1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,400 Bag alert, bag alert, bag alert, bag alert, bag alert. 2 00:00:03,400 --> 00:00:05,640 The street continues, folks. 3 00:00:05,640 --> 00:00:07,880 The schedule has been released. 4 00:00:07,880 --> 00:00:10,240 Tua is holding out for a contract. 5 00:00:10,240 --> 00:00:12,400 Justin Jefferson, the contract talks. 6 00:00:12,400 --> 00:00:14,560 Brandon Niu of Dilemma, we all know 7 00:00:14,560 --> 00:00:18,080 that's just a bad situation as a whole. 8 00:00:18,080 --> 00:00:20,640 C.D. Lam is letting Jerry Jones 9 00:00:20,640 --> 00:00:22,040 that time is ticking. 10 00:00:22,040 --> 00:00:24,480 Jomar Chase, Antihigas is holding out 11 00:00:24,480 --> 00:00:26,480 as well as Tristan Wirtz. 12 00:00:26,480 --> 00:00:27,920 We got a lot to discuss. 13 00:00:27,920 --> 00:00:29,680 We're gonna break everything down 14 00:00:29,680 --> 00:00:33,600 on the ninth episode of the Football Junkies Podcast. 15 00:00:33,600 --> 00:00:36,160 I am your host, your GM. 16 00:00:36,160 --> 00:00:40,600 The GM who has produced multiple all-pros, 17 00:00:40,600 --> 00:00:42,840 multiple holofapers, 18 00:00:42,840 --> 00:00:46,040 and who currently is not on the team right now. 19 00:00:46,040 --> 00:00:47,240 Kale, let's get it. 20 00:00:47,240 --> 00:00:50,960 All right, folks, so crazy turn of events. 21 00:00:50,960 --> 00:00:53,680 I was literally getting ready to put out 22 00:00:53,680 --> 00:00:56,080 an episode yesterday when I checked my phone 23 00:00:56,080 --> 00:01:00,360 and that's the thing I know, I got another bag alert, folks. 24 00:01:00,360 --> 00:01:02,400 So the street continues. 25 00:01:02,400 --> 00:01:05,520 Yes, let's see if the street can continue 26 00:01:05,520 --> 00:01:09,920 all the way up to the start of the first game of the season. 27 00:01:09,920 --> 00:01:11,320 Let's see, who knows? 28 00:01:11,320 --> 00:01:15,840 I'm looking forward to it, but let's just dive 29 00:01:15,840 --> 00:01:18,320 into the stats and everything, all right? 30 00:01:18,320 --> 00:01:21,600 So, Nico Collins, a receiver for the Texans, 31 00:01:21,600 --> 00:01:25,840 ain't a three-year, 72.7 million dollar extension with them, 32 00:01:25,840 --> 00:01:28,160 with a 17 million dollar signing bonus, 33 00:01:28,160 --> 00:01:30,840 52 million of that is guaranteed, 34 00:01:30,840 --> 00:01:33,840 which would average around 24.2 million a year 35 00:01:33,840 --> 00:01:35,480 according to SpotRag. 36 00:01:35,480 --> 00:01:38,840 Now, when we look at Nico Collins, 37 00:01:38,840 --> 00:01:42,040 Nico Collins has been a very productive receiver 38 00:01:42,040 --> 00:01:45,080 since being drafted by the Texans, okay? 39 00:01:45,080 --> 00:01:48,480 And if we can be real here, 40 00:01:48,480 --> 00:01:52,720 he was having a crazy season last year, okay? 41 00:01:52,720 --> 00:01:55,760 Let me just read off the stats that he had last year. 42 00:01:55,760 --> 00:02:00,760 So he had 80 receptions, 1,297 yards, eight touchdowns, 43 00:02:00,840 --> 00:02:05,840 and he averaged, averaged 16.2 yards a carry. 44 00:02:07,040 --> 00:02:12,040 That is really good numbers for someone like Nico Collins, 45 00:02:12,800 --> 00:02:17,800 and now that they added with them getting Stefan Diggs 46 00:02:18,240 --> 00:02:20,320 in the trade and then Tink Dell coming back, 47 00:02:20,320 --> 00:02:23,560 and then I think they traded for another receiver 48 00:02:23,560 --> 00:02:24,960 that was worth the rams, 49 00:02:24,960 --> 00:02:29,360 that is a very loaded, dangerous receiving core folks. 50 00:02:29,360 --> 00:02:33,960 CJ Stroud is going to continue to be a terror, 51 00:02:33,960 --> 00:02:37,520 not only in his division, but to other AFC teams. 52 00:02:37,520 --> 00:02:39,720 I would not be surprised if they're back 53 00:02:39,720 --> 00:02:43,360 in the same situation that they were last season, okay? 54 00:02:43,360 --> 00:02:47,000 Now, let's go a little bit deeper into the analytics, okay? 55 00:02:47,000 --> 00:02:48,920 So according to next-gen stats, 56 00:02:48,920 --> 00:02:52,040 he was first receiving yards as an isolated receiver 57 00:02:52,040 --> 00:02:54,800 in 2023 with 546 yards. 58 00:02:54,800 --> 00:02:56,760 He was second, okay? 59 00:02:56,760 --> 00:02:59,880 Second in receiving yards on post routes, 60 00:02:59,880 --> 00:03:03,200 according to next-gen stats, by the way, of Fox. 61 00:03:03,200 --> 00:03:07,120 It was an article when I did the research and found it. 62 00:03:07,120 --> 00:03:12,120 And he was sixth in catch rate on an in breaking routes 63 00:03:12,200 --> 00:03:14,680 at 73.9%. 64 00:03:14,680 --> 00:03:18,000 These are really good numbers, okay? 65 00:03:18,000 --> 00:03:20,880 Nico Collins is not getting talked about as much 66 00:03:20,880 --> 00:03:24,440 as he should be because he is up there, okay? 67 00:03:24,440 --> 00:03:27,520 When you talk about someone that is a productive receiver 68 00:03:27,520 --> 00:03:31,200 who basically every single time he gets the ball, 69 00:03:31,200 --> 00:03:35,560 he's making big plays and whatnot, that's what you need. 70 00:03:35,560 --> 00:03:40,560 And so with the Texans having the offense that they have, 71 00:03:41,040 --> 00:03:44,360 they can put up 20, 25, maybe 30 points a game. 72 00:03:44,360 --> 00:03:46,360 They can do that because guess what? 73 00:03:46,360 --> 00:03:48,680 Teams are gonna be focused on Steph on Dicks. 74 00:03:48,680 --> 00:03:50,680 Teams are still gonna be focused on Takedown. 75 00:03:50,680 --> 00:03:52,240 They're still gonna be focused on Nico Collins. 76 00:03:52,240 --> 00:03:57,240 They have a almost complete rotation for that receiving core, 77 00:03:57,240 --> 00:03:58,080 okay? 78 00:03:58,080 --> 00:04:02,880 And it's only going to get better from here, folks, okay? 79 00:04:02,880 --> 00:04:05,720 Everything that they have done at this point 80 00:04:05,720 --> 00:04:09,080 for that offense is just spectacular. 81 00:04:09,080 --> 00:04:13,200 And I would not be surprised if they tried to give a team 82 00:04:13,200 --> 00:04:17,640 like the Ravens, like the Chiefs, a run for their money 83 00:04:17,640 --> 00:04:18,640 because they can do it. 84 00:04:18,640 --> 00:04:21,520 They have the offense and they do have the defense as well. 85 00:04:21,520 --> 00:04:23,720 People are sleeping on the Texans defense, 86 00:04:23,720 --> 00:04:27,200 but they did make some good moves for the defense. 87 00:04:27,200 --> 00:04:30,360 With them having the Neil Hunter and Will Anderson 88 00:04:30,360 --> 00:04:34,920 on one line or one line, whoo, terror, okay? 89 00:04:34,920 --> 00:04:36,800 Terror, all right? 90 00:04:36,800 --> 00:04:41,800 Now, congratulations to Nico Collins getting his deal. 91 00:04:41,800 --> 00:04:44,760 Now let's talk about the people who are trying 92 00:04:44,760 --> 00:04:47,840 to get their deals in future bag alerts, okay? 93 00:04:47,840 --> 00:04:52,120 So Tua currently is still in contract talks 94 00:04:52,120 --> 00:04:53,840 with the Dolphins. 