Welcome to NFL Daily, where we might have to make it in the top one hundred and two free agents of twenty twenty five.
I am Greg Roosevelt.
I am here in Indianapolis at the Scouting Combine, in a half full convention center where everyone is setting up for the big day where it starts tomorrow, and I am joined for the first time on NFL Daily, excited to do so with Tom Pelisero, our insider at NFL Network alongside Ian Rapaport.
What's up, Hey, Happy to be here, Glad that I get to make my debuts.
Great to see you live and in person.
You know, it's always fun to get to get out of the basement studio and see people.
It is nice to do that. And yes, you are kind of the yin to Rapaports.
Yang.
You know, I've been here at the NFL for over a decade. I've seen the rise of Palasaro. How is everything going just with you and rap Sheet because that that's a tricky relationship to work, outsider.
Yeah, we we kind of find, along with Mike, you know, ways that we can, you know, be able to stave off the fights. Like if you've noticed in the past month there's a lot of sources tell the Insiders or per the Insiders, or the tweets, and that was a catch all that came out of Okay, went in down, just say that and we'll fight over credit later. I suppose how'd you leave me off? So we were trying
to like stave off those fights. I think it's gone pretty well so far, and we we gotta get a we gotta get a handle at some point for that. But you know, yeah, per the Insiders, that's the backstory on that is it's just to keep me from strangling.
So you are are joining us on a big day in uh NFL Daily in the off season, which is the day uh NFL dot com releases my top one oh one free agents. I put a lot by the way, say I said the other day on during the production call for The Insiders, I'm like, is Greg's list all the other things like he hasn't published yet.
I'm like, well, then what are we supposed to put on the graphics? You're the you're the oracle of these are the names?
Well they're out there now and so you can check that out on NFL dot com.
And I thought you you will.
Know this list and the players and the agents and the values better than anyone.
So I was excited to have you on for that.
I mentioned, by the way, we might have to go to one oh two because I saw a PFF did. I always made it one to one because I just thought it had a snappy ring to it. Also, one more than one hundred. Every other site's got one hundred, just shows we're working a little bit harder.
And now I noticed PFF made there's one on one two. They just didn't. This is straight. So I might just have to go to one on two.
But we're gonna do some news before we get into the one oh one, and I wanted to start with something you spoke about on the Riche Eisen Show on Friday. It was really the first time it was out there. It was interesting because I was like, shouldn't this be like breaking news on NFL.
Networ had that conversation with the group that too Listen, there are some things I know you're getting at, Matthew Stafford. So there are some things, and this is like a broader I could do an hour on this. I won't, but there are some stories that I don't think are
necessarily conducive to tweet format. Yes, this was one of those where we were going to talk about on the Insiders and then the clock ran out, and YadA YadA, and then Rich asked me about it straight off, and I had the wrong time zone in my phone, so I was at a pilate studio, not a dungeon. Just for anybody who looked at the quality of that video. He asked me about it, and what I tried to convey was, yes, they've given permission to Matthews savage agent
Jimmy Sexton to talk to other teams. This is not a we're demanding a trade and now we're It was a hey, go out and see all right, because Matthews do twenty seven million dollars this year, including four million dollar bonus. That's doing about a month. That was a product and part of when they redid his deal last year. Yeah, he got a raise in twenty twenty four like a band aid. Last gave up his future guarantees, which made very clear this is a year to year type of format.
So now he plays well. They took the Eagles to the limit in the playoffs. They got a you know, a young roster. Safford's sitting there going I'm making twenty seven. They're literally guys who are making double that, who have not accomplished what I have and are not as good as players as I am.
We've got to adjust this.
So there's sometimes is this dance and you're negotiating a vacuum and there's off the record calls.
They're just like, just do it.
You know. Frankly, you know no one said this to me, but it's kind of like you're gonna get this information anyway, So just go ahead, talk to the other teams, figure out what they'd be willing to do in a you know, for a contract which serves two purposes.
One, it allows you.
To make progress in terms of if you are going to do a trade, you have to do the contracts.
You get that out of the way.
Yeah, But it also allows the Rams to go, Okay, here's what the other teams would be willing to offer. Are we willing to go there? There is a number at which I don't believe the Rams would want to go past. For Matthew Stafford from a pure football perspective, and I know you like to watch tape and like dage the football, I only look at the other options to go boy, Matthew Stafford would be better off going to the Giants or the Raiders. The Rams have Sean McVay,
they're in a division that they just won. They do have young talent, albeit they got some transition they've got to go through on the offensive side. Why would he want to go elsewhere? And the honest answer is, you're to the later stages of your career. You want your contract to reflect the value that you bring. The Rams are trying to fire out how do we build a
championship caliber team? And so they're trying to get all the answers, get all the cards on the table and make decisions which could come sort.
Of the later this week will be really interesting. And no, I'm glad. I'm glad you brought brought it up with Rich and all these texts that I just looked at.
I thought maybe I'd nerge in Matthew sabertext it's no, it's my wife. Is Teagan still grounded? And then Teagan? Am I still grounded? You're still grounded?
