Latest / Football Junkies podcast / Ep.82: Alexander the great

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Ep.82: Alexander the great · Football Junkies podcast

0:00
Double breaking news, double breaking news, double
0:01
breaking news, folks. That's right. I know I
0:05
said I was supposed to be taking a break. I understand
0:07
that. But guess what? We have some things that
0:08
we have to talk about, all right? Jair Alexander
0:11
and Jermaine Pratt get released. So we have to
0:14
talk about which teams will work for Jermaine
0:16
Pratt, as well as for Jair Alexander, the financials
0:19
for both teams, as well as how does the Jair
0:23
Alexander situation affect Jalen Ramsey's situation,
0:26
all right? All of this and more on the 86. second
0:29
episode of the Football Junkies podcast, all
0:31
right? I am your host with the most. I am your
0:33
chief bag roll domus. I am your chief head of
0:36
the table. Anything and everything related to
0:38
the bag, conspiracy theories, trade, you name
0:41
it, we cover it over here at the Football Junkies
0:43
podcast. I am your GM who currently is not on
0:46
a team right now, but don't you worry about it
0:48
because you know why? I'm still being fed with
0:51
a whole bunch of information, information that
0:53
I cannot release to you because if I do, I might
0:56
lose my credibility and my sources. But guess
0:58
what? I am all these things and more. But most
1:01
importantly, the most important thing that you
1:03
must remember is I am your host, Kale. So you
1:06
already know how these things are about to go.
1:07
So guess what? On three. One, two, three. Let's
1:09
lock in. right folks let's just get into the
1:38
meat and potatoes of everything that is going
1:39
on in the league right now so before we get into
1:42
the gyre alexander talk let's talk about jermaine
1:45
pratt so jermaine pratt has been released today
1:48
better yet i think it just happened maybe about
1:50
five or ten minutes ago prior to this recording
1:53
so let's just get into everything so to start
1:56
things off jermaine pratt requested to trade
1:58
for the bangles a long time ago From him requesting
2:02
a trade up until now, there has been no information
2:05
or no progress of a resolution for that entire
2:08
situation until now. Now, when we look at the
2:11
financials for this entire move, the Bengals
2:13
save $5 .6 million in cash space and take on
2:15
$2 .3 million in dead cap. His market value,
2:19
according to SpotRack, is two years, $17 .9 million,
2:22
which is $9 million a year. Here's the thing.
2:25
When you look at his 2023 and 2024 season combined,
2:30
not separate, but combined, 143 solo tackles,
2:34
two sacks, four forced fumbles, say that three
2:38
times, nine pass deflections, two fumble recoveries,
2:41
four interceptions, and 12 tackles for loss.
2:44
He's been a really productive inside linebacker.
2:47
And if we're being real here, two years, 17 .9
2:51
million, nine million a year, that's not bad.
2:54
That's really not bad at all. So I don't understand
2:56
why the Bengals would make this type of move,
3:00
but I'm not surprised because why? The Bengals
3:02
continue to do bad business. Now, granted, I
3:06
understand that you have more superstars on the
3:08
offense and Joe Burrow, T. Higgins, and Jamar
3:10
Chase. I get that. But you also have to take
3:13
care of the defense as well, because if you don't,
3:15
guess what's going to happen? You are going to
3:17
have to basically outshoot your opponent every
3:20
single week, and you won't be able to do that.
3:23
Your defense is going to have to make some plays,
3:26
and they can't do that if you don't have anybody
3:28
there. Now, granted, I understand that they drafted
3:31
an inside linebacker in Demetrius Knight, but
3:34
you don't know what you're getting out of him.
3:37
Jermaine Pratt is proven. He's been proven for
3:40
the past few years. On one hand, it's great for
3:44
Jermaine Pratt because he's able to go and latch
3:46
onto a team before training camp, which is great,
3:48
but at the same time, this weakens the Bengals
3:51
even more because guess what? You already have
3:54
a bad situation with Trey Hendrickson. Now that
3:57
you've released Jermaine Pratt, everyone is going
3:59
to be looking at you with a side eye because
4:02
there are going to be some people on that defense
4:04
as well. They're going to be looking for money
4:05
too. And guess what? There's no need for them
4:08
to go to y 'all because why? Y 'all don't care
4:11
about the defense. So at some point, somebody
4:14
is going to have to be the bigger person in the
4:16
room and say, listen, we have to take people
4:18
on both sides of the ball. Do we have to give
4:21
them market value? Probably not. Can we try to
4:24
at least save a little bit of money? We can try.