95 00:04:53,840 --> 00:04:57,720 Apparently according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, 96 00:04:57,720 --> 00:05:00,360 there has been one contract offer 97 00:05:00,360 --> 00:05:03,200 that was already put out, but of course, 98 00:05:03,200 --> 00:05:05,640 Tua's camp declined it. 99 00:05:05,640 --> 00:05:08,400 Now, before we get any further 100 00:05:08,400 --> 00:05:10,000 with market value, anything like that, 101 00:05:10,000 --> 00:05:11,440 let me just be completely honest here. 102 00:05:11,440 --> 00:05:15,360 And I wanna continue to reiterate that I am someone 103 00:05:15,360 --> 00:05:19,120 who was pro player, won everybody to get paid and whatnot. 104 00:05:19,120 --> 00:05:21,320 But at the same time, 105 00:05:21,320 --> 00:05:24,800 we have to address the elephant in the room here, okay? 106 00:05:24,800 --> 00:05:29,600 Paying Tua top dollar money is somewhat of a double-edged sword. 107 00:05:29,600 --> 00:05:31,600 And the reason why I say that is because 108 00:05:32,600 --> 00:05:34,640 his extensive injury history, 109 00:05:34,640 --> 00:05:37,720 specifically with concussions, okay? 110 00:05:37,720 --> 00:05:42,720 In 2022, he had five concussions in that one season, five, 111 00:05:42,720 --> 00:05:47,720 okay? He had them in week five, week six, week 17, 112 00:05:49,000 --> 00:05:51,520 week 18, and in the wildcard. 113 00:05:51,520 --> 00:05:53,000 That's not good. 114 00:05:53,000 --> 00:05:55,360 That is not good at all, folks. 115 00:05:55,360 --> 00:05:59,040 That is not a good cycle that you want to have. 116 00:05:59,040 --> 00:06:02,600 We have seen players who have had to medically retire 117 00:06:02,600 --> 00:06:05,120 because they were suffering too many concussions. 118 00:06:05,120 --> 00:06:08,480 Case in point, former all pro linebacker, 119 00:06:08,480 --> 00:06:09,960 Lou Keekley for the Panthers. 120 00:06:09,960 --> 00:06:11,480 He had to medically retire 121 00:06:11,480 --> 00:06:14,880 because he was getting so many concussions 122 00:06:14,880 --> 00:06:16,920 in a small amount of time. 123 00:06:16,920 --> 00:06:21,920 And around that time, the rules weren't as more strict 124 00:06:22,040 --> 00:06:25,120 when it came to enforcing concussions and whatnot. 125 00:06:25,120 --> 00:06:28,360 So unless it was really, really bad 126 00:06:28,360 --> 00:06:31,520 where he couldn't walk off the field or something, 127 00:06:31,520 --> 00:06:33,320 he still was gonna go out there. 128 00:06:33,320 --> 00:06:36,040 He may miss a game or two or whatever the case may be, 129 00:06:36,040 --> 00:06:40,200 but he was going to be back on the field at some point 130 00:06:40,200 --> 00:06:43,760 compared to now, whereas they have people 131 00:06:43,760 --> 00:06:45,720 that are specifically looking at players, 132 00:06:45,720 --> 00:06:48,040 and if they feel like they have a concussion, 133 00:06:48,040 --> 00:06:51,520 then they'll take them out and do whatever procedures 134 00:06:51,520 --> 00:06:52,360 that they need to do. 135 00:06:52,360 --> 00:06:57,360 So when we look at Tua coming into the league 136 00:06:57,360 --> 00:07:00,640 had suffered a major injury while in college. 137 00:07:00,640 --> 00:07:02,160 Let's be real here, folks. 138 00:07:02,160 --> 00:07:05,880 The injury that he suffered is a similar injury 139 00:07:05,880 --> 00:07:08,640 to what Bo Jackson suffered when he was with the Raiders. 140 00:07:08,640 --> 00:07:09,880 And that ended his career. 141 00:07:09,880 --> 00:07:14,680 Now, medicine has evolved and it's gotten more advanced now. 142 00:07:14,680 --> 00:07:18,080 And Tua was able to get drafted 143 00:07:18,080 --> 00:07:19,560 and then eventually played the league 144 00:07:19,560 --> 00:07:21,480 and be where he is right now. 145 00:07:21,480 --> 00:07:25,400 But the fact of the matter is paying Tua a lot of money 146 00:07:26,760 --> 00:07:30,120 can either hurt you right now 147 00:07:30,120 --> 00:07:31,920 or it's gonna hurt you in the future. 148 00:07:31,920 --> 00:07:34,840 Because whether we want to admit it or not, 149 00:07:34,840 --> 00:07:38,640 no matter how fast that they wanna try to get the offense 150 00:07:38,640 --> 00:07:42,440 to be, no matter how many track stars that they get, 151 00:07:42,440 --> 00:07:43,880 no matter how many people that they get 152 00:07:43,880 --> 00:07:48,240 that can run a 4-2 or a 4.1 or whatever the case may be, 153 00:07:48,240 --> 00:07:52,120 it's still not going to defeat the purpose 154 00:07:52,120 --> 00:07:55,400 that at some point Tua is going to get hit. 155 00:07:55,400 --> 00:07:58,080 And you don't want it to be a hit 156 00:07:58,080 --> 00:08:00,760 where it could end his career or worse. 157 00:08:00,760 --> 00:08:02,080 You don't want that. 158 00:08:02,080 --> 00:08:05,160 And so in this situation, 159 00:08:05,160 --> 00:08:06,960 you have to configure a contract 160 00:08:06,960 --> 00:08:10,640 to where if anything crazy happens, right? 161 00:08:10,640 --> 00:08:12,440 He would still get his money, 162 00:08:12,440 --> 00:08:15,840 but you would only take the fall for maybe a year 163 00:08:15,840 --> 00:08:18,800 compared to trying to scratch your head 164 00:08:18,800 --> 00:08:22,400 and figure out, okay, we're gonna have to push this 165 00:08:22,400 --> 00:08:25,440 down the road year by year by year, right? 166 00:08:25,440 --> 00:08:29,400 So when we look at his market value according to Spotrack, 167 00:08:29,400 --> 00:08:34,280 his market value is a four year, 198.5 million dollar deal, 168 00:08:34,280 --> 00:08:38,440 which averages around 49.6 million a year. 169 00:08:38,440 --> 00:08:41,760 Now, that is a pretty good contract. 170 00:08:41,760 --> 00:08:46,760 It is, but it all depends on how they configure it. 171 00:08:46,760 --> 00:08:49,440 If they front load this deal, 172 00:08:49,440 --> 00:08:53,400 meaning that the first three years is when, 173 00:08:53,400 --> 00:08:55,720 the highest cap hits and the signing bonuses 174 00:08:55,720 --> 00:08:58,160 and all that different type of stuff is in, 175 00:08:58,160 --> 00:09:02,520 that means that the rest of those years, 176 00:09:02,520 --> 00:09:03,760 it's easy to work with. 177 00:09:03,760 --> 00:09:06,040 It's easy to digest it, 178 00:09:06,040 --> 00:09:08,760 break down and figure out how you're gonna work with it 179 00:09:08,760 --> 00:09:12,960 compared to basically back loading the deal. 180 00:09:12,960 --> 00:09:14,320 And now you're trying to figure out 181 00:09:14,320 --> 00:09:17,600 how to where you're gonna be able to pay anybody else 182 00:09:17,600 --> 00:09:18,440 that you wanna pay, 183 00:09:18,440 --> 00:09:20,800 because they still have people that they have to pay. 184 00:09:20,800 --> 00:09:22,560 They got Javon Holland that they're gonna have to pay, 185 00:09:22,560 --> 00:09:26,760 Jalen Phillips, possibly Tyreek Hill soon, and Jaylen Waddle. 186 00:09:26,760 --> 00:09:28,080 And I can tell you right now, 187 00:09:28,080 --> 00:09:29,440 Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, 188 00:09:29,440 --> 00:09:31,400 they're gonna want top dollar money. 