WEBVTT 00:00:00.140 --> 00:00:02.439 It might be a dead period for some, but guess 00:00:02.439 --> 00:00:04.040 what? It's never a dead period over here in the 00:00:04.040 --> 00:00:05.740 Football Junkies podcast because you know what? 00:00:05.799 --> 00:00:09.640 We got collusion in the highest of the high places 00:00:09.640 --> 00:00:12.880 of the NFL, folks. That's right. It is a story 00:00:12.880 --> 00:00:14.580 that's not being talked about as much as being 00:00:14.580 --> 00:00:17.320 swept under the rug, but I am going to rip off 00:00:17.320 --> 00:00:20.800 the rug, burn it, and then cook. Ken Burgers 00:00:20.800 --> 00:00:22.379 on it, all right? Because guess what? This is 00:00:22.379 --> 00:00:25.079 the 84th episode of the Football Junkies Podcast, 00:00:25.320 --> 00:00:27.280 all right? I am your host with the most, all 00:00:27.280 --> 00:00:30.019 right? I am your chief bag roll dominance. I'm 00:00:30.019 --> 00:00:32.539 your chief head of the table, anything and everything 00:00:32.539 --> 00:00:34.939 related to the bag and more. I'm your GM who 00:00:34.939 --> 00:00:37.219 currently is not on a team right now, but don't 00:00:37.219 --> 00:00:39.359 you worry about it because guess what? I'm your 00:00:39.359 --> 00:00:42.780 GM who is rss .com affiliated, all right? That's 00:00:42.780 --> 00:00:45.869 right, folks. rss .com affiliate over here with 00:00:45.869 --> 00:00:47.990 the Football Junkies Podcast. Because guess what? 00:00:48.070 --> 00:00:50.670 We are working. While people are sleeping, we 00:00:50.670 --> 00:00:54.009 are still working. So guess what? I am all these 00:00:54.009 --> 00:00:56.270 things and more. But most importantly, the most 00:00:56.270 --> 00:00:58.429 important thing that you must remember is I am 00:00:58.429 --> 00:01:01.429 your host, Kale. Just know this episode is going 00:01:01.429 --> 00:01:03.909 to be a great episode. It's going to be an amazing 00:01:03.909 --> 00:01:06.129 episode. It's going to be an episode full of 00:01:06.129 --> 00:01:08.730 twists and turns. And yes, I will have transcripts. 00:01:08.730 --> 00:01:10.769 And yes, I will have time steps. So guess what? 00:01:10.849 --> 00:01:13.250 On three. One, two, three. So excited. Let's 00:01:13.250 --> 00:01:41.200 lock in. Right, folks, let's just get into the 00:01:41.200 --> 00:01:43.260 meat and potatoes of everything that is going 00:01:43.260 --> 00:01:45.700 on in the league right now. And yes, even though 00:01:45.700 --> 00:01:47.920 there's not a whole lot of moves going on, we 00:01:47.920 --> 00:01:49.719 still have something that we have to talk about. 00:01:49.780 --> 00:01:52.739 There is a reason why I have not put out an episode, 00:01:52.819 --> 00:01:55.879 a full episode in a while, because you know why? 00:01:56.219 --> 00:01:59.980 I have been reading an arbitration report about 00:01:59.980 --> 00:02:03.219 a case between the Players Association and the 00:02:03.219 --> 00:02:07.079 NFL. Now, this is going to be a lengthy episode, 00:02:07.260 --> 00:02:10.580 but just know. It's going to be an amazing episode, 00:02:10.780 --> 00:02:14.340 okay? For all the people that love to hear conspiracy 00:02:14.340 --> 00:02:18.580 theories and cases and whatnot, guess what? This 00:02:18.580 --> 00:02:20.340 is going to be the episode for you, all right? 00:02:20.419 --> 00:02:22.780 So all the people that got your tinfoil, guess 00:02:22.780 --> 00:02:25.240 what? I want you to make the biggest tinfoil 00:02:25.240 --> 00:02:27.860 hat you can possibly think of because I have 00:02:27.860 --> 00:02:31.280 one that is the size of Texas on the top of my 00:02:31.280 --> 00:02:34.280 head right now. So let's just get into it. So 00:02:34.280 --> 00:02:40.259 there was a case alleging... that the NFL and 00:02:40.259 --> 00:02:44.520 the owners colluded together to prevent guarantees 00:02:44.520 --> 00:02:49.539 for players. Specifically, large guarantees for 00:02:49.539 --> 00:02:53.300 players. And this all has to do with the aftermath 00:02:53.300 --> 00:02:55.800 of Deshaun Watson's fully guaranteed contract. 