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Ep.76: Aftermath · Football Junkies podcast

0:03
Mega bag alert, mega bag alert, mega bag alert,
0:06
folks. That's right, we are back. That's right,
0:09
we are back and better than ever. Rested, refreshed,
0:13
ready to go over all the things that we need
0:16
to talk about with the draft, people getting
0:18
paid, and more, okay? So we got a lot to talk
0:22
about, so let's just get into it, all right?
0:24
So Jalen Petrie, Kyler Gordon, TJ Edwards. Yes,
0:28
that's Max in the background, sorry. George Kittle.
0:31
Cam Juergens, Kirby Joseph, all get paid, okay?
0:35
Now, George Kittle and Kirby Joseph reset at
0:39
their positional markets, but everybody else,
0:41
everybody else paid, okay? As well as the Lions
0:44
exercising their fifth -year options on both
0:46
Aiden Hutcherson and Jamison Williams, the Saints
0:49
exercising their fifth -year option on Chris
0:52
Alave and turning it down for Trevor Penning.
0:55
That's a little bit controversial. Jalen Ramsey
0:58
wants out of Miami. Sam Howell hits to Minnesota.
1:01
My thoughts on the whole Aaron Rodgers debacle,
1:04
and we have to talk about the draft, okay? All
1:07
of this and more. on the 76th episode of the
1:10
Football Junkies Podcast. I am your host with
1:12
the most. I am your GM who currently is not on
1:16
a team right now, but don't you worry about it,
1:19
okay? Don't you worry about it because you know
1:22
why? I'm your chief bag roll dominance, okay?
1:24
I'm your chief head of the table. Anything and
1:27
everything related to the bag, mock drafts, predictions,
1:30
all those things and more. Just know this, the
1:32
mock drafts that I did put out, I was right on
1:35
a few of them. I may have not gotten the player,
1:37
but I got the position right. Just know, you
1:40
heard it here first on the Football Junkies podcast,
1:41
okay? Because guess what? I am all these things
1:45
and more. But most importantly, the most important
1:47
thing that you must remember is I am your host,
1:49
Kale. You already know how these things are about
1:51
to go. This is going to be one of the best episodes
1:54
that I probably will ever put out. So guess what?
1:56
On three, one, two, three, let's lock in. All
2:24
right, folks, let's just get into the meat and
2:26
potatoes of everything that is going on in the
2:28
league right now. So letting you know right now,
2:32
majority of this episode is going to be dedicated
2:34
to money, okay? Because you know why? We are
2:36
in bag season, as I call it. While everybody
2:39
else is recovering from the draft, we're just
2:42
getting started because you know why? We know
2:45
that the bag alerts are getting ready to just
2:46
fly in the next few weeks, months, And whatever
2:51
time that we have left until the regular season
2:53
starts. So let's just get into everything. So
2:57
let's start off with the newest bag alert that
2:59
happened this morning. And that was George Kittle.
3:02
All right. He resets the tight end market. Four
3:04
years, 76 .4 million, 40 million guaranteed,
3:08
19 .1 million a year and 35 million guaranteed
3:12
at signing. Now, we will look at his stats. 78
3:15
receptions for 1 ,106 receiving yards, 8 touchdowns,
3:19
and 14 .2 receiving yards per reception. Now
3:23
here's the thing. On one hand, I'm very happy
3:26
that George Kittle got paid. We are now seeing
3:29
that the league has embraced the tight end position.
3:33
Because for the longest time... Tight ends really
3:35
weren't loved as much. Now, sure, you had, you
3:37
know, Kellen Winslow and you had what's his name?
3:42
What's his name? Dave Casper and company had
3:45
that next generation. And, you know, Shannon
3:47
Sharp and Tony Gonzalez and Antonio Gates and
3:50
Todd Heap and Heath Miller and Dallas Clark and
3:54
company. And then you had, you know, this generation,
3:58
which is, you know, Gronk. Travis Kelsey, George
4:01
Kittle, Sam Laporta, TJ Hawkinson, Brock Bowers,
4:05
Mark Andrews, just to name a few. And so now
4:08
what you're seeing is offenses love tight ends
4:12
more because tight ends are now a quarterback's
4:16
best friend. We have seen some of the most iconic
4:20
moments happen with who? A tight end. Tom Brady
4:23
and Gronk are literally. Two of the most dynamic
4:28
players of all time. And I guarantee you, if
4:33
you ask Tom Brady right now, half of those plays
4:36
probably wouldn't have happened if it wasn't
4:37
for Gronk. At some point, Tom Brady is looking
4:40
for Gronk. And guess what? Gronk gets the ball,
4:43
gets first down and more. And it's hard to bring
4:45
him down. And so it's great because you're seeing
4:48
a position that's starting to get valued more
4:51
and people are really starting to get paid more.
4:54
And that's great. But here's my problem with
4:57
this. If you're a 49ers fan, you probably are
5:00
scratching your head this morning because you're
5:02
trying to figure out exactly why did you reset
5:05
the market for George Kittle? Why are you continuing
5:07
to reset the market for your players? Granted,
5:11
I understand that you want to pay your players,
5:13
but at some point, the line has to be drawn in
5:17
the sand because we are in the business of winning
5:21
championships. We're not in a business to just
5:24
say, oh, I have a roster that has three or four
5:27
players that have resetted their positional markets.
5:30
No, your goal is to win a championship. And so
5:35
far, you guys haven't been able to do that. Now,
5:37
a lot of that falls on your head coach and the
5:40
executions and play calling and whatnot. But
5:43
if you guys are serious about winning, somebody
5:45
would have been willing to take a pay cut. I'm
5:48
just saying. Really think about this for a second
5:50
here, folks. Last year, they had to reset both
5:54
the left tackle market and the running back market.
5:57
They did it for Trent Williams and Christian
5:59
McCaffrey. Now they're doing it for George Kittle.
6:02
And there's a good possibility that they could
6:04
do it for Fred Warner as well. You just can't
6:08
keep on doing that. Resetting the market does
6:10
not win you a championship. It does not get you
6:13
to the end point. All it does is just get you
6:16
right to the edge and that's it. Nothing else.
6:21
We see the Eagles, a team who basically invested
6:25
a lot of their money into the offense and kept
6:28
the defense fairly cheap. They're paying little
6:31
to nobody on the defense. And if they are, they're
6:35
probably on a very short term contract. Let's
6:38
go for what it is. If you're the 49ers, what
6:42
is the goal? Because you continuing to write
6:46
paychecks isn't going to solve the championship.
6:49
Because right now. If this team does not win
6:53
a championship, every move that they have made
6:56
from getting Trent Williams and Christian McCaffrey
6:59
to, you know, drafting Nick Bosa and then drafting
7:03
Fred Warner and George Kittle and Brock Purdy
7:06
and Brandon Ayewick and this person, that person
7:09
will all be a waste. Because why? You guys haven't
7:12
won a championship. You guys have created some
7:16
of the best offenses and best defenses within
7:19
the last five to eight years. And you guys have
7:23
yet to win a championship. I'm sorry. That's
7:26
unacceptable in my standards. But, hey, if that's
7:30
what they want to do, if they want to continue
7:32
to be in meteorography, that's perfectly fine.