4:27
But what you cannot do is just let people go
4:30
willy -nilly and thinking, oh, okay, well, we'll
4:33
sort of self out. No, it doesn't work like that.
4:35
That's why you see a lot of people not really
4:38
interested in playing for the Bengals because
4:40
why? They have had a reputation for a very long
4:43
time, prior to probably I was born, of just doing
4:47
bad business, a very cheap run organization.
4:51
I think the Bengals are so cheap. I guarantee
4:54
you if you ask the player, do they charge you
4:57
for food? Do they charge you for, I don't know,
4:59
getting a new pair of socks? I guarantee you
5:01
they'll flip you a bill for it. I wouldn't be
5:03
surprised. That's how bad the Bengals have been.
5:07
Now, when we look at things from another perspective
5:10
of what would be the best situation for Jermaine
5:13
Pratt, I can already tell you one team that would
5:16
definitely love him, the Colts. And the only
5:19
reason why I say that is because his former defensive
5:22
coordinator is now the defensive coordinator
5:24
for the Colts. So I think if you plug him in,
5:27
it's home because he already knows that system.
5:31
He's familiar with all the cadences and formations
5:34
and all the things that come with the defense.
5:38
So I think that would be an instant upgrade for
5:41
the inside linebacker position for the Colts.
5:43
Now, if you want to take things for a few other
5:46
teams, you could possibly put in maybe the Steelers
5:49
if they're interested because, you know, division
5:51
rival. Maybe he wants to enact his revenge on
5:53
the Bengals. Maybe you can go after the Chiefs.
5:56
There are a few teams that Jermaine Pratt can
5:59
go to. Now, are you going to make a lot of money?
6:01
Probably not. But the question is this. Are you
6:05
ring chasing or are you bag chasing? And just
6:08
looking at the available inside linebackers,
6:10
you have C .J. Mosley, Jawan Bentley, Devondre
6:13
Campbell, Eric Kendricks, Neville Hewitt, Chris
6:15
Barnes, Matthew Adams, Tyler Malkovich, Chandler
6:19
Woodland, Chance Campbell, Quan Alexander, Raekwon
6:22
McMillan. Like, sure, there are some pretty good
6:25
inside linebackers, but you have the advantage
6:28
because you're only 29 years old. Whereas C .J.
6:32
Mosley, he's 32. Eric Kendricks, he's 33. Neville
6:36
Hewitt, he's 32. There's a mixture of old but
6:40
somewhat young inside linebackers. So if I'm
6:44
Jermaine Pratt, I'm going to take my time, but
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I'm not going to be very slow with this decision.
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I need to make a list of at least five teams
6:50
that I'm interested in right now and start getting
6:53
on the phone with them because mandatory minicamp
6:55
is this week for a lot of teams, and then everybody
6:58
takes a break. And then, you know, training camp
7:00
begins. So between now and the start of training
7:03
camp, you want to at least be in active contract
7:06
talks with at least three teams. Because right
7:10
now, this is the perfect time for you to strike.
7:13
Now, granted, you may not get as much money as
7:15
you probably want, but guess what? If you're
7:17
put into a better opportunity where you could
7:19
compete and possibly win a ring, who really cares?
7:22
Because guess what? Come next offseason, you
7:25
can cash in. Now, I'm not saying you're going
7:27
to reset the inside linebacker market, but you
7:30
can make a pretty decent amount of money. Just
7:33
saying. Now, let's get into the part where everybody
7:36
wants to talk about, and that is the whole Jair
7:38
Alexander situation. So before we get into all
7:42
the intangibles, let's talk about what led up
7:45
to this. So this started last season. where Jair
7:49
was suspended for his conduct, and then he was
7:52
able to come back to the team, which then escalates
7:55
into trade talks during this offseason prior
7:58
to the draft of him possibly going to the Seahawks
8:01
or a few different teams. And then that sort
8:03
of dies down after the draft, and then it starts
8:06
to pick up a little bit, and then it dies down.
8:08
So it's going through its highs and lows. And
8:11
then ultimately today, actually this morning
8:14
specifically, they decided to release Jair Alexander.
