertheforest.org. Brought to you by the United States Forest Service and the Ad Council. Okay, let's dive into some headlines, just some basic things that I saw over the last couple days. Dack Prescott Turns down a hundred and five million dollars guaranteed You know

Are we is he trying to get an extra five six seven million dollars? Because what didn't Jared Gough get 110? Well he, Dak, he led a team to a Super Bowl Now did he quote unquote lead them He was starting quarterback for a Super Bowl team Carson Wentz almost won the MVP And they had to trade a mountain to get him So he also got around that.

same number. So $105 million to me feels more than fair for DAC. Like what are we arguing over at this point? If it's truly $105 million guaranteed, that's Wence Goff money. And that's, he's, to me it's still too much. I mean, I look at that like $20 million too much. But like I said, I thought Goff was way overpaid. I'm not naive enough to not understand the way economics work. I get he's kind of in that ballpark and, and I like Dak. I just, that's, if he's turning that down, I think he's getting a little crazy. He's getting some bad advice.

They're, you know, it's like, I love it when the media's like, everyone always loves to call the players greedy. Well, it's $105 million. You're turning down that. Deck, you couldn't, you were a big reason you didn't make the playoffs this year. You were atrocious in a must-win game against the Eagles, overthrowing guys left and right. Again, I'm pro-deck.

I think he's a good starting quarterback in the league. I like Dak at about $25 million, not $34 million and 105 guaranteed. But cost of doing business. And, you know, I know cap guys that would tell me, well, John, the salary cap's going up at $20 million a year moving forward. If they get the CBA done, you know, starting quarterbacks, the good ones will be making $45 million before you know. I'm like, okay, I get it, but, man, Tua. I think Rapsheet said that Tua, he's at the four-month mark. and it's just sunshines, rainbows, and thumbs up.

Everything is good to go. The hip is good. That sounds awesome. And everything I heard is positive. But until the draft comes, I think there is somewhat of an unknown. He could go to, but to me there is a wild card. What if some teams red flag him? And he falls a little bit.

And when I say falls, like goes 8, 9, 10, like, you know, falls down. Someone trades up to get him. I think they're, I'm not putting in much stock to what the meat. Media is telling me through his agent. If a general manager wants to come out and says, you know what? We have glowing grades on Tua's medical, and if we needed a quarterback, we'd have no problem taking them. Then I'll believe that. But media with Tua, we know that's coming from the agent.

I'm going to just, I'm not saying it's not true. I just, I don't know. I'm not a doctor. Just state school kid. But until the draft will tell us, the actions will speak louder than worse. Trent Williams wants $20 million a year. He's definitely when he's in the peak of his power is a $20 million player if tackles or left tackles or worth $20 million.

He did miss a season. Now you could say, well, that's good. Let's tread on the tires. What do you have to give up for a 31-year-old? That would be my question. How much do I have to pay him? Because I would imagine he's looking for $70, $80 million in guaranteed money. Now, he's a really good player,

and there are teams that are desperate for offense. offensive lineman. I think we know the Cleveland Browns are desperate for an offensive tackle. So would they be willing to give a second round pick and pay him a lot of money? You'd think they would discuss that. I definitely think he'll have a market. I just think having to sit out a year. Remember there was some weird things with injury, like cancer type stuff with Trent

Williams? Remember? I just, it's a little more complicated than just seven-time pro baller wants a big contract. that there are some weird variables there. I texted my buddy, Jordan Renan, who covers the Giants for ESPN. And I saw the headline,

Leonard Williams and Dave Gettleman and the Giants are not close to a new deal. Well, he's a free agent. So they plan on tagging him. And even if it's a transition tag, but let's say they franchise tag him, I think there's a chance. I'd have to do some research on this.

And I didn't. But I just, I got a pretty good idea. of the players that have been franchised over the years. You could say the worst player ever franchise might be Robbie Gold, and I think for arguments sake, kickers wouldn't count. But I feel pretty confident

that Leonard Williams would be the worst defensive player ever franchised. Offensively, there have been some guards and centers, but typically like, it's like Logan Mankins, Marshall Yonda, right? Brandon Brooks. I know some of those guys had, Logan once upon a time was,

but to be a franchise player on offensive linemen, you got to be pretty good. Wide receivers to get franchised. They're like Odell Beckham level guys, Julio level guys, Grunkowski, Zeke Elliott, Leonard Williams,

Leonard, how many sacks? I'm going to Google it as I'm talking. If I had to guess Leonard Williams has, in five years of playing, has 12 career sacks. That would be my game.

yes, and he has 17 and a half career sacks. So I was a little off. Last season, he had half a sack. Half a sack for the Giants and the Jets. You're going to franchise a player that had half a sack. Now, he's probably a solid run player, but in 2020, I ain't paying for run defense. I can buy that.