7:35
Now, back to the positive side with this. George
7:38
Kittle has definitely been a very consistent,
7:41
reliable player for the 49ers offense. You're
7:44
talking about somebody that has had multiple
7:46
1 ,000 receiving yards. That is something that
7:50
you will only see receivers do. But now you're
7:54
starting to see that more often with tight ends.
7:57
And not to mention, what you're also starting
8:00
to see is this. The market is continuing to climb.
8:04
This is my hot take, and I could definitely be
8:06
wrong. I'll probably be on cold takes. But I
8:09
can make a strong case. That by the time Sam
8:13
LaPorter is up for a contract and Brock Bowers,
8:16
somebody is going to hit the $20 million threshold.
8:19
You heard it here first on the Football Junkies
8:21
podcast, episode 76, Aftermath. You heard it
8:25
here first. I believe by this time next year,
8:31
we will have our first $20 million a year tight
8:36
end. Guaranteed. You can write it down. You can
8:41
screen record it. You can do whatever you want,
8:44
but guess what? I said it here first. To somebody
8:47
else, Jalen Petrie, okay? Safety for the Texans.
8:51
Inks a three -year, $39 million extension. He
8:54
gets a $10 million signing bonus, makes $13 million
8:56
a year, and is guaranteed $20 .6 million, which
9:00
isn't really bad. Now, he uses $29 .1 million,
9:03
which still isn't bad. Now, when we look at his
9:06
stats, okay? 65 tackles and was targeted. 54
9:10
times and allowed 34 receptions for 395 yards,
9:13
five touchdowns, and got one pick. Now, he is
9:17
more of a slot option at this point because primarily
9:21
they really don't like using him in the safety.
9:23
I don't know why. You probably have to ask them,
9:26
but he's mainly placed in the slot. Now, when
9:29
you look at his stats in the slot, it's a little
9:31
bit of a difference, okay? So in the slot, he
9:34
had 44 tackles. four quarterback pressures, and
9:37
he was targeted 43 times and allowed 29 receptions
9:40
for 371 yards, four touchdowns, and got one pick.
9:45
All in all, this is a team -friendly deal. It
9:47
does not break the bank. It is a great deal for
9:50
both sides. Jalen Petrie plays a very pivotal
9:54
role in the backfield, and so it's only right
9:57
that you give him a pretty good deal. And then
9:59
not to mention, it's only a three -year deal.
10:02
So by the time this contract is up, you'll still
10:05
be in your prime so you can re -up and get another
10:07
contract, either with the Texans or with another
10:09
team. All in all, I think that's a win -win situation.
10:13
It's the same thing with Kyler Gordon as well,
10:15
who inked a three -year $40 million deal. He
10:19
gets a $10 million signing bonus. He's making
10:21
the same amount as Jalen Petrie, $13 million
10:24
a year, and he's guaranteed $21 .2 million for
10:27
both total guarantees and guaranteed money. Now,
10:31
when we look at his stats, all right, 75 tackles,
10:34
and he was targeted 51 times and allowed 36 receptions
10:38
for 329 yards and two touchdowns. What you are
10:41
starting to see now is the slot corner position
10:44
be valued so much that teams are willing to invest
10:49
into it. Not only just because slot corners are
10:54
good when it comes to blitzing and adding quarterback
10:56
pressures and making... really great plays, but
11:00
you're starting to see that slot corners are
11:04
really good. And we're not just talking about
11:07
people that were drafted in the sixth or seventh
11:10
round and they were able to fight their way and
11:12
get a roster spot. No, you're talking about people
11:14
that make plays. You're talking about people
11:16
who are locking down elite corners, elite slot
11:22
receivers, because What you're also starting
11:26
to see is a lot of the elite receivers are also
11:28
being moved into the slot as well. So you have
11:32
to counteract that with a good slot corner. Just
11:35
saying. Now, some teams understand that. And
11:38
then there's other teams, Steelers, who do not
11:40
understand that and do not value that. And this
11:42
is why they're in the situation that they're
11:45
in. let's go to cam jurgens okay we're just breezing
11:48
by the you know the bag alerts and whatnot so
11:50
cam jurgens inks a four -year 68 million dollar
11:54
extension to stay with the eagles he'll be making
11:56
17 million a year and he gets 39 .4 million in
12:01
total guarantees for the transition of jason
12:04
kelsey to cam jurgens i can make a strong case
12:09
it's definitely been one of the better ones because
12:12
usually When a player is following the footsteps
12:16
of a legend, it's a little bit difficult because
12:18
they're trying to find their footing. They're
12:20
just trying to find their way because it's so
12:23
hard to play behind a legend. That's like Brandon
12:27
Fisk, you know, trying to do what Aaron Donald
12:31
did. Can't do that. But Cam Juergens has carved
12:34
his own path and has played really well for the
12:37
Eagles. And so it's only right that you give
12:41
him a deal. Not to mention, let's be real here.
12:44
As I said before, the Eagles aren't paying a
12:47
lot of people on defense. The only person that
12:49
they really paid a lot of money to was Zach Bond.
12:53
Outside of that, everybody else is still on their
12:55
rookie deals or on fairly small deals, which
12:58
isn't bad. Because let's be real here. You have
13:02
to invest into this offensive line because right
13:05
now they're paying Cam Juergens, Landon Dickerson,
13:08
Jordan Malata, and Lane Johnson. Those are the
13:11
only people that they're paying when it comes
13:13
to the offensive line. Then you got Jalen Hurts,
13:16
you got Saquon, you got Devontae Smith, and you
13:18
got A .J. Brown. That's the milk and honey for
13:21
this team. It's that offense. If that offense
13:23
ain't going, guess what? Team ain't winning.
13:27
That is what it is. Now, when we look at T .J.
13:30
Edwards' deal, it's team -friendly, very team
13:33
-friendly. Two years, $20 million. He gets $10
13:36
million a year, a $7 million signing bonus, and
13:39
he's guaranteed. 16 .6 million. That's not bad.
13:44
That's team friendly. Very team friendly. When
13:47
you look at his stats, 129 tackles, four sacks,
13:51
one pick. That's not bad. He's a really, I wouldn't
13:57
say elite player. He's a very, what's the word?
14:01
What's the word? He's a do -it -all type of player.
14:05
He's a reliable player. He's a consistent player.
14:07
He's a tackling machine. That's what he is. He
14:10
is somebody that he's going to get the job done.
14:13
He may not be in the same tier as some of the
14:16
better outside linebackers and whatnot, but guess
14:18
what? He gets the job done. And that's what you
14:22
need sometimes on your team. That's it. There's
14:25
nothing else that you can really say. It's a
14:27
team -friendly deal. It does not break the bank.
14:30
It does not have the Bears, you know, in cap
14:32
hill or whatever. No, it puts him in a really
14:34
good spot. Now, Kirby Joseph, that deal is a
14:37
little bit crazy. And I only say that because
14:40
the Lions still have to pay Aiden Hutchison.
14:44
And then not to mention, you're going to have
14:45
to pay Brian Branch soon. Just saying. Kirby
14:49
Joseph's deal, four years, $86 million. And he'll
14:52
be making $21 .5 million a year. When we look
14:55
at his stats, 82 tackles, and he was targeted
14:58
33 times and allowed 14 receptions for 168 yards,
15:02
one touchdown, and one pick. He's been balling.
15:05
He has been balling God. And it was only right
15:09
that the Lions pay him because he played such
15:12
a pivotal role in that team. If you're a team
15:14
like the Ravens, you're in a pretty bad spot
15:18
because you could have easily hashed out a deal
15:20
prior to Kirby Joseph getting his money. But
15:24
now you're taking a risk because guess what?