00:02:56.240 --> 00:02:58.840 Now, for a lot of people, you're going to be 00:02:58.840 --> 00:03:01.639 learning a lot of new things. For others, this 00:03:01.639 --> 00:03:04.280 may be a refresher. So guess what? classes in 00:03:04.280 --> 00:03:07.740 session so this all started on october 19th 2022 00:03:07.740 --> 00:03:10.419 when the players association launched an arbitration 00:03:10.419 --> 00:03:13.819 against the nfl stating that it that it alleges 00:03:13.819 --> 00:03:16.919 the nfl had colluded with teams to quote unquote 00:03:16.919 --> 00:03:20.379 restrict or limit fully guaranteed contracts 00:03:20.379 --> 00:03:23.599 the purpose of this collusion stems from deshaun 00:03:23.599 --> 00:03:26.199 watson's five -year 230 million fully guaranteed 00:03:26.199 --> 00:03:29.750 contract the players association alleged the 00:03:29.750 --> 00:03:32.110 nfl colluded against the contract negotiations 00:03:32.110 --> 00:03:35.610 of kyla murray russell wilson and lamar jackson 00:03:35.610 --> 00:03:38.710 during the owners meetings around august 9th 00:03:38.710 --> 00:03:43.050 of 2022 a high -ranking league official asked 00:03:43.050 --> 00:03:45.830 an owner to start a discussion with other owners 00:03:45.830 --> 00:03:49.370 to not agree on large fully guaranteed contracts 00:03:49.370 --> 00:03:53.610 the players association's grievance shifted to 00:03:53.610 --> 00:03:57.349 an owner's meeting in 2022 the nflpa broadened 00:03:57.349 --> 00:04:00.169 its accusation of collusion to include the limit 00:04:00.169 --> 00:04:03.189 of veteran players receiving guaranteed contracts 00:04:03.189 --> 00:04:06.870 as well now here are the people that are involved 00:04:06.870 --> 00:04:09.729 with this entire case we have former players 00:04:09.729 --> 00:04:12.870 association president jc treanor russell wilson 00:04:12.870 --> 00:04:16.129 lamar jackson roger goodell former nflpa executive 00:04:16.129 --> 00:04:20.519 director d marie smith You also have NFL and 00:04:20.519 --> 00:04:24.600 NFL MC executives Jeff Pasch and Larry Ferrazini, 00:04:24.740 --> 00:04:27.459 Eric DaCosta, John Mera, Jimmy Haslam, Michael 00:04:27.459 --> 00:04:30.420 Bidwell, Greg Painter, Steve Bishotti, Robert 00:04:30.420 --> 00:04:34.420 Kraft, Arthur Blank, and Dean Spanos. Yes, you 00:04:34.420 --> 00:04:37.120 have a lot of high -ranking people that are involved 00:04:37.120 --> 00:04:41.720 in this case. Now, before we go any further with 00:04:41.720 --> 00:04:45.439 this whole case and whatnot, I just want to emphasize 00:04:45.439 --> 00:04:48.199 this. And this was something that I was talking 00:04:48.199 --> 00:04:51.459 to Mook and the rest of my friends about it once 00:04:51.459 --> 00:04:53.980 Deshaun Watson got his contract. I didn't have 00:04:53.980 --> 00:04:55.720 any credible sources, didn't have any information, 00:04:55.819 --> 00:04:59.720 but I knew the minute that the Browns gave Deshaun 00:04:59.720 --> 00:05:02.199 Watson that contract, it was going to open up 00:05:02.199 --> 00:05:05.000 Pandora's box. And the league was going to make 00:05:05.000 --> 00:05:07.699 sure that this would never happen again. But 00:05:07.699 --> 00:05:10.259 here is the thing that not a lot of people talk 00:05:10.259 --> 00:05:14.560 about. Technically speaking, Deshaun Watson wasn't 00:05:14.560 --> 00:05:16.560 the first person to get a fully guaranteed contract. 