This is another edition of Football Today. Some breaking news on Sunday night, we had heard rumblings about it that the Bengals were making a lot of contractual progress with their outstanding wide receiving corps. Well they finished that up. Jamar Chase gets four years, one hundred and forty one hundred what is it, one hundred and sixty one million dollars yep one six one wow. T Higgins four for one point fifteen. Of course he was headed into the
being a franchise tagged for the second straight year. So Joe Burrow gets his wish. He wanted to keep the entire crew together. That's exactly what is happening. Bobby Skinner. Is this the right way for the Bengals to do business?
One hundred percent. There's not even a doubt in my mind. And it looks like they're going to get something done with Trey Hendrickson. And I do want to there's criticism I have for the Bengals on how all this went down in the long run, but the idea like, oh man, they're going to pay a wide receiver to that much and this guy at this top position. They are a team despite the fact that they have these big hopes every year that doesn't have people that they need to
pay upcoming right. I think we always forget about this, like, oh, do we pay a wide receiver too this much or that much?
Right?
And we've had this conversation in Giantslin because we don't have to pay many guys and or you don't want to pay a safety this much. Well, who do you have coming down the pipe? They don't really, They don't really have anybody, you know that's they've drafted recently that's going to get this big contract. Cam Taylor Britt probably will get a decent one, but I'd sacrifice him for
you know, any of those guys. Dax Hill has been so so Nobody from the twenty twenty three class looks worthy of a decent payday yet, and the twenty twenty four class, you don't judge it right now. But guess what, the Rams know they have to pay somebody pay people from their draft class. The Bengals don't yet, so they don't have any you know, big time players coming up. They should have got this done. This is their best chance to win is to have that sustainability on offense, right,
They need to get a better defense. They need to get a better run game, which we'll talk about. They actually have tried to, but creating more issues was not the answer for the Bengals.
Yeah, I'm with Bobby. I mean, I think there are splits with and without T. Higgins, and I think just use the eye test to not even stats. I think they are a different team without without T. Higgins. So I mean even this year, I'm just playing twelve games. I mean, if he played, if he played even sixteen fifteen games, he gets over one hundred catches, he gets over at a thousand yards safely. Safely, he gets over
those numbers, which is just bonkers. I mean. And this is how when you have Joe Burrow, and Joe Burrow has played the way that he's played the last two years. Once he's been fully healthy and he gets out of the disaster that is the month of September for him, he plays like an MVP quarterback. In the identity of this team and why they're why they have a shot in any given game is because they have T Higgins, Jamar Chase and Joe Burrow. That's the identity of your team.
Keep it and like Bobby said, I mean down the pipeline. I mean next year, they have one hundred and forty million dollars in cap space, not reflecting any of the deals that were just signed, reflecting a Trey Heundrickson extension or anything like that. But even in the midst of we're waiting for those cap pits and those future cap pits to hit. Sign these guys. This is the identity of your team. There's nothing that's holding you back from doing this.
Okay, let me play the other side of this. You could have probably traded Higgins right. There wasn't a lot of wide receiver movement that made you go, WHOA, that's great. They probably could have gotten a draft pick for him, and then they probably could have brought in defensive players that would have helped them on the free agent market. They did not do that. They brought in TJ on the defensive line, solid rotational piece I think in out of Green Bay. But he's not a guy where you're like,
people will have to really look up TJ. Slayton in order to know who he is. They brought in Owen Burkes to replaim to replace a Keem Davis Gaither at linebacker. I don't know what the future holds for Jermaine Pratt, who said, I'm I think that he'll go. I mean he led the team I think in misstackles a year ago.
How about the future being better play for Jermaine Pratt.
Okay, that's fine, but he's not the only reason that they stunk last year on defense. And we can all say, okay, well, lou Anarumo is it and he was the problem. So we'll send him to Indianapolis and we'll bring in Al Golden who they literally is trying to live up to his name as the Golden Child. I think they're relying on his ability to kind of tie this whole thing together because they have to get better on that side of the football, guys or else. This doesn't this doesn't
make sense. They go out and score more than twenty five points every game. It seems like they did it eleven times last year. What do you think their record was in games where they scored at least twenty five points? Give me a guess.
Do you have the number?
I do, just guess off the top of your head.
Six and ten, Actually six and six and eight. How about that?
Hold on, I don't know if I said eleven games, they did it that they're teaching you.
I'm surprised that they only had that many. They were one of the best. I'll say, how about that.