I can draft that in the mid-rounds. I can buy that at a low premium. paying $12 million or $13, even if you transition tag him, that seems crazy. Who is paying? Leonard Williams, if he is tagged, John Middilcoff, you heard it here first, I just went third person. But worst player ever franchised. That's not really saying something because it's usually a group of elite players.

Like just the Yonika Dockway, like that's the type guy that gets franchised. Jadavion Clowny, Laramie Tunzel, right? maybe Eric Armstead who's coming off like a career year of kicking ass and taking names I don't know if he, D. Ford, Frank Clark, Leonard Williams, half a sack.

Dave Gettelman, what are you doing? Tom Brady, Mike Reese reported that Tom Brady, that the Patriots, when all the dust settles with the CBA, will be comfortable giving them around $25 million. And it's been, it feels pretty clear out of the, the Brady camp that it's not going to be about money, it's going to be more about what the Patriots can do.

I saw a pro football talk headline that rumors have surfaced in NFL circles, that Belichick has been sniffing around at wide receivers and tight ends, which makes sense. He needs to, you know, try to go land a digs, go land a, I'm not, this guy's not available, but a George Kittle and Zach Ertz. Like, can you trade for some player out there?

can you trade your first round pick for Stefan Diggs? Now they don't have a second round pick because they traded for Mohammed Sanoo. Not ideal. But he's got to get aggressive here. Does he sign Amari Cooper and trade that pick for Stefan Diggs? Does he just wait for the draft? I don't know. But I do think that Belichick's will be aggressive.

Josh Norman, I haven't seen the guaranteed money. It was up to $6 million with incentives. So who knows? I mean, the guaranteed money could be $100,000. has signed with Sean McDermott. Former defensive coordinator fits the scheme. I get they know each other and have a relationship. The Josh Norman I've seen play the last year,

last really two years, has been atrocious. I mean, he does not try. He has some physical limitations. That's why he has to be in the right defense, which Sean McDermott knows how to use him. But he doesn't even try. Like Richard Truman can't run. He tries, right?

That's why he's a good player. He gives good effort. but you don't need to be blazing fast once you get to a level of you're a big physical press corner use your smarts he literally just gives up on play after play whenever I watched him play

last year was an abomination for Josh Norman so depending on how much money they gave him I'm gonna red flag that transaction a little bit even with the previous relationship let's get to the Middilcoff mailbag at John Middilcoff is my Insta and it's how we

it's how we the show of the people That's what we call it. The show, it's three and out. We could rename the show. Three and out with the people. And I just happened to be the voice of the people. At John Middlecoff, Instagram, same as my Twitter handle, slide up in there and ask questions like this.

Question for the mailbag. Is it crazy to think the vocal players who want to no vote on this CBA proposal? Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending. opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise.

Breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves. Their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context and ask the questions everybody wants answered. SportsSlice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to SportsSlice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

And for more, follow Timbo Slic Life 12 and the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations. with so many incredible guests. I'm talking. Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase

that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross. Because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth?

Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, is we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. What's up, guys? This is Clivert Taylor the Fourth. And on my podcast, The Cliverts show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. Like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker walks up to me, he goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her.

What? Quarterback on office blue 42. Hey, rec, my mama want you to wave at her. What? Where's she at? Hey, Ms. Parker. Listen to the Clifford show on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. What's up, fam?

This Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano and our podcast Point Game. is about defying the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed. And finding ways to win no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows without Luca and Austin Reeves,

I got to manipulate the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs. I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nas Reid. He has to guard Julius Randall. And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night basis on offense. And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too.

Steve Nass would get that thing. That man, hell get the flying. He run up the court, licking his fingers why he got the ball. Like, you go through a training camp with that, Isaiah. You figure it out real quick. Get your ass up and down the court, and you're going to get the ball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. mostly just making a stink because trying to stick it to the man is the cool thing to do in

2020. It's understandable that 17 games blows for them, but it seems like they got a lot in return that would benefit the vast majority of past and present players. Thanks for the great show. No, I think it's, you know, texting and just knowing a player that's involved with this following the vocal players that are, you know, that are active with it, I think they think that just the greedy owner should just give more. You know, they are billionaires. They own the team. I think if you ask, if Richard Sherman was sitting here,

I understand why they make this much money. But there should be an element where we have a little more access to the cash. Because they are putting their bodies on the line. but the number one thing that these players have going against them is just is the length of the deal. I think four is if this was the NBA, I'd say 100%. It'd be a lot of fake wokeism for like, take down owners.