8:17
So according to Albert Breer, the Packers offered
8:20
Jair a reduced one -year deal that would make
8:23
him a free agent in 2026, but Jair turned it
8:26
down. The team tried trading him during the draft
8:29
and were unsuccessful. Now, according to Jordan
8:32
Schultz, the Packers and the Bills had trade
8:34
talks, but were unsuccessful. Case in point,
8:37
that's why the Bills drafted Maxwell Harrison
8:39
in the first round. Now, when we look at the
8:41
financials that come with this move, The release
8:44
leaves dead cap hits of $7 .5 million this year
8:47
and then $9 .5 million next year. But it saves
8:51
the Packers $17 .1 million this year and $17
8:55
.5 million next year. Here's the crazy thing
8:58
about this. This is the statement that the GM
9:01
of the Packers, Mark Murphy, put out not too
9:04
long ago. And I quote, He has been a great player
9:06
for us. Obviously elite talent. Unfortunately,
9:09
just injured a lot. Unfortunately, that's a big
9:13
part of the game, end quote. But here's the part
9:16
that may ruffle some feathers, though. End I
9:19
quote, we've been used to playing without Alexander.
9:22
Now, this comes from pro football talk reporter
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Josh Alper. My takeaway from all this information
9:28
is the Packers are ready to move on from Jair.
9:31
For one reason or the other, they were just ready
9:35
to be done with Jair Alexander. And granted,
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I understand dealing with a superstar is a lot.
9:41
I understand that sometimes it can be draining.
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I understand sometimes that if you don't have
9:46
the locker room to keep superstars in check,
9:50
it can make your life a living hell. But what
9:53
you do not do is go public with your statement
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and say something like this, because I'm telling
10:02
you, you are going to eat your words. There's
10:06
not a whole bunch of Jair Alexanders just walking
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around. He's a one -of -one type of talent. He's
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a playmaking type of talent that you cannot replicate.
10:16
There isn't anybody in free agency or available
10:19
for a trade or is going to be in next year's
10:22
draft class that can replicate what Jair can
10:25
do. Granted, I understand that he hasn't been
10:28
able to stay healthy for the last two years.
10:30
I get that. But some players go through that
10:33
phase. It happens. Could their health be because
10:37
of attrition? Could it be because of the climate
10:40
that they're playing in? It could be a plethora
10:42
of different things. But what you don't do is
10:45
give up on someone, especially someone like a
10:48
Jair Alexander. Let me just read to you a stat
10:50
that I found from NFL Pro. So when he is on the
10:53
field, opposing quarterbacks threw for seven
10:56
touchdowns and eight interceptions, recording
10:58
a 77 .5 passer rating. But when Jair Alexander
11:02
isn't on the field, quarterbacks threw for 15
11:06
touchdowns, 8 picks, and had a 95 .3 passer rating.
11:11
Let's go a little bit deeper than that. During
11:13
the 2024 season, when Jair was on the field,
11:17
the Packers... have allowed a 9 .7 lower completion
11:21
percentage, which is 61%, compared to when he's
11:24
off the field, which is 70 .7%. I'm sorry. Those
11:29
stats right there should already tell you that
11:31
this isn't just your ordinary type of corner.
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You didn't just pay him just because he had one
11:37
or two really good seasons. You paid him as a
11:40
franchise corner, and it shows with the stats.
11:44
There is nobody on the Packers right now that
11:47
can do exactly what Jair Alexander was able to
11:50
do. When we look at his stats from the past two
11:54
seasons, I'm going to go with 2024 first. 16
11:57
tackles. He was targeted 30 times and allowed
12:00
17 receptions for 244 yards and two touchdowns.
12:05
And in doing so, he got two picks. Now in the
12:08
2023 season, He had 27 tackles and was targeted
12:12
33 times and allowed 23 receptions for 270 yards
12:17
and two touchdowns. The stats speak for themselves,
12:19
folks. The stats that I just read showed you
12:23
how much of an impact Jair Alexander had on the
12:26
field. You're talking about somebody whose effect
12:30
is similar to what of a pass rusher, an elite
12:32
pass rusher. We've all seen the record of the
12:36
Steelers when TJ Watt is on the field and when
12:39
he isn't on the field. The best way to describe
12:42
this move is the Packers cut their nose to spite
12:44
their face. They said, we cannot deal with you
12:48
for another moment, for another day, for another
12:50
training camp, for another mini camp. We can't
12:53
deal with you with anything. We are willing to
12:55
just let you go and be somebody. But this is
13:00
the price of having a superstar. regardless of
13:03
the position on your team. When you have a superstar,
13:06
you're going to have to deal with these type
13:09
of antics in some capacity. Now, there are some
13:12
superstars who are a little bit more humble,
13:14
and then there are others who are a little bit
13:16
more outspoken, especially when there's a little
13:19
bit of discourse between them and the organization.