Dang? What times the stay in palace? What they do? What they do?
She she thought it was funny to play a joke on me and say she was biking to Culver's with her friends, which is two miles away and across a very busy road. Okay, while I was at swim lessons with the other kid and dad was not pleased. We do it. We may come off when this gets appealed to the appeals officer in the house, my wife, it'll probably get knocked down from the month to something more palatable.
And that's harsh. So Stafford, it's fascinating to me. It really does seem like it's about money and there's always more to it. We don't need to get into that with you here, but another one of our colleagues this is it's confusing how the Insider gang, you know, works. But Schrager mentioned a number something about like fifty million dollars.
Pete Schrager for Fox on Twitter that maybe that's what he's seeking, and if it is something that the Rams are not willing to go that high, I don't think personally he will have that hard a time finding an organization that will. I do think that would be an appropriate market for Matthew Stafford. The Giants make some sense to me on paper. The Raiders make a little sense to me on paper. Do you have any teams that you think have actually expressed interest or would make the most sense.
I'd say the Giants the Raiders make a lot of sense for those teams. Again, does it make sense for Matthew Stafford to go into the NFC East behind an offensive line that still needs work. He's got receivers, he has some you know, Molik neighbors, and some young talent on the roster. You're gonna go up and compete with Philly and even Washington.
And do you have if you have a feeling that the Rams don't really really want you or maybe this is all a negotiation where okay, I'll take x amount less from the Rams to play for the Rams, but not you know, everything, or there's more to it.
And he just feels like the time is there's.
Basically there's you know, by my count, there's nine or ten teams they are gonna get starting quarterback in this cycle. So you can go down the list, Tennessee, does that make sense. I don't really foresee them going that direction. Cleveland, I don't see it. The Giants, it does make sense. Get instant credibility, give you a chance to not show up with a knife to a gunfight.
In the division to try to get in there.
I think they're a little more turnkey than other people, probably like.
For a playoff spot. With Matthew Stafford. I don't think they're a bad They've got pieces.
I mean Dexter Lawrence and the lak neighbors, you know, Tyrone Tracy. I know nobody wants to talk about it because what Sakwon did. He did run for a thousand yards last year. They have to get some highly drafted offensive lineman playing better or playing at all. That would certainly help. There's some adjustment to do. But okay, so the Giant should be a possibility. You keeping your way through the draft. I'm doing this off the top of my head. The Raiders are another team that needs a
starting quarterback. I do think that adding a veteran. When you hire Pete Carroll, you're not going this is gonna be a four year build. He's got like a three year contract, so you're thinking you're trying to win. I think that makes sense for them go down to the bottom of the draft order. Obviously, going back to the Rams makes sense. The Vikings are going to be a
really alluring place to whoever. I don't foresee that being how this plays out, because then you're talking about giving up assets where they don't have a lot of draft picks this year, either giving up assets to bring in a veteran quarterback when you've got JJ McCarthy. There probably not something they're going to do. But that's the spot people are going to want to go to. Pittsburgh is
another one. I think the Matthew Stafford and Pittsburgh would make a ton of sense, again when you look at the caliber quarterbacks in the division, But is that a place to Matthew Stafford and his family want to go. It's not exactly New York or Vegas when you're coming from LA. From just a vice perspective, so I think
I'm missing one or two more. I mean, Indianapolis has to figure out what they're how they're going to put together that room this year with Anthony Richardson, he can't be but you're not pick You're not bringing in Matthew Stafford in that situation, So I think I'm missing somebody else. But basically those are the teams, and you get pretty quickly kind of whittle away a bunch of those teams as like what the real possibilities.
Are it's fascinating. I personally, I'm not putting words in your mouth. I think the Hayes a little out of the barn here, and I do think something's gonna happen.
I hope it happens this week.
Just for content sake, we're gonna have on a new general manager to the NFL. Since we've last tape NFL Daily, a man named James Gladstone became the general manager of the Jacksonville Jaguars. I bring his name up like that because he's not someone that many people outside of the league would possibly know who he is. Frankly, he's not a guy who people inside the league know that well. I talked to a couple teams and they were like they hired who. He was an assistant with the RAMS.
His type was the director of scouting strategy, kind of a right hand man of less sneed, but in a creative, sort of more less formal role with the RAMS than maybe like a director of college scouting or pro personnel or anything like that, which is often the guys who get two GMS. So he's joining us on NFL Daily on Tuesday, We're talking to three gms. I'm excited about that. Uh, I just wanted your your thoughts on that. He he spoke kind of a non traditional, very young higher for for the Jaguars.
