Thanks.
How are you guys doing? We all right to start early? Corey, Okay, you guys get.
To go go.
Ahead, Matt, Yeah, if there on.
Negotiation, Yeah, we have started negotiations.
We're talking.
I won't go into negotiations, like always is our stance.
Want brought to be our quarterback as.
Long as we're here and uh and beyond and and we'll leave it at that. I I think the final thing, there's no guarantees that we get something done, but my experience has been when both sides are motivated, there's ample opportunity to do so, and we've we've been able to do that.
So random what with his impact Brandon Staley?
Yeah, well we Brandon in for a reason because of the regard we held him in in his uh, in his football mind and uh, you know, it wasn't our best year, but I think we saw just that. Brandon is a he's got a great football mind, he's got a good way of communicating.
And we really enjoyed the opportunity to work with him.
I think the Saints, you know, really got a good one, good decision by Mickey and Kellen and everybody there, and I wish them well.
Yeah.
So Greece when he committed, you know, kind of an outside the box thing that that Kyle uh you know had always had, Uh, you know, thought of of Greece man, he'd be a great coach, and he approached him.
I think Greece.
Was in a different world and he had he had given it some thought on the front end, and at the time he gave us a three year commitment. He's a very principled guy, I think, as often does I think family and certain other things. I don't want to speak for Brian, but other things we're pulling at him, and you know, respect that he made a tough decision, but one he thought was best for him and his family. Uh, to step away. Yeah, No, I think to take some
time and we'll see where it goes again. I don't want to speak for Brian, but we had good conversations.
It's all all good. It was just a family decision that he made. I'll you back in.
It's awesome to have solid back. You know, felt like he never left, to be honest.
Uh.
You know, you get very close with folks when you work with him as much as we do.
And Salah brought a great deal when he was last here.
I think he's even better now with the experiences he's had, and it's a it's a welcome sight to have him back, the energy that he brings, the expertise that he brings, the leadership he brings. We're we're very happy to have Robert and his growing family. Uh you know that that has grown quite a bit since Lee left. I think number eight on the way, and happy for the Sonnah and Robert, and we love their family.
We love what Robert brings.
And I remember meeting with them in my backyard when Kyle asked me, you know, hey, I want you to interview this guy.
I think he'd be a great d C.
For us, And he had me from that moment.
On board the Jets Special Teams. I think he was a great reference.
We had a lot of good Special Teams interviews that you know, it's not something you look forward to doing every off season, but we had an opportunity. Kyle was kind of enough to let me or ask me to sit in and a lot of them to meet with a lot of really talented people.
And you know, Brandt.
Was a guy that the people who we hold in high regard.
In the Special teams world.
Everybody kept saying he was in he was in that list of people we should talk to. Like it helped to talk to Robert, It helped to talk to guys like Jeff Oulbrick who worked with them, and then most of all, to sit down hear his vision for our special Teams group and get his thoughts and uh, he's been a great contribution already.
College fo yeah, yeah, money.
Yeah, Well, I would tell you we're still kind of in that wild west. There's so many new things happening in college football, and so you know, my hope is that over time you get guardrails and we get this to the right place. It's uh, you know, we sit in these interviews with these kids. We're fortunate enough to
have them, and it's great to learn about them. But when you hear them like, you know, my agent and I made a decision, Wait, you're not supposed to have any Yes, you do have agents, and high school kids have agents.
So it's a different world. You know.
One of the advantages I think we get is a lot of these guys now have had money in college, and you know, oftentimes you've got to make mistakes to learn.
Sometimes they've made their mistakes and Hopefully they're a little better equipped.
We used to get them when they've never had money and all of a sudden they have money and they got people asking them for money and you should do this investment.
Maybe they're a little more battle tested by the.
Time they get to us. It's one perspective. I try to be an optimist, and that is one thing that we've seen that can be a positive.
How NFL. I was I.
You know, I was a position switch my junior year, so I was I was new to dB. The Bucks didn't think I was very prepared because it took me three years to become a starter.
So fortunately it all worked out.