13:22
Let me just read to you the death chart right
13:24
now for the Packers when it comes to their corners.
13:27
So outside of Jire Alexander, they have Keyshawn
13:31
Nixon, Carrington Valentine, Micah Robinson,
13:34
Kamal Hayden, Isaiah Dunn, Jonathan Baldwin,
13:38
and Tyron Herrick. No disrespect to any of those
13:43
men, but they cannot hold a candle to what Jair
13:46
Alexander was able to do on the field. Do you
13:49
believe in any of those corners can hold their
13:52
own against a Justin Jefferson, Amon Ross St.
13:55
Brown, Roma Dunzay, DJ Moore, Luther Burden,
13:58
Jordan Addison, Jameson Williams? No. So why
14:02
would you make this premature move when you don't
14:05
have a succession plan in place? It'll be one
14:08
thing if you address cornerback one in the draft,
14:11
in free agency, via trade, any different type
14:14
of way. But you didn't do that. And now you put
14:18
yourself in harm's way because guess what? You
14:20
are in a division, and I want to continue to
14:23
say this, and I will continue to say this until
14:26
the cows come home. You are in a division where
14:28
you have Justin Jefferson, Roma Dunzey, Jamison
14:31
Williams, Amundra St. Brown, Luther Burden, and
14:35
DJ Moore. You don't have the corners to be able
14:39
to handle those type of receivers. So either
14:43
you make a big move now, or you run the possibility
14:47
of getting exposed throughout the entire season.
14:50
I don't think you really want to do that. Now,
14:53
granted, you can go and get someone like a Stephon
14:55
Gilmore, you can get Russell Douglas, or you
14:58
can get a few other different types of corners.
15:01
But can they hold a candle to what Jair Alexander
15:04
was able to do for the past few years now? No.
15:07
Even as hurt as Jair has been, he is still an
15:11
effective corner. He's just going through a phase
15:14
where he hasn't been healthy. Some players go
15:16
through that. It's perfectly fine. It's not the
15:18
end of the world. But what you cannot do is just
15:21
say, you know what? We're just willing to move
15:23
off of you. We really don't care. Sayonara. We
15:27
really don't need you. We were better off without
15:29
you. That was the type of vibe that Mark Murphy
15:34
was giving off when it came to those quotes.
15:36
And if I'm Jair Alexander, I would be so petty
15:39
and I would sign with the Vikings. just so I
15:42
can lock up all your receivers. And every single
15:44
time I lock up a receiver, every time I get a
15:46
pick, I'm looking at Mark Murphy's direction.
15:49
Now with this move, it does beg the question,
15:52
what are the Packers trying to do moving forward?
15:55
Now I do know Elton Jenkins isn't happy with
15:58
his current contract situation. I know he's looking
16:00
for a new contract because I think they're trying
16:03
to transition him to center. However, they are
16:07
in a really good spot when it comes to their
16:09
cap space right now. I'm going to tell you exactly
16:12
what their cap space is right now. They have
16:14
45 .4 million in cap space. They are fourth in
16:18
the league with the most cap space. So what's
16:22
the problem? Who are they really going to go
16:25
after? What other positions do they need to address
16:28
significantly? Now, as we talked about in the
16:30
last episode that the Packers were interested
16:33
in Rashad Bateman. I wouldn't be surprised if
16:35
they were going after another receiver. I wouldn't
16:37
be surprised if they're going after another corner.
16:39
I wouldn't be surprised if they are trying to
16:42
show up something else on this team because they
16:45
have a lot of cap space. And just looking at
16:48
some of their pending free agents for next year,
16:50
you have Christian Watson, Nicole Harbin, John
16:52
Fitzpatrick, Malik Willis, Trey Hill, Romeo Dobbs,
16:55
Dontavion Wicks, Bo Milton, Emmanuel Wilson,
16:58
Messiah Swinson, just to name a few. Now, some
17:02
of them are restricted free agents and some of
17:04
them are unrestricted free agents. Now, I know
17:06
with Romeo Dobbs, his market value is $11 .9
17:09
million, according to SpotRap. Before we get
17:12
into the whole where he should go, if he should
17:14
go to this team or that team, I think the number
17:16
one question that needs to be asked is, are you
17:19
bag chasing or are you ring chasing? Because
17:22
if you're ring chasing, you're probably going
17:25
to have to take less. But if you're bag chasing...
