Latest / Jeff Legwold ESPN Broncos Reports / Jeff Legwold on Kreckman & Lindahl 12-29-23

Transcript

Jeff Legwold on Kreckman & Lindahl 12-29-23 · Jeff Legwold ESPN Broncos Reports

0:00
Fine. Who is Jared Stidham supposed to throw to? That's true. We'll
0:04
ask Jeff Legwald that very question when we come back. Courtland Sutton is out
0:08
in. There's injury designations all over the receiver corp. We talked to Leggy
0:12
next, Krekman and Lindau presented by Colorado off Road, Colorado Grown, Colorado
0:19
Own, Colorado off Road Online at COO off Road dot com. Altitude Sports
0:25
Radio ninety two five. Jeff Legwald is our Broncos insider Altitude Sports Radio ninety
0:33
two five. Pro Football, the insider I've covered Jeff leg Wall. His
0:39
appearances are always must listen radio. You learn a lot rough to you five.
0:42
Betsafe Colorado, the exclusive club for passionate gamers and vetters across the state.
0:47
It's Leggy on Altitude Sports Radio ninety two five. Yes, it is
0:57
Jeff Legwald timing a Scott Friday Jeff Land as always, is brought to you
1:00
by Betsafe Colorado, the exclusive club for passion gamers and betters across the state.
1:04
He joins us on the Ramos Law Hotline. Jeff lag Wald, welcome
1:08
back to the show. How are you, sir? I'm great? Are
1:11
you, We're doing okay, Leggy. A bit of an eventful week around
1:15
these parts. So Russell Wilson spoke to the media today. He indeed confirmed
1:21
that the organization came to him about a contract reworking after the Kansas City game
1:29
during the bye week. What do we know about what the mechanics of those
1:34
conversations looked like and how it all played out. Well, Russell was very
1:42
public and very clear that after the win over Kansas City, they came to
1:51
him and said, in his words, do something with the salary guarantee that
1:57
is tied to a physical next March, or in his words, were benching
2:05
you for the rest of the year. So in talking to every a lot
2:10
of folks involved in this, I think there's some indication the Broncos instead of
2:19
having this guarantee kick in if he could not pass the physical basically if he
2:25
had an injury on the fifth day of the league year in March, that
2:30
they wanted to adjust that timetable out or do some other tweaking of the guarantee.
2:38
So, you know, either have it engaged much later or or something
2:43
on that order. And I think Wilson has representatives, you know, basically
2:49
said no to that, and then they let him play. You know,
2:55
at the time, he said they said he would be benched from that point
2:59
on, and that he did not know during the bye week if he would
3:02
actually play in Buffalo. So all of that transpired. He said, he
3:09
contacted the NFL and the NFLPA and continued to play, and now they have
3:16
benched him publicly for football reasons. Everyone's going to have to do their own
3:23
math here, but he's adamant the benching occurred because he would not adjust his
3:29
contract. And you know, I will just tell you, having talked to
3:32
guys in the locker room, the feeling basically is, you know, Sean
3:38
Payton isn't going to give back any money if they don't make the playoffs.
3:42
Then Greg Penner isn't cutting season ticket prices if they don't make the playoffs.
3:46
So I think players feel like Russ was in his you know, had every
3:53
right to say no to this. Yeah, players, no, they got
3:55
to get theirs. And it's you know, you, while this game breaks
3:59
your body, yourself paid as much as humanly possible, which you know again
4:03
that players get that part of the business. Jeff. Some of my confusion
4:09
here is the involvement of the NFL and the NFLPA. To your understanding is,
4:17
is there is this any sort of violation of the collective bargaining agreement to
4:24
tie a reworking of a contract or a pay cut to playing time as an
4:31
incentive. Like what exactly happened there and what was legit and what wasn't.