It is it's somebody that Liam Cohen has a familiarity with from their days with the Rams, and obviously he was impressed by him. I saw Liam said some stuff about watching him navigate undrafted free agency and some of the things that he did in that area. He does have a football background. This is not a pure quantitative higher. He was a high school football coach, so like there
was literally less sneeds sons football. Hig school football comes correct back in saying this is so this is like the close thing I would say is this is almost like a baseball or basketball higher where you get somebody who is purely from an analytic background. Although again he does have some football That's why I even bring it up. It's like, it's not as if he came from you know, video games and now is the GM of the Jaguars, and so there's some of that that Tony conn I'm
sure appreciates. Given what his background is and his role within the organization. He's got another really smart dude that he can work with. And obviously there's a trust factor there with Liam. But you're right, and this is nothing against James last one, who I don't know personally. I got his number, sent him a text after he got the job, like, Hi, good do good to meet you. But he's definitely not a know, a known commodity within
the league. And so you know, like with any of these things, it's like, you got to get the right staff around him, you got to get the right scouts in place. I would also remind people of this, shot Con never wanted to fire Trmpalkey. Shot con thinks Trent Balkey built a really good roster. Shot Con thinks Tramp Paulkey built a really good football operation in the systems.
So now with a guy who comes from a very different background into this environment, does he have the power to say what a lot of quantitative people would, which is we should probably get this thing right for the long haul trade some of the highly paid guys who have significant value. Or do you come in and go, well, we're not going to rock the boat because we've got to win. That's the mandate here from ownership that we got a team that can win now. And I'm just
I don't want to have the answer for that. I think it's a fascinating sub storyline. This is a guy who's never done a trade presumably. I'm sure he's consulted on trades. He's never done a trade, he's never picked a player. There's a lot of gmsh to come in who have varying levels of experience in that, but his background is going to be a little bit different. And so who are the people in the organization he leans on.
Well, I'll check out his vibe on Tuesday. We also have Ryan Poles, by the way, check out our show on Tuesday coming on, the general manager of the Bears and the new Raiders GM John spy Tech And yeah, I mean I kind of just look at the salary structure.
That tells you a lot.
Liam Cohn is one of the highest paid new coaches ever and one of the higher paid coaches in the league period, And so he's got a lot of he's got a lot of juice.
I doubt James Gime he is.
It's ultimately kind of like a coach centric situation. You also have Tony Basselli, who helped with the hiring, who was part of the press conference. Uh some news that also went down and we'll get to the one on one shortly. Uh, Brandon Staley was hired as the Saints defensive coordinator. We talked about that potential higher coming up. Cuts have started around the NFL, just just kind of
mentioning this time of year has started to happen. So the Bears cut DeMarcus Walker, Gerald Everett, some other cuts, the Bengals Sheldon Rankins, Won Thornhill, Shaq Thompson, and the Panthers was made aware that they're not going to resign him in for agency.
That was a little week.
Yeah, I mean they're trying to give him like the the nice, nice send off. But yeah, it's like, I don't know, we need to They gotta do what they want to do.
And you just former.
First going to resign free agent, about to hit free agency. We we'd run out of time if we hit all those check Thomson, Greg I was there the night the night he was drafted.
I was in the green, a great Carolina Panther over the last handful of years. But I did want to hit before we get to the one on one. Some of the early news coming out of Indianapolis the Rules Committee has met. They are talking about potentially doing a fourth and fifteen or fourth and twenty situation instead of an on side kick.
There was a report that banning.
The tushbush has been brought off some speculations a team.
So that's a team proposal. Yes, Usually the team proposals, unless they are co opted by the competition committee, don't get through. We'll see. I mean, it's been ongoing thing, like you watch it. He's that a football players at rugby. I think there's an intellectual discussion. But of course everyone's just gonna go, oh, you can't stop now they won the Super Bowl.
Yeah, to take away funny though, because I just weapon they didn't say who it was an unnamed owner, but one of the owners on the committee is Mark Murphy, an acting owner, and he has said publicly many times in like fans, Q and A. He's set it out right that he wants it, you know, ban So it sounds like it's it's probably Mark Murphy.
With regard to the fourth and fifteen or fourth and f that's been proposed. The Eagles were proposing that for like five years every year on the docket. It's never I don't believe it's correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe it's ever gone to a vote. It's been brought up, it has gotten onto the list that they talk about in March when these things are voted upon. The issue with it is just like, is it gimmicky for me? I am simultaneously a traditionalist and a capitalist.
The traditionalist in me says the on side kick like it's it's such a it's a weird play, but it's like a uniquely football play. I wish the percentages were higher, but like, I don't want to totally replace that. On the other hand, the capitalist in me goes, shouldn't we have like the best players on every team deciding the biggest moment and not like, yeah, not Nick Folk, right, and nothing against Nick Folk. I'm just saying that.
The idea would be, yeah, instead of going for a non side kick, you would get to attempt a fourth single team they could take it or fourth and twenty. I think try it at fourth and twenty per year, see how it goes. The NFL evolved as it turned to the league that we know now by trying out
different things like this, so I like it. They are also in this I think is more likely to happen in the long run conversation about either moving a touchback up to the thirty five yard line to encourage more kickoff returns, or just move the kickoff back five yards from where the kicker kicks it, which would also potentially have more returns. So we will see if any of those things happen before I get off the Combine. Though,
no Sugar Sanders doing workouts, No Ashton Genty. You follow this stuff so closely.
I don't.