17:29
you already know which teams you need to go to.
17:31
But if you're ring chasing though, now we can
17:34
have a real conversation. The first team that
17:36
comes to mind is the 49ers. For one, you lost
17:39
Javerius Ward in free agency. And two, you have
17:42
enough cap space to where if you want to give
17:44
him a multi -year deal, you can do that. And
17:47
so I think adding Jair Alexander with Diamandou
17:50
Lenore and Renardo Green would shore up the backfield
17:53
by providing a veteran corner who is proven and
17:56
can hold his own against number one wide receivers.
17:59
Let's be honest here. They're in a division that
18:02
has Marvin Harrison Jr., Devontae Adams, Cooper
18:05
Cupp, just to name a few. So I think adding Jair
18:08
would definitely help a lot. Now going on to
18:11
the next team, I feel like the Eagles would also
18:13
be... a good team for Jair simply because, for
18:17
one, Cooper Dijon is going back to safety and
18:20
you still need another corner along with Quinion
18:23
Mitchell. So I think adding him would be great
18:27
simply because you'll have two locked down corners
18:30
that can hold their own. Who wouldn't want that,
18:33
especially for the Eagles? Now, the financial
18:38
part, I don't really know about, okay? But I
18:42
do know this. Howie should probably have some
18:46
level of interest in Jair Alexander. Just saying.
18:50
We don't need to go any further with that, okay?
18:52
For the next team, Tampa Bay. I think Tampa Bay
18:56
should really be interested simply because if
18:59
you get Jair Alexander, your defense is complete.
19:02
You have Jair Alexander. You have Benjamin Morrison.
19:05
You have Antoine Winfield Jr. You still have
19:07
Levante David. You have Desmond Watson. You have
19:10
Vita Vea, Shaq Barrett, Hassan Reddick on the
19:13
defense. And then on the offense, you'll have
19:15
Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Emeka Buka. You'll
19:19
still have Bucky Irvin. You'll have Baker Mayfield.
19:21
You will have a complete team. You will have
19:24
a team, by the way, that I would venture to say
19:26
would be a Super Bowl caliber team. Because why?
19:30
They have been able to beat a lot of the top
19:33
NFC teams for the last few years. They've held
19:36
their own against the Eagles as well as the Lions.
19:40
Just saying. Not to mention, I also have to add
19:42
this in there, they have $29 .8 million in cap
19:45
space. I think if you give him, I don't know,
19:48
a two -year $10 million deal and what, $9 .5
19:54
million is guaranteed and he can earn the other
19:57
two based off of playtime and incentives and
20:00
whatnot, I think that's perfectly fine. Because
20:02
again, if I'm Jair Alexander, screw the money.
20:06
Go for the ring. Because guess what? If you go
20:08
for the ring and you win the ring, guess what's
20:10
going to happen? You can go out in free agency
20:13
again and get another mega contract. Why wouldn't
20:17
you want to do that? Now let's keep on going.
20:20
I think Washington should also be interested
20:23
in Jair simply because they really haven't effectively
20:26
addressed the backfield like how I think they
20:28
should have. I think adding Jair with Marshawn
20:32
Lattimore would be great. You are talking about
20:35
a two -headed monster in the secondary. Not to
20:39
mention, especially with those divisional games,
20:42
you'll have Marshawn Latimer on CeeDee Lamb and
20:46
Jair Alexander on George Pickens or the other
20:48
way around, probably the other way around. Who
20:51
wouldn't want that? Who wouldn't want to see
20:54
that on Sunday night? Come on, folks. Let's keep
20:57
this thing going. Now, when we look at the Ravens,
21:00
however. I'm calling you. I'm texting you. I'm
21:03
DMing you. I'm FaceTiming you. I'm Instagram
21:06
calling you. I'm Facebook messaging you. I am
21:09
trying to communicate with you as best as I possibly
21:12
can. Because you know why? If you do this, your
21:16
team is complete. You have Marlon Humphrey, Nate
21:21
Wiggins, Jair Alexander. And then you have Kyle
21:25
Hamilton, Malachi Starks. Roquan Smith, Trenton
21:29
Simpson, then you have the defensive line, and
21:31
then when you look over with the offense, you
21:33
have Derrick Henry, you'll have Lamar, you'll
21:35
have the receivers, you'll have the tight ends.