4:39
Well, now there's grounds for agreements, but it's Russell Wilson's word against everybody
4:45
else's and that the Broncos only public comments to this. There spend nothing from
4:51
Greg Penner, and there's spend nothing from George Peyton. And Sean Payton said
4:57
after practice today he was not quote privy to any of these discussions. Whether
5:03
you can believe a guy's involved, as Sean Payton really didn't know they were
5:09
talking about his starting quarterback is up to you. But basically, publicly the
5:15
Broncos have said this is a football decision, and Russell Wilson would need some
5:21
kind of proof that it's not to have a grievance, but yeah, you
5:26
can't. You can't threaten players to give back money and affect their playing time
5:32
if they don't. That's that's grounds for a grievance. There likely won't be
5:38
one because again, you need you know, it's not like a medical grievance
5:42
where you could get a doctor to examine you and give your side of it.
5:47
There's really no unless everybody was taping everybody in these discussions, there's really
5:53
no way to prove what was said or what wasn't said. How common is
5:57
this with other teams? Do a lot of teams go of these players and
6:00
asked them to restructure deals because we hear about it sometimes, But it feels
6:03
like in this particular case, it's it's rather larger than life, maybe because
6:09
it's Russell Wilson in the amount of money that it involves, But like,
6:12
how common of a practice is this between teams and players? Yeah, it
6:16
happens all the time when teams are trying to get under the salary cap.
6:19
But what's rare about this is it's the starting quarterback. He just broke a
6:27
sixteen game losing street against your division rival Alre. He helped to do that
6:33
the day before, and you came to a discussion party with a sledgehammer.
6:40
I think that's what's then we're talking to Jeff Legwald here. We hope Legy
6:46
is still with us. Here on a Friday afternoon. Jeff Legwald joining us
6:50
on the ramos Law hotline car accident. You need ramos Law medical doctor and
6:55
attorney Ramoslaw dot com. Okay, Jeff, So what do we understand to
7:01
be the biggest critiques that Sean Payton had of Russell Wilson as his quarterback.
7:11
I'm certain you know there's a lot in the football weeds about progressions and processing
7:17
and movement of the ball. I mean, what you know, Drew Brees
7:21
at his best and a Sean Payton offense was moving the ball quickly out of
7:29
his hand. You know, there wasn't too many plays where you're talking about
7:33
Drew Brees and the proverbial second play, you know, after the first thing
7:38
breaks down. That just wasn't part of his his game really, So I
7:43
think probably it's mostly that, but I would you know, I think I've
7:49
had other personnel directors and gms in the league tell me, you know,
7:55
Russell has flashed this year when they've when there's been sort of little bit of
8:00
compromise on both sides, you know, call plays that fit him better.
8:05
I mean, he he is tied for sixth in the league in touchdowns,
8:09
So you know there is something happening at some point that works. I just
8:16
don't think the offense looks and feels the way Sean Payton wants it to.
8:22
And he neither has the patience nor the wherewithal to deal with that. And
8:30
it's to a degree where he's willing to again bench the starting quarterback who has
8:37
more touchdown passes than twenty four other starting quarterbacks. So, I mean,
8:41
it's just it's really an odd situation in a lot of ways that will have
8:48
severe and significant ramifications if it's not Russell Wilson behind center next year. And
8:56
I'm not sure many people think that's gonna happen. Yeah, it doesn't seem
9:00
all that terribly likely right now, Leggy to get to this place where where
9:03
the Broncos are seemingly gearing themselves up for an eighty plus million dollar dead cap
9:09
hit, where the Broncos are seemingly gearing themselves up for jettisoning a quarterback before
9:16
his contract extension even kicks in a decision that was made by this ownership group
9:24
and this general manager, not this head coach, but the ownership group and
9:28
the general manager. How did the Broncos arrive at this place, Like,
9:33
what do we know about the the internal conversations organizationally, because when it comes
9:39
to the quarterback, everybody has to be involved with a discussion like that that
9:43
could help the Broncos get to a place where this is now the action being
9:48
taken. Yeah, I mean it's until we hear from Penner and you know,
9:54
in Siri after the season is over, we might at some point.