15:27
If you allow Kyle Hamilton to play out this year,
15:31
and if Kyle Hamilton wins a defensive player
15:34
of the year award, oh, that's 90 million guaranteed.
15:37
No ifs, ands, or buts about it. He is resetting
15:41
the market again. Do you really want to take
15:44
that risk? Because it's better to be proactive
15:47
than reactive. Just saying. Now let's get into
15:53
these fifth -year options. And these are just
15:55
a couple because I know there's a whole lot more
15:58
that I have to talk about and we'll probably
15:59
talk about in the next episode. So the Lions
16:03
picked up both Aiden Hutchinson and Jameson Williams'
16:06
fifth -year option. So Aiden Hutchinson's fifth
16:08
-year option is worth $19 .7 million, which really
16:12
isn't that bad. Jameson Williams is $15 .4 million.
16:15
Now when we look at the market value for Aiden
16:18
Hutchinson, It's four years, $122 .1 million,
16:22
which is $30 .5 million a year. I don't think
16:26
he's going to get that. I think he's probably
16:28
going to get a whole lot more because Aiden Hutchinson
16:32
has been one of the best pass rushers in the
16:34
league. He's on that same team, a little bit
16:37
under the tier of Watt, Garrett, Crosby, Bosa,
16:43
and everybody else. Just saying. But the problem
16:46
is... with Aiden Hutchinson's situation that
16:50
makes it so time -oriented is that Michael Parsons,
16:55
Trey Hendrickson, and T .J. Watt are also looking
16:58
for money as well. So who's going to be first?
17:03
Because whoever is first, the next two, one of
17:08
them will probably reset the market again. So
17:11
do you want to be reactionary or do you want
17:14
to be the other? Because right now we have seen
17:18
a lot of teams pay more because they wanted to
17:22
play the waiting game and they wanted to take
17:24
a risk instead of just paying the person now
17:27
and then just not having to worry about it. So
17:30
it is a gamble. Now with Jamison Williams, not
17:33
so much because his market value is only three
17:36
years, 59 million, which is only 19 .7 million
17:38
a year. That's not bad at all. Do I think he
17:41
could probably get a little bit more? There's
17:42
a possibility. Do I think there's a good chance
17:45
he may get traded? There's also a possibility
17:47
as well. Anything is open for Jamison Williams
17:50
at this point. Now, me personally, I think the
17:53
cutoff number for Jamison Williams will probably
17:56
be 25, maybe 26. Anything over 26, we're out.
18:03
Simple as that. You can't pay him almost 28 to
18:07
almost 30 million while you're doing that for
18:10
Amon Ross St. Brown. You just pay Panay Sewell.
18:13
You just pay Jared Goff. Like, that's a lot of
18:15
people that you're paying. So you want to try
18:18
to have a little bit of cap flexibility while
18:21
at the same time. But to your players, like,
18:22
listen, we are still in our championship window.
18:26
We might need to have a little bit of cap space
18:28
to bring in a superstar. Who wouldn't want to
18:31
win a championship? I would. When we look at
18:34
Chris Alave's fifth year option, it's worth $15
18:38
million, which really isn't bad. His market value,
18:41
on the other hand, is only three years, $53 .4
18:44
million, which is only $17 .8 million a year.
18:46
Do I think he could garner more? Yes. Do I think
18:49
the Saints are probably working on a contract
18:51
right now? Yes. Do I think it'll be hashed out
18:56
by training camp? It's a possibility. Because
19:00
Chris Alave, yes, he deserves to get paid, but
19:03
he's not worth $35 or $36 million a year. No,
19:07
not even close. Maybe about $28, $29, maybe $30
19:12
if you want to add incentives. Okay, fine. But
19:15
anything after that is just ridiculous. Now,
19:18
Trevor Penning, on the other hand, they turned
19:19
down his fifth year option. Now, had they picked
19:22
it up, it would have been worth $16 .6 million.
19:26
But the only problem is he's only played 40 games
19:29
in three seasons. Case in point, that's why the
19:32
Saints drafted Calvin Banks. And that was sort
19:35
of the idea that I had leading into the draft.
19:39
Now, I understand that the media personalities
19:41
were saying, hey, they're going to go with Jackson
19:44
Dart or Shador Sanders. I didn't believe it.
19:47
And the only reason why I say that is because
19:49
once Ryan Ramchick had to medically retire. That
19:53
let me know, okay, most likely they're going
19:56
to put Fuwaga back at right tackle because Trevor
19:59
Penning has been playing well on either left
20:01
tackle or right tackle. And then they'll draft
20:04
one of the top left tackles and then just go
20:07
from there. And that's exactly what they did.
20:09
They got Calvin Banks at left tackle. You're
20:11
going to have Tyler Weeks for Fuwaga on the right
20:14
side, which is great because right now, all you
20:19
really need to do is just ride out this season.
20:22
And then just see what happens next year. Me
20:25
personally, this is just my honest opinion before
20:27
we get into the draft talk and whatnot. I don't
20:29
think Archie is going to declare next year because
20:32
when you look at it, Eli played all four years.
20:36
Payton played all four years. They're not going
20:40
to continue. They're not going to break that
20:42
cycle. No, they're going to continue to go with
20:44
that cycle because guess what happened? Both
20:47
of them became. Overly successful. Now, one of
20:50
them is regarded as one of the greatest quarterbacks
20:52
of all time. The other one, not so much. But
20:54
that's another story for another day. But there
20:57
are better options at quarterback next year.
21:00
Now, let's get into this whole Jalen Ramsey conundrum.
21:03
So Jalen Ramsey wants out of Miami. Perfectly
21:06
fine with that. But the problem is, is that his
21:09
contract is a little bit wonky. And let me explain
21:11
why. So according to SpotRack, this year is the
21:14
only year that's guaranteed at 21 .1 million.
21:17
But the next three years, he still has money
21:20
on the books that a team can guarantee. But here
21:23
are the numbers. 2026, 21 million. 2027, 21 .7
21:28
million. 2028, 24 million. That's a lot of money
21:33
for an older cornerback. And we see that cornerbacks
21:37
after 30 do not age well. Their play starts to
21:42
decline a lot. And with Jalen Ramsey. His play
21:46
style, it's way too risky, way too risky, to
21:50
be honest with you. And so on one hand, I would
21:54
love for him to go to another team. I just don't
21:57
think a team will be willing to take on his guarantees.
22:00
Now, maybe if a team is willing to give them
22:02
a high enough pick, they'll probably take it.
22:04
But even then, how high of a pick are you going
22:08
to be willing to give up? I'm not giving up a
22:10
first, nor am I giving up a second for Jalen
22:12
Ramsey. I'm sorry. I'm just not doing that. Now,
22:15
I could probably do a conditional fourth and
22:18
maybe turn it into a third. That's a possibility.
22:21
But outside of that, I'm not giving up high compensation
22:24
for Jalen Ramsey. I'm just not doing it. But
22:28
here is the other side that people aren't talking
22:30
about. The dead cap hits. So if the Dolphins
22:35
designate this as a pre -June 1st cut or trade
22:39
or transaction or whatever, the dead cap hit
22:42
this year is $29 .2 million. They lose, instead
22:45
of gain, lose 12 .5 million in cap. That's not
22:50
good. Now, if they make this into a post -June
22:54
1st designation, 2020, 10 .8 million in debt
22:58
cap. And then next year, it's 18 .4. But they
23:01
have a savings of 5 .9. So it's either you wait
23:05
until the post -June 1st designation happens.