21:38
Why wouldn't you want that? Not to mention, Lamar
21:41
is your guy. Come on now, we're connecting the
21:45
pieces. We're connecting the pieces. Here's another
21:48
team that I feel like should definitely be interested,
21:50
and that is the Vikings. For one, the cap space
21:52
may be a little bit funky with 20 .6 million.
21:56
But who cares? Because guess what? If you get
21:59
him and you pair him with everybody else on this
22:02
defense, chaos. Absolute chaos. Not to mention,
22:07
you're still in your division. You can go up
22:09
against the Packers twice. Two times you can
22:12
go and make big plays against the Packers. And
22:15
every single time you make a big play, you can
22:17
point in Mark Murphy's direction. Who wouldn't
22:19
want to see that? Who wouldn't want to do that?
22:23
Just saying. Yes, I love chaos, all right? I
22:26
love revenge games. I love when players enact
22:29
their revenge against their old team. It's the
22:32
greatest thing to see. Now, if I'm the Chiefs,
22:35
however, I may have to move some money around
22:37
because we only have 11 .2 million in cap space,
22:40
but I think pairing Jair with Trent McDuffie
22:44
would be great. Not to mention, your division
22:46
got a lot more difficult. The Chargers are a
22:49
legitimate threat. The Raiders, you can't sleep
22:51
on. And the Broncos are going to give you a run
22:53
for your money. So I would pick up the phone
22:56
and I would probably inquire about Jair Alexander.
22:59
Another team that I think that definitely needs
23:01
to be talked about is the Rams. Granted, they
23:04
only have $20 .1 million in cash space, but they
23:07
do need to address the secondary. And I do know
23:09
that there is legitimate interest between them
23:11
and Jalen Ramsey. But if I'm the GM, why would
23:15
I give up future assets when I can just sign
23:17
somebody who's a free agent? You can give Jair
23:20
a two -year, $10 million deal. You can give him
23:23
a one -year, $5 million deal. You can give him
23:26
the vet minimum if you really wanted to, but
23:29
you have to address the secondary with a veteran
23:31
-proven corner. Now, granted, they do have Akela
23:34
Weatherspoon, but I mean, this is Jair Alexander
23:37
we're talking about, and this is no disrespect
23:38
to Akela because I actually like Akela Weatherspoon,
23:41
but come on now. Jair Alexander, Akela Weatherspoon
23:45
with that defensive line and that offense, greatness.
23:48
absolute greatness. The final team that I will
23:51
talk about just so I can ruffle feathers with
23:53
this fan base is the Steelers. I've seen a lot
23:56
of people that are saying, why would the Steelers
23:58
want to go after Jair Alexander? Because you
24:00
only have two corners that you can rely on right
24:02
now. Outside of those two corners, there is nobody
24:06
else that you can rely on. So why wouldn't you
24:09
want to make a move and shoring up the secondary
24:12
even more by getting a proven talent in Jair
24:15
Alexander? Because let's be real here. God forbid
24:18
if anything crazy happens to Darius Slade or
24:22
Joey Porter Jr., you're going to be right where
24:25
you have been for the past five plus years, which
24:27
is guess what? Trying to nickel and dime and
24:30
piecemeal the secondary, which you don't want
24:32
to do. And not to mention, this would address
24:35
corner after this season, which we all know that
24:38
most likely Darius Slay is going to retire after
24:40
this season. There's probably a few more teams
24:42
that comes to mind, but those are the main teams
24:45
that if I'm their GM, I am seriously inquiring
24:48
about Jair Alexander just because there's a lot
24:51
of upside to his game. And by doing so, that
24:54
would instantly be an upgrade for your secondary,
24:57
which you really do need. And I already know
25:01
there are people that are saying, well, he has
25:03
attitude issues and that might be a problem.
25:06
Well, let me ask you something. If you can deal
25:09
with attitude issues with a running back or wide
25:12
receiver or tight end or pass rusher or inside
25:15
linebacker or another corner or any other position
25:18
on your team, then you can deal with someone
25:21
like a Jair Alexander. And the number one way
25:24
to deal with someone like a Jair Alexander. is
25:27
you have to have a locker room structure that
25:29
is able to deal with their personalities. Case
25:32
in point, the Eagles. The Eagles have a lot of
25:35
personality in their locker room, but you know
25:37
what? They have structure in that locker room
25:39
that is able to negate the personalities. If
25:42
I was to put on my back row Donner's hat, my
25:44
guess is he will come to a decision fairly soon.