I'm gonna say six and five. I'm gonna say closer to five hundred and hope that it's the answer.
Five and six is the right answer. So they won forty five percent of the games in which they scored at least twenty five points the league average. If you score at least twenty five you win more than eighty percent of the time. Wow, the Bengals, come on, guys, this.
Is Here's the thing is they keep keep the great thing great is what they should do. Yeah, they need here's like they need to get They need to start hitting on those defensive draft picks, right. You know they've they've had ten top one hundred draft picks over the last three years. Eight of them have been defense, all from the front in DBS, not even in any linebackers in there. You need Logan Wilson and Jermaine Pratt to play better. But again, I don't think they could have.
They could have still done that, right if you want to criticize them on doing that, they still could have went out and got some more defensive pieces, but I would not I would not mess with what is a top five offense in the NFL to try and can plug in a bunch of holes through free agency.
On defense, yeah, making the thirtieth defense the twentieth defense, you know what I mean.
But maybe the twentieth defense is the difference between watching the playoffs at home and being a pain in the ass to the Buffalo Bills in round one, which is what we all we were all begging for it as football fans. We're like, oh, please, let's see the Bengals make it, and then we were all kind of bummed out when the Broncos made it as the team. Listen,
here's I'm just focused on the top three rounds. I think anytime you get a guy who becomes kind of a four down, good for you, Like that's a diamond in the roup in my opinion. But top three rounds is where you really have to live to keep your team healthy year in and year out. Here's the defensive players they have drafted in the first three rounds over the last several years. Chris Jenkins and McKinley Jackson. From last year, Jackson didn't play, he was injured Jenkins flashed
at times. The year before their first rounder was Miles Murphy, Dj Turner's coming off an injury, Jordan a year before that, it was Dax Hill Cam Taylor Britt who at times we thought was gonna like jump off the page and be great, and then there were times where he looked horrible. Joseph Asai, his most famous plays pushing Patrick Mahomes late.
Logan Wilson is the guy you have to go back to in twenty twenty to feel like they found a guy in the top three rounds as a defensive player that can be a solid every down contributor at this level. That now, and.
They've drafted a lot too.
They have, they've taken their swing. So either Duke Tobin ain't the guy who should be making the picks, or you're really relying. You're relying once again on the draft. They don't even have that many picks. They've got six pieces coming up in the draft, so you're trying to fix that side of the football to make them a super Bowl contender. What was the reason they went to the Super Bowl Super Bowl fifty six, It's because Anna
Rumo's defense played off the charts in the playoffs. I don't see that happening with this team.
Sure, but what they what is going to keep sustaining them until that defense does get better, is the fact that they have this type of offense, right, Like, when you have Joe Burrow, Jamar Chase, T Higgins for the next four years, they should have a top five offense, right, so you hope that you get within that time, Like, yeah, could they have let go of T Higgins and you know, went all in for this year to add you know, more in free agency, but I think keeping uh, you
know Burrow obviously Burrow, but just Chase was an obvious one. But at keeping Higgins part of that keeps you a top five offense through the next four years and allows you to hopefully build that defense. Obviously it's a lot easier said than done, but I think that's that where the Bengals are mess up is not getting these contracts done earlier. You know. Now, maybe Jamar Chase didn't want to, but it would have been nice to get that deal
done last year. Give them the same deal as justin Jefferson, you say, five mil per year T Higgins playing around on that contract for like, that's the one where you can say this is this is a joke that they've played around. He's now the ninth highest paid wide receiver. You know, you look at the receivers who are in his tier last year, Nico Collins, Calvin Ridley, Michael Pittman. Those guys got like twenty three per year last year and he's never hit eleven hundred yards in his career.
So there's an extra ten million per year that they could have, you know, used to add some defensive pieces.
Yeah, but ten million dollars that goes quick. I mean you could have for T higgins contract, which is one hundred and fifteen million dollars, you could have gotten Josh Sweat for seventy five and gotten another good player for you know, fifty. It's it's a little bit more, obviously than what T Higgins has worth. But that's my You have been whiffing this much every time you step up to the plate in the draft. Go get it in free agency. Get guys who have been proven at this level and have done it.
I would not want to mess with the best. You know what we I predicted be you know, a top three offense of the next four years for Josh Swat Okay.