23:11
or somebody gets desperate enough and then they
23:13
make a trade for Jalen Ramsey. Those are the
23:15
only two outcomes at this point. Now, me personally,
23:18
do I think he has a market? Yes, of course he
23:20
does, because Jalen Ramsey is still one of the
23:22
better corners in the league. Even at his current
23:25
age, he is still one of the best corners. He
23:30
is still able to hold his own against some of
23:33
the best receivers in the league. Now, am I saying
23:36
he can be like how he was in his prime? No. But
23:40
what I am saying is he can hold his weight. You're
23:44
talking about somebody that can tackle, that
23:46
can hit, and is probably one of the smartest
23:49
corners in the league. Now, me personally, I
23:53
think he'd probably go to the commanders. I think
23:55
if you add Jalen Ramsey to the commanders, that
23:59
would put so much fear into teams that I think
24:03
it could push you to the next level. I'm just
24:06
saying. Because think about it. You have Jalen
24:09
Ramsey, you have Trey Amos, Bobby Wagner, you
24:14
still have Deron Payne, you still have Johnny
24:16
Newton, I forgot who their pass rushers were,
24:19
and then your safeties as well. I think that's
24:22
a pretty good defense. I think getting a big
24:25
fish in Jalen Ramsey would be fairly good. I
24:27
think it would work phenomenally well. Not to
24:30
mention, Jalen Ramsey would automatically go
24:35
up against A .J. Brown. So you're taking A .J.
24:38
Brown out of the game. Same thing with C .D.
24:40
Lamb. Who wouldn't want that? Who would not want
24:45
that? Who would not want a tackling machine in
24:48
Jalen Ramsey, a playmaking machine in Jalen Ramsey,
24:52
a person who can just do it all in Jalen Ramsey?
24:56
Who wouldn't want that? Now, the finances, you
24:59
probably have to, you know, move some money around,
25:01
ask some people to take some pay cuts, but...
25:05
I mean, if it pays off and you guys get into
25:07
the NFC Championship or the Super Bowl, hey,
25:10
who's really complaining? Nobody. But only time
25:14
will tell with that situation, though. But we
25:16
do have to get into a little bit of a trade talk.
25:19
And that is Sam Howell going to Minnesota. So
25:22
Sam Howell has been traded to the Vikings. And
25:25
so the Vikings receive, of course, Sam Howell
25:27
in a 2025 fifth round pick. The Hawks receive
25:30
a 2025 fifth round pick as well. So they're just
25:33
swapping, you know. Fifth round picks, that's
25:36
all. Nothing significant or whatever. With the
25:40
Seahawks drafting Jalen Milrow, Sam Howell didn't
25:43
have a chance. And so they want to put him into
25:45
a better situation. Because the Seahawks right
25:48
now have, what is it, Sam Darnold, Drew Locke,
25:52
and Jalen Milrow. And to be honest with you,
25:55
Sam Darnold, technically speaking, is on a one
25:57
-year deal. This sort of... shuts the door for
26:00
Aaron Rodgers possibly going to the Vikings.
26:03
And I say that because with Sam Howell, you don't
26:07
have to worry about this shadowy figure that's
26:11
hovering over J .J. McCarthy. You don't have
26:13
to worry about that with Sam Howell. Sam Howell
26:16
is not necessarily a threat. He's here to help.
26:21
And so if you're in a pinch, Sam Howell comes
26:23
in. That's all it is. Nothing crazy or whatever.
26:27
But we do have to get into this whole Aaron Rodgers
26:30
debacle. OK, because there's a few parts with
26:33
this. So when Pat McAfee made the announcement
26:35
that Aaron Rodgers was going to be on the show
26:37
instantly, I'm like, oh, OK, this is going to
26:40
be the day that he makes the announcement. So
26:42
instantly I tune in and I'm listening to it and
26:47
it's just not going anywhere. Like it was probably
26:50
45 minutes of just bullshit. It was 45 minutes
26:57
of time that I just wasted because here I am
27:01
thinking that he's about to make his decision
27:03
or or something significant. No, he didn't. He's
27:07
basically just talking about how, you know, the
27:09
Jets did him dirty. And, you know, they could
27:12
have just called him instead of just have him
27:14
take a take a flight and whatnot. All this other
27:16
crap. Don't nobody care about that. OK. But let's
27:19
just get into this stuff. So I'm going to read
27:21
some quotes, give my thoughts. Read some quotes,
27:24
give my thoughts, okay? So this is what he says
27:26
in that quote. I wasn't stringing anyone along.
27:28
I wasn't holding anyone hostage. I was honest
27:31
from the jump about where I was at mentally and
27:33
some of the constraints I have in my life right
27:35
now that warrant my attention. I'm open to anything
27:38
and attached to nothing. Time out. Time out,
27:42
time out, time out. Why in the world would you
27:44
say... Man, this is going to be difficult. Why
27:49
would you say I'm open to anything and attached
27:51
to nothing? But he goes on to say, retirement
27:54
could still be a possibility, but right now my
27:56
focus has been and will continue to be on my
27:59
personal life. And that's what I've told the
28:01
coaches. There are still conversations that are
28:03
being had. It's all been very honest lines of
28:05
communication. So then he goes on to say, I told
28:09
every single one of the teams I talked to. It
28:12
ain't about the money. I'll play for 10 M's.
28:15
I don't care. I never once said I need a multi
28:17
-year deal, 30 million or 40 million. Okay, that's
28:21
fine. That's absolute bullshit. I'll play for
28:23
10, whatever. Then where is everybody getting
28:29
these numbers from? That's what I really want
28:31
to know because I remember somebody was saying,
28:33
oh yeah, everybody's looking for 30 or 40 million
28:37
a year. And I'm like, wait a minute, just for
28:38
one year? Who the hell is going to pay Aaron
28:40
Rodgers 30 to 40 million a year? You got to be
28:42
out of your crazy mind. But good thing he finally
28:47
shot that down, which is great. Now, moving forward,
28:50
this is what he also says as well. He goes on
28:54
to say, and I quote, this entire time, I haven't
28:56
felt like I owe anyone a decision at any point.
28:59
This is my life now. I've been upfront with them
29:03
about that. If you need to move on, if you need
29:06
to do something, by all means. I don't think
29:08
it's fair to the Steelers or anyone while I'm
29:10
dealing with a lot off the field. I want to keep
29:13
the lines of communication open. The people who
29:16
need to know, know. On one hand, I do understand
29:20
where he is coming from. But at the same time,
29:23
what you cannot do is say these type of things.
29:29
But then prior to this point, you had a photographer.
29:33
To come out and videotape and take pictures of
29:36
you and DK Metcalf working out on the field.
29:42
That's very hypocritical of you, Aaron. He goes
29:47
on to say, I'm in a different phase of my life.
29:49
I'm 41 years old. I'm in a serious relationship.
29:52
I have off the field stuff going on that requires
29:54
my attention. I have personal commitments I made
29:57
not knowing what my future was going to look
29:59
like after last year that are important to me.