189 00:09:31,400 --> 00:09:34,480 So someone's gonna have to get the ax, 190 00:09:34,480 --> 00:09:35,640 someone's gonna have to get the bottom 191 00:09:35,640 --> 00:09:37,920 of the totem pole unfortunately. 192 00:09:37,920 --> 00:09:40,040 Now the question is, who will that be? 193 00:09:40,040 --> 00:09:43,160 How will that, you know, conspire? 194 00:09:43,160 --> 00:09:46,200 And, you know, will the dolphins be willing 195 00:09:46,200 --> 00:09:48,340 to possibly pay to one? 196 00:09:48,340 --> 00:09:51,120 Now, if it was me personally, as I put on my GM hat, 197 00:09:51,120 --> 00:09:56,120 as always, I would probably do a franchise tag. 198 00:09:56,240 --> 00:10:01,040 And, you know, if his number comes down just a little bit, 199 00:10:01,040 --> 00:10:04,840 and it's reasonable, then, you know, we can do business. 200 00:10:04,840 --> 00:10:07,280 But if it's, you know, still something crazy 201 00:10:07,280 --> 00:10:10,920 where he wants to make just as much money as Lamar 202 00:10:10,920 --> 00:10:14,520 or Josh Allen or, you know, any of the top players, 203 00:10:14,520 --> 00:10:16,560 then, you know, we're just gonna have to disagree. 204 00:10:16,560 --> 00:10:20,160 And we're just gonna have to let you test free agency. 205 00:10:20,160 --> 00:10:23,200 Because whether we want to, a minute or not, 206 00:10:23,200 --> 00:10:24,720 Tua does have a market. 207 00:10:24,720 --> 00:10:25,560 He has a market. 208 00:10:25,560 --> 00:10:30,560 Now, it's just a matter of, is it a defined market? 209 00:10:30,560 --> 00:10:31,400 Okay? 210 00:10:31,400 --> 00:10:35,080 And the reason why I'm saying defined market is because, 211 00:10:35,080 --> 00:10:37,880 sure, there are teams that are always gonna be interested 212 00:10:37,880 --> 00:10:40,880 in players, but it's a matter of how much money 213 00:10:40,880 --> 00:10:43,960 will they be willing to spend for such player, right? 214 00:10:43,960 --> 00:10:45,440 Especially for quarterbacks. 215 00:10:45,440 --> 00:10:48,120 Because quarterbacks, you know, are diamond dozen, 216 00:10:48,120 --> 00:10:51,120 especially really good to elite quarterbacks. 217 00:10:51,120 --> 00:10:54,080 They are very hard to, you know, to get 218 00:10:54,080 --> 00:10:57,280 because they get locked up so quickly. 219 00:10:57,280 --> 00:10:59,280 Once they get locked up, they're gonna stay with that team 220 00:10:59,280 --> 00:11:00,520 basically for the rest of their career. 221 00:11:00,520 --> 00:11:02,760 Unless, you know, something crazy happens. 222 00:11:02,760 --> 00:11:04,720 Then it's like, okay, you know, 223 00:11:04,720 --> 00:11:07,560 then there'll be free agent and, you know, do whatever. 224 00:11:07,560 --> 00:11:09,080 But, you know, aside from that, 225 00:11:09,080 --> 00:11:10,520 they're gonna stay with that team 226 00:11:10,520 --> 00:11:12,320 probably for the rest of their career. 227 00:11:12,320 --> 00:11:17,320 Um, so, you know, it's a case of wait and see 228 00:11:17,560 --> 00:11:20,560 and figure out exactly what's going to happen. 229 00:11:20,560 --> 00:11:23,520 Hopefully, you know, they do find some mutual ground 230 00:11:23,520 --> 00:11:25,200 and they do get a deal done. 231 00:11:25,200 --> 00:11:29,720 That has been official to both Tua and the team. 232 00:11:29,720 --> 00:11:31,280 While at the same time making sure 233 00:11:31,280 --> 00:11:32,920 that they protect themselves in case 234 00:11:32,920 --> 00:11:34,560 of anything crazy happens. 235 00:11:34,560 --> 00:11:39,560 Now, moving on to Justin Jefferson, all right? 236 00:11:40,240 --> 00:11:43,640 Now, as we all know, Justin Jefferson is one 237 00:11:43,640 --> 00:11:46,080 of the best receivers in the league. 238 00:11:46,080 --> 00:11:49,360 He's one of the most popular players in the league right now. 239 00:11:50,520 --> 00:11:53,080 But the Vikings have a very, you know, 240 00:11:53,080 --> 00:11:55,760 tough decision that they have to make right now. 241 00:11:55,760 --> 00:11:59,960 Because the wide receiver market is in a standstill. 242 00:11:59,960 --> 00:12:01,640 Everybody is waiting to see 243 00:12:01,640 --> 00:12:03,680 who's gonna fire the first shot. 244 00:12:03,680 --> 00:12:04,640 Everyone. 245 00:12:04,640 --> 00:12:07,200 Amon Rossi Brown got his deal, okay? 246 00:12:07,200 --> 00:12:08,920 He's already reset in the market. 247 00:12:08,920 --> 00:12:11,800 Then a few days later, AJ Brown reset in the market 248 00:12:11,800 --> 00:12:13,760 and guarantees it from not mistaken. 249 00:12:13,760 --> 00:12:18,280 And then here we are now, okay? 250 00:12:18,280 --> 00:12:20,760 So you literally have Brandon Iewick, 251 00:12:20,760 --> 00:12:23,880 Jermon Chase, T Higgins, and Justin Jefferson, 252 00:12:23,880 --> 00:12:26,840 and CD Lamb all looking for a new deal. 253 00:12:26,840 --> 00:12:30,120 The question is who's gonna be the first person, right? 254 00:12:30,120 --> 00:12:33,600 Justin Jefferson is going to reset the market. 255 00:12:33,600 --> 00:12:35,040 I don't care what anyone says. 256 00:12:35,040 --> 00:12:37,920 I don't care what any analyst says, any former player, 257 00:12:37,920 --> 00:12:39,880 any, you know, journalist or person 258 00:12:39,880 --> 00:12:41,480 that just wanna talk on the microphone. 259 00:12:41,480 --> 00:12:46,120 Justin Jefferson is going to reset the market. 260 00:12:46,120 --> 00:12:48,240 And when he does reset the market, 261 00:12:48,240 --> 00:12:50,480 the only person that could probably get close 262 00:12:50,480 --> 00:12:55,480 or maybe oversee his deal could possibly be Tyree Kilmer. 263 00:12:56,080 --> 00:12:58,480 And even then, there are limitations with him 264 00:12:58,480 --> 00:13:03,480 because teams aren't gonna be as willing 265 00:13:03,800 --> 00:13:07,680 to shell out all of this money, especially to a receiver. 266 00:13:07,680 --> 00:13:09,000 They're just not. 267 00:13:09,000 --> 00:13:13,040 So it's a wait and see type of moment. 268 00:13:13,040 --> 00:13:17,680 And if we're being real here, it's going, 269 00:13:17,680 --> 00:13:22,160 this could probably draw out into possibly, 270 00:13:22,160 --> 00:13:24,040 you know, deeper into the training camp at one time. 271 00:13:24,040 --> 00:13:25,680 I would not be surprised 272 00:13:25,680 --> 00:13:29,480 because everybody's waiting to see who's gonna get the, 273 00:13:29,480 --> 00:13:31,320 who's gonna reset the market next. 274 00:13:31,320 --> 00:13:33,200 There's gonna be CD Lamb, there's gonna be T Higgins, 275 00:13:33,200 --> 00:13:34,200 there's gonna be Jermon Chase, 276 00:13:34,200 --> 00:13:35,280 there's gonna be Justin Jefferson, 277 00:13:35,280 --> 00:13:37,440 there's gonna be Brandon Iewick. 278 00:13:37,440 --> 00:13:40,760 If it was me personally, I feel like Justin Jefferson 279 00:13:40,760 --> 00:13:42,840 is gonna reset the market first. 280 00:13:42,840 --> 00:13:46,400 CD Lamb's probably gonna get as close as he can to it. 281 00:13:46,400 --> 00:13:49,360 Then it's gonna be Brandon Iewick, then everybody else. 282 00:13:50,360 --> 00:13:53,920 Because when we observe and we look at the market value 283 00:13:53,920 --> 00:13:57,680 for some of these receivers, better yet, 284 00:13:57,680 --> 00:14:00,800 let's start with T Higgins, for instance. 