I'm just curious since you're on the show here and we're in Indianapolis, like, is are there any guys that you're looking for? Are there any like on field Combine type of stories that are front of mine for.
You this week as like an insider.
Well, the first thing I would say is we always talk a lot about the guys who aren't doing anything. It's like a very very small number. It's like a dozen of the top guys won't work out. There's like three hundred and seventy something prospects here.
I mentioned those two names because they are about as familiar as any.
Absolutely, and they're gonna do some of their pro day. Cam Ward as of now, is undecided from what I was told. I talked to his quarterbacks coach a short time ago. He's figuring out if he wants to do it. I'm sure we'd all love to see Cam Woard the rest of the quarterbacks. Jackson Dart is gonna throw, Jalen Milroe is gonna throw. You'll see all those guys, guys.
I'm looking forward to seeing in the drills. I mean, I think that the quarterbacks because QB three or in some people's minds, can you even vault up and be QB two QUB one in this draft whatever it is, that next group of quarterbacks is really interesting to me. We saw a lot of them at the Senior Bowl. Milroe and Dart and those guys Riley Leonard were all there. But there's some guys we haven't We haven't seen quinnywers On, Tyler Schuck. People a lot of buzz first round buzz
Tyler Schuck. I mean, when Tyler Shuck isn't you know. I said something to him at the Senior Bowl about like, you know, you've hit bund Dell with a bunch of major injuries, like well, not major injuries, just broken bones and stuff. I'm like, that's a major injury to me. Yeah, he missed a lot of time, but like he looks good on the field. I think that's a really good story him. I think that the entire wide receiver group
because it's regarded as a down year. By the way, its text was green Bay that reposed that confirmed the wide receiver group. There's not those top top end guys. You're not going to see the really really, you know, top five, top ten type guys. But that also creates some variants where let's say, to give you a name, Matthew Golden from Texas. Has he come out here and lighted up and all of a sudden we're talking about him as being first second wide receiver off the board,
like that's entirely possible. And then I'm also just you know, it's always about who the fiscal freaks are going to be the test off the chart, right who are some of you think? Shamar Stewart, the Texas A and m Edge. He was also another senior Bowl guy. I stood next to him, like he is built like Gdevian Clowney. If you can just envision what he looks like. I've been told based on what he's doing in terms of his combine training, like he's testing like he might test like
Trayvon Walker. He's a little bit taller than Trayvon Walker, who what number one overall ahead of Aidan Hutchinson in the draft not that long ago. Based largely on the testing numbers, I think that he's he's definitely one to watch. And then I'll give you a forty yard blazer. Maxwell Harston, the corner from Kentucky, super engaging, bright dude that.
I've talked to. Could really play.
But he's also like he's legit, fast, fast, and it's gonna be interesting to see what he runs.
Yeah, no one expected Xavier Worthy to go first round at this time last year. Yeah, we haven't gotten too deep into the prospect. But Shamar Stewart's really interesting. I like hearing how different evaluators talk about him. Daniel Jeremiah, I know he put it, but his top fifty check that out today. In terms of prospects, SamArt Stewart is twenty eighth. Like he is a guy who's going to get compared to Treyvon Walker because of the low sack
total and he's just a physical freak. But there are people that say, like, this guy really doesn't know how to play football very well. Yet, which I don't think they were saying about Trayvon Walker, like he is someone that is the ultimate, Like it's gonna be a test of do you draft the guy just off of measurements
or not? Like he could go anywhere from the top ten to the second round, and there are people that will say, like, man, maybe it'll happen, but he like doesn't really know how to play yet, but we'll see.
It kind of reminds me of now.
Will McDonald was in a category of his own, like the dude who would jump over cars from Iowa State and it was like is he a one? Is he like a he going the second and he went like to the Jets at what eighteenth overall or so?
It was like a no. Thirteenth overall?
He went very high in that draft, Like that might be the type of guy you get with with Schamar Stewart.
And yeah, Will McDonald's gotten better as we go.
Okay, enough, you know, preamble here, let's get to the top one oh one free agents of twenty twenty five. I wish I could still mess around and just keep changing the rankings. I am someone that understands this is a fun exercise. It's just opinion, and then it changed so much on a daily basis that it would continue to change if I was allowed to keep changing. But now it's locked in. My editors say I cannot change it. Here are the top ten free agents. I'm not gonna
go through all one on one of four two. I will do the top ten, the top ten. T Higgins, who we think is gonna get franchise, Tag will not get the free agency Barnes surprise, Yeah, yes, clearly never could get traded. Trey Smith. I have already gotten some pushback on this. Number two. Milton Williams three, who had
a great playoff run with the Eagles. A lot of Eagles up top, Ronnie Stanley four, Zach Bond coming off a career year at number five, Sam Darnold at six, Osa Adigie Zua at number seven, Josh Sweat from the Eagles at eight, Chris Godwin at nine, and Carlton Davis starts off a run of cornerbacks. Tarvarius Ward and DJ Reid are the next two guys on my list.