10:00
But it's really hard for me to believe. You know, Sean Payton was
10:03
doing the whole I didn't know anything about this. I you know, come
10:07
on, the guy designed the sweatsuits the team wears on the road, for
10:16
crying out loud, and I'm supposed to believe he doesn't know about discussions to
10:20
bench's starting quarterback. It's some kind of financial deal as it worked out,
10:28
so and it's they obviously have Greg Penner involved because you cannot swing a hammer
10:35
this big at a player and not have the owner involved. So you know
10:41
what where he stands on those conversations or if he's if he's doing the I'm
10:48
letting the football people handle the football stuff. We don't know that, you
10:52
know, if if he pushed for this, But again, I just in
10:58
the big picture. It's really difficult to understand why the richest ownership group in
11:05
the NFL in fact richer than the next five ownership groups combined on the list.
11:13
Again, thirty seven million dollars is a hell of a lot of money
11:16
for me, you and everybody else. But in their corporate world, you
11:22
know, it's hotel points. You know, I just don't know that.
11:26
This just seems like a pretty big hammer to swing to put your franchise in
11:31
a position that it's going to be in after you've done it. Yeah,
11:35
Nate, Nate needs roadmap? How do you how do you even navigate the
11:39
kind of cap hit the Broncos are gonna have to deal with over the next
11:43
team? How do you even deal with that kind of money issues you're gonna
11:46
have over the next couple of seasons. You know, certainly it's doable,
11:50
but you know, now suddenly you're limited. It will be the biggest camp
11:54
hit of debt money any team's ever. It'll be unprecedented. In fact,
11:58
it all must be double of what anybody's taken on Matty Biggest, Right.
12:05
Yeah, and you know, are the Falcons in great shape and you're talking
12:09
about a team in the Broncos. That was the twenty fourth you know,
12:16
in age when the season started, so it's an older team. And oh
12:20
yeah, they only have six draft pick and oh yeah, they don't have
12:24
a two and they only have two picks on the first two days of the
12:28
draft where most of the talent is. They are not positioned. You know,
12:33
I'll just give you the example the Green Bay Packers deal with Rogers,
12:37
they trade Rogers. Would they take a forty seven million dollars dead hit this
12:41
year? But oh, they're the youngest team in the NFL when the season
12:46
started, and they had twelve draft picks last April. That's how you deal
12:52
with the big cap hit. And the Broncos are not in position to deal
12:56
with it that way. And then, you know, I will continue to
13:00
ask this question to everyone. What are the real chances the real chances of
13:07
the player behind center for the season opener next year is better than Russell Wilson.
13:15
I'd say it's pretty small. Talking to Jeff Legwald here on a Friday
13:18
afternoon, All right, legy So Courtland Sutton is out with a concussion on
13:22
Sunday against the Chargers. Marvin Mims pops today. He is now questionable with
13:28
a hamstring. Jerry Judy has an illness, he is questionable. I don't
13:31
think Tim Patrick is coming back here this week. Who is Jared's did I'm
13:37
gonna throw the ball to well. I think you're gonna see a lot of
13:41
New Orleans Saints playbooks Sunday because they have the you know, it was like
13:46
the ex Saints show at practice today, you know with tray Quon Smith,
13:52
Will Jordan Humphrey, Adam Troutman. You know a lot of the first teamers
13:58
look like, you know, situational work in New Orleans. So they've Sean
14:07
Payton has in some way He's rolled out a little bit of a red carpet
14:11
for Stidham because the Chargers are horrific in pass defense. I just started their
14:16
last three games and there are some snaps where I'm not even really sure what
14:22
they were trying to do. So, you know, I think their thirtieth
14:26
in past efense. I think they're thirtieth in passing yards allowed per play.
14:31
I think they're twenty sixth and scoring defense. I think they're twenty seventh and
14:35
overall defense. So Russell got Belichick and you know, like the number seven
14:43
defense and Stidham will get his track at at a really struggling pass defense,
14:48
So I would expect the ball and to be in the air plenty because I
14:54
think Sean Payton wants to prove a point. Broncos are out to hit him
14:56
with Stidham this week, Leggie, what's we expect out of Jared Stidham the
15:01
quarterback, Bobby if he stays in rhythm. They again, like we were
15:07
just saying it, I think you should have a pretty good day. But
15:09
it's a target rich environment. Let's just say that. I mean, there
15:15
should be plenty of completions out there if if he just moves the ball,
15:18
if he holds the ball, and he did that at times in college when
15:24
I looked at him before the draft, and has done that at times in
15:28
games. He's gonna take some hits because the Chargers can rush the passer.