285 00:14:00,800 --> 00:14:02,840 T Higgins market value, surprisingly, 286 00:14:02,840 --> 00:14:06,640 when I did the research, is actually very lower 287 00:14:06,640 --> 00:14:08,440 than what I expected. 288 00:14:08,440 --> 00:14:13,440 He would be valued at a five year, $98.5 million deal 289 00:14:13,440 --> 00:14:17,560 which would average around 19.7 million a year. 290 00:14:17,560 --> 00:14:22,240 T Higgins should not be valued that low, he shouldn't. 291 00:14:22,240 --> 00:14:27,240 T Higgins on another team could possibly be a one or a two. 292 00:14:27,520 --> 00:14:32,360 Okay, T Higgins was on the Bengals before, 293 00:14:32,360 --> 00:14:35,200 they became who they are right now. 294 00:14:35,200 --> 00:14:37,440 So you would think that the Bengals 295 00:14:37,440 --> 00:14:40,800 would compensate him for that and they have it. 296 00:14:40,800 --> 00:14:44,680 And I remember there was a report that came out 297 00:14:44,680 --> 00:14:48,240 that basically the Bengals haven't even talked to T Higgins 298 00:14:48,240 --> 00:14:52,680 about a contract extension since last March. 299 00:14:52,680 --> 00:14:56,360 Last March, okay, that's not good, 300 00:14:56,360 --> 00:14:59,400 especially when they just paid Joe Burr all that money. 301 00:15:00,640 --> 00:15:05,540 Everybody knows that if they do not keep that core, 302 00:15:05,540 --> 00:15:08,080 things are not going to look good for the Bengals. 303 00:15:08,080 --> 00:15:09,440 It's just not, I'm sorry. 304 00:15:09,440 --> 00:15:12,240 And then not to mention it doesn't help that, 305 00:15:12,240 --> 00:15:16,000 his teammate Jamar Chase is also looking for money as well. 306 00:15:16,000 --> 00:15:18,040 And even then when you look at his market value, 307 00:15:18,040 --> 00:15:21,200 his market value is a three year, 308 00:15:21,200 --> 00:15:25,880 $90.7 million deal which would average around 30.2 million 309 00:15:25,880 --> 00:15:26,720 a year. 310 00:15:26,720 --> 00:15:30,360 That's not gonna sit well with that receiving core. 311 00:15:30,360 --> 00:15:33,400 It's just not because T Higgins argument 312 00:15:33,400 --> 00:15:36,160 is probably gonna be, I was here before all of this. 313 00:15:36,160 --> 00:15:41,160 I was here when we were struggling to be a better team. 314 00:15:41,280 --> 00:15:44,040 We were going through multiple quarterbacks 315 00:15:44,040 --> 00:15:46,280 and the offense really wasn't doing anything. 316 00:15:46,280 --> 00:15:49,480 We were at the bottom or at least third place 317 00:15:49,480 --> 00:15:50,400 in the division. 318 00:15:50,400 --> 00:15:52,600 That's what he's thinking, okay? 319 00:15:52,600 --> 00:15:56,520 I don't know how this is gonna pan out, 320 00:15:56,520 --> 00:15:59,560 but all I can say is this is not gonna be good. 321 00:15:59,560 --> 00:16:02,960 This is not, and I will not be surprised if T Higgins 322 00:16:02,960 --> 00:16:07,680 will possibly sit out maybe or just, 323 00:16:07,680 --> 00:16:11,480 he'll just sign the tag and just do whatever 324 00:16:11,480 --> 00:16:15,000 because whether we want to admit it or not, 325 00:16:15,000 --> 00:16:18,080 the Bengals have been a little bit shiesty 326 00:16:18,080 --> 00:16:20,920 when it comes to their business lately and it shows. 327 00:16:23,360 --> 00:16:26,800 They have to do better when it comes to paying 328 00:16:26,800 --> 00:16:28,240 their key players. 329 00:16:28,240 --> 00:16:31,640 Tyler Boyd, that's perfectly fine. 330 00:16:31,640 --> 00:16:33,600 Not saying anything about that, 331 00:16:33,600 --> 00:16:36,120 but you have to try to keep that core 332 00:16:36,120 --> 00:16:39,000 in T Higgins and Jermard Chase. 333 00:16:39,000 --> 00:16:42,680 You have to, whatever you have to do, do it. 334 00:16:42,680 --> 00:16:45,360 Because if you don't, you are going to see Joe Burrow 335 00:16:45,360 --> 00:16:47,160 regress, mark my words. 336 00:16:47,160 --> 00:16:50,040 Mark my GM words, you are going to see it 337 00:16:50,040 --> 00:16:54,080 because Jermard Chase and T Higgins, 338 00:16:54,080 --> 00:16:58,480 they do a lot on their offense and they create 339 00:16:58,480 --> 00:17:03,160 so much of a presence on that field that at times 340 00:17:03,160 --> 00:17:05,600 they might have to get double, they might have to get triple 341 00:17:05,600 --> 00:17:09,520 or whatever the case may be, just because of 342 00:17:09,520 --> 00:17:13,000 how big of a playmaker they are. 343 00:17:13,000 --> 00:17:17,160 So it's sort of a wait and see type of situation. 344 00:17:17,160 --> 00:17:20,560 And even then when we look at CD Lamb situation, 345 00:17:20,560 --> 00:17:24,920 CD Lamb has let it be known that the clock is ticking 346 00:17:24,920 --> 00:17:27,520 and that he wants to get paid soon. 347 00:17:27,520 --> 00:17:30,520 But the problem is with his situation is 348 00:17:30,520 --> 00:17:34,760 both he's in the contract here and Dak is in the contract here. 349 00:17:34,760 --> 00:17:36,360 And then pretty soon Michael Parsons 350 00:17:36,360 --> 00:17:38,240 is going to be in the contract here. 351 00:17:38,240 --> 00:17:41,840 That's three players that if we're being real here, 352 00:17:41,840 --> 00:17:44,560 two of them are probably going to get close 353 00:17:44,560 --> 00:17:46,720 to resetting the market, okay? 354 00:17:47,600 --> 00:17:49,320 I don't know if Jerry wants to do that. 355 00:17:49,320 --> 00:17:52,040 Now granted, Jerry does take care of his players. 356 00:17:52,040 --> 00:17:55,800 That is the one thing that we can all agree on. 357 00:17:55,800 --> 00:17:59,200 Jerry Jones does make sure that he takes care of his players, 358 00:17:59,200 --> 00:18:01,080 but at the same time, 359 00:18:01,080 --> 00:18:03,720 he is going to try to get the best value possible. 360 00:18:03,720 --> 00:18:07,360 Now, has he overpaid for players when he shouldn't have? 361 00:18:07,360 --> 00:18:09,560 Yes, of course he has, 362 00:18:09,560 --> 00:18:12,040 but he makes sure that he takes care of his players. 363 00:18:12,040 --> 00:18:15,440 So I would not be surprised if this draws out, 364 00:18:15,440 --> 00:18:18,840 you know, longer possibly into training camp 365 00:18:18,840 --> 00:18:21,760 because CD Lamb in his eyes believes 366 00:18:21,760 --> 00:18:23,440 that he is a top five receiver 367 00:18:23,440 --> 00:18:26,800 and I'm not going to disagree with him on that, 368 00:18:26,800 --> 00:18:29,960 but at the same time, the question is, 369 00:18:29,960 --> 00:18:33,360 does Jerry value CD Lamb more or Dak more? 370 00:18:33,360 --> 00:18:34,720 That's the question. 371 00:18:34,720 --> 00:18:37,640 Because the team right now is at a crossroads 372 00:18:37,640 --> 00:18:41,800 where either they can continue to progress 373 00:18:41,800 --> 00:18:44,080 and they just, you know, they pay CD Lamb 374 00:18:44,080 --> 00:18:45,200 and they figure out what they're going to do 375 00:18:45,200 --> 00:18:49,440 with the quarterback or they re-up with Dak, 376 00:18:49,440 --> 00:18:53,120 but at the cost of possibly losing CD Lamb to free agency. 