In the top twelve, there's a bunch of top corners. I think that I looked at the list. I think that you know in general terms, like you're you're on it here. Tray Smith will be interesting because if the Chiefs don't franchise tag him, does that kind of signal then are they not as fired up about him as other teams might be looking at him. I mean, there's not a lot of guards, there's not a lot of
offensive linement. There's not a lot of offensive players. With the year of Ronnie Stanley, with his injury history in the top five on the list. He was healthy this year, but he had missed a ton of time over the last the previous two or three seasons. But I'm with you, I mean it would not be a surprise if he ends up being the top paid tackle. Zach Martin's retirement took another option where Zach Barton wanted to play. Somebody would give him fifteen million dollars to you know, come in.
I think that you know one of the interesting things. And this probably speaks to the perception within the league about the quality of the free agent class. Those names, those are your top ten free agents here. It's not as gan, but also think how few franchise tags are even possible off that list. I mean, he is going to get it if they can't work out a deal, which we'll see how that plays out, But it seems
like the tag is coming for him, Trey Smith. Maybe it's at least a possibility that the Chiefs could potentially explore Sam Donald. You can't rule out him getting tagged at this point. Yeah, that could be a tag to sign, That could be a tag in trade, that could be tagging. An hour later, he's in the parking lot signing it to make sure he locks in his forty million dollars for this year. That's a good idea. There's Sam Donald. A lot of different ways that this thing could go.
And then, ohso Diggi Zoo, I think you would at least make the case that maybe you could franchise tag him. But with the Cowboys in their current financial situation, you know, capwise, I don't really see that happening. So I think that the two defensive tackles that get paid are the two guys you got up there, Odiggi Zua.
And Milton Williams.
Okay, we've seen crazy defensive tackle numbers. If both those guys got twenty plus a year, I wouldn't be shocked.
Oh yeah, I'm expecting it for Milton Williams.
I'm not sure what the market is for Diggi Zua, but he's a good player who has gotten better and better, and that's that's what you want. The defensive tackles tend to grow up slowly. I did, so I set this list out immediately got some reaction. There are some people that don't think Tray Smith is maybe as good as his reputation, or is maybe not coming off his best year that the team's kind of targeted him, did not
have a great Super Bowl. Team's kind of targeted him a little bit when when Tuney was at left tackle, we'll see I would be shocked if he didn't get big money from someone, But maybe it's not. It's from that he was a freaking All Pro and he's young and he's played.
Hessian scarcity drives so much of this, and I mean, look through, don't know where your next guard is.
Okay, there's not it's pretty rough, will Fries. I heard some people are are pretty big on I mean, this is a guy with a late round pick who didn't play that much until twenty twenty three. But they'll do solid. It could be improved. He's the next one. And then it's Tevin Jenkins, who played with.
Their interior guys Drew Dolman, who I agree that's probably gonna be the top paid center. And all this is pending. Obviously the other guys who get cut, and of course you add them and update this list regularly. Yes, which is very helpful to those of us who sometimes lose track of things amidst the free agency frenzy. Yes, I mean, I think if you're just going down, you know, position by position, Darnold is clearly the one quarterback that's gonna
get paid. Is that number in Does that number begin with a three? Does that number begin with a four? Those are the things that remain to be seen, And obviously the tag situation hovers over there.
I gotta start with a four if he's getting tagged, because then that means they either would play it or at least find a team that was willing to do like two for seventy but guarantee forty fifty of it whatever some something like that.
There's no running backs are gonna get paid huge money. Nage Harris will get a good, solid deal because he's a known commodity running back.
I'd like Aaron Jones, so I ranked him a little ahead, but that's like a one year deal type of guy that I think is gonna be thirty.
Years old and he probably need to, you know, ease off the carries. He got one for seven last year. I think probably around that same.
Yeah. JK.
Dobbins is out there. Kenneth Gainwell is at the end of my list. Ti Johnson like these these are the types of guys that make it to free andency. Okay, you mentioned the quarterback, so let's talk about the other quarterbacks quickly. Justin Fields. I still think Justin Fields can offer something and was an improved player last year. So because of the quarterback tax, he was my second quarterback and I put him in the top twenty five because I just think that position is that important. Then I
went with Russell Wilson. He was around the middle of the fifties. Jamis Winston. I think a high quality backup is worth more than they're getting on the open market, so that's why I still rank them pretty high. Jacoby Brissett, you get into Daniel Jones and Jimmy g Is in the mix of guys there, any any of those names stand out to you as maybe we'll get a better deal than people think, well have or at least have
a starter's market. I kind of viewed all those guys as backups, but Fields at least has a little bit more of an upside to him.
Yeah, I think that the biggest thing.
And this is why I think the biggest story in the NFL over the next let's call it three weeks, gonna be trades because in the draft, let's start there. Since we are here in Indianapolis at the combine, how many of those guys do you feel confident are going to start right away? You maybe can make an argument to yourself the cam Ord schadure and if there's somebody else down the line, quin yours just play a ton of football. But maybe all these there's not even a surefire.
There's not a Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Drake may type where you feel like even Drake needed some time.
Although hot take, I think the longer we get in this process, people are going to be like, you know what, can't Ward's a pretty great quarterback?