I don't think that's the case here. I think they're really just fighting. They don't always fight for the right things, but I think they're heart and they're doing what they think is right. And they attack what they think, you know, more money for training camp, more money for the poorer players. I actually think it's understandable. And I think the owners shows you they're so rich.

They have given some money back, right? They gave more money to the, again, I would fight for more than $100,000, maybe $200,000. But to them, they're like, well, we're giving a 25% raise to the dude making $500,000, right? If I'm giving you, I guess it'd be 20% $100,000 if it grows every year. So if it's $100,000 next year and in two years it's $200,000, you see where the minimum players, like, that's a lot of money. Because if you only make $550,000, if you get an extra $100,000, it's a lot of cash. If you get an extra $100,000 in your Russell Wilson, you make $35 million, it's nothing.

Think about this. If someone right now said, John, I'll give you $100,000 to shoot a commercial. I would say no, I would say, excuse me, yes, so fast, you wouldn't even, you could say, well, the commercial's actually about erectile dysfunction or the commercials about bowel movements. I mean, it could be about the things that would make me look terrible. My God, Middlecoff's got some issue. I wouldn't care. Because $100,000 to me, if you're just going to pay me $100,000 for one day of shooting a commercial, I'd be like, do you need me to drive there? Where's the commercial? In Florida, I'll be there tomorrow. I'll get my own ticket, right? But a guy like Peyton Manning or Russell, they hang up on that. But the guy like the minimum seventh round pick, that plays for the Niners or the Texans or the Seattle,

$100,000 is a lot of money to them. So I do think they are fighting for the greater good, not just for attacking owners. And part of it is just the CBA's up, right? This isn't like five years to go, and they're threatening, like the CBA's up, and the owners are pushing for resolution more than probably the players. What grows in the forest?

Trees? Sure. Know what else grows in the forest? Our imagination, our sense of wonder, and our family bonds grow too, because when we disconnect from this and connect with this, we reconnect with each other. The forest is closer than you think. Find a forest near you and start exploring.

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and start exploring at discover the forest.org. Brought to you by the United States Forest Service and the ad council. And we're live here outside the Perez family home just waiting for the... And there they go. Almost on time this morning. Mom is coming out the front door strong with a double-armed kid carry. Looks like dad has the bag's daughter is bringing up the rear. Oh, but the diaper bag wasn't closed.

Diapers and toys are everywhere. Ooh, but Mom has just nailed the bird. perfect car seat buckle for the toddler. And now the eldest daughter, who looks to be about nine or ten, has secured herself in the booster seat. Dad zips the bag closed, and they're off. Ah, but looks like mom doesn't realize her coffee cup is still on the roof of the car, and there it goes!

Oh, that's a shame. That mug was a fam favorite. Don't sweat the small stuff. Just nail the big stuff. Like making sure your kids are buckled correctly in the right seat for their age and size. Learn more at nhtsa.gov slash the right seat. Visit nhtsa.gov slash the right seat. Brought to you by NHTSA and the ad council.

Just started listening to you about a month ago, Big Fan, went to the same high school as Josiah Scott, and was wondering what your thoughts were about his future in the league and where he could be picked in this year's draft. Well, full disclosure here, I am not super locked into Josiah Scott. He is, I just Googled it. He's the corner from Michigan State.

And it looks like my guy Lance Zerling does not have a high grade on him. Yeah, I don't have an opinion, to be honest. Seems like he might get drafted, which is cool. Always cool to grow up or know some guy that's going to get drafted. But I don't know. No credible opinion because I haven't watched a guy play. Do you think there's any chance that Rams trade Cooper Cup this offseason? He's going to the last year of his rookie deal, and obviously the Rams are in trouble financially

and most likely won't be able to extend to resign him in free agency. Also, do you see New England trading for him if they can win now with which whatever quarterback they end up with? What would Cooper Cup cost? Yeah, I just think that's Sean McVeigh and Jared Gop's guy. So even if he is in the last year of his contract, what round they draft him in? Right, he was a second or third round pick. Might have been a third round, fourth round pick. He doesn't make very much money.