377 00:18:53,120 --> 00:18:56,240 That is a very tough decision 378 00:18:56,240 --> 00:18:57,520 that they're going to have to make 379 00:18:57,520 --> 00:18:59,480 and it's not going to look good, 380 00:18:59,480 --> 00:19:02,360 but hey, they got to do what they got to do, right? 381 00:19:04,160 --> 00:19:07,360 Moving forward to the whole Brandon IEU dilemma. 382 00:19:07,360 --> 00:19:10,600 Unfortunately, yes, we do have to talk about Brandon IEUIC 383 00:19:10,600 --> 00:19:12,120 because he is in that same boat 384 00:19:12,120 --> 00:19:14,680 with a lot of these receivers, right? 385 00:19:14,680 --> 00:19:18,440 Brandon IEUIC, if we can be honest here, 386 00:19:18,440 --> 00:19:20,280 is in a situation where, 387 00:19:20,280 --> 00:19:24,040 and I've said this before in previous episodes, 388 00:19:24,040 --> 00:19:27,920 you can either take less and still be on the team 389 00:19:27,920 --> 00:19:30,360 and possibly compete to win a championship 390 00:19:30,360 --> 00:19:32,840 and then, you know, when you hit free agency, 391 00:19:32,840 --> 00:19:35,280 you can re-up and get more money 392 00:19:35,280 --> 00:19:38,680 or you get traded to another team 393 00:19:38,680 --> 00:19:40,120 and you get the money, 394 00:19:40,120 --> 00:19:43,480 but you never get close to winning a championship. 395 00:19:43,480 --> 00:19:45,200 That's the dilemma right here. 396 00:19:45,200 --> 00:19:47,720 Because whether we want to admit it or not, 397 00:19:47,720 --> 00:19:49,800 the 49ers are not in a position 398 00:19:49,800 --> 00:19:52,840 where they can just continue to reset the market 399 00:19:52,840 --> 00:19:54,160 for every single star player. 400 00:19:54,160 --> 00:19:55,400 They just can't do that. 401 00:19:55,400 --> 00:19:56,880 It's not possible, okay? 402 00:19:56,880 --> 00:19:58,800 They reset the market for Nick Bosa. 403 00:19:58,800 --> 00:20:00,720 They reset in the market for Christian McCaffrey. 404 00:20:00,720 --> 00:20:02,920 They reset in the market for Trent Williams. 405 00:20:02,920 --> 00:20:06,600 At some point, someone's going to have to take less, someone. 406 00:20:06,600 --> 00:20:09,800 And if Brandon IEUIC makes more money 407 00:20:09,800 --> 00:20:11,160 than what D-Bow is making, 408 00:20:11,160 --> 00:20:13,320 that's going to money up the waters. 409 00:20:13,320 --> 00:20:15,000 Which, I mean, if we're being real here, 410 00:20:15,000 --> 00:20:17,040 the waters are already moneyed up 411 00:20:17,040 --> 00:20:19,240 with them drafting two receivers. 412 00:20:19,240 --> 00:20:22,280 With them drafting Ricky Piersol in the first round, 413 00:20:22,280 --> 00:20:25,400 that already just puts a damper in everything. 414 00:20:25,400 --> 00:20:27,200 Because now you have a receiver court 415 00:20:27,200 --> 00:20:31,120 that's just stacked that, honestly speaking, 416 00:20:31,120 --> 00:20:34,200 who's really going to get a majority of those reps? 417 00:20:34,200 --> 00:20:38,400 Probably D-Bow and probably whoever else is still on the team. 418 00:20:38,400 --> 00:20:41,560 There's only one ball, only one ball. 419 00:20:41,560 --> 00:20:45,280 So not everybody's going to be able to do something. 420 00:20:45,280 --> 00:20:47,640 And so someone's going to have to go. 421 00:20:47,640 --> 00:20:51,640 Now, if it's me personally, I feel like D-Bow will probably go 422 00:20:51,640 --> 00:20:56,640 because his contract is more digestible for some teams. 423 00:20:57,480 --> 00:21:00,600 So teams will be able to manipulate it a little bit more 424 00:21:00,600 --> 00:21:04,800 in their favor compared to giving up high draft compensation 425 00:21:04,800 --> 00:21:09,160 for Brandon IEUIC and then having to pay him top dollar money. 426 00:21:09,160 --> 00:21:10,480 Right? 427 00:21:10,480 --> 00:21:13,000 Let me look at Brandon IEUIC's market value, right? 428 00:21:13,000 --> 00:21:17,760 He is valued at a four year, $106 million deal, 429 00:21:17,760 --> 00:21:22,760 which were averaged around $25.5 million a year. 430 00:21:23,600 --> 00:21:26,000 Well, correction, $26.5, sorry. 431 00:21:27,480 --> 00:21:32,160 If we can be real here, yes, that is pretty normal, 432 00:21:32,160 --> 00:21:35,920 but at the same time, at some point, 433 00:21:35,920 --> 00:21:38,880 you have to put the line in the same, okay? 434 00:21:38,880 --> 00:21:42,880 Brandon IEUIC is not a 30 million dollar year type of receiver. 435 00:21:42,880 --> 00:21:43,720 He is not. 436 00:21:43,720 --> 00:21:45,400 He's not up there with AJ Brown. 437 00:21:45,400 --> 00:21:46,920 He's not up there with DK Metcalf. 438 00:21:46,920 --> 00:21:48,240 He's not up there with Cooper Cup. 439 00:21:48,240 --> 00:21:51,760 He is definitely not up there with Justin Jefferson 440 00:21:51,760 --> 00:21:53,240 or Tyree Kill. 441 00:21:53,240 --> 00:21:55,240 He is not, okay? 442 00:21:55,240 --> 00:22:00,240 So, you know, if you're a team that is looking for a receiver, 443 00:22:02,480 --> 00:22:05,320 you have to figure out, okay, 444 00:22:05,320 --> 00:22:08,600 if we try to make a move for someone like a Brandon IEUIC, 445 00:22:08,600 --> 00:22:11,200 how much money is he going to ask from us? 446 00:22:11,200 --> 00:22:13,040 Can we do it? Is it going to work? 447 00:22:13,040 --> 00:22:15,160 And are we still going to get the same production 448 00:22:15,160 --> 00:22:17,720 that, you know, San Francisco got? 449 00:22:17,720 --> 00:22:19,240 Those are very tough decisions 450 00:22:19,240 --> 00:22:21,400 and those are very tough questions 451 00:22:21,400 --> 00:22:24,600 that teams are going to have to ask themselves, unfortunately. 452 00:22:24,600 --> 00:22:27,480 Now, if it was me personally, 453 00:22:27,480 --> 00:22:29,080 if I was in Brandon IEUIC shoes, 454 00:22:29,080 --> 00:22:31,080 if I was in his inner circle, 455 00:22:31,080 --> 00:22:33,320 I probably would say take less. 456 00:22:33,320 --> 00:22:34,160 Take less. 457 00:22:34,160 --> 00:22:37,120 Take a two-year, take a two-year, three-year deal. 458 00:22:37,120 --> 00:22:38,840 So that guess what? 459 00:22:38,840 --> 00:22:41,480 If y'all went in championship, guess what? 460 00:22:41,480 --> 00:22:43,560 You can hit free agency next 461 00:22:43,560 --> 00:22:45,040 and then you can really re-up. 462 00:22:45,040 --> 00:22:46,080 Get the bag. 463 00:22:46,080 --> 00:22:47,320 You could go to a crappy team. 464 00:22:47,320 --> 00:22:48,600 Wouldn't matter, because guess what? 465 00:22:48,600 --> 00:22:49,600 You got your championship. 466 00:22:49,600 --> 00:22:50,760 You got a ring. 467 00:22:50,760 --> 00:22:51,760 So that's all that matters. 468 00:22:51,760 --> 00:22:55,200 You are cemented in history, right? 469 00:22:55,200 --> 00:22:58,360 Compared to just, you know, basically saying, 470 00:22:58,360 --> 00:22:59,720 you know, I want all this money, 471 00:22:59,720 --> 00:23:01,920 I want all this money, I want all this money. 