00:05:16.839 --> 00:05:20.220 It was actually Kirk Cousins. Now that we've 00:05:20.220 --> 00:05:22.500 dropped that bombshell for everybody, let's talk 00:05:22.500 --> 00:05:24.680 about the difference between a fully guaranteed 00:05:24.680 --> 00:05:27.319 and a non -fully guaranteed contract because 00:05:27.319 --> 00:05:30.680 there is a distinct difference. So a fully guaranteed 00:05:30.680 --> 00:05:33.779 contract, when a player's compensation or a portion 00:05:33.779 --> 00:05:36.839 of his compensation is guaranteed in all three 00:05:36.839 --> 00:05:40.420 areas, skill, injury, and salary cap termination. 00:05:40.560 --> 00:05:43.319 That's fully guaranteed. Non -fully guaranteed 00:05:43.319 --> 00:05:46.000 is the opposite, when a player's compensation 00:05:46.000 --> 00:05:49.860 contains some guarantees for skill, injury, and 00:05:49.860 --> 00:05:53.000 or salary cap termination. So with that being 00:05:53.000 --> 00:05:55.899 said, let's talk about everything else that comes 00:05:55.899 --> 00:05:59.079 with the fully guaranteed contracts. So, the 00:05:59.079 --> 00:06:01.480 Players Association has tried to get fully guaranteed 00:06:01.480 --> 00:06:05.180 contracts twice. They tried with the CBA of 2011 00:06:05.180 --> 00:06:09.240 and the CBA of 2020. But the argument the league 00:06:09.240 --> 00:06:11.759 has made within the last few years when it comes 00:06:11.759 --> 00:06:14.699 to giving their contract is due in part to the 00:06:14.699 --> 00:06:17.480 higher chance of injury compared to baseball 00:06:17.480 --> 00:06:20.279 and basketball players, as well as the NFL having 00:06:20.279 --> 00:06:23.540 a hard cap, unlike baseball and basketball, which 00:06:23.540 --> 00:06:26.360 is true. But if you're the owners and if you're 00:06:26.360 --> 00:06:28.839 the league, you should have at least attempted 00:06:28.839 --> 00:06:31.860 to create a formatted, fully guaranteed contract 00:06:31.860 --> 00:06:35.430 that will work for all players. Because we have 00:06:35.430 --> 00:06:38.649 seen multiple times players' careers just end 00:06:38.649 --> 00:06:43.089 because of one hit, one tackle, one sack, one 00:06:43.089 --> 00:06:46.310 interception, one catch. We've seen it multiple 00:06:46.310 --> 00:06:49.490 times. So why wouldn't you want to give them 00:06:49.490 --> 00:06:51.629 a fully guaranteed contract? That is something 00:06:51.629 --> 00:06:54.069 that I can agree with. Now, everything else that 00:06:54.069 --> 00:06:56.829 comes with this arbitration, I cannot agree with. 00:06:57.129 --> 00:06:59.110 So let's get into the nooks and crannies of it, 00:06:59.149 --> 00:07:01.610 all right? So this is what Arthur Blank had to 00:07:01.610 --> 00:07:04.620 say about the salary cap, and I quote. The cap 00:07:04.620 --> 00:07:07.819 is a closed -loop system. You get X number of 00:07:07.819 --> 00:07:09.899 dollars, and no matter what your personal wealth 00:07:09.899 --> 00:07:12.959 may be, it makes no difference. Every team has 00:07:12.959 --> 00:07:15.540 exactly the same salary cap, and you have to 00:07:15.540 --> 00:07:18.699 operate within that cap, end quote. Which is 00:07:18.699 --> 00:07:21.560 true, but here is something that not a lot of 00:07:21.560 --> 00:07:24.680 people know about. The salary cap is a culmination 00:07:24.680 --> 00:07:27.579 of all revenue from broadcast revenues, ticket 00:07:27.579 --> 00:07:31.149 sales, concessions, and other sources. Now here's 00:07:31.149 --> 00:07:33.170 the part that's for the players, which is called 00:07:33.170 --> 00:07:35.750 the player's cost amount. That is the revenue 00:07:35.750 --> 00:07:38.250 players are entitled to receive, which under 00:07:38.250 --> 00:07:43.069 the current CBA is 48 .5%. Another term that 00:07:43.069 --> 00:07:45.509 gets flowed around a whole lot, especially when 00:07:45.509 --> 00:07:48.310 a star player gets cut or traded, is dead money. 