30:02
And I have a couple people in my inner inner
30:04
circle that are really battling some difficult
30:06
stuff. Now that I'll give you some grace on because
30:10
we don't know what's happening in the backgrounds
30:12
and it could be very significant. That's it.
30:17
Like that's that's just what it is at this point.
30:19
And then he goes on to talk about, you know,
30:21
the whole situation with the jets and whatnot.
30:24
I'm just not really, really not going to read
30:27
into that. Honestly, I'll just talk about it.
30:29
So basically what happened was. Aaron, you know,
30:33
got on the plane, went went to New York and he
30:36
was thinking the conversations were going to
30:37
go one way and they actually did. And so basically
30:41
what happened was 20 seconds into the conversation,
30:46
what they ask him is, so do you want to play
30:48
football? And he goes on to say, and I quote,
30:51
yeah, I'm interested. That wasn't the answer
30:54
that they was looking for. They were looking
30:56
for either a yes or a no. And you decide to go
31:00
and give your own answer and be an asshole and
31:03
say, I'm interested. These are the things that
31:06
I talk about when it comes to Aaron Rodgers.
31:09
If this was the Aaron Rodgers of old, I'm not
31:12
saying anything because I know what I'm getting
31:14
with him. But this version, this asshole version
31:18
of Aaron Rodgers, I'm not taking it. I don't
31:22
even want it whiffing the locker room. Because
31:26
he feels entitled. He feels like he is still
31:29
the Aaron Rodgers of old. And you're not. Your
31:32
play says otherwise. They were looking for a
31:35
yes or no answer. And that's exactly why they
31:39
made the move that they made and got Justin Fields.
31:42
Because you know why? They were not going to
31:44
take on your baggage and your BS for another
31:47
season. Oh well, tough noogies. Get over yourself.
31:52
It's no problem. But here's the problem that
31:55
I have with Aaron Rodgers, okay? So this is coming
31:59
from Mike Silver on an episode with the Scoop
32:02
City podcast that includes Diana Rossini and
32:05
Chase Daniels. It's actually a pretty good episode.
32:06
So this is what he says, Adam Silver. This is
32:09
what he says based off of a conversation that
32:11
he's had with Devontae Adams. And I quote, I
32:16
think Aaron wants someone to roll the red carpet
32:18
for him. That is what he's looking for. I'm not
32:21
sure if he would consider the Steelers doing
32:23
that right now. I'm not positive how Aaron perceives
32:27
that or how the Steelers perceive that. Roll
32:31
out the red carpet. Are you serious? Are you
32:34
serious? Do you think they're just going to send
32:36
a horde of planes full of players to say, hey,
32:39
Aaron, come and be a Pittsburgh Steeler. Come
32:42
on, play for the Steelers. Do you really think
32:44
they're going to do that? No, they're not going
32:45
to do that. You don't even deserve that type
32:48
of attention. Again, as I just said, if this
32:52
was the Aaron Rodgers of old, best believe I'm
32:55
getting on a plane, I'm getting on a train, I'm
32:57
getting on a car, I'm getting on anything that
33:01
I can go so that I can communicate with Aaron
33:04
Rodgers because I know what I'm getting. Because
33:06
I know when he steps on the field, either he
33:08
is the best quarterback on the field or the second
33:11
best quarterback on the field. It's one of those
33:15
two. But that's not the case anymore. Who really
33:19
cares? I understand Aaron Rodgers puts butts
33:23
in seats. I understand that Aaron Rodgers may
33:27
still feel like he's still got it. But let's
33:29
be real here. You don't. You're washed. And it's
33:34
just time for you to hang it up. You are falling
33:38
into a pit of misery right now because you feel
33:43
like you want to try to dictate your own ending.
33:46
Some people can do it. Some people can't do it.
33:49
But the fact of the matter is we have seen you
33:53
publicly throw players and coaches under the
33:59
bus. Unacceptable. And I know damn well if you
34:05
do that in Pittsburgh, it's going to cause a
34:08
lot of friction in that locker room. And if you're
34:11
the Steelers, I don't think you would really
34:13
want that. I don't think you would want to entertain
34:16
someone like Aaron Rodgers because he's tough
34:20
to deal with. Some things just aren't worth.
34:23
And Aaron Rodgers is one of them. It is not worth
34:27
dividing your locker room just for potentially
34:31
trying to make it to the playoffs this year.
34:35
At best, the ceiling of having Aaron Rodgers
34:39
as the quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
34:42
It's most likely the wildcard division or the
34:45
second round of the playoffs. That's the ceiling.
34:49
And so does that change anything? No. Does that
34:53
do anything significant? No, it doesn't. Aaron
34:57
Rodgers showed by his actions and just the way
35:02
that he was talking that he's not interested
35:04
in football. He's not. And that's perfectly fine.
35:09
I have no problem with that whatsoever. You're
35:11
in you say you're in a serious relationship.
35:14
You're 41 years old. That's fine. I would rather
35:18
for you to just say, you know what? I tried to
35:21
go through the process. I appreciate everybody's
35:25
time. I appreciate everybody. I appreciate everybody's
35:29
involvement in this situation. But I think it's
35:32
time for me to retire. And granted, I understand
35:35
it's a tough decision that you have to make because
35:38
this is a game that you love and it's not like
35:40
basketball or hockey or soccer or golf or any
35:45
of these other things where you can still play
35:47
once you retire. No. Once football is over with,
35:52
that's it. That's the end all be all. And so
35:55
I understand that he may be in a difficult spot
36:01
right now. But at this point, What is the holdup?
36:06
Because the draft is over. So what's the problem?
36:11
Why haven't you signed? Why hasn't there been
36:15
any indication that Aaron Rodgers is going to
36:18
sign? Because, and this is just my personal opinion,
36:22
I could be 100 % wrong. And I would love to be
36:26
wrong. I don't think Aaron Rodgers really wants
36:28
to go to the Steelers. I think Aaron Rodgers
36:31
is waiting for another team, a better team, a
36:34
team that is more suited to possibly winning
36:36
the Super Bowl to appear. I think he's waiting
36:40
for the 49ers. I think the 49ers make a lot of
36:43
sense, and let me explain why. For one, you have
36:46
a really good offensive line. You have a really
36:48
good offense as a whole. You have Christian McCaffrey.
36:52
You have Brandon Ayuk. You have Jawan Jennings.
36:54
You have... Ricky Pearsall, you have options.
36:58
And you have George Kittle, which is great. Not
37:02
to mention, you're staying on the West Coast.
37:04
You're staying in a warmer climate. The division,
37:09
it's not necessarily a cakewalk. But the only
37:14
two teams that you really have to worry about
37:16
is the Seahawks and the Rams. Outside of that,
37:20
you could probably beat the Cardinals twice if
37:22
you really wanted to. And outside of that as
37:25
well, the only time you would have to come to
37:28
the East Coast is to face either the Eagles or
37:31
the Commanders or the Lions or the Bears or any
37:35
of those other teams. I would go there because
37:38
you playing for the Steelers at this point in
37:41
your career probably isn't the most healthy option
37:44
because you're going into a division where none
37:46
of the teams have a dome and all of their divisional
37:50
games are brutal. Do you really want to deal
37:54
with that? No, I don't think you really want
37:56
to. So if I'm Aaron Rodgers, I'm weighing out
38:00
all my options. You say you're in a serious relationship.