472 00:23:01,920 --> 00:23:04,080 When in actuality, guess what? 473 00:23:04,080 --> 00:23:05,760 The 49ers are going to tell you, 474 00:23:05,760 --> 00:23:09,320 we can only fit this much on this small little plate. 475 00:23:09,320 --> 00:23:11,640 So what you're asking for doesn't fit on this plate. 476 00:23:11,640 --> 00:23:14,400 So either, you know, you cut it in half 477 00:23:14,400 --> 00:23:17,600 or we just going to have to take you off the plate. 478 00:23:17,600 --> 00:23:18,800 I know it's a crazy analogy, 479 00:23:18,800 --> 00:23:21,880 but hopefully you follow with me on that. 480 00:23:23,600 --> 00:23:27,480 But you know, it's a very tough situation for GMs right now 481 00:23:27,480 --> 00:23:32,040 because it's a standstill for receivers. 482 00:23:32,040 --> 00:23:36,440 Because once the other person gets a deal, 483 00:23:36,440 --> 00:23:39,800 then I'm going to be like, okay, we want a different deal. 484 00:23:39,800 --> 00:23:41,280 We want more guarantees 485 00:23:41,280 --> 00:23:43,480 or we want a bigger signing bonus 486 00:23:43,480 --> 00:23:46,880 or we want this or we want that. 487 00:23:46,880 --> 00:23:50,160 It's a very, very, very tough situation right now. 488 00:23:50,160 --> 00:23:53,680 But hopefully something gets resolved pretty quickly 489 00:23:53,680 --> 00:23:56,480 and everybody gets paid and everybody is happy. 490 00:23:56,480 --> 00:24:00,440 But at the end of the day, as everyone says, 491 00:24:00,440 --> 00:24:02,680 this is a business. 492 00:24:02,680 --> 00:24:06,200 And sometimes you have to make business decisions 493 00:24:06,200 --> 00:24:09,080 that not everybody is going to agree with, unfortunately. 494 00:24:10,200 --> 00:24:12,920 But moving forward to Tristan Werff. 495 00:24:12,920 --> 00:24:17,920 Tristan Werff, in my mind, is 1A and 1B with Pinesuwell. 496 00:24:21,720 --> 00:24:26,120 Those two tackles are the two best young tackles 497 00:24:26,120 --> 00:24:28,320 in this league right now. 498 00:24:28,320 --> 00:24:31,320 When Trent Williams retires and whatnot, 499 00:24:31,320 --> 00:24:34,480 those two are going to continue to carry the mantle 500 00:24:34,480 --> 00:24:37,040 of being the best tackles, okay? 501 00:24:37,040 --> 00:24:41,120 Tristan Werff is in a situation where he is someone 502 00:24:41,120 --> 00:24:44,000 who can play both right tackle and left tackle 503 00:24:44,000 --> 00:24:46,040 at an elite level. 504 00:24:46,040 --> 00:24:48,920 And if you're the Buccaneers, you have to figure out, 505 00:24:48,920 --> 00:24:53,920 okay, how much money do we have to shell out to keep him? 506 00:24:54,760 --> 00:24:57,240 Because let me be real here. 507 00:24:57,240 --> 00:25:00,560 Let me be crystal clear with what I'm about to say. 508 00:25:00,560 --> 00:25:04,880 If the Buccaneers let Tristan Werff's walk 509 00:25:04,880 --> 00:25:08,120 into free agency, I guarantee you, 510 00:25:08,120 --> 00:25:12,240 by the before the end of the first day of free agency, 511 00:25:12,240 --> 00:25:15,880 he would have already entered the deal. 512 00:25:15,880 --> 00:25:18,640 And his deal will be way more, 513 00:25:18,640 --> 00:25:22,440 or probably even as close to what Pinesuwell just got. 514 00:25:22,440 --> 00:25:25,600 Because he's that good of a tackle. 515 00:25:25,600 --> 00:25:28,360 And it's not like there's a whole bunch of Tristan Werffs 516 00:25:28,360 --> 00:25:31,720 and Pinesuwells and Trent Williams and Roddy Stanley's 517 00:25:31,720 --> 00:25:34,720 and this person, that person just sitting around. 518 00:25:34,720 --> 00:25:35,560 It's not. 519 00:25:35,560 --> 00:25:39,880 It's very hard to find elite tackles nowadays. 520 00:25:39,880 --> 00:25:42,080 The Lane Johnson's of the world. 521 00:25:42,080 --> 00:25:44,680 Trent Williams, like I just said, Tristan Werffs, 522 00:25:44,680 --> 00:25:48,440 Pinesuwell, all of those guys, Tyron Smith, 523 00:25:48,440 --> 00:25:52,240 during his heyday, it's hard to find those type of tackles. 524 00:25:52,240 --> 00:25:53,880 David Bakhtiari. 525 00:25:53,880 --> 00:25:55,560 I know I'm just listing people off, 526 00:25:55,560 --> 00:25:57,600 but the names just keep on coming. 527 00:25:57,600 --> 00:26:02,240 But the point is, you have to invest 528 00:26:02,240 --> 00:26:03,200 into the offensive line. 529 00:26:03,200 --> 00:26:06,400 You've already secured the bag for the quarterback. 530 00:26:06,400 --> 00:26:10,440 You've already secured the bag for your receiver. 531 00:26:10,440 --> 00:26:14,280 So basically he can, in his career, with you guys, 532 00:26:14,280 --> 00:26:15,760 pay the tackle. 533 00:26:15,760 --> 00:26:18,000 Because if you don't pay that tackle, 534 00:26:18,000 --> 00:26:21,400 I can't guarantee that you'll be able to find someone 535 00:26:21,400 --> 00:26:24,000 who will be just as good or even better 536 00:26:24,000 --> 00:26:25,520 than what Tristan Werffs is. 537 00:26:25,520 --> 00:26:27,840 And even then, who is to say that you 538 00:26:27,840 --> 00:26:30,320 will be able to move up to be able to get him? 539 00:26:30,320 --> 00:26:32,120 These are very tough decisions. 540 00:26:32,120 --> 00:26:36,000 And so if you're a GM, you have to make sure 541 00:26:36,000 --> 00:26:40,520 that you keep someone like Tristan Werffs on the team. 542 00:26:40,520 --> 00:26:41,640 You have to. 543 00:26:41,640 --> 00:26:45,080 No matter what you have to do, no matter if you have to cut 544 00:26:45,080 --> 00:26:47,400 a veteran player that's been with the team, 545 00:26:47,400 --> 00:26:49,760 all his life or whatever, I'm sorry, 546 00:26:49,760 --> 00:26:51,240 you might have to take a pay cut. 547 00:26:51,240 --> 00:26:52,880 Because we got to keep this guy. 548 00:26:52,880 --> 00:26:55,000 Because he's that good. 549 00:26:55,000 --> 00:26:57,520 And you have to protect the blind side of the quarterback. 550 00:26:57,520 --> 00:26:59,440 Otherwise, they're going to get clothes 551 00:26:59,440 --> 00:27:00,960 lined for basically four quarters. 552 00:27:00,960 --> 00:27:04,080 And quarterbacks don't want that. 553 00:27:04,080 --> 00:27:05,000 They don't. 554 00:27:05,000 --> 00:27:09,080 Now, moving on to the schedule release. 555 00:27:09,080 --> 00:27:12,720 Now, before we go deep into the schedule release, 556 00:27:12,720 --> 00:27:16,360 big shout out to the Chargers for once again putting out 557 00:27:16,360 --> 00:27:19,880 the fire that is their schedule release videos. 558 00:27:19,880 --> 00:27:24,080 Folks, if you have not seen any of the Chargers release videos 559 00:27:24,080 --> 00:27:26,960 when the schedules drop, please, you have to watch it. 560 00:27:26,960 --> 00:27:30,480 Because each and every year, they get better and better 561 00:27:30,480 --> 00:27:31,000 and better. 562 00:27:31,000 --> 00:27:33,120 Like this year, they had something 563 00:27:33,120 --> 00:27:35,920 to where there was a QR code for the Raiders. 564 00:27:35,920 --> 00:27:37,880 And if you scanned it, it actually 565 00:27:37,880 --> 00:27:41,680 sent you to the National Clown Foundation's website. 