00:07:48.529 --> 00:07:51.550 So dead money is when a player with a guaranteed 00:07:51.550 --> 00:07:54.649 salary is cut. The remaining portion of that 00:07:54.649 --> 00:07:58.209 player's salary is counted against the cap. Another 00:07:58.209 --> 00:08:00.810 term that was brought up a lot in this arbitration 00:08:00.810 --> 00:08:05.029 was trenches, specifically trenches period. And 00:08:05.029 --> 00:08:08.449 so there is a rule in place within the CBA where 00:08:08.449 --> 00:08:11.389 teams must satisfy a cash spending minimum for 00:08:11.389 --> 00:08:15.529 players, which currently is at least 90 % of 00:08:15.529 --> 00:08:18.170 the salary, but is calculated within a three 00:08:18.170 --> 00:08:21.649 to four league year increment. So the recent 00:08:21.649 --> 00:08:25.670 trenches period was 2017 to 2020. and we're in 00:08:25.670 --> 00:08:28.949 one right now and that is from 2024 to 2026. 00:08:29.329 --> 00:08:33.429 so as long as a team is spending within that 00:08:33.429 --> 00:08:37.830 period they're fine now if they don't then may 00:08:37.830 --> 00:08:41.950 have a problem but let's get into some more pressing 00:08:41.950 --> 00:08:45.730 things about this uh this case so prior to 2021 00:08:45.730 --> 00:08:49.250 the cap had been increasing from 10 to 12 million 00:08:49.250 --> 00:08:53.700 a year But due to the pandemic, a mini CBA was 00:08:53.700 --> 00:08:56.940 adopted on August 3rd of 2020. Under the mini 00:08:56.940 --> 00:09:01.000 CBA, the 2020 cap was based on pre -COVID projected 00:09:01.000 --> 00:09:05.679 revenue, which remained at $198 .2 million. But 00:09:05.679 --> 00:09:08.179 certain player benefits were either suspended 00:09:08.179 --> 00:09:11.379 or temporarily not funded. So I wouldn't call 00:09:11.379 --> 00:09:14.820 this breaking news, but this is a new development 00:09:14.820 --> 00:09:19.039 to this story. So according to ESPN's Don Van 00:09:19.039 --> 00:09:23.679 Netta Jr. and Kalen Kaler, the NFL and NFLPA 00:09:23.679 --> 00:09:29.240 have quietly agreed to seal this case from players. 00:09:29.779 --> 00:09:34.399 But here's the kicker, though. According to ESPN, 00:09:34.539 --> 00:09:38.039 again, the NFL Players Association Executive 00:09:38.039 --> 00:09:42.360 Director Lloyd Howell Jr. is working as a paid 00:09:42.360 --> 00:09:45.120 part -time consultant for the Car -El Group. 00:09:45.480 --> 00:09:48.480 which is one of the select groups that was approved 00:09:48.480 --> 00:09:51.559 by the league as a private equity firm that is 00:09:51.559 --> 00:09:55.519 now seeking minority ownership within NFL franchises. 00:09:55.600 --> 00:10:00.460 He joined the firm in March of 2023 prior to 00:10:00.460 --> 00:10:02.879 being elected as the NFL Players Association 00:10:02.879 --> 00:10:06.279 executive director. Folks, I don't want to be 00:10:06.279 --> 00:10:08.379 this person that's, you know, conspiracy theorist 00:10:08.379 --> 00:10:11.419 and whatnot. That's not my role at this point. 00:10:12.039 --> 00:10:14.379 I think the players need to come together and 00:10:14.379 --> 00:10:16.360 I think they really need to blow this story up. 00:10:16.759 --> 00:10:20.740 Because right now, this is some next level bull. 00:10:21.519 --> 00:10:25.240 If you're a player, who do you run to? Who do 00:10:25.240 --> 00:10:27.899 you trust? If you're having a problem with your 00:10:27.899 --> 00:10:31.360 team, who do you go to? It's supposed to be the 00:10:31.360 --> 00:10:33.639 players association. Well, clearly that's not 00:10:33.639 --> 00:10:37.460 the case. The only way that true change is going 00:10:37.460 --> 00:10:40.720 to occur. is that the players have to collectively 00:10:40.720 --> 00:10:45.159 come together and say, no, we are not going to 00:10:45.159 --> 00:10:47.659 do this. We are not going to stand for this. 00:10:47.759 --> 00:10:51.620 We are no longer going to allow you guys, the 00:10:51.620 --> 00:10:55.340 