I mean there's there's three guys on the Bengals last year. I mean Mike Gaseeki had sixty five catches. So three guys, Kaseckie, Higgins and Chase that over sixty five catches and all three of them have a success rate on Pro Football Reference of over sixty percent. I mean that that's unheard of to have gays.
Where did they get them? Justin? It got given.
They got them an offense where Row watch, I get it.
I get it, Rose, I get it. And you know, hey, it's like you look at all these one score games and it's like they've lost to the Ravens thirty eight to forty one. They lod forty one points, they let forty four points to the freaking Pittsburgh Steelers, thirty four points to the to the Chargers thirty five points. They lost by one point to the Ravens in their second matchup. Now what I what I think they need to do, you know, outside of defense, And they have a guard
problem too. They have a really you know, in tier offensive line in their in their two guards haven't even gotten to that. So there are issues. But I think Burrow, Higgins and Chase can elevate a lot of people. And even though they got Chase Brown, a dynamic runner out neither here or there. They need everybody to lock in the month of December because outside you know, from that October sixth game on onward, which that October sixth game was the Baltimore Raven game where they lost thirty eight
to forty one in oh September. But yeah, they need to lock in September. What do I say, October Septembember. No, they need They have been locked in in December. They need to lock in the month of September because they went oh and three and then every game from that October sixth game they finished the season eight and four. And I feel like that's been an every year problem. And two years ago it was Burrow who got the season and injury just when it looked like they were
heating up. Now that everybody is we can stop subtweeting, We can stop like everybody is paid. Get get Trey Hendrickson done, pay your stars. Everybody can lock in during training camp. Everybody can do what they gotta do. Nobody can has to worry about their future or fear of injury or franchise tager, nothing man, everybody, lock in, everybody
get on the same page. Win in the month of September, and that'll make the Cincinnati Bengals job a hell of a lot easier throughout the regular season, even if their defense is bottom quarter in the league.
Okay, well, we'll see, we'll see if it all works out. By the way, don't ever say a final score again, thirty eight to forty one.
Forty one to thirty eight.
Yeah, please, sorry, I'm reading.
It off for profile bar offerens that are always lists the team first and then the opponent next.
Don't ever do that again. Though the Athletic is reporting they had a really, really good column led by Michael Silver, who obviously has very good connections with Aaron Rodgers, that he wants to play for the Vikings, and that the Vikings are kind of split, that it's fifty to fifty, and that if Rogers doesn't play for the Vikings that he is seriously considering retirement. Where do you sit with this?
We talked a little bit last week about whether or not the Vikings should because they are built to win. Right now, go get a guy who's a four time MVP, Bobby.
I mean, we touched about this a little bit of Friday. If I were the Vikings gym, I would go get Aaron Rodgers, but we didn't. Let's forget like some of the on fields, like just the on the field play because I don't think Aaron Rodgers was great last year. You know, you're talking about how he finished strong, because
last game of season was terrible. Do you mess with what like they have going on in Minnesota, which is a culture of winning, but a good culture, and let Aaron Rodgers kind of, you know, let him, let him in the henhouse.
Okay, But so what is it that we think would happen in Minnesota. I understand what transpired in New York with the Jets, but that is an fed up team that has the longest playoff drout going in the NFL. They are desperate. They are desperate on so many levels to want to be loved in New York City, to not like they're the second team behind the Giants, to want to get back to the playoffs, to find a decent quarterback. They have a lot that where they're like,
Minnesota is not that situation. So what is it that we're worried about exactly with Aaron that he's going to roll his eyes at receivers like Tom Brady does that. I don't know.
I just think the Jets thing went like historically bad, and I get there's a lot of things at play there, but they went really really bad, and it's like it's just stuff pops up. I don't know, Like, what would you do if you were Rogers.
I don't know how he feels. I can't imagine. I feel shitty at my age and I don't get chased by three hundred and twenty pound defensive linemen. So I don't know how he feels. And it is a long season. But I look at that team and say, God, dang man, and that play caller I would say, and those receivers in particular, and the way they've built up the interior of the offensive line through free agency at least taking good swings. I think, like I'm in, I am in.
I think we're so far on the point where if the Vikings wanted to be in on Rodgers, wouldn't they be on it?
Be in on it? Well, I don't know. I don't know if we know whether they are aren't. I mean, the Athletic article said that there are people in the building that are extremely split on this whole thing. But once again, we talked about turning the keys over to an unproven kid who's coming off a knee injury and had a ton of question marks coming into the NFL. Anyway, Yeah, don't we all agree that Aaron Rodgers would be a better quarterback for them just in twenty twenty five than
JJ McCarthy, Bobby, can't we all agree on that? Not all?