so it doesn't behoove unless you're getting a second round pick, which I don't think you'd get a second round pick for a slot receiver and a good receiver draft. You just play it out. The head coach loves them, your quarterback loves them, the team loves them. Now it's one of those things that Belichick might do. Like if you know that you can't resign them,

could you flip Cooper Cup this offseason? Like now Jarvis Landry is a better player. Well, you could argue, He'd been a more productive player. What was Cooper Cup last year? Yeah, I mean, Cooper Cup off an ACL injury, had 94 catches, 1,100 yards, 10 touchdowns. So you could say Cooper Cup is Jarvis Landry,

and Jarvis Landry got a second. So could you trade Cooper Cup for a second round pick when you don't have a first or second round pick? You'd use a third round pick. So you basically use a third round pick. You got three really good years out of them. Well, actually, two really good years. Well, where is NFL stats?

He's going to be his fourth year in the league. So you got one, I mean, he was really good this year off the ACL. He had a career year. He had a good rookie year too. And then obviously he was going to have a huge 2018 in the year they made the Super Bowl, but he tore his ACL. I would not be opposed. I mean, when you're in a financial pinch,

you have to be open-minded with moving guys. Now, I would imagine they would say, our best chance to succeed is to keep Cooper Cup on them. this team. So next year when Todd Gurley comes off the books and hopefully you can get rid of Brandon Cooks, that's where the Brandon Cook's deal is just killing them. The Gurley deal kills them, but at least

Gurley was elite when they paid them. Now it backfired. Brandon Cooks was never elite. Belichick traded a first round pick form and then you traded a first round pick for him and then you paid them off OTA work? I never understood that. I don't hate Brandon Cooks, but

they jumped the gun on that one. The Rams have done some just got a little too aggressive on non-core pieces. You don't get super aggressive on a running back. You don't get super aggressive on just a small speed receiver. You get super aggressive on like a left tackle on Aaron Donald. Hell, even on Jalen Ramsey. You don't do that to, I'd rather quote-unquote,

overpay Cooper Cup than paid Gurley or Brandon Cooks. Do you think the Niners will look into drafting a corner this year to replace Sherman or do you think that's something that they'll consider in coming years? Well, Richard's going into his last year. Opposite of Sherman, so he's going to be an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season. Emmanuel Mosley, who's the starting corner, is an undrafted free agent, and God love him, strong, solid role player. Should he be a starter on a Super Bowl team?

He was pretty lucky that he was probably nine of the 11 starters were just elite players. I mean, Buckner, Armstead, Warner, Kwan, Richard, even Kwaski Tarts, pretty damn good. Jimmy Ward's an excellent nickel. Kwan, Kwan, Williams, pretty good. I guess Jimmy, they got kind of multiple nickels. They got a bunch of hybrid players. Kwan's really a corner where Jimmy is a safety, but Jimmy can cover the slot. Yeah, they need a corner, so yes.

But the problem is the Niners have a first round pick. They don't have a second. they don't have a third and they don't have a fourth. Rolled the dice. They tried to win the Super Bowl this year and they came damn close. So it was worth it. If you're up, you would, you'd be like, well, would you give up a second, a third, and a fourth pick?

Fourth round pick to have a 10-point lead with seven minutes remaining in the Super Bowl and a third and 15, you would say yes in a heartbeat. Now, then Wasp happens, then Kelsey scores, then you go three and out, then they score again, and you lose a Super Bowl. You go, ah, could I have my third round pick back, but that's not the way it works.

So I think they will, they got a wheel and deal, they got to add some picks. And I think the easiest way to add a pick is the tag and trade Armstead. I know they want to keep them, but to me, that's what would Bill Belichick do, he would tag and trade Eric Armstead and keep DeForest Buckner.

I wanted to say that I grew up with Jordan Love, God, we got a lot of people that know people, and it's awesome to hear so many people talking about him. I personally hope he goes to the Colts because I think his talent and the offensive line, he could really be a good quarterback. Love the pot. Not even a question. I think the Colts are going to be in play because if they sign Phillip Rivers, he's 38, 39 years old, he's not the long-term quarterback.

If they sign Philip Rivers, my educated guess would be they would trade Jacoby Brissette, whether that's to the Dolphins to be a bridge for Tua. I know, is Fitzpatrick still under contract? He must be. Maybe if Brady leaves, they trade them back to the Patriots. Maybe you just never know. I mean, I think some team would trade for Jacoby. And then you got Rivers and you draft a guy. Are the bills better off with Tom Brady staying? McDermine and company seems to have him figured out and the Bill's D pass rush seems to struggle most

with athletic mobile quarterbacks. Where I would say no, because if Tom Brady does resign, that probably means that the rumor that came out on Monday that Belichick's been sniffing around, that all of a sudden they have, they sign Austin Hooper and they trade for Stefan Dix. Then you're like, damn, Brady came back.