Trit's playing and he's ready, and I think he's really motivated to come back. And you know, when you're uh, that's rare fight air with that that Trent lives in. And when you're a player that has experience playing at those heights, you don't want to play unless you're playing at those at that level. And I think that's where Trent's at. And I think we're going to see a real motivated Trent Williams to come back and have a great year. And that's a good thing for us.
With you you're kind of younger player having feeling longer player.
Players still.
Yeah, you know there's some teams that really have a philosophy of you know, they won't touch a player that's a little older that's probably had to adjust COVID and stuff, had guys staying at school longer. Nil has guys staying at school longer. So I think if you're if you really stay true to that, you're limiting the pool that
you're picking from. I think sometimes we have to ask yourself, you're trying to get this guy for twelve years, which is you know, if you're looking for that it's a small small percentage, or you're looking for one contract and then hopefully more. So it's an interesting topic. It's one we constantly discuss. There's there's there's you know, there's pluses
and minuses to both sides. Having a young guy that you think you can develop and is already a good player, and then a guy who's a little more battle tested, been through a little more and uh, it's a it's an interesting conversation. He's doing great, Christian's doing really well, and uh, you know, I think was real frustrated with the way last season went and doing everything and as possible as he did in preparation for last year, and uh, we're hoping to see him. He's out there going to
have a tremendous year. If he's healthy, he will have a tremendous year. That's just what he does, you know, I think so I think at least parts of it, you know, will be judicious and follow you know, the medical folks advice on that. But Christian's you know, he's done a great job doing the rehab.
He's tireless.
If anything, you always gotta you gotta say woe to Christian and uh, you know it's my my friend Mike Tomlin. It's a lot better to have to say woa than it is to say sick. So Christian is a woe guy. And because he's he's going to do everything possible to.
Give himself a chance.
Very similar approach, I think, if anything, just you know, Kyle and I have worked together a long long time, and so you know, just walking through the halls, I was just at a restaurant, ran into Demico Ryans and and uh you know, uh, Bobby Slowick right before him, and Mike McDaniel over there, all these guys that have been with us over the years, and personnel people Adam Peters, you know, and so a lot of people contributed a lot to really refining a process that that we work
by and we always are tweaking it, trying to make it better. So I think, if anything, when you have some form of continuity, and we've had that, it allows you to have systems, challenge them, test them what's working, what's not, and continue to hone in and always try to get better. You never stay the same, so you always are trying.
To get better.
Yeah, that typically happens with really good players. I remember, I think two years ago, you know, having similar conversations. You get calls and you always listen to calls, and you know, we're you know, I think since Kyle and I've been here, we've been you know, certainly a top five, I believe, number two cash spending team, you know, in the last five years, I think we're or four years going into the fourth year, I think we're the fourth highest.
Cash spinding team.
So we're at some point you have to reset a little bit, or at least recalibrate. You can't just keep pressing the pedal. And I think there's some good that can come out of it.
We need to get younger.
You know, I think the oldest team in football trying to make a run it at the deal last year, and I think it's good to constantly get younger. Our draft class last year was a great move towards that we'll have four picks in the top one hundred if the comp picks happened like we see it. That's always a calculation. You know, we'll have ten picks overall, and we're excited about adding more youth to a great core
of players that we already have. Yeah, yeah, you know, still not interested Grant, But along those lines of the financial constraints and some conversations we've had with Deebo, it's something.
You know, we've been We've been forthright with that. We're on good terms with Deebo.
I think, you know, he's asked for a for a fresh start, and you know, I think we're gonna honor that. Don't like seeing great players, and he is a great player. He's uh, you know, I think often one of my favorite draft picks in my time. He's guys just a he makes plays and he makes game changing plays, and you know, everything's good, you know, but think at some point time time happens and and he asked for that. We don't always you know, there's contracts and things, but
you know, it probably makes sense. So we're at least allowing him to look and we're having conversations.
We'll see where that goes.