15:33
But the only thing they do okay on defense right now is when they want
15:37
to, they can still get after it. So he's got to get the
15:41
ball out of his hands, and if he does, the numbers should look
15:43
pretty good. And it's just a matter of can they close the deal in
15:48
the red zone without Russell and Courtland because they've been the only two guys to
15:52
close the deal in the red zone this year. Leggy, last thing,
15:56
and this is where I need you to throw a Hail Mary like Russell will
16:00
with one second left against the Patriots. Right here, there will be presumably
16:03
a quarterback competition to see who the Broncos starting quarterback is in twenty twenty four
16:08
in training camp. Who might the names be involved in this championship bout.
16:15
I don't think we know. I mean Stidham will be one of them.
16:18
I think this is that's the whole point of this exercise, and it's why
16:22
they signed him to two years. And I will tell you I know many
16:26
people in the league. Now you know, Sean Payton's never admitted it publicly,
16:30
and Jared Stithham has never admitted publicly. But he had other options and
16:34
he signed here, and people in the league believe Sean Payton sort of said,
16:41
you may have a chance to compete, you know, at some point
16:45
in the second year. You know. I don't know that to be true,
16:48
so but I just know that there are folks in the league who say
16:52
this. I think Stidham certainly is involved. A list of free agent quarterbacks
16:57
isn't great because it never is. You know, we're talking guys like Mayfield,
17:02
and you know that that caliber guy. I don't even know. How
17:06
do they How would they pay for a Baker Mayfield right now? Yeah?
17:08
I mean that's what they're so limited in what they're gonna be. That's why
17:11
I ask you the question. I know a lot of people in this town
17:15
are firing the confetti cannon because they're going to get rid of uss. But
17:19
you tell me objectively, objectively looking at a two quarterback draft, uh and
17:26
no picks to get up anyway, even if you wanted one. Uh,
17:30
How the Broncos are going to have a better player at quarterback to open the
17:36
season next year than a twenty six touchdown Russell Wilson right now, Jared Stidham
17:41
versus Jamis Winston. That's my call right now, Leggy, That's what I
17:47
mean. That's the free agent quarterbacks aren't great. I mean, Winston's in
17:49
there, Minshew's in there, Mayfield's in there. But you know, haven't
17:56
we seen that movie over the last seven years? Leggy? The radio stations
18:00
are going to print up some killer T shirts. I'll get you one,
18:03
okay. Now, I'm just saying, hey, let's let's sign the middle
18:08
tier free agent guy and hope it works out great, you know, and
18:14
they simply don't have the draft horsepower to move around to get one, even
18:18
if they liked one. You know, they're gonna have to get lucky if
18:22
the draft's going to be around, and get the guy in the third who
18:25
magically becomes you know, the guy. And yeah, it happens all the
18:30
time, but that's really not a franchise plan. That's great, and you're
18:37
gonna hear a lot of talk about how the calf doesn't matter and all that
18:40
stuff that you can always work at. Even the most ardent cathologists in the
18:45
league will tell you dead money is forever. You don't get to mess with
18:51
it. It's there. Uh, you have to deal with it. You
18:56
can't fix that, you can't smudge it, you can't round off the edges.
19:02
It's there. And that'll be eighty five million dollars where the players the
19:07
Broncos cannot sign. And you know, my guess is in two years they
19:11
look a lot like the Rams, with the back end of the roster very
19:17
young, with six seventh rounders undrafted, and you're gonna have a head coach
19:22
that does not have a history of playing those type of players. Yeah,
19:26
well, I'm telling you, Leggy, they'll be lucky if they end up
19:29
looking like the Rams in a couple of years. Jeff Legwald of ESPN dot
19:32
com, Leggy, good stuff is always, buddy, Thank you, Thanks
19:34
fellas. Happy Friday, all right, busy week there for Jeff Legwald.
19:38
Jeff Legwald on the ramos Law Hotline car accident You need ramos Law medical doctor
19:44
and attorney Ramoslaw dot com. Jeff Legwald's appearance on ninety two five is brought
19:48
to you by BETSAF Colorado, the exclusive club for passionate gamers and betters across the stage