They draft a wide receiver in the first round. They get Stefan Diggs to go with Edelman and some other guy and Austin Hooper, and you're like, well, their defense is good and their offense is more explosive. I understand what you're saying, the bills. But to me, if their offense is dramatically better, their best chance to beat them would be with Jared Stidham next year, or Andy Dalton. if I'm Sean McDermott,

I want to play Jared Sidham, Andy Dalton, Jacoby Berset, and not Tom Brady. And factoring in that if Tom Brady stays, that means they've added pieces. And they've added bullets to his gun because it's been pretty clear that it's constantly talked about

if he's going to return, it's going to be because they increase the talent around them, not necessarily because of the money. It's not about the money with Tom. It never has been. It's about the money. the weapons around him. Is he thrown to Jacoby Myers,

or is he thrown to Austin Hooper and Stefan Diggs and Levishka-Schnoll with Nikiel Harry? I'm a huge Dolphins fan. Been a rough two decades. I feel you. If I'm the Lions, take two at three. Is there any chance Miami just trades for Stafford?

He is still relatively young, and I think he would be a good fit for Parker and Williams. Miami has plenty of picks. What would Stafford cost in such a scenario came up? or is he just not worth his contract? The problem is the way NFL contracts work, when he got that $100 million or whatever he got guaranteed a couple years ago, you prorate that bonus over the first couple years of the contract.

So unlike a guy in baseball, if you give a guy five years $150 million, you just pay him whatever, right? $25, I guess it would be $35 million, whatever the math is. Let's just use a round number. If you give a guy four years, $100 million, you just pay him $25 million a year. And after two years, you trade him, he has $50 million remaining on the contract. In football, though, contract set up is not bad.

So I'm on the hook for his bonus money. So unless he wants to, like, restructure, give money back, I'm kind of stuck. And to me, he's just, it's not fiscally, you don't have the ability to trade him. Because of the, you're not going to eat that much dead money on your salary cap. Same thing with Nick Foles. his salary cap number is enormous in 2020. I'm pretty sure, like, Nick Foles, let's just look up Matt Stafford first.

I thought last time I looked up his contract, that his dead cap, a number that the Lions can't change if they trade him, is like $35, $40 million. So Stafford's dead cap in 2020 is $32 million. So you're telling me the Lions are going to trade Matt Stafford and just incur a $32 million dead cap? Well, if the cap's $200 million, $30 million would be 15% of your cap for a player that's not even there. It's actually 16%.

Think about that. That's what makes NFL trades a little complicated with, once I pay the guy, it's what made Odell Beckham being traded this year so unprecedented. or last year to the Browns, because the Giants ate a bunch of money. If you're going to trade Nick Foles, they're going to eat $33.8 million. Stafford's cap hit, if he's just on your team, was $21 million. Foles' cap hit, if he's on the Jags, is $22 million. Both their dead cap, meaning if you trade them, that number does not change, is over 30. So, now, is it worth biting the bullet if you can get a first and a second round pick for Stafford?

Maybe you'd think about it, but it does become complicated. Like if the Warriors want to trade Steph Curry, they're just trading three years remaining at, you know, $40 million, $120 million. The money that's already been paid, they paid it. The money that's remaining has just, you pay it if you trade for them. Obviously, they're not going to trade them, but it's a very black and white trade. With these big contract guys, like Julio Jones, remember they might trade them last year? Once they give them $60 million, I bet Julio Jones dead cap this year. I'm just going to guess is $40 million.

It's got to be just astronomical. As I'm looking it up, this is some... Julio Jones' dead cap this money, I was off. is $58 million. So Julio's cap hit is 20. If they were to trade him, he would account for more than 27% of their cap.

So, yeah, I got breaking news. Julio Jones, not that he would have been, is not going to get traded. Appreciate everyone listening. Remember, go to the reviews. Give me a little, if you like the show, give a little review. Appreciate it, three and out, Apple.

And I'll see you. a little later this week. I'll be on Twitter and Instagram all week, so if you're bored, holler at me there. Thanks for everyone for listening. I appreciate the support. Peace. Thunderstruck, adjective. Shocked and amazed by the power of fun on Carnival. Riding Bolt,

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We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hardway with your favorite therapist and host, Kier Games.

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