Latest / AFR Saints / Latest on Chris Olave & Alvin Kamara Contracts | Will the Saints Get a Deal Done?

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Latest on Chris Olave & Alvin Kamara Contracts | Will the Saints Get a Deal Done? · AFR Saints

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  Speaker 1: dot org. Golf dot Breck dot org. Two Saints premier
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  Speaker 1: offensive players who are in tenuous contract situations that we've
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  Speaker 1: been following this offseason, of course, are Alvin Kamara and
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  Speaker 1: Chris Olave. Both we have brief updates on their situations.
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  Speaker 1: We'll start with Kamara then go to a Lave. Is
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  Speaker 1: interesting because Alvin Kamara's agent has kind of given an
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  Speaker 1: update on Alvin and that that contract situation, and notably
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  Speaker 1: he says that they expect they expect.
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  Speaker 2: To be playing for the New Orleans Saints this year.
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  Speaker 1: And I don't know that Alvin Kamara necessarily would think
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  Speaker 1: anything differently, but Brad Sikala told Mike garil Fulla of
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  Speaker 1: the NFL Network, quote, we plan on playing for the
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  Speaker 1: Saints in twenty twenty six. Gartfolla's update after Jeremy Fowler
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  Speaker 1: reported someday on Sports Center that there hasn't been a
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  Speaker 1: lot of traction yet on the Saints direction with Kamara,
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  Speaker 1: but there is some interest on potentially coming back there.
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  Speaker 1: Maybe they can do a revised deal. So remember Kellen
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  Speaker 1: Moore on Thursday, during his media availability from OTAs was
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  Speaker 1: asked about Kamara.
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  Speaker 2: This is what he said.
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  Speaker 1: Okay, we're gonna get to Kellen Moore and Mickey Loomis,
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  Speaker 1: who both had updates on this situation.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, and I don't think we can put timelines on
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  Speaker 3: any of this stuff. You know, we're just kind of
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  Speaker 3: working through the roster and again this time of year,
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  Speaker 3: there's you know, some of these guys that tristanly haven't
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  Speaker 3: come this time of year, which is you know, as
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  Speaker 3: part of their kind of rhythm and the team as
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  Speaker 3: far as the off season program, and so we'll just
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  Speaker 3: work continue to work through that.
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  Speaker 1: I don't know what you'd really be working through. This
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  Speaker 1: isn't anything new.
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  Speaker 2: We know.
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  Speaker 1: The situation is what it is. Either you're gonna do
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  Speaker 1: a deal or you're not. Kamara is under contract. Remember
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  Speaker 1: they restructured his deal. So it really is a matter
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  Speaker 1: I think of do you want him on the team
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  Speaker 1: or do you feel like you have a better option
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  Speaker 1: than Kamara at running back.
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  Speaker 2: Mickey Loomis.
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  Speaker 1: Was asked, this is back on May eighteenth, what is
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  Speaker 1: undetermined about Camara's status right now?
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  Speaker 4: You know, we're just just trying to see how he's
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  Speaker 4: gonna fit in our roster.
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  Speaker 2: And obviously there's a resource.
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  Speaker 4: Management element to it, and you know, we'll get to
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  Speaker 4: that over the next next week or two.
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  Speaker 1: So next week or two that was May eighteenth. We're
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  Speaker 1: beyond the next week or two now with Kamara's situation.
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  Speaker 1: Remember he signed a two year extension where twenty four
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  Speaker 1: million dollars and the Saints did, in fact structure they
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  Speaker 1: use a seldom used restructuring mechanism this offseason to redo
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  Speaker 1: Kamara's deal, whereby if you look at at the way
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  Speaker 1: the deal is structured right now, is base will be
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  Speaker 1: one point three million, you know, the restructured five point nine.
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  Speaker 1: The cap hit for this year at ten point four.
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  Speaker 1: It's just it's a matter of it really is going
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  Speaker 1: to be a matter of if the Saints feel like
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  Speaker 1: he is the best option to back up Chin on
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  Speaker 1: this year's team, and if they do, he'll be there.