566 00:27:41,680 --> 00:27:43,400 I know it's crazy, right? 567 00:27:43,400 --> 00:27:45,600 So let me look at this schedule. 568 00:27:45,600 --> 00:27:50,160 This schedule is tedious for some teams. 569 00:27:50,160 --> 00:27:54,480 And it's pretty good to others. 570 00:27:54,480 --> 00:27:57,280 And just downright horrible for others, right? 571 00:27:57,280 --> 00:28:02,600 If you're a team in the AFC North specifically, 572 00:28:02,600 --> 00:28:05,080 this is going to be a tough stretch for you. 573 00:28:05,080 --> 00:28:06,960 This is going to be a really tough stretch for you. 574 00:28:06,960 --> 00:28:09,720 Like I know for the Pittsburgh Steelers, 575 00:28:09,720 --> 00:28:14,040 they have a stretch to where they have to go up against the Chiefs, 576 00:28:14,040 --> 00:28:20,560 the Eagles, the Ravens, and then another AFC North opponent. 577 00:28:20,560 --> 00:28:23,080 Back to back to back to back to back. 578 00:28:23,080 --> 00:28:24,760 That's a lot. 579 00:28:24,760 --> 00:28:28,720 Now, if we're being real here, right, 580 00:28:28,720 --> 00:28:30,520 when we look at this schedule, we 581 00:28:30,520 --> 00:28:34,760 have to look at it from an analytical standpoint, right? 582 00:28:34,760 --> 00:28:38,360 And the reason why I say that is because you can sort of 583 00:28:38,360 --> 00:28:41,560 understand and see, like, OK, this is the reason why 584 00:28:41,560 --> 00:28:44,680 that team, you know, this is why their schedule is 585 00:28:44,680 --> 00:28:45,480 the way that it is. 586 00:28:45,480 --> 00:28:48,680 This is why this team schedules a little bit harder 587 00:28:48,680 --> 00:28:49,720 than the others. 588 00:28:49,720 --> 00:28:51,520 This is why. 589 00:28:51,520 --> 00:28:55,520 So let's sort of look deep into this, right? 590 00:28:55,520 --> 00:29:00,360 So according to Sharpen Linux, shout out to Sharpen Linux, 591 00:29:00,360 --> 00:29:04,040 the easiest schedules for the 2024 season 592 00:29:04,040 --> 00:29:09,160 includes the Falcons, Chargers, Bears, Jets, Sains. 593 00:29:09,160 --> 00:29:10,080 OK? 594 00:29:10,080 --> 00:29:13,480 Now, all of those teams sort of have something in common. 595 00:29:13,480 --> 00:29:15,960 Either they're going through a rebuild, 596 00:29:15,960 --> 00:29:18,800 they just got their, you know, their star quarterback, 597 00:29:18,800 --> 00:29:21,680 or, you know, they're still a young team 598 00:29:21,680 --> 00:29:26,400 and they don't have as much star power on their roster, right? 599 00:29:26,400 --> 00:29:29,000 Now, when you look at the hardest schedules 600 00:29:29,000 --> 00:29:32,280 for the 2024 season, you have the Pittsburgh Steelers, 601 00:29:32,280 --> 00:29:34,280 Patriots, Browns, Ravens, and Vikings. 602 00:29:34,280 --> 00:29:37,320 Now, out of all of those teams, right, 603 00:29:37,320 --> 00:29:40,440 one of those teams is a Super Bowl Caliber Team. 604 00:29:40,440 --> 00:29:43,480 The other ones are Playoffs Caliber Teams. 605 00:29:43,480 --> 00:29:46,080 Now, if we can be real here, folks, 606 00:29:46,080 --> 00:29:48,880 sometimes these schedules can get pretty crazy. 607 00:29:48,880 --> 00:29:53,280 They can, and, well, you know what this, 608 00:29:53,280 --> 00:29:55,600 those probably just turn into a quick rant. 609 00:29:55,600 --> 00:29:58,600 Honestly speaking here, with these international games, 610 00:29:58,600 --> 00:30:01,680 I think the league does need to figure out 611 00:30:01,680 --> 00:30:05,360 that they can possibly squeeze in a second by week, 612 00:30:05,360 --> 00:30:07,400 because it's not fair to players that, you know, 613 00:30:07,400 --> 00:30:09,600 they have to leave at a certain day 614 00:30:09,600 --> 00:30:12,440 and then expect to, you know, play a game, 615 00:30:12,440 --> 00:30:15,680 you know, within one or two days after landing, 616 00:30:15,680 --> 00:30:18,000 you know, someplace internationally. 617 00:30:18,000 --> 00:30:20,160 And it's not like they're going to places, you know, 618 00:30:20,160 --> 00:30:22,480 like, like Mexico or somewhere. 619 00:30:22,480 --> 00:30:25,440 They're going to places like London, Germany, 620 00:30:25,440 --> 00:30:29,040 Brazil this year, possibly to Australia 621 00:30:29,040 --> 00:30:30,240 from what I've heard. 622 00:30:30,240 --> 00:30:32,920 Like, these are not just, you know, 623 00:30:32,920 --> 00:30:35,560 okay, they'll only take maybe about five hours to get there. 624 00:30:35,560 --> 00:30:38,960 Like, no, these are, you know, plain rides 625 00:30:38,960 --> 00:30:41,880 that are going to take multiple hours. 626 00:30:41,880 --> 00:30:44,800 And so, you know, players might be jet lagged 627 00:30:44,800 --> 00:30:46,880 or, you know, they might have to stretch 628 00:30:46,880 --> 00:30:48,200 or whatever the case may be. 629 00:30:48,200 --> 00:30:51,520 So you have to figure, you have to figure something out 630 00:30:51,520 --> 00:30:52,560 if you are the league, 631 00:30:52,560 --> 00:30:56,320 because you still have to compensate these players, okay? 632 00:30:56,320 --> 00:30:58,440 Whether we want to admit it or not, 633 00:30:58,440 --> 00:31:00,880 they're human at the end of the day, okay? 634 00:31:00,880 --> 00:31:04,080 And so, you cannot just say, oh yeah, 635 00:31:04,080 --> 00:31:06,680 we want to have an 18 week season 636 00:31:06,680 --> 00:31:09,640 or, oh, we want to have games, you know, in Australia, 637 00:31:09,640 --> 00:31:12,120 or we want to have games here or there, 638 00:31:12,120 --> 00:31:14,000 like you just can't do that. 639 00:31:14,000 --> 00:31:16,960 You have to factor in the players to travel. 640 00:31:16,960 --> 00:31:19,160 How would it affect the players 641 00:31:19,160 --> 00:31:21,360 and what not listen to the feedback of the players 642 00:31:21,360 --> 00:31:24,160 when they do go to these international games, 643 00:31:24,160 --> 00:31:25,960 like in Germany and London, 644 00:31:25,960 --> 00:31:30,200 and figure out some common ground that can, you know, 645 00:31:30,200 --> 00:31:33,840 that can help both the league and also the players? 646 00:31:33,840 --> 00:31:36,480 Because if you don't, players are going to push back 647 00:31:36,480 --> 00:31:37,480 and you don't want that. 648 00:31:37,480 --> 00:31:41,840 And trust me, we've already experienced one holdout, okay? 649 00:31:41,840 --> 00:31:44,080 You don't want to experience a second one. 650 00:31:44,080 --> 00:31:47,480 Now, I decided to do sort of a little experiment 651 00:31:47,480 --> 00:31:51,600 and I decided to choose one team with the easy schedule 652 00:31:51,600 --> 00:31:53,920 and one team with the hard schedule. 653 00:31:53,920 --> 00:31:57,720 So, for the easy schedule, I decided to choose the Chargers. 654 00:31:57,720 --> 00:32:00,200 And for a hard schedule, I decided to choose the Ravens. 655 00:32:00,200 --> 00:32:03,000 So, let's start with the Chargers, okay? 656 00:32:03,000 --> 00:32:04,960 So the Chargers' opponents for this season 657 00:32:04,960 --> 00:32:07,920 include the Raiders, Panthers, Steelers, Chiefs, Broncos, 658 00:32:07,920 --> 00:32:11,400 Carnot Saints, Browns, Titans, Bengals, Ravens, 659 00:32:11,400 --> 00:32:14,760 Falcons, Chiefs, Bucks, Broncos, Patriots, and Raiders. 