People come around on it. So let's say you get one or two starters out of the rookie class. Now you're into the free agent class where Sam Darnold'll be starting somewhere. Stafford certainly trade yet, right, But like of the other guys you mentioned on your free agent list, Russ Depenny, where he is. I don't think that he signs anywhere as if he's not the starter. So I think Russ starts somewhere. I think fields is a minimum
in a competition type of situation. Yeah, and beyond that, I don't know that there is anybody else you're saying that guy's going to step in and become an instant starter.
So now let's think about it. Maybe jimmd in Los Angeles or very specific textual situation. That's right.
So now let's get into the quarterback the veteran quarterbacks who currently are under contract that we don't know how this is going to end. Aaron Rodgers tendantly still under contract, but is going to become a free agent.
I would to ask ye him on there put on your one on what? No, because I just technically on the team. Maybe they could find a trade for him so he doesn't make the one on it? Where would you put Aaron Rodgers on this list? Just for the listeners? If you keep going to the top twenty Byron Murphy again, a lot of good cornerbacks Dre Green, Lodge, Yvon Holland, Nick Bolton, Will Fryes, Reddick. I get to my second quarterback there at fields, I would put Rogers I think ahead of Fields, but.
Maybe not hard though.
I mean, there's some pretty good defensive starters that are available all the way through thirty. If you were making this list, where do you put him?
I have a great deal of respect for Aaron Rodgers, who like covered early in his careers on four NFL MVPs. He's one of the most He's the best practice player I've ever seen. Interest just the way that he can manipulate his body, angles like the arms snap and put the ball anywhere. I mean, he is a rare dude. The guy I saw for large chunks last season was not Aaron Rodgers. Is that being forty one years old?
Is that coming off a torn achilles? Is that the general dysfunction that emerged after the Fireing to Robert Solo, well, I'd say the last game that he played with Soli as the head coach was the worst I've ever seen Aaron Rodgers play, just missing wide open dude after wide open dude. So all the other stuff that comes with Aaron and is he doing publicity tours on McAfee and documentaries and everything like all that. That's a real thing, and teams have talked to me about it, you know,
do you want to bring all that in? But it's also just about are you going in on this guy and you're gonna get the version who for half the season last year not only wasn't the reason they were winning, but he was a big reason they were losing. I don't know, hard to put him in a ranking. He's somewhere in the top one to one. It is Who's number one O one? Greg, we got it's Nick Chubb.
I I'm glad you mentioned that this is a big reveal every year. One O one is unique because as the players come on and off the list.
You Deontay Johnson at one hundred. I did I uh touch screen? Sorry? Yeah, I just thought.
As crazy as season as he has, no one had a worse contract here than Deaday Jensen. I just feel like out of the talent's too good. It's so hard to find a wide receiver. I want to stick him in, but one on one is the Warne's.
Closer in my mind, I'll say this, and don't don't put this, don't let the aggreatet all.
Do I want to get aggregated? All right? I would put Aaron closer to one on one, then that's fair.
I I don't think it's crazy to say that if you're just looking at all things considered, had to Let's say, Jimmy G. Is maybe my last one that made the list. He's somewhere in the eighties or something like that, seventies. I can't find Aaron, all.
Right, Then Aaron, if you're if you're weighing by weighing it out in terms of like position value, then he's probably somewhere around the Jimmy G territory, which when it sounded like blasphemy three years ago, but now it's just it's the reality that dude, if you go back through the course of time, I know you're a great football historian. Look at the Hall of Fame up to say, twenty
years ago. You go through every player through like the early two thousands, every Hall of Fame quarterback, they all retired at age thirty seven thirty eight. They all every single one, not like around there or below that, like right at thirty seven thirty eight, like that was the cutoff.
There's literally only two quarter like one quarterback now as all as Aaron Rodgers that's ever produced. Well, and it's Aaron Rodgers, I mean it's Tom Brady. And the only one that even got a little close was Warren Moon and Drew Brees got to that like forty forty one season and that's it.
Marvid thirty nine had a great sea, didn't get me. That's where Rogers. Warren Moon played into his early forties, and then tom Ma re wrote everything and made it hard on all these guys, like dudes didn't play this long. And when Aaron's his great skin was always getting inside and outside the pocket and making things happen on the run. You see, whether he either can't do it or doesn't think he should do it, that part's not there anymore.
So then again, just to wrap that, like the quarterbacks, think of the number of guys we got that are available. Rogers fluid with Kirk Cousins, yes, flued with Matthew Stafford, flued with.
Derek Carr, yes.
So that's four more names that everybody's sitting there going are they gonna be cut? Are they gonna get traded? Like, what's gonna happen. Point gotta push all these guys down. So it's just my point is like, if you're sitting there like to me again, that's the biggest storyline over the next three weeks is all these guys are available, and it's gonna be chaotic because teams are gonna look at free agency and the draft and go, we just need to go get this guy to get us through the year.
This is all really good stuff. I want to I want to get to a little more on the one one. But before I do, does that mean Derek Carr is available?