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  Speaker 1: Like this was another back and forth that Loomis had
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  Speaker 1: with a reporter about the finances in Kamara's deal.
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  Speaker 3: Does he currently have a decision to make on like
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  Speaker 3: a revamped contract or something.
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  Speaker 4: No? Not currently?
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  Speaker 3: No?
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  Speaker 2: So do you?
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  Speaker 3: I mean with OTA starting next week, is that a
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  Speaker 3: deadline to try and figure out who's on the roster?
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  Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean that that creates a little bit of
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  Speaker 4: a deadline, yes, but not it's not hard and fast.
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  Speaker 2: And even so resource management. Is that about the contract? Yeah? Sure, certainly.
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  Speaker 4: Yeah, it's about you know, how we manage our cap
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  Speaker 4: and you know, we'll get to that.
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  Speaker 1: It's just so weird and so ambiguous because Kamara is
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  Speaker 1: under contract.
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  Speaker 2: They did a very rarely used.
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  Speaker 1: Restructure which they would not have gone to the lengths
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  Speaker 1: they did without anticipating a change, and only three million
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  Speaker 1: dollars of Kamara's eleven point five base was set to
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  Speaker 1: be guaranteed. So now when you look at the ten
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  Speaker 1: point one million dollar restructure, how is that going to
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  Speaker 1: be implemented? So that's what Loomis is being very coy
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  Speaker 1: about there.
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  Speaker 2: The news.
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  Speaker 1: The update is that Kamara's agent says they expect Alvin
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  Speaker 1: expects to be playing for the New Orleans Saints this
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  Speaker 1: year and one of there is a better option. Now
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  Speaker 1: we all expect Chris Alave will be playing for the
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  Speaker 1: New Orleans Saints. The question is will he be playing
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  Speaker 1: for the Saints this year under a new contract or
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  Speaker 1: will he be playing under the final year as the
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  Speaker 1: Saints exercise the fifth year option for a Lave's rookie deal.
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  Speaker 1: So Olave's going into year five, coming off a career
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  Speaker 1: season going into this year, they would certainly love to
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  Speaker 1: A Lave side would love to get a restructured contract done.
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  Speaker 1: And very briefly Thursday at OTAs talked about how this extend.
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  Speaker 1: The extension talks have gone.
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  Speaker 4: Yeah, yeah, for sure. I mean were on the same page.
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  Speaker 4: This is going in the right direction. We've been talking
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  Speaker 4: for a few months, so we just got to get
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  Speaker 4: to that point where we agree to a deal.
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  Speaker 1: So one thing that a Lave was clear about is
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  Speaker 1: he does not expect to hold out during training camp
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  Speaker 1: while waiting on a new deal.
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  Speaker 4: Like I said, I'm committed to win Man. We haven't
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  Speaker 4: been went in here in these past four years since
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  Speaker 4: I been here, one player doesn't really affect affect the game.
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  Speaker 4: It's always they're always looking for somebody to replace you.
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  Speaker 4: So I'm committed to win it first of all, and
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  Speaker 4: I feel like I'm a team player. The contract is
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  Speaker 4: a whole different side of the game.
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  Speaker 2: It's the business.
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  Speaker 4: So I feel like we're gonna come down to that
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  Speaker 4: before training camp. I hope we do, so we don't
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  Speaker 4: affect the chemistry and stuff going into training camp, but
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  Speaker 4: I think it's gonna get done.
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  Speaker 1: So the most interesting part about this from the Alave perspective,
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  Speaker 1: very clearly, is that you have a Lave's camp in
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  Speaker 1: the Saints camp not agreeing on his his value.
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  Speaker 3: Uh.