I can, because I didn't. I didn't think JJ McCarthy was was worthy of that pick. But if you think JJ McCarthy is worthy of that pick, you should think he's better than what anwered like, Aaron Rodgers was not good last year. I think he's the best quarterback available in free agency, but like, he wasn't a top ten quarterback or close to a top ten quarterback last year. Right, even there, you know the good games, there's a lot of stuff left on the field. But now he could
still spin it. He's still got the mind that he does. But and hopefully, you know, another year off, the injury is better, but it could be, it could be worse. You know, he's forty one years old. Again, I just I cannot wrap my head around a team trading up for a quarterback in the first round and then in year two with the easiest landing spot ever being like, yeah, we're passing that up for a forty one year old
QB who wasn't good last year. Like again, if Aaron Rodgers was coming off, if this is Aaron Rodgers two years ago, be like, hey, you're getting a guy that's, you know, one year removed from an MVP. We're three years removed from Aaron Rodgers playing good football in the NFL like Aaron like top ten quarterback level football.
So I suppose the question is can he play at the level that Sam Darnold did last year? Yeah? Minnesota okay, so probably better?
Probably better again, I think that, But if if like they should have that, that that should be the same evaluation for JJ McCarthy, And I think it is for a lot of people in the building, probably the GMS more so than the head coach. But like, that's that's why they let Sam Donald walk, was because you know, they thought JJ McCarthy could do better than him.
M hm okay, So who thinks that he's going to be a Minnesota Viking? Anybody here? No, I don't Pennick.
No, and I still think that. I think that Rogers is going to be a Pittsburgh Still.
How many more conversations can the Minnesota Vikings have before offering a contract.
Yeah, I mean, I'm with you. I don't think it, but I really want to see it. I do. I think. I think it would be fun. And I love Kevin O'Connell. He's my coaching crush. I'm a huge fan of his. I want to see it.
Oh, we just need a Brett far of prophecy to be which he should wear number four.
I was just about to say he should wear number four too.
MVP level season with the Vikings after failure with the Jets, Like again, he would he would be like I think in that offense, he'd you know, have thirty two touchdowns, five interceptions and get like MVP talk.
Nick Mullins left for Jacksonville. So I think number twelve is available, Okay, h yeah, okay. So the Falcons keep saying they're gonna pay Kirk Cousins that ten million dollars roster bonus that he's due today, I'd be happy to have him in the building, even though he is clearly the backup Michael it is Michael Penix's job. Are we buying all of that statement?
Well, Kirk's not gonna be happy. I think the Falcons if this was you know, Madden and these people that have personalities, I like I would keep Kirk there too, to have him in the building and helping with game plan and having a you know, you know, somebody that Mike Pennis can can talk to and ask questions, especially, you know, because they're both you know, in that quarterback who or mobile. But in reality, I don't I don't see how Kirk Cousins is happy at all being there.
He's not, I mean has he hasn't been happy there since you know, April last year, the.
Month after he signed the contract. I think he's staying because unless, unless, the unless, the Falcons are gonna buckle up and just eat the majority of that contract and then allow a team like the Browns the Titans, who could still take cam Warden have Kirk Cousins as the veteran backup for like a six round pick. I don't
think Kirk Cousins is going anywhere. I mean, the contract is just absurd, seventy five million in dead money, and if they were, let's just say, if they were to cut him, and I guess this would be the same thing for releasing him too, seventy a trading him as well, seventy five million in dead money, and then they would oh thirty five million against the cap for the cap savings, it would put them in the red thirty five million.
So I mean, there's just there's no team that is going to want like, Okay, you have to take the money and I'll give you a six round pick. But that's it. There's going to be no team that's going to want to take anything, or you just release him if you don't want him that bad. So that's why I think they're going.