owners and the league, to continue to do what 00:10:55.340 --> 00:10:58.000 you've been doing for the past few years. Because 00:10:58.000 --> 00:11:00.700 the Players Association is supposed to be a representation 00:11:00.700 --> 00:11:04.860 of the players. It's not supposed to be the lapdog 00:11:04.860 --> 00:11:08.320 of the NFL. And that's basically what it's become 00:11:08.320 --> 00:11:12.000 at this point. So why in the world has nobody, 00:11:12.460 --> 00:11:16.679 not one player said anything about this? Because 00:11:16.679 --> 00:11:19.720 prior to the new executive director being hired, 00:11:19.960 --> 00:11:25.360 neither Gene Upshaw or DeMarie Smith were allowed 00:11:25.360 --> 00:11:29.019 to be paid for outside work. So then why in the 00:11:29.019 --> 00:11:32.860 blue hell is the new executive director allowed 00:11:32.860 --> 00:11:35.750 to do this? At some point, someone's going to 00:11:35.750 --> 00:11:38.669 have to show that they have balls. Because right 00:11:38.669 --> 00:11:41.929 now, I don't see it. I don't see any. And you 00:11:41.929 --> 00:11:44.470 want to know what makes things worse? A union 00:11:44.470 --> 00:11:48.070 lawyer asked Howell to consider resigning from 00:11:48.070 --> 00:11:51.210 the private equity firm to avoid the appearance 00:11:51.210 --> 00:11:54.429 of a conflict of interest within the firm in 00:11:54.429 --> 00:11:56.789 taking ownership of an NFL franchise. And you 00:11:56.789 --> 00:12:00.940 know what he did? He declined it. So you mean 00:12:00.940 --> 00:12:04.240 to tell me he is still actively a part of a private 00:12:04.240 --> 00:12:06.940 equity firm that could possibly try to get a 00:12:06.940 --> 00:12:11.279 mistake within an NFL team while being the executive 00:12:11.279 --> 00:12:14.679 director of the Players Association? That is 00:12:14.679 --> 00:12:17.679 a conflict of interest. That is something that 00:12:17.679 --> 00:12:22.460 you cannot do. I don't care if this is for the 00:12:22.460 --> 00:12:27.659 NBA, the NHL, the NFL, whatever. This cannot 00:12:27.659 --> 00:12:31.360 stand. This cannot be allowed to happen. And 00:12:31.360 --> 00:12:34.779 the players need to know about this. Because 00:12:34.779 --> 00:12:39.580 I guarantee you they pay some form of dues every 00:12:39.580 --> 00:12:42.200 single month that goes to the Players Association. 00:12:42.740 --> 00:12:45.419 So why in the world would I want to be continuing 00:12:45.419 --> 00:12:49.679 to pay these dues? When I'm not even really getting, 00:12:49.720 --> 00:12:52.879 when I'm not getting representation, when I don't 00:12:52.879 --> 00:12:55.779 have anybody that's standing up for me. At this 00:12:55.779 --> 00:13:00.419 point, it is going to take every single player. 00:13:00.500 --> 00:13:03.159 I'm talking about players who are on the practice 00:13:03.159 --> 00:13:06.159 squad, players who are on the main roster, the 00:13:06.159 --> 00:13:09.139 superstars. Everyone is going to have to say, 00:13:09.200 --> 00:13:11.700 you know what? We're going to hold out. We're 00:13:11.700 --> 00:13:14.559 going to hold out until we get a fair shake at 00:13:14.559 --> 00:13:19.220 the table because we are the reason. While everybody 00:13:19.220 --> 00:13:21.860 wants to put butts in seats, we are the reason 00:13:21.860 --> 00:13:24.659 why people wear our jerseys. We are the reason 00:13:24.659 --> 00:13:27.299 why people wear the hats. We are the reason that 00:13:27.299 --> 00:13:30.659 people make time to watch the games that we play. 00:13:30.799 --> 00:13:34.139 We are the reason why the league is successful 00:13:34.139 --> 00:13:40.360 right now. That has to happen immediately, and 00:13:40.360 --> 00:13:44.639 I understand that that is a very dangerous move 00:13:44.639 --> 00:13:47.259 to make, and it can have serious implications, 00:13:47.480 --> 00:13:50.019 and it can cause a lot of people to lose a lot 00:13:50.019 --> 00:13:52.820 of money. I understand that, but guess what? 00:13:52.879 --> 00:13:57.179 If the players come together, only real change 00:13:57.179 --> 00:14:01.240 will occur. Until then, the players will never 00:14:01.240 --> 00:14:04.779 have a leg to stand when it comes to these high 00:14:04.779 --> 00:14:09.960 meetings. Anything that the league wants, they 00:14:09.960 --> 00:14:12.559 can do. Because you know why? They understand 00:14:12.559 --> 00:14:15.980 that the highest ranking person within the Players 00:14:15.980 --> 00:14:20.620 Association is in their back pocket. And he is 00:14:20.620 --> 00:14:23.340 not going to have the balls to say, you know 00:14:23.340 --> 00:14:26.159 what? We can't do that. Because you know why? 00:14:26.299 --> 00:14:30.340 He has his own interest in trying to acquire 00:14:30.340 --> 00:14:33.639 a stake within a team. If this ain't some next 00:14:33.639 --> 00:14:37.460 level BS, I don't know what is, man. I don't 00:14:37.460 --> 00:14:40.259 know what is, but let's get back to everything 00:14:40.259 --> 00:14:45.940 else. So in 2021, every team was accounted for 00:14:45.940 --> 00:14:48.659 a payment of $4 million in deferred benefit payments 00:14:48.659 --> 00:14:52.299 from 2020. $11 million in benefits were restored 00:14:52.299 --> 00:14:54.519 to make up for benefit spending that was once 00:14:54.519 --> 00:14:57.080 deferred during the pandemic as well. Moving 00:14:57.080 --> 00:14:59.639 forward. There is something that we need to talk 00:14:59.639 --> 00:15:01.559 about, and this is a group that I didn't even 00:15:01.559 --> 00:15:03.840 know existed until I read this document, and 00:15:03.840 --> 00:15:07.120 that is the NFL Management Council, which is 00:15:07.120 --> 00:15:10.080 a group of owners who oversee the operation of 00:15:10.080 --> 00:15:12.460 the management council and engage in collective 00:15:12.460 --> 00:15:15.639 bargaining with the NFLPA and advise other owners 00:15:15.639 --> 00:15:20.720 on quote -unquote labor relation issues. Since 00:15:20.720 --> 00:15:23.899 2012, John Mayer, owner of the Giants, has been 00:15:23.899 --> 00:15:27.799 the presiding chairman of the CEC. Now, this 00:15:27.799 --> 00:15:30.559 is what John Mara had to say about the role of 00:15:30.559 --> 00:15:34.240 the CEC in the NFL MC, and I quote, it is to 00:15:34.240 --> 00:15:37.059 educate the clubs as to what the trends are out 00:15:37.059 --> 00:15:39.240 there so that the clubs can make their own decisions 00:15:39.240 --> 00:15:41.879 about how to handle their cap going forward, 00:15:42.059 --> 00:15:45.799 end quote. Between December and March, the NFL 00:15:45.799 --> 00:15:48.500 MC makes presentations at many league meetings 00:15:48.500 --> 00:15:51.159 to discuss the operation of the CBA and quote 00:15:51.159 --> 00:15:54.889 unquote factors that are in play. Now, here is 00:15:54.889 --> 00:15:57.629 an email exchange between Roger Goodell and Mr. 00:15:57.669 --> 00:16:00.289 Pass shortly after Deshaun Watson's contract, 00:16:00.509 --> 00:16:03.830 and I quote, We discussed guarantees, signing 00:16:03.830 --> 00:16:07.110 bonus commitments, etc. on Thursday and Friday. 00:16:07.429 --> 00:16:10.149 What we don't know yet is whether we are seeing 00:16:10.149 --> 00:16:12.750 what we saw the last two years, where the very 00:16:12.750 --> 00:16:16.250 top players, for example, Miller, Rogers, Stafford, 00:16:16.269 --> 00:16:19.409 Watson, got large guarantees, but many other 00:16:19.409 --> 00:16:23.240 players. Second -tier free agents and below sign 00:16:23.240 --> 00:16:26.220 much more club -friendly deals. As the top of 00:16:26.220 --> 00:16:28.519 the market clears and the next tier starts to 00:16:28.519 --> 00:16:30.899 sign, we