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  Speaker 1: That much is clear, because if they did agree on
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  Speaker 1: a Lave's value, that'd be done already. We've talked about
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  Speaker 1: this enough over the last year, really, and I think
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  Speaker 1: you probably know where I stand on it. Is bow
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  Speaker 1: Track just one source, but they put out the market
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  Speaker 1: value for a Lave at thirty three million dollars and
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  Speaker 1: the deal being four years, one hundred and thirty one
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  Speaker 1: point eight million, an average annual salary of thirty two
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  Speaker 1: point nine million, So basically thirty three million dollar average
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  Speaker 1: annual salary the comps see Higgins, DK Metcalf, Jameson Williams,
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  Speaker 1: Garrett Wilson. It's kind of how they calculate that value.
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  Speaker 1: Currently on his rookie deal, Chris A. Lave is the
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  Speaker 1: fifty second highest paid receiver in the NFL, and I
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  Speaker 1: think we can all agree that a Lave should be
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  Speaker 1: paid higher than the fifty second highest paid receiver in
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  Speaker 1: the NFL. While I do not believe Chris A. Lave
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  Speaker 1: is one of the top ten or fifteen best receivers
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  Speaker 1: in the NFL, I do believe he's somewhere in that
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  Speaker 1: next tier. And so when you look at how you
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  Speaker 1: know how those receivers are are paid that new deal.
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  Speaker 1: If he gets a deal like we just like we
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  Speaker 1: just talked about there at an average annual salary of
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  Speaker 1: thirty three million dollars, that would make him the sixth
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  Speaker 1: highest paid receiver in the NFL. Only JSN Jamar Chase,
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  Speaker 1: Justin Jefferson, Ceedee Lamb, and DK Metcalf would be paid
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  Speaker 1: more than Chris Alave. For me, that is really hard
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  Speaker 1: to justify because I don't see Chris Olave as the
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  Speaker 1: sixth best receiver in the NFL.
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  Speaker 2: He is not a big.
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  Speaker 1: Play threat very much was a static compiler this year
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  Speaker 1: because of volume of targets, especially after Rashid Shaheed.
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  Speaker 2: Was traded.
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  Speaker 1: And I think the Saints also showed you what I
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  Speaker 1: always say, actions speak louder than words. If they really
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  Speaker 1: felt like a Lave was a true, legit, game breaking
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  Speaker 1: number one wide receiver and you had that guy on
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  Speaker 1: the roster, I don't think you're going out and using
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  Speaker 1: a top ten pick on Jordan Tyson. Can we all
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  Speaker 1: agree that makes sense? Like if you like you're not
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  Speaker 1: gonna see for example, Seattle use a top they were
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  Speaker 1: not picking in the top ten, but they wouldn't be
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  Speaker 1: using a top ten pick on a receiver. The Bengals
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  Speaker 1: maybe were a better cop. The Bengals had a top
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  Speaker 1: ten pick, they didn't go draft another receiver. They traded
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  Speaker 1: their top ten pick for a veteran interior defensive lineman.
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  Speaker 1: The Minnesota Vikings aren't using a first round pick on
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  Speaker 1: a wide receiver with Justin Jefferson already there.
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  Speaker 2: Do you understand the.
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  Speaker 1: Point like the Saints, I think in taking Jordan Tyson
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  Speaker 1: showed you they they think Tyson can be that guy,
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  Speaker 1: that top five receiver in the NFL. They don't think
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  Speaker 1: that's a Lave and I agree with him, by the way,
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  Speaker 1: So that's where I think there's this impass Alave feels
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  Speaker 1: like he should be paid like a top five, top
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  Speaker 1: ten receiver in the NFL, and the Saints clearly do
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  Speaker 1: not agree. So where's that balance in the middle.
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  Speaker 2: Now.
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  Speaker 1: One thing I did like is what A Lave said
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  Speaker 1: there is he wants to get the deal done. He's
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  Speaker 1: not going to hold out. He doesn't want it to
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  Speaker 1: be a distraction. They haven't done a lot of winning.
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  Speaker 1: He's a team player and he wants to win, and
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  Speaker 1: I believe him. I mean, that's part of the culture.