To keep them. Well, they're definitely not releasing him because the wouldn't pay him a ten million dollar roster bonus to then release him. So that is off the table. Let's play the trade game. And first of all, I want to say, why they don't want him in the building. Now, we heard that the day that Penni's got the job as the starter, that Kirk Cousins was like the first guy to call him and be like, hey, listen, I am with you. That is part of my job. He's
a good veteran. We've heard of bad veterans. He is a good veteran, so I'm not worried about him being a malcontent in the building. Like, if you're to line up all the guys in the NFL and say who's the least guy who's going to be a problem, Kirk
Cousins is in the bottom five most likely. But the Falcons don't want a guy who they're paying one hundred million dollars to to be there just in case Michael Pennock struggles the first month, because you know what everybody's going to be talking about, Well, why aren't you giving kirk Cousins another shot? He wasn't healthy last year. We've seen what he can do at a high level. Why don't you play him like? That's the last thing the Falcons need to deal with. So now we get to
the business side of this. Nobody in their right mind is going to trade for kirk Cousins full contract. But would you be willing to say, kirk Cousins ten million this year of the twenty seven that he's owed from the Falcons, and sure, I'll give a fifth, fifth round pick, because why not? Would don't you don't think that's some needy team. We know that there's the Browns, the Titans, the Giants, this unit.
Would you, mister Cleveland Brown, would you because that's the team that there's the only smoke I've I've seen with with Kirk Cousins.
I think I would pay. I think I would pay ten million dollars and probably a sixth round pick. I wouldn't want to give up the picks, but just to do it. Either that or we'll talk about the Browns quarterback situation.
I say that I can transition do so. Would you would you give up a six round pick and pay ten million to have Kirk Cousins Kenny pick in the shad door standers?
Well, you know what, before we get to that, let me let me do this because it all ties in. Miles Garrett had his reinchentry press conference, which was a weird thing. I don't know if you guys saw it. The Browns put up like these dinosaurs up on the dais. You know, they treat it like it was a free
agent signing instead of an extension. But I think because of the media tour that Miles went on, well tour or blowtorch, whatever you want to say, at the Super Bowl that they had him meet the press on Friday. Then he sat down with my buddy Andrew Ceciliano, who's now the Browns radio play by play guy, and they talked about the quarterback situation in all serious is do you know who the quarterback is going to be? I mean, do you have an idea? After conversations, I do have
an idea. Okay, do you like the idea?
I like it enough to to uh be here smiling in front of you because I think we have a good chance of that happening and making the most out of it.
Can you tell us who it is? Miles? You know I can't do that, Okay, So Miles, they told Miles something what I.
I don't pay attention to any pre draft smoke, right unless it's like clear the ten that's going first, right, like this whole Titans thing, like we're not going to pass on an elite player at one, and then all the trade smoke out of the combine now looks like they're going like I just I just don't pay attention to that, and especially anything that comes from a player's
mouth because they don't know. That was the first time I've ever been like oh what, Like he knows right, and he's not smoked, Like, why would Miles Garrett be smoke screening with that?
Like what? What? What was that?
Like, I I'm I'm I'm baffled. Did he just tell us the Browns are going to take Shad or Sanders or cam Ward at.
Picked two or one?
Or did he say did he not want to say that he didn't know about the quarterback plan and then realized he was in too deep, so he said, yeah, it's something I like because he wanted to try and not be like, actually, they didn't tell me anything. They just gave me forty million dollars per year.
Well, whatever it was, he was in lockstep with the organization because that was on the team website that was put out by the team. That is an interview that was done by the franchise. So whatever it is, they're all in agreement on it. I don't know. Did you did you find it interesting panic or not?
Yeah? In my brain, cam Ward is a Tennessee Titan until I improven. Otherwise, whether that's the first night of April or you know, the draft night in April on Thursday, or it's a trade a the Brown's trade up, the Giants trade up. So cam Ward is a Tennessee Titan, especially based on what they did in Freanancy. Did Russell Wilson visit the Browns last week Thursday? I think that is.
I honestly, while the Steelers and the Giants are twiddling their thumbs waiting over egotistical Aaron Rodgers, Cleveland brown should go and sign Russell Wilson, And I think that is the I think that is the signing and the guy that makes the most sense. If you don't believe, Hey, if the Browns really like cam Ward. But again, in my head, cam Ward is a Tennessee Titans, is a
Tennessee Titan. But I don't know if you really like Sure Sanders, I don't know if that's if that's the guy that you want to pair with whoever, or as we're you know, we're waiting to get that the sewing money out out the building and out the door, I think Russell Wilson is the guy that makes the most sense to bring in and try and bring some sort of stability that the Browns are desperate for without taking a desperate swing at a quarterback that probably probably won't
be very good in should Sanders.
So do you think paying let's say, let's say Russell Wilson and Kirk Cousins financially are about the same. You don't think that Kevin Stefanski would rather say, hey, let's trade a sixth round pick for Kirk Cousins. I know what I have here?