660 00:32:14,760 --> 00:32:16,320 Now, when you look at the schedule, 661 00:32:16,320 --> 00:32:18,440 the schedule does has its highs and lows, 662 00:32:18,440 --> 00:32:20,720 as, you know, as any schedule does, 663 00:32:20,720 --> 00:32:22,600 but it allows the, you know, 664 00:32:22,600 --> 00:32:26,280 it allows the team to sort of go through the roller coaster 665 00:32:26,280 --> 00:32:28,440 that is, you know, the season. 666 00:32:28,440 --> 00:32:31,000 So, especially with them having a new coach 667 00:32:31,000 --> 00:32:32,840 and having a new offensive coordinator, 668 00:32:32,840 --> 00:32:36,240 you kind of want to see exactly what's, you know, 669 00:32:36,240 --> 00:32:37,560 what's going to happen. 670 00:32:37,560 --> 00:32:40,360 How's the team going to be able to go up 671 00:32:40,360 --> 00:32:41,520 against some of these teams? 672 00:32:41,520 --> 00:32:43,800 And are they a team where, you know, 673 00:32:43,800 --> 00:32:46,400 they can possibly make a leap to being a playoff team 674 00:32:46,400 --> 00:32:47,960 or are they a team that, you know, 675 00:32:47,960 --> 00:32:52,400 they still need another year or two to possibly, you know, 676 00:32:52,400 --> 00:32:54,520 become better via the draft free agency 677 00:32:54,520 --> 00:32:56,400 or whatever the case may be, right? 678 00:32:56,400 --> 00:32:58,640 So, when we look at the Ravens, for instance, 679 00:32:58,640 --> 00:33:00,440 since they have a hard schedule, 680 00:33:00,440 --> 00:33:03,440 their opponents include the Chiefs, Raiders, Cowboys, 681 00:33:03,440 --> 00:33:06,600 Bills, Bengals, Commanders, Bucks, Browns, 682 00:33:06,600 --> 00:33:09,240 Broncos, Bengals, Steelers, Chargers, Eagles, 683 00:33:09,240 --> 00:33:11,880 Giants, Steelers, Texans, and Browns. 684 00:33:11,880 --> 00:33:13,560 Now, when you look at them, 685 00:33:13,560 --> 00:33:16,680 there are some stretches in the Ravens schedule 686 00:33:16,680 --> 00:33:19,320 where, you know, it's going to be hard for them. 687 00:33:19,320 --> 00:33:21,560 It's going to be very difficult for them. 688 00:33:21,560 --> 00:33:24,240 And if we're being real here for the Ravens, 689 00:33:24,240 --> 00:33:28,560 they have to send the message week one. 690 00:33:28,560 --> 00:33:29,400 They have to. 691 00:33:29,400 --> 00:33:32,000 They have to send the message week one to the Chiefs 692 00:33:32,000 --> 00:33:34,040 because if they don't, 693 00:33:34,040 --> 00:33:36,680 the Chiefs are going to feel themselves, okay? 694 00:33:36,680 --> 00:33:39,240 They're going to believe that, hey, 695 00:33:39,240 --> 00:33:40,760 we beat y'all in the post season, 696 00:33:40,760 --> 00:33:43,120 we can beat y'all in the regular season, okay? 697 00:33:43,120 --> 00:33:45,000 And if you're a Ravens fan, you don't want that. 698 00:33:45,000 --> 00:33:45,840 You just don't. 699 00:33:45,840 --> 00:33:48,040 So, I say all that to say this. 700 00:33:49,320 --> 00:33:53,720 These schedules are going to get more and more crazier. 701 00:33:53,720 --> 00:33:55,920 The prime time games, do I like them? 702 00:33:55,920 --> 00:33:58,480 Some of them, do I feel like, you know, 703 00:33:58,480 --> 00:34:00,320 the Christmas game they should just get rid of? 704 00:34:00,320 --> 00:34:02,840 Yes, personally, I just feel like, you know, 705 00:34:02,840 --> 00:34:06,440 who really wants to watch football on Christmas, okay? 706 00:34:06,440 --> 00:34:08,720 If it's Thanksgiving, I'm not going to argue with it. 707 00:34:08,720 --> 00:34:09,920 I'm just not. 708 00:34:09,920 --> 00:34:12,280 But Christmas, come on, guys, come on. 709 00:34:12,280 --> 00:34:15,080 We have to do a better job because 710 00:34:15,080 --> 00:34:17,360 when are they going to be able to, you know, 711 00:34:17,360 --> 00:34:19,840 really spend time with their family on Christmas? 712 00:34:19,840 --> 00:34:21,440 So you mean to tell me I got to play football 713 00:34:21,440 --> 00:34:22,280 on Christmas? 714 00:34:22,280 --> 00:34:23,120 Come on, man. 715 00:34:23,120 --> 00:34:24,240 It's not cool. 716 00:34:24,240 --> 00:34:27,760 But, you know, I'm going to end this episode right here. 717 00:34:27,760 --> 00:34:30,120 I don't want this episode to be long and drawn out. 718 00:34:30,120 --> 00:34:32,280 I know for the past couple of weeks, 719 00:34:32,280 --> 00:34:33,840 the episodes have been a little bit drawn out. 720 00:34:33,840 --> 00:34:36,600 So I just want to get something a little bit easier, 721 00:34:36,600 --> 00:34:39,240 you know, just to give you the fix that you need. 722 00:34:39,240 --> 00:34:40,920 If you guys like what you are listening, 723 00:34:40,920 --> 00:34:44,600 please, please, please, please, please follow us 724 00:34:44,600 --> 00:34:47,240 on Instagram at football underscore junkies pod. 725 00:34:47,240 --> 00:34:50,320 We're going to be putting out some more content as well. 726 00:34:50,320 --> 00:34:53,280 And make sure that you download these episodes 727 00:34:53,280 --> 00:34:55,960 on whatever streaming platform that you guys listening to, 728 00:34:55,960 --> 00:34:58,440 whether that be Apple podcast, Spotify, 729 00:34:58,440 --> 00:34:59,760 whatever the case may be. 730 00:34:59,760 --> 00:35:01,960 Make sure that you guys are downloading, 731 00:35:01,960 --> 00:35:05,680 leaving a review and giving us a rating, 732 00:35:05,680 --> 00:35:07,760 possibly five stars if can, please. 733 00:35:07,760 --> 00:35:09,800 I would definitely appreciate it. 734 00:35:09,800 --> 00:35:11,720 We're going to try to see if we can also put out 735 00:35:11,720 --> 00:35:13,800 some content for the YouTube as well. 736 00:35:13,800 --> 00:35:15,360 We got to make sure that we, 737 00:35:15,360 --> 00:35:18,280 that we feed the YouTube junkies as well. 738 00:35:18,280 --> 00:35:20,720 So I'm going, I want to try to see if I can convert 739 00:35:20,720 --> 00:35:23,120 the older episodes into YouTube videos, 740 00:35:23,120 --> 00:35:24,880 trying to work through that, 741 00:35:24,880 --> 00:35:28,080 as well as create content for TikTok. 742 00:35:28,080 --> 00:35:30,960 So a lot of things are going on behind closed doors. 743 00:35:30,960 --> 00:35:34,760 I'm excited to put out more content for you guys. 744 00:35:34,760 --> 00:35:37,960 And as always, hopefully I gave you the fix 745 00:35:37,960 --> 00:35:41,640 that you need this week for all my football junkies out there. 746 00:35:41,640 --> 00:35:46,640 I thank you everybody for listening and supporting so far. 747 00:35:46,640 --> 00:35:49,960 I mean, it's only up for here because this is one of 748 00:35:49,960 --> 00:35:53,400 the best sports podcasts that you are going to listen to. 749 00:35:53,400 --> 00:35:57,880 Okay, just believe that we are going to be number one soon 750 00:35:57,880 --> 00:35:58,760 and very soon. 751 00:35:58,760 --> 00:36:18,760 And with that, peace and love, I'm out.