You think he's got a ten million dollars fully guaranteed bonus.
I think it's the third.
Or fifth day of the league ar fifth day of the league year, and he's got another thirty million that fully ves if he's on the roster the third day of the league year. So there's they're gonna have to do something. If he's gonna be a Saint, they're gonna have to address his contract. I know Kellen Moore and Derek have met and they've talked about next season and all those things, but they're going to come to a contractual agreement. Does that kind of like Stafford a different category,
but does that work out in New Orleans? Is it ultimately Hey, we're better off with him going someplace else. Like I would say, it's fluid. There has to be a resolution, and there's no resolution right now.
And when I hear fluid, and I don't want to put words in your mouth because you are a responsor bull reporter and I'm not.
I'm just, you know, hosting a show here and offer an analysis. You've been doing it in a long time. Away with it. I don't mean it. It's not irresponsible.
But when I hear fluid and I hear them considering moving him, it's almost like the quote on retirement, once you're thinking about it, you're already almost there. When I hear that, I think, Okay, there's a there's a decent chance all those guys I think are going to be playing.
How many career quarterbacks took like substantial pay cuts. Brady was on a year to year thing, and you can argue he always took deals that were friendly because he wanted them to continue to put together the roster. Ben Roethlisberger took a huge but he is you know, he's not Brady In New England. He's not Roethlisberger and Pittsburgh, he's Derek Carr got there a couple of years ago, and the only game that I saw he played there, he got booed every time he came on the field
and they cheered when Taysom replaced him. So like, there's not a lot of history there. Derek Derrek's a great guy, and you know, you know, if he wants to play this season, I would anticipate that he's gonna have options to do that. I just can't stare and tell you is it going to be in New Orleans. A couple of things. I thought that the defense actually was pretty deep on this list. Uh, if you need a three down linebacker, and I feel like a lot of teams do a lot of good players. I have Zach Bond
I mentioned at five, Nick Bolton's at eighteen. Ernest Jones, who was on three rosters last year but kind of turned the Seahawks season around.
Put him in the thirty.
Jamien Sherwood was a guy who I heard from a lot of people they were like, oh, you have him too low. I put him in the top thirty five. In the end, maybe I should have put him even higher. Dre Greenlaw is in my top twenty a difference maker, another guy people have some people have a lot of support for Kaiser White is in my top one hundred
Tyrel Dodson, who was with the Dolphins. So I actually think there could be like a little bit of a trend where three down linebackers start getting value, they start bouncing back a little bit like running backs.
Did.
I feel like we've now gotten to the point where the analytics or whatever the conventional wisdom from teams is, don't play, don't pay these linebackers. It's now gotten so low that actually it was like, oh wait, these are the guys getting picked on in our biggest games. We could have some and that's why there's actually a decent amount of them that made it.
What happened with the linebackers was that used to be a depreciated position and then you remember all these guys, they go them back like seven years though, and the Jets did that.
Maybe it wasn't seven, like five.
Mike mccagnum was the GM They went like, they basically gave fifty percent more than the top of the market to CJ. Mosley to convince him to come to the Jets and game seventeen million year, like the top of
the market that point was like twelve. And then so all of a sudden, everybody like Bobby Wagner and all these guys are like, I want that so and all of a sudden you had all these deals that got done at seventeen eighteen million dollars and then there was kind of this course correction back down.
I agree.
I mean, Zach Bond will be fascinating because last year that was one of the greatest values in the entire league, a one year, five million dollar deal. Can how he get that done to bring him back? He was a
pretty big part of that defense. I think him, Him and Bolden are clearly the two that everybody's gonna be watching and hoping that they bring that back up to the top of the market, because again, it wasn't that long ago that if you were a free agent linebacker, you were sitting there going those guys are getting.
Seventeen so cycled through every year, and yet this I think, if I was making a list of all these egos free agents, I think he's the one that they have to just break the bank. I think they wish they had resigned Milton Williams earlier a rare thing that maybe how he would want back. You can't resign everyone. Cornerback I mentioned is pretty pretty deep. I mentioned those three at the top, Carlton Davis, DJ Reid Tarvarius.
Byron Murphy too. Byron murmur had a really good year fifteen.
Actually I moved him up with some and then guys I wish I had, I already wish I had a little higher.
I heard from multiple people.
Travon Morrig, he's at twenty two good years the Safety for the Raiders, shout out to Mike Mayock. A Mayock picks right, and actually I heard from more than one person now is like even that's way too low. He should be maybe in your top ten, Like he is a sending really good young starter.
I mean, is Jovon Hall in your top safety He is.
Just ahead of morg And I got some people saying they would rather have morg. I think there'd probably be more a really agreement.
He had a really good year. And then there's a bunch of other guys who can't come off good years. I mean cam buying him. Yes, another is another one who I think is going to do well guys like Jeremy Chin that kind of get forgotten. He's going to be, you know, certainly in the mix. It's just a matter if he's a very specifics like a Swiss army knife. It's like, what's the scheme fit for him. Yeah, there's
some safeties. There's a bunch of corners to your point, there's a couple of linebackers, there's a couple of defensive tackles, and then the edge market's also going to be that's one name.