will have a better sense of whether 00:16:30.899 --> 00:16:33.299 the large guarantees are extending further into 00:16:33.299 --> 00:16:36.059 the free agent pool and also how they are affecting 00:16:36.059 --> 00:16:39.279 club deals with their own players. It is certainly 00:16:39.279 --> 00:16:41.639 something that we will want to discuss at both 00:16:41.639 --> 00:16:45.139 the football op sessions and with owners as well. 00:16:45.379 --> 00:16:49.299 This is Roger Goodell's response. Agreed. but 00:16:49.299 --> 00:16:51.340 the tip of the market is most of the dollars 00:16:51.340 --> 00:16:54.299 and if we wait to see how it falls it will be 00:16:54.299 --> 00:16:57.320 too late to counter agree with raising with a 00:16:57.320 --> 00:17:00.139 big concern that this will erode a key aspect 00:17:00.139 --> 00:17:03.120 of our cba that resisted guaranteed money except 00:17:03.120 --> 00:17:06.759 as clubs determined own this is what mr pash 00:17:06.759 --> 00:17:09.960 had to say we will definitely be prepared to 00:17:09.960 --> 00:17:12.299 raise it and make sure that people are focused 00:17:12.960 --> 00:17:15.400 The next tier of signings is generally slower, 00:17:15.559 --> 00:17:18.220 as of course you know, so I think we will be 00:17:18.220 --> 00:17:20.900 ahead of it when we speak to the clubs, end quote. 00:17:21.779 --> 00:17:23.960 If this isn't collusion, I don't know what is. 00:17:25.220 --> 00:17:27.960 I knew that Deshaun Watson's contract was going 00:17:27.960 --> 00:17:29.920 to have a negative effect on the league, but 00:17:29.920 --> 00:17:32.720 I didn't expect for it to be this bad. I didn't 00:17:32.720 --> 00:17:34.619 expect for the league to say, you know what, 00:17:34.759 --> 00:17:37.880 we are going to make sure that nobody gets high 00:17:37.880 --> 00:17:41.509 guarantees. Why wouldn't you want that? The NFL 00:17:41.509 --> 00:17:43.849 right now is in a place where it's making so 00:17:43.849 --> 00:17:47.029 much money, it's blowing people's mind. You are 00:17:47.029 --> 00:17:50.650 talking about a league that is far surpassing 00:17:50.650 --> 00:17:52.730 the amount of revenue that they're bringing each 00:17:52.730 --> 00:17:56.809 and every season. You're talking about a league, 00:17:56.809 --> 00:18:00.410 by the way, legitimately taking over the NBA 00:18:00.410 --> 00:18:02.970 spot when it comes to the holidays. Because remember, 00:18:03.150 --> 00:18:05.849 there was a point in time where the NFL really 00:18:05.849 --> 00:18:09.019 wasn't the best during the holidays. We all knew 00:18:09.019 --> 00:18:11.319 that crappy Thanksgiving game where it was most 00:18:11.319 --> 00:18:14.880 likely the Cowboys and the Lions or it was the 00:18:14.880 --> 00:18:18.019 Cowboys and the Washington team at that time 00:18:18.019 --> 00:18:21.119 or it was just really two bad teams, right? And 00:18:21.119 --> 00:18:23.180 then Christmas, you know, they may do something 00:18:23.180 --> 00:18:25.059 a little bit special. New Year's, they might 00:18:25.059 --> 00:18:27.160 do a little something a little bit special as 00:18:27.160 --> 00:18:30.059 well. But now that's changed. The Thanksgiving 00:18:30.059 --> 00:18:32.720 games are amazing now. They have a Black Friday 00:18:32.720 --> 00:18:36.539 game as well as Christmas games and New Year's 00:18:36.539 --> 00:18:40.059 Eve games. And mind you, they're doing this on 00:18:40.059 --> 00:18:44.000 platforms such as Amazon Prime and Netflix. So 00:18:44.000 --> 00:18:48.819 I don't see why there's such a group effort to 00:18:48.819 --> 00:18:51.000 make sure that players don't get guaranteed money. 