Oh no, I would.
I would much prefer Russ ver Kirk and.
Had success with Kirk before.
Yes, point right, that's the point.
And like the only team I can see wanting Kirk over Russ, I guess not the only there's a couple of other teams that run similar offenses.
And getting back to the Falcons standpoint, they want a draft pick. They've got three picks in the first six rounds, that is it. They've got two seventh rounders that ain't gonna help you. So they need to get better and they need to continue to put pieces on both sides of the football for Michael Pennix. They have no money, nobody then that's why the draft picks are even more valuable. Yes, so go do that. And if you can save a little bit of you know, jump change on Kirk Cousins,
so be it. I think they're forced to trade him and what they're begging for is that Aaron Rodgers retires, because that means that there's one less veteran out there that's signed with a team, and so somebody else is getting desperate.
I'm almost rooting for the Rogers retirement at this point, just to put all these teams in a scurry. I can I say something else on the Falcons. I never want to let it go how much they pissed me off with this Cousin's penick thing, right, and then when Pennix comes in this year and everyone being like, oh, man, I guess they weren't so crazy after all, Yes they are. They have no draft picks and no money because they signed Kirk Cousins.
Right.
The argument was never just taking Michael Pennox alone. It was like, why did you do both? Why did you do both? You were picking eighth overall. Do not tell me you weren't confident in to get Michael Pennix as your quarterback. It just it drives me nuts that like they've they've put themselves in this crappy situation.
I get it, I understand it. It was it was terribly mismanaged from the standpoint of giving Kirk Cousins one hundred million and then picking a quarterback at eight. Nobody has a problem. If you want to pick a quarterback at eight, nobody does so. But you're right. The way this has been done has not been Terry Fontineau in the organization's finest moment. I get that.
And they lost a pick because of tampering too from it.
Okay, so let's finish it up with this. This discussion. Is Kirk Cousins in Atlanta falcon after the draft?
No, yeah, I'll say no. I think I think Atlanta eventually gets desperate, they eat the majority of the money, and they just take a Day three pick.
I would agree, I say, no, who is the starting quarterback? Let's finish it all up with this. Who is the starting quarterback in Cleveland? After I'm number one on the depth chart? After the draft?
Curly Kirk, Bobby said, Kirk, don't take sure, don't take Shart, don't take suret don't take sure.
I'll say Russ for chaos, I think cam Ward Oh who is the starting quarterback for the New York Giants?
Russell Wilson, Well, I just went away from Rusk. I'll say, Sir Sanders, Bobby love that.
Who is the starting quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Aaron Rodgers, Aaron Rodgers, Mason Rudolph. Who is the starting quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings. J. J.
McCarthy, I'm very boring in my answers. Yeah, I'm also gonna go McCarthy Aaron Rodgers. I want pure chaos. I didn't give you guys a giant starter.
I agree. I think Shdeorge Sanders is your I think he's your guy. I think that's where we end up.
I think that's that's D and E.
Look at you, Bobby, Are you okay? You look Constanpa.
It's so much fun. I look forward to every d M after a bad game. All right, let's let's let's get let's get it rolling. You know what, rookie quarterback, I'm gonna take advantage of the moment.
So what does that mean?
It means I'm gonna break down every single game of film. Baby, That's what it means. I'm gonna break down every third down, I'm gonna break down every d pats. It means I'm gonna break it down.
All right. We started this show with wide receivers. We're gonna end it with a wide receiver. Cooper Cup has a new home. He is staying in the NFC West three years forty fuck to Seattle? Is that a huge overpay? Or do we like what they have done offensively with changing out wide receivers, you know, trading one, releasing Tyler Lockett, trading Geno Smith, bringing in Sam Donald? Are we okay with what has transpired here?
It's a weird room, man, where you've got receivers that are you know, a JSN, a Cooper Cup who aren't redundant, but you know, similar in alignment. I won't even say role, just alignment. Both are like, so you know, has so much to do with timing and being on the same page with the quarterback, where Sam Donald has been more of a you know what, this is what we're running, I'm gonna throw it here. If it's not there, I'll i'll,
you know, look to extend and make a play. But I also can't blame them if they're going to bring in Sam Donald and then trade away DK and let lock it go. They had to bring in somebody else in this receiver room that was capable, and so yeah, can when we look back at those Cooper Cup contract and say this is amazing or whatever. I don't know, probably not, but they needed to bring somebody into that
wide receiver room. I'm more frustrated to the Patriots didn't pay on this, right, This is the type of money that they should have, you know, spent a little bit of reckless toly On is helping your young quarterback and Jake May.