Or do you have Dio Adenobo? He is in my top forty or so.
He might be one of those ones that surprises you.
That makes even more than you expect. He was someone I had thought that. Listen, initially, I know, I kind of well, there's there's not a last thirty eight.
There's a bunch of I know, you got like Khalil Mack in your your top twenty five. Like there's a bunch of the older guys like Chase Young's a free agent once again and Kalais Campbell.
But here's the thing, I don't mind putting some of those guys higher because I do know year after year that those guys end up being great values. Kalais Campbell's been a fantastic value a year after year, you're getting a high quality starter for like ten if it's not a prediction of like who makes the most money necessarily, it's it's who.
Uh is gonna be good?
But in terms of those young edge rushers, because people are proactive doing deals, the top ones get tagged this year, there isn't anybody who's really in the tag category. You know, Diodenable might be the highest paid edge rusher in this entire group, and I would bet you got a various You're you're killing me.
That's why I want to now I got to put him in the top twenty five. It's too late.
Joshan Morton was the other one from the Chiefs that just I think he's gonna get paid a lot. A lot of people are watching Chiefs film during the during the playoffs, and he is a good god where do you have Godwin? I put him in the top ten just out of respect.
I think the meris also if and when t gets tagged, like who else are you paying up there?
Darius Slayton should do well. Let's let's think it quickly. I know you got to go. I don't want to push you too hard here and take advantage of your time. You got to go do more live TV. What a schedule that Pella Sero has. They have him on from like seven or eight in the morning on Good Morning Football, and then he's got to take off the suit, put put it back on like eight hours later.
And this shirt's got his shirts.
Kind of wrinkled, you know the part down at the bottom that's just like completely wrinkling. You take it out of your pants the other day. I get to put that back in the pants. That's okay.
Yeah.
The wide receiver of market, I have Amari Cooper at thirteen, Darius Slayton and Mark eas Brown at forty two and forty three, Diami Brown who had a good playoff run at fifty. Stefan Diggs is at thirty. I thought he was sadly into a nice role. I know he's an older player, but just out of respect. Mike Williams is an interesting guy to me. I think a lot of teams have written him off. I do wonder a year more removed from a torn acl I had to give him some respect and put him in.
A top secred I mean, Mike Williams when he's on.
He's always been a streaky player, as everybody who's in fantasy knows, including me. I'm like a long time, long term Mike Williams owner, and it's like, you will get stretches where he's unbelievable, and then there's games where he disappears.
Blake just watching him love.
There's very few of those big body, vertical speed threat guys. He's one of them. And you're right, I mean another year coming off of a very serious injury, right, he'll be more expressive. It's not shocking to me. He took a little bit he never had, but Diggs. Diggs will be coming right back from his ACL as an older player. I still those guys they tend to get like the one year incentive laden types of deals. You know, one's coming off an injury too, and he's got a prior ACL.
He's always on the injury report with the knee. My belief is still somebody's gonna pay him just because they're gonna look at the alternatives and say this is clearly the best guy out.
Yeah, at the end of the list, it's not deep. Elijah Moore, I had to it hurt me, but DeAndre Hopkins and Keenan Allen are are towards the back of the the one on one. Two great players, but not at their best right now. It was a red flag for me that Hopkins could not produce with Patrick Mams.
You're not gonna have a better situation.
Well, hop hop just kind of runs his own route tree and I think that that takes time for the quarterback to get on the same page. Keenan Allen new place didn't work out on anybody wanted to in Chicago. He's a competitor's he's thirty five. I think he's older now. Yeah, but you know another guy who he absolutely he's got a place in the league here.
It's just a matter of like thirty three, don't you try to thirty three?
Okay, I try to age this guy, all right, And yes, Nick Chubb at twenty nine is my one on one. I didn't finish my thought earlier, but uh, yes, one on one stays there.
For X one onesub.
It's a position of respect because I know he's coming off these serious injuries. But this is a Hall of Fame talent, Hall of Fame person, so you want to bet on the person I thought he would represent.
One on one.
Well, uns seed to the Browns, try to get something done. They did the deal with him last year knowing he was gonna miss most of the season. Do you take one more run? Does he want to go someplace? So it's not gonna be a ton of money. He's a bad dude though, you know when he's out there, if he can capture some of what he was, we'll go.
He is also a bad dude. Tom Pellisero, he's made nice with the en Rappaport. These two guys, they're dominating the insider gang game. I will say it right now for Tom Pelisaro. Appreciate the time you got man. We will be back on Tuesday. Like I mentioned, we're gonna have some general manager interviews. Jordan rod Rieg of The Athletic will also join me on the show. And yes,
it will be coming out earlier in the days. We'll just send it once we get all the news, because look, it's not that just the gms we're talking to the coaches. The gms for every single team are going to be at these podiums over.
The next couple days.
A lot news coming out of that until then, Yeah, look, when we're back in Indianapolis. It almost feels like football is back, but no, it's still the regular season for now.
See a Tuesday