38:03
You say there's a lot of things that are happening
38:05
in the background that are taking up your time
38:07
and all those other things. Then commit to those
38:10
things. By all means, 100 % commit to those things.
38:15
What you're doing right now is selling a bunch
38:17
of hopeless dreams. to a bunch of Steelers fans
38:21
that still believe that you're going to sign
38:23
with the team. Art Rooney II and Mike Tomlin
38:26
came out this past weekend talking about, oh
38:29
yeah, we hope to have Aaron in soon, and we believe
38:34
he's going to sign with us soon, and soon, soon,
38:37
soon, soon, soon, soon. Listen, y 'all been saying
38:40
soon for the longest time. At this point, just
38:44
stop. Admit your fault. It meant that you have
38:48
egg on your face because what did you do again?
38:52
You were the last to the party. You waited too
38:56
long. And now what happened? You don't have a
38:59
quarterback. This is exactly why I definitely
39:02
believe that the Steelers should have drafted
39:05
a quarterback in the first round because there's
39:08
no need to wait and see what Aaron Rodgers is
39:11
going to do. You need to move like Aaron Rodgers
39:14
is not going to join the team. Because right
39:17
now, you waiting for him is not going to solve
39:19
anything. The offseason program has already started.
39:22
You should have been in the building by now developing
39:25
a rapport with your receivers, with your offensive
39:29
players. But that's not the case. So something
39:33
has to break at this point. Because the longer
39:36
that this thing draws out, the worse of the effect
39:40
that it has on everybody. Because why? DK Metcalf
39:44
is the only person. that he's basically worked
39:48
with. He hasn't worked with Calvin Alston. He
39:51
hasn't worked with George Pickens. He hasn't
39:53
worked with Pat Frymuth. He hasn't worked with
39:55
none of the running backs, none of the offensive
39:57
linemen. He hasn't done any of those things.
39:59
So at some point, somebody in that front office
40:04
has to come out and they have to say, it's okay.
40:08
We tried. We failed. It's okay. We're going to
40:12
run it with Mason. We just drafted Will Howard.
40:15
We have Skyler Thompson. At best, if you want,
40:18
we can go and make a move possibly and get Kirk
40:20
Cousins. Figure out all the financials with that
40:23
and just go from there. Because right now, waiting
40:27
for Aaron Rodgers is like a kid waiting for their
40:31
dad to pick them up on the weekend. When you
40:34
know daggone well, daddy's not coming to pick
40:36
you up on the weekend. I'm just being honest
40:39
here. Even when you want to look at his record
40:43
since leaving the Packers, the one season that
40:46
he actually played, one full season, he was 5
40:49
-12, 584 attempts for 368 completions, 3 ,897
40:56
passing yards, 28 touchdowns, 11 picks, 6 .7
41:00
yards per attempt, and a 63 completion percentage.
41:04
And he was sacked 40 times. I'm sorry. this offensive
41:09
line is not strong enough to hold up against
41:11
Aaron Rodgers. Let's be real here. Broderick
41:15
Jones is now playing left tackle for the first
41:19
time. And Troy Furtado is coming off of a serious
41:23
injury. If I'm Aaron Rodgers, I'm very skeptical
41:27
of that. Because why? I'm 41 years old. I can't
41:31
keep on taking a whole bunch of hits. I can't
41:33
have another... a season where I'm sacked 40
41:36
plus times. I can't do that. I'm going to get
41:40
crushed. Now, if Aaron Rodgers was maybe about,
41:43
you know, 33, 34, okay, well then, yeah, he can
41:46
survive. He'll be fine because he can roll out
41:49
and he's a little bit, you know, he still has
41:51
a little bit of juice left in the tank so he
41:52
can run a little bit if he wants to, but not
41:55
anymore. This dude, he is a sitting duck and
41:58
you're playing in a division where the Ravens
42:01
The Browns and the Bengals are all going to take
42:04
your head off. I don't think you want that. But
42:06
let's get into this whole draft debacle thing.
42:10
So before we get into the actual draft, we do
42:13
need to address the Shador Sanders incident and
42:16
how this was a very serious situation. I understand
42:21
to some people they may think of this as a prank
42:23
phone call. I view this as an invasion of privacy.
42:27
And let me explain why. Anytime somebody is able
42:32
to retrieve information such as a phone number
42:36
of a prospect or even a player that's currently
42:39
playing in the NFL right now, that is an invasion
42:42
of privacy. That can put them in harm's way.
42:46
We have seen recently that professional athletes
42:51
have been targeted by robbers. From Joe Burrow
42:55
to Patrick Mahomes. I know there's maybe about
43:00
two or three other players that have been targeted
43:02
by robbers. Do you really want that? Do you really
43:06
want to put one of these players in harm's way?
43:08
No. So then why in the world was his son able
43:15
to actually get access to this information? You
43:19
would have thought by now that they would have
43:20
had a system in place to where any device that
43:23
they have would auto -lock. So this was the statement
43:26
that Jax Ulbrich, the person that was involved
43:28
with this prank call, said, and I quote, on Friday
43:31
night, I made a tremendous mistake. Shador, what
43:35
I did was completely inexcusable, embarrassing,
43:37
and shameful. I'm so sorry I took away from your
43:40
moment. It was childish and selfish. I could
43:43
never imagine getting ready to celebrate one
43:45
of the greatest moments of your life. And I made
43:48
a terrible mistake and messed with that moment.
43:51
Thank you for accepting my call earlier today.
43:53
I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive
43:55
me, Shador Sanders. That's what Jax Albrecht
43:58
says. Now this is what the Atlanta Falcons say
44:02
about this incident. Earlier in the week, Jax
44:05
Albrecht, the 21 -year -old son of defensive
44:07
coordinator Jeff Albrecht, unintentionally came
44:09
across a draft contact phone number for Shador
44:11
Sanders off an open iPad while visiting his parents'
44:15
home and wrote the number down to later conduct
44:18
a prank call. Jeff Albrecht was unaware of the
44:21
data exposure or any facets of the prank and
44:23
was made aware of the above only after the fact.
44:27
What in the world? That is so crazy. The Atlanta
44:30
Falcons do not condone this behavior and send
44:32
our sincere apologies to Shador Sanders and his
44:35
family who have been in contact with to apologize
44:39
to as well as. Can't even speak. As well as facilitate
44:43
an apology directly from Jax to the Sanders family.
44:47
We have also been in contact with the NFL and
44:49
will continue to cooperate fully with any inquiries
44:52
we may receive from the NFL League office. We
44:54
are thoroughly reviewing all protocols and updating
44:57
if necessary to prevent an incident like this
45:00
from happening again. I'm sorry, but this is
45:02
not good enough. Because you took away a moment
45:09
from somebody. For fun. I can understand if you
45:15
already had a prior relationship to Shador. I
45:19
could be a little bit lenient with that. But
45:22
you didn't have a relationship with him prior
45:25
to this moment. And you were able to access your
45:30
father's iPad and retrieve the number of a Shador
45:35
Sanders. I don't even understand why you would
45:40
do something like that. Because that incident
45:42
alone could have caused your father to lose his
45:46
job. Who wants that? Not to mention, this could
45:52
open things up for a lawsuit. Like, it's one
45:58
thing if you're trying to have fun. But it's
46:01
another thing when you do it at the wrong moment.
46:04
Shador Sanders. Alone, outside of the rest of
46:09
the draft, was the number one thing that had
46:12
everybody glued to the draft because everybody
46:15
was trying to see where Shador was going to go.