Yeah, and they still have like over one hundred million dollars.
Or something that waste a little bit like I got not everything needs to be the perfect contract when you have when you have that type of cap space, you don't need the perfect contract. You need to help out your young quarterback.
Yeah, particularly when you're not going to pay him for another two years. So you're right, that would have been a great one. As far as Seattle, it feels a little bit panic. And I want you to follow up on this is that they're rebuilding ish on the fly.
And yes, they signed Sam Donald to one hundred million dollar deal for three years, but if you look at it, the reports are according over the cap they can get out after one year and thirty seven and a half mil where there's no dead money and they're not penalized at all. So they can use this as a one year litmus test to see if this is a guy that has truly grown as an NFL quarterback or he was built in a lab by Kevin O'Connell. So they can do that for one year. They got younger, they
got a third round pick. They now have five of the top ninety two draft picks because they're the only team that's got five in the top one hundred. They can fix the interior that offensive line, I think if you trust John Schneider's ability to draft interior offensive lineman, because I think their running game can be way better. They were a bottom five running team and by all metrics, depending on which one you want to use, bottom five
offensive line. So I think that they can get better and still be like a nine win team this year and figure out if Sam Darnold's the answer. So I don't hate what they have done entirely, do you?
No?
I don't either.
You know.
The not someone I think does rebuilding and retooling kind of era is for the Seattle Seahawks. It's trying to fix their lines, both both D line, which I think their D line and their pass rush is closer than their O line. But Rose you mentioned it. I mean, the the only other teams that have five picks inside the top one hundred and ten are the Browns, the Jaguars,
the Patriots, and the Giants. But you mentioned that they're the only I think they're the only team that have five picks actually inside the top one hundred and they have the ninety second pick, But that this is where they're gonna really in a draft where a lot of people are talking about, oh, it's you know, it's very you don't really have a lot of the superstars at the top. It's it's a dual carter. It's Hunter and then the two quarterbacks and then you know, where else
do you go? Or those guys really work those top five top ten picks. So they have the eighteenth pick, eighteenth pick, but I'm really excited for their fiftieth or fifty second and there and there and their eighty second picks, Like that's where I think, you know what, they're really gonna need to hit on one or two of those guys in particularly hopefully one of them is an offensive alignment for them to really set them up in a good direction. But it almost feels like what the Commanders
did last year. You know they brought in a guy like DeMarcus Lawrence. You know, you bring in Cooper Cup. It's like, all right, these guys are a little bit older, but you're bringing him in here for a certain reason for veteran leadership, and the also give you a little bit of a boost and play while you're retooling. Just the only difference between when teams try to replicate what the commanders said last year is the Commander's capped it
off with Jiden Daniels. Odds are the Seahawks aren't going to be getting that performance out of Sam Donald. They could still be good, but it won't be like that.
Yeah, I did. They need to add more young offensive pieces to this team, is the reality of it. I mean, I think that they've drafted that they feel good about it is probably just Jans and Charles Cross, you know, that's it, right, There's some other younger offensive lineman who can grow and develop. Christian Haynes when they drafted in the third round last year as a guy I was a fan of. But they need young offensive pieces. I think the defense is talented. It maybe lacks a little
bit of star power, but it is talented. They need young offensive pieces added to this team for the long haul.
Yeah, I think they're gonna be an team to watch. I think in two years if they nail this draft, they could be as long as Sam dar is still the guy, because if not, then they got to figure out where they go a quarterback next year. And that's that's tough, tough run if you have having to do that, but it sounds like financially they can without penalty.
I have one more thing, just in case I've wanted to get this out there for any Seahawks fans, lootening. I did a film breakdown on their backup offensive tackle Stone Forceyth. The Giants added they should have an upgraded offensive coordinator. I had never been so mad at an offensive coordinator. They just leave these these shitty tackles on an island all game long. They don't run the ball at all. It was the most reckless offense I've ever seen.
No wonder Ryan Grubb went back to college at Alabama. But anyways, I just wanted to get that off my chest. I'm sorry you had to deal with, you know, leaving a second string tackle on an island all game one.
All right, So for Bobby Skinner and Justin Pennock and producer Connor. I am Chris Rose. We will see later this week here on Football Today.