Pockets in there, you feel like it's a sweet spot maybe in the draft. Yeah, I think a lot of good players. You know, you always get concerned. When someone was talking earlier about the landscape of college football, these guys are being offered tremendous amounts of money to go back to school, and last I remember, school is pretty fun, you know, it's uh that's so I think a lot of guys are taking that route and they're being incentivized. So then you wonder is this going to really hurt
our draft? And maybe in the late rounds it has. But the encouraging thing is I start to look and we're still in right in the thick of the process.
There's a lot of good football players.
Some could argue, are there the impact top end players that they have been in past dress I don't know. We're not drafting you know that high uh to, but I think there's a lot of good football players across the board. There are some stronger positions than others, but there's there's a lot of good football players and so we're encouraged by that.
Start getting maybe a little.
Bit more clarity.
Whether or not those guys are fantastic players.
Of course, we have interest in bringing them back, and you know, we'll we'll work our tails off to try to make that happen. Whether it does, I can't tell you that, but I think in the near future here, you know, things are things are kicking off. So yeah, you know, we've been in contact with them and their representatives will continue to.
Be where.
Love.
You know, there's a lot of love there, there's a lot of respect there, there's a lot of shared experiences.
So to let that go, that's difficult.
But like I said, time happens, and you know, if it makes sense for both sides, you at least you at least give it a chance. And so that's where we're at. Yeah, but I'm not Those are personal conversations and like I said, everybody's on good terms and you know, hopefully we find a great place and then we'll have to make a decision if we don't. But there's I could say, there's been a lot of interest around the league.
There's always the scenario. I've learned that as well. Yeah, uh it is.
But I would tell you I think that the de tackle market's gonna be those guys. It's a premium position and they typically do well. And even Jaybond who's coming off the tricep, you know, I think he's uh, he's he's well on his way.
To being healthy. And we'll I think it'd be a robust market. But we'll see.
And we've we've had good discussions with Javon, you know when when we kind of talked about the transaction we were gonna make that. Yeah, we'd we'd be interested in in a scenario where he comes back and and hopefully we can be involved in that.
We'll see, Yeah, players one more time when we're on that question.
Yeah that.
Yes, the impact players.
Yeah, which you see that.
Yeah, you know.
The one thing I I've learned in this deal is everything is tied to everything, particularly when you're talking about a position like the quarterback position and the effect it has on your entire team. Now, they can lift your entire team, but it can affect your entire team, and and.
You know, we'll see where that goes.
But you know, our intention is to have a really good team around and whatever that entails, and and but it, but it does have an impact, to say the least. Yeah on the tush push, you know what. It is my first year on the competition committee. So I sat in there and I just listened. You know, I never want something to found it could because credit to the Eagles, and congratulations to the Eagles, as hard as.
It is to say, respect, they had a.
Tremendous season or a tremendous team right down to the end, and so a lot of good people in that organization and I congratulate them. They're fantastic at that play and a big part of I've been So I don't want to speak out of both sides of my mouth. I've always been a proponent. If you don't like it, stop it. But I have my own feelings on that play, and I long have It's it's it's.
Not real pretty to watch.
It's I think back to my playing days, and I think that might have made me do things that I wouldn't be proud of, you know, because if they aren't going to stop it, I'll stop it. That that kind of trickles into players that have a certain mentalities head and and I'm just being truthful there, and so I hope that's never the case. You know, the Competition Committee, you know, I've been really impressed the way they go
about things. You know, you go right down the line, let's talk about it, you know, for the game of football, the aesthetics of it, but let's talk of it first.
And foremost has always health and safety.
And I think the early there's probably not enough significant data to show that. Yeah, a lot of that, A lot of people are getting injured on this play. There is I think a fear that something serious could happen on that play just because of.
The dynamics of it.
And I think part of everyone involved job is to make make tough decisions before that ever happens.
And so that's something they're weighing.
There's great discussion, and you know, I think this that discussion will go to the owners meeting in Florida here in the coming weeks and should be interesting and a lot of strong opinions on both sides.
Yeah, thank you, thanks guys. Okay, I can do it. I just hear