25:48
Now, am I saying that's gonna be by the end of
25:50
this week? No. Do I think it's probably gonna
25:52
be a two or three week decision? Most likely.
25:56
I think before training camp for a lot of teams,
25:59
he will have come to a decision because you don't
26:02
want to miss training camp. You want to try to
26:04
put as much time in with your team so that you
26:07
are able to develop a lot of chemistry with everybody
26:10
and you understand the system. Now on to the
26:13
final topic that we have to talk about is how
26:15
will this move affect Jalen Ramsey's situation?
26:18
As we all know, Jalen Ramsey is still trying
26:22
to find a way out of Miami. So far, there hasn't
26:25
been no resolution. I do know Ian Rappaport said
26:28
yesterday that the team has already informed
26:30
Jalen Ramsey that he doesn't have to attend mandatory
26:33
minicamp, which is significant because every
26:36
team wants their players to attend mandatory
26:38
minicamp, even though it's only just for three
26:40
days. So when we look at the contract for Jalen
26:44
Ramsey, his cap hit this year is $16 .6 million.
26:48
Next year is $25 million. The year after that,
26:51
it's $26 .8 million. And the year after that,
26:53
it's $36 .1 million. His dead cap hits, though,
26:57
are $49 .4 million, $18 .4 million, $11 .7 million,
27:02
and $4 .9 million. If I'm Jalen Ramsey, I am
27:05
calling the front office and I'm trying to have
27:08
a meeting as soon as possible because I want
27:11
this thing to be resolved. Because right now,
27:13
Jire Alexander is the number one free agent available.
27:17
And so... The longer that his situation goes
27:21
out, the worse it's going to be for you because
27:23
you know why? All the teams that were interested
27:25
in Jalen Ramsey are now going to shift their
27:28
attention to Jair Alexander because why? That
27:31
could be a more cheaper option than just giving
27:34
up future assets for Jalen Ramsey. Let's be real
27:37
here, folks. The Dolphins are going to have to
27:39
take this contract on the chin because this is
27:43
a bad structured contract. And nobody is going
27:46
to be willing to give up high enough compensation
27:49
in order to negate any guarantees or any large
27:53
cap hits that they're going to have to take on.
27:56
So either you just do a buyout for Jalen Ramsey,
27:59
you release him, you have to figure out some
28:03
common ground between you and Jalen Ramsey to
28:06
just end this. Because right now, you don't want
28:09
this story to continue to linger into training
28:12
camp. You want this to be resolved ASAP. At some
28:15
point, someone's going to have to be the adult.
28:18
Someone's going to have to be the bigger person,
28:20
come together and try to figure out the best
28:23
solution for both sides. Because right now, the
28:26
longer that this draws out, the more it favors
28:29
a team that is interested in trading for Jalen
28:31
Ramsey. Because right now, if you're the Dolphins,
28:34
you can't ask for a first, a second, a third
28:36
or fourth. At best, you could probably get maybe
28:40
a conditional fifth that may turn into a fourth
28:42
based off of certain incentives. But most likely,
28:46
you'll probably be taking on maybe a fifth or
28:48
sixth round pick. Or better yet, just do a player
28:50
swap. But this is what happens when you do bad
28:53
contracts. And I understand that you needed to
28:56
do what you had to do in order to facilitate
28:58
the trade for Jalen Ramsey. But still, look what
29:02
it puts you in. It's the same thing with Tyreek
29:04
Hill. And I know I said this in the previous
29:05
episode, but I'm going to say it again. You gave
29:08
those two players unnecessary extensions. And
29:11
now look. you have two contracts that no one
29:14
is going to want to inherit But the Dolphins
29:16
have been doing bad business for I don't know
29:18
how long. But I'm going to end this episode here.
29:20
If you guys like what you are listening, please,
29:22
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Let me know your thoughts. Let's have a real
29:59
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31:11
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31:13
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31:15
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31:26
And this is your GM Kale signing out. Peace and
31:28
love later. Hey, you never know. There may be
31:31
some more news by the time this episode is out.
31:33
Who knows?