46:17
And you just had to be the jackass to say, you
46:21
know what? I'm going to do something stupid.
46:24
And guess what happened? You got exposed. You
46:28
know, and everybody else knows, that Twitter
46:31
is faster than the CIA, NSA, FBI. everybody in
46:36
between they find people quick and when i mean
46:41
quick i mean quick i'm talking about the same
46:43
day that they put out that video they found out
46:47
who it was that's how quick it was that's unacceptable
46:51
there are there are certain lines that you just
46:56
do not cross and this line was crossed and so
47:01
now if you're the nfl for one you need to find
47:04
Jeff Albrecht because you are being irrelevant
47:09
with the equipment. You should have had a setting
47:13
put in place on your iPad to where it auto -locks
47:16
after either 30 seconds, a minute, five minutes,
47:20
whatever, to prevent any incident like this from
47:24
happening. Because guess what? God forbid, if
47:27
somebody broke into Jeff Albrecht's house and
47:31
retrieved that iPad, they would have had direct
47:34
contact with any of the prospects that were on
47:38
his iPad. Not to mention, Shador wasn't the only
47:42
person. Tyler Warren and Isaiah Bond were also
47:45
targets for prank calls as well. So, I say all
47:51
that to say this. The league has to change their
47:55
rules for all 32 teams. Because right now, you
48:00
cannot allow another incident like this from
48:02
happening. Because luckily, this was just a prank
48:05
call. If this was somebody with malice intentions,
48:10
they could have schemed up something to make
48:13
it seem like it was such a realistic situation
48:16
and could lure somebody in and potentially either
48:20
harm them or kill them. Now, to some people,
48:23
they're saying you're being a little bit dramatic.
48:25
But no, in this incident, you cannot be dramatic.
48:28
This is a multi -billion dollar business. And
48:32
you cannot allow the son of a defensive coordinator
48:35
to do dumb shit like this on one of the most
48:39
important three -day periods of the entire league's
48:43
history. You don't want that. Because guess what?
48:47
All those lawsuits and All those things that
48:51
come with it, if one of those players get hurt,
48:53
that falls on your lap. You're going to have
48:56
to deal with that. Do you really want that? I
48:58
don't think you want to. So if I'm the league,
49:02
I'm slapping a fine on Jeff Albrecht. And if
49:06
I'm the Falcons, I may slap another fine on you
49:09
as well. Because you need to understand the significance
49:13
of this incident. An incident like this cannot
49:17
happen again, folks. If it does, things might
49:22
have to change significantly. Just saying, I'm
49:24
not calling for Jeff Albrecht to lose his job.
49:26
I never want to do that. But something significantly
49:30
has to change. Whether the contact information
49:35
is not shared with the coordinators or whatever
49:38
the case may be. Something has to change. But
49:42
let's get into the draft since we're still talking
49:44
about Shador. Shador did not help his case. Now,
49:49
I understand for some people you're probably
49:50
saying, well, what do you mean? You cannot have
49:54
your father go on the media run that he went
49:57
on and basically say things such as, oh, yeah,
50:00
there's only a few teams that we want him to
50:03
play for. Oh, yeah, we're going to choose which
50:08
teams he want to go to. You can't have those
50:12
type of things come out publicly. Then on top
50:15
of that, you can't have someone like a Tom McShay
50:18
report that says in details how him and Brian
50:22
Dable really wasn't agreeing eye to eye and that
50:27
how Brian Dable was grilling Shador and Shador
50:30
really wasn't taking it well. You can't do that.
50:33
Case in point, that's why they chose Jackson
50:35
Dart. They didn't just choose Jackson Dart just
50:38
because he's a quote unquote better prospect.
50:41
No, they chose Jackson Dart because you know
50:44
why? Didn't have those problems. Didn't have
50:48
those issues. Didn't have those situations. That's
50:52
what it was. And so when you have Deion saying
50:57
on top of Shador moving the way that he's moving,
51:00
guess what happens? A lot of teams are going
51:03
to be turned off. They're not going to want to
51:04
be interested. And a lot of people have said
51:07
that, guess what? That interview with Shador,
51:11
it did not go well. Now, here's the thing with
51:14
this. If Shador was like the same prospect like
51:17
his father, OK, fine, whatever, because you already
51:20
know you're getting a perennial all pro game
51:24
changing talent. But that's not the case. Let's
51:28
be real here, OK? Jador isn't a prospect like,
51:32
for instance, Andrew Luck or Camden or Patrick
51:37
Mahomes or Lamar Jackson or Peyton Manning or
51:40
any of those top tier prospects. That's not him.
51:44
And so it reflected because a lot of teams were
51:48
just like, no, we'll pass over you. Now, the
51:53
thing that made things a little bit crazy. was
51:57
that once the Browns passed him a couple of times,
52:00
I was like, oh, man, this isn't really good.
52:03
Because the Browns needed a quarterback. The
52:05
Steelers needed a quarterback. The Raiders probably
52:08
wanted a backup quarterback. There was a few
52:10
teams that really needed a quarterback, and they
52:11
all passed up on Shador. And so if you are Shador,
52:16
you need to come into the mindset that, listen,
52:19
everything from this point on is a fight. I am
52:24
fighting for my roster spot. I am fighting to
52:27
stay in the league. I am fighting to prove all
52:30
the naysayers and haters and doubters and all
52:33
those people that said I wasn't going to be nothing.
52:35
I'm just following. I'm just trying to be like
52:37
my daddy. That's what you have to do with this
52:41
point. Not be in the club with freaking Young
52:44
Miami and whatnot. Partying. No, bro. The work
52:48
starts now. It starts now. The minute. That they
52:53
called you and said, we are going to draft you.
52:57
The work should have started. That's when you
53:00
should have said, hey, listen, I appreciate everybody
53:01
for coming. Thank you so much. But I got to get
53:05
to work. And I would have started throwing. I
53:08
would have started practicing. I would have gotten
53:10
on a plane and head to Cleveland. I know I probably
53:13
just said that wrong. I would have gotten the
53:15
playbook. Hey, Jerry Judy or David Njoku or whomever.
53:21
Meet me at such and such place at such and such
53:24
time. We're going to do some drills. That's what
53:27
it did. Because right now, you're in a really
53:30
crowded quarterback room. Because you have Deshaun
53:32
Watson, even though he's not playing this season,
53:35
he's still on contract. You have Joe Flacco.
53:37
You have Kenny Pickett. You have Dylan Gabriel.
53:39
And then you have yourself. You have five quarterbacks.
53:41
Now, we all know Joe Flacco, this is his spot
53:44
to lose. And we all know, most likely, it'll
53:47
be a battle between Kenny Pickett, Dylan Gabriel,
53:49
and Shador Sanders. But I feel like Shador Sanders
53:52
could definitely beat Kenny Pickett. And I think
53:56
there's a good chance he could probably beat
53:58
out Dylan Gabriel as well. But he has to be committed.
54:02
You have to prove and you have to show everybody
54:06
that, listen, you weren't just a mistake. You
54:09
have to do that. Otherwise, guess what's going
54:11
to happen? Come cut time, they're going to get
54:13
rid of you. I don't think you want that personally.