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  Speaker 1: One of the reasons the Saints drafts so many Ohio
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  Speaker 1: State guys. That's a great college football program with a
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  Speaker 1: good history and good culture, and guys have come into
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  Speaker 1: the league and done really well, and certainly with the
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  Speaker 1: Saints franchise by and large also, and A Lave has
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  Speaker 1: been a model teammate and a great dude since he's
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  Speaker 1: been with the New Orleans Saints. He's at the concussion issue,
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  Speaker 1: which isn't his own fault, but he's worked hard, came
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  Speaker 1: back and had.
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  Speaker 2: A career year this year.
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  Speaker 1: And I'd very much be on board with Chris Olave
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  Speaker 1: getting a new contract that would you know, that would
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  Speaker 1: pay him appropriately. But when you look at the avera
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  Speaker 1: annual value of receivers in the NFL putting him at
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  Speaker 1: thirty three million, ahead of guys like Garrett Wilson, Terry McLaurin,
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  Speaker 1: and AJ Brown and Amena Saint Brown, like I struggle
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  Speaker 1: to get there. I think when you're talking about that
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  Speaker 1: next to him, and even like if I asked you,
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  Speaker 1: if you could take your pick, would you want Chris
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  Speaker 1: a Lave or George Pickens? Like for me, that feels
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  Speaker 1: like a very obvious answer. George Pickens is a dynamic
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  Speaker 1: game breaker. Well, George Pickens is the fifteenth highest paid
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  Speaker 1: receiver in the NFL. Davonte Smith is seventeenth. When you
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  Speaker 1: look at this list, you know Devontae Adams is twenty first,
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  Speaker 1: although he's getting a little older in his career. And
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  Speaker 1: I think when you start to get into that that
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  Speaker 1: twenty million dollars a year range where you've got Chris
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  Speaker 1: Godwin in, DeVante Adams and Jacoby Myers, your Jerry Judy's
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  Speaker 1: down at seventeen to five, that's probably that range where
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  Speaker 1: I'd have him somewhere in the late teens early twenties,
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  Speaker 1: and that twenty to twenty five million per year range,
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  Speaker 1: That's probably.
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  Speaker 2: What I'd be looking at for Chris Alave.
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  Speaker 1: Well, when you start talking about paying, I'm like a
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  Speaker 1: top five receiver in the NFL with JSN and Chase
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  Speaker 1: and Jefferson and Ceedee Lamb and DK metcalf I struggle
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  Speaker 1: to get there. It sounds like the Saints are struggling
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  Speaker 1: to get there as well. But hopefully both sides want
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  Speaker 1: to get a deal done before training camp starts. Maybe
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  Speaker 1: they can agree. Now, I guess there's always the possibility
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  Speaker 1: that Chris Alave could play this year on the fifth
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  Speaker 1: year of his deal and go and not agree to
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  Speaker 1: it a deal and go in an unrestricted free agency
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  Speaker 1: after the season, bet on himself if he has another
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  Speaker 1: monster season, which by the way, is going to be
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  Speaker 1: more difficult when you're sharing targets with a number one
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  Speaker 1: pick in Jordan Tyson. So it would probably behoove a
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  Speaker 1: Lave to agree to a deal because if you bet
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  Speaker 1: on himself this season, where you're likely going to see
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  Speaker 1: targets come down, the production will come down from what
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  Speaker 1: it was this past year. That's not what you want
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  Speaker 1: to see going into unrestricted free agency and gives the
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  Speaker 1: Saints more leverage. So I think it benefit both sides
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  Speaker 1: to get the deal done this offseason. But it can't
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  Speaker 1: look like It can't look like DK Metcalf's contract or
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  Speaker 1: or Justin Jefferson's contract or Ceedee Lamb's contract.
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  Speaker 2: It's gotta look more like.
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  Speaker 1: Courtland Sutton Ston Courtland Sutton or or or Chris Godwin.
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  Speaker 2: We'll see ultimately where they land.