54:17
Now, when we look at everything else in its entirety
54:20
with the draft, there's just a few things that
54:23
definitely caught my mind. The Patriots, Ravens,
54:26
Seahawks, and maybe three other teams won the
54:29
draft. I think their drafts went great, especially
54:33
for the Ravens. You get Starks in the first round.
54:36
Then you get Mike Green. Then you get Aeneas
54:39
Pebbles. Are you serious? What? Folks, I don't
54:46
think you guys understand how crazy that is.
54:50
For the Ravens to get Malachi Starks, Aeneas
54:53
Peebles, and Mike Green, people are going to
54:58
have hell to pay. And then even the Patriots.
55:01
You get Will Campbell, which is a really good
55:03
pickup. And then you also get Travion Henderson,
55:06
which is a really good pickup as well. These
55:08
teams definitely made significant moves. And
55:10
then even with the Seahawks, you get Grace Abel,
55:12
which I definitely thought they were going to
55:13
do that. And you get Jalen Milrow as well, which
55:15
is a really good pickup as well because in recent
55:18
years, we have seen that the Seahawks have been
55:21
able to develop later round quarterbacks. I mean,
55:24
they did it with Russell Wilson. I think they
55:25
could do it with Jalen Milrow as well. Now, for
55:30
the Falcons, I feel like they reached. I truly
55:34
believe that because when you give up next year's
55:37
first round pick to trade back into the first
55:39
round, that is a gamble. You don't know where
55:45
you're going to end up. You don't know if you're
55:47
going to be, you know, in a really good spot
55:50
or you're possibly going to be in a losing season.
55:53
You don't know. And if you lose this thing, you're
55:58
really going to lose your job because for one,
56:01
you overpay for Kirk Cousins. And then in that
56:06
same year, you draft Michael Penix. Hi. Okay,
56:08
cool. And now this. You gave him a first round
56:12
pick to get James Pierce. I don't know about
56:15
that. That's a little bit skeptical with that
56:18
one. Now, we all know that the second and third
56:21
round was definitely the sweet spot for this
56:23
year's draft. It was great. You still had Nick
56:27
Imanwara. You still had Jalen Milrow and company.
56:31
Like you had a lot of top tier players that were
56:34
still available in the second and third round.
56:36
And teams were just plugging them left and right.
56:40
Now, I will say this. The Giants chose want over
56:45
need. And let me explain why. It's one thing
56:50
if you needed a pass rusher. You didn't need
56:53
a pass rusher. You wanted another pass rusher.
56:56
You paid top dollar for Brian Burns. You still
56:59
have Kayvon Thibodeau under contract and you
57:02
picked up his fifth year option. Where is Abdul
57:05
Carter going to fit? Somebody tell me, please,
57:10
where is Abdul Carter going to fit? It was a
57:13
bad pick. If you wanted to address quarterback,
57:17
fine. If you wanted to address offensive line,
57:20
fine. If you wanted to address receiver, fine.
57:23
There were other positions that you instead of
57:25
going after another pass rusher, which was ridiculous.
57:28
But this is the Giants. The Giants will be the
57:32
Giants under Joe Shane. And same thing with the
57:36
Jaguars. They took a gamble on Travis Hunter.
57:38
I think unless Travis Hunter wins Offensive Rookie
57:43
of the Year or Defensive Rookie of the Year,
57:45
this may have been a bad call. Now, I understand
57:49
you probably may have done this because you probably
57:51
got intel the Browns were going to choose Travis
57:53
Hunter. But even then, I'm not about to give
57:56
up next year's first round pick. Because guess
57:58
what? If you don't do well, the Browns could
58:01
potentially have two top five picks. Do you really
58:06
want that? No. And especially with the potential
58:10
of next year being a better quarterback draft
58:12
class? I'm sorry. I'm not doing that. I'm not
58:17
taking that gamble. Because what if Archie Manning
58:20
does declare for the draft next year? Do you
58:23
know what happens? You just hand -delivered Archie
58:26
Manning to the Cleveland Browns. And on top of
58:30
that, they have another first -round pick, which
58:33
they can use to get a weapon. For Archie Manning,
58:36
if they really wanted to. I don't know. This
58:40
draft was more of a meat and potatoes type of
58:44
draft. This was a draft class that was more,
58:47
you know, just building your team up. It wasn't
58:50
like a, you know, dynamic oohs and ahhs type
58:54
of draft class. It was not that. And clearly
58:58
it showed. There were a lot of players that I
58:59
feel like were reaches. I feel like Mason Graham
59:02
was a reach. I feel like Mason Graham should
59:04
have been drafted between the 10th to maybe 13th.
59:09
I would have said that personally. I feel like
59:12
Abdul Carter may be a little bit of a reach.
59:16
I feel like Mikel Williams is a little bit of
59:18
a reach as well. I'm just going to be honest
59:21
and I'll continue to say it. I'm not really high
59:22
on these pass rushers this year. And the only
59:25
one that I really am high on is Mike Green. Outside
59:28
of that. I can talk myself out of getting a lot
59:31
of these pass rushes. I'm just being completely
59:32
honest here. But I'm going to end this episode
59:35
here. If you guys like what you're listening,
59:36
please, please, please, please, please make sure
59:38
you guys download the episodes. Leave a five
59:41
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available. the RSS feed page, okay? Now, on our
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1:00:18
your thoughts on this year's draft, okay? Now,
1:00:20
for my TikTok people, Football Junkies Pod, okay?
1:00:23
Football Junkies Pod. I'm content i know i still
1:00:29
have a lot of clips that i have to put out with
1:00:30
the divisional rodeo and whatnot so i definitely
1:00:32
have a lot of work that i have to do you can
1:00:35
follow me on x uh gm kale okay gm kale k -a -i
1:00:40
-l -e as well as blue sky gm kale k -a -i -l
1:00:44
-e As always, I hope I gave you guys the fix
1:00:47
that you guys need. We're back and we're in business
1:00:50
and we're ready to go, folks. So guess what?
1:00:52
Stay tuned because there's still a whole lot
1:00:54
of stuff that we still have to talk about. And
1:00:56
we're going to be breaking down everybody's draft
1:00:58
by their division so we can do a little bit more
1:01:01
of an in -depth analysis, you know, with stats
1:01:04
and all those different things and more. So as
1:01:06
always, this is your GM Kel signing out. Peace
1:01:08
and love. Later. Breaking news, breaking news,
1:01:22
breaking news, just when the episode ended. Man,
1:01:26
oh man, we got another bag alert, okay? Andrew
1:01:29
Van Ginkle, excuse me, Ginkle, inked a one -year
1:01:33
$23 million deal to stay with the Vikings. It
1:01:37
includes $22 .4 million guaranteed. Now, we sort
1:01:40
of talked about him in the divisional rodeo,
1:01:43
and I definitely said that he was going to be
1:01:45
extended, so I called it. I called it prior to
1:01:49
this point, and so... It's a good deal. He's
1:01:51
a really productive player on that Vikings defense.
1:01:54
He did a lot in last season, so not surprised.
1:01:58
And plus, it's a one -year deal. Can't be that
1:02:00
bad. But we'll talk about, well, you know what?
1:02:03
Yeah, we will. We'll talk about this deal as
1:02:06
well as the fifth -year options in the next episode.
1:02:08
So this is your GM signing out. I would not be
1:02:14
surprised if somebody else gets paid by the time
1:02:17
I am done editing and putting out this episode.
1:02:19
But this is your GM Kel signing out. Peace and
1:02:22
love later.