00:18:51.079 --> 00:18:54.420 It's important and imperative that players get 00:18:54.420 --> 00:18:57.359 guaranteed money because that is the only money 00:18:57.359 --> 00:19:00.660 that they are for sure guaranteed to get if they 00:19:00.660 --> 00:19:03.759 get injured, cut, traded, whatever the case may 00:19:03.759 --> 00:19:09.000 be. What sense does that make? Why isn't this 00:19:09.000 --> 00:19:10.819 being talked about as much? And I don't want 00:19:10.819 --> 00:19:14.119 to sound like a broken record, but when you continue 00:19:14.119 --> 00:19:17.319 to read this document, it just makes you more 00:19:17.319 --> 00:19:20.779 and more frustrated because we are seeing a system 00:19:20.779 --> 00:19:24.359 -wide effort of collusion from Roger Goodell 00:19:24.359 --> 00:19:27.259 all the way down to the Players Association that 00:19:27.259 --> 00:19:30.599 is going to prevent players from getting guaranteed 00:19:30.599 --> 00:19:34.460 contracts. When they need guaranteed contracts 00:19:34.460 --> 00:19:37.369 because of the sport that they play. How many 00:19:37.369 --> 00:19:39.269 times every single season do we see somebody 00:19:39.269 --> 00:19:43.049 tear their ACL, tear their Achilles, break an 00:19:43.049 --> 00:19:45.789 arm, dislocate their shoulder, get a concussion, 00:19:45.910 --> 00:19:49.170 get a very serious injury where they have to 00:19:49.170 --> 00:19:52.170 be put on the back of a stretcher or something? 00:19:52.309 --> 00:19:55.930 How many times do we see that? And how many times 00:19:55.930 --> 00:19:59.650 do those players have guaranteed money? Not a 00:19:59.650 --> 00:20:02.690 lot of them. But here's something else that's 00:20:02.690 --> 00:20:05.859 crazy. The presenter notes found that if guarantees 00:20:05.859 --> 00:20:09.259 continue to grow in the amount of players, then 00:20:09.259 --> 00:20:11.539 there's a risk that it becomes the norm in future 00:20:11.539 --> 00:20:15.299 contracts regardless of players' quality. So, 00:20:15.319 --> 00:20:19.079 if you're a journeyman, your guarantees are going 00:20:19.079 --> 00:20:20.880 to be a little bit higher. If you're a star player, 00:20:21.119 --> 00:20:22.279 your guarantees are going to be a little bit 00:20:22.279 --> 00:20:24.460 higher. If you're somebody that's on the practice 00:20:24.460 --> 00:20:27.480 squad or an undrafted free agent, your guarantees 00:20:27.480 --> 00:20:29.599 are going to be a little bit higher. That's what 00:20:29.599 --> 00:20:33.079 that basically means. But they emphasize that 00:20:33.079 --> 00:20:35.940 all clubs must make their own decisions, but 00:20:35.940 --> 00:20:38.880 continuing these trends can handcuff a club in 00:20:38.880 --> 00:20:41.960 the future. Now we're about to get to the good 00:20:41.960 --> 00:20:45.339 part. So this is what the owners had to say about 00:20:45.339 --> 00:20:47.619 Deshaun Watson's extension. This is what Steve 00:20:47.619 --> 00:20:49.579 Bishotti, owner of the Ravens, had to say, and 00:20:49.579 --> 00:20:52.700 I quote, It's like, damn, I wish they hadn't 00:20:52.700 --> 00:20:55.359 guaranteed the whole contract. I don't know that 00:20:55.359 --> 00:20:57.160 Watson should have been the first guy to get 00:20:57.160 --> 00:20:59.869 a fully guaranteed contract. To me, that's something 00:20:59.869 --> 00:21:02.450 that's groundbreaking and it'll make negotiations 00:21:02.450 --> 00:21:05.450 hard with others, but that doesn't necessarily 00:21:05.450 --> 00:21:08.769 mean we have to play that game, you know? We 00:21:08.769 --> 00:21:12.130 shall see, end quote. This is what Arthur Bling 00:21:12.130 --> 00:21:15.029 had to say about Deshaun Watson's contract, and 00:21:15.029 --> 00:21:17.910 I quote, you have to leave that to the Haslams, 00:21:17.950 --> 00:21:20.349 the owners of the Browns, to make their own judgment. 00:21:20.829 --> 00:21:23.410 The fact that it's $80 million above the highest 00:21:23.410 --> 00:21:25.750 contract ever guaranteed in the history of the 00:21:25.750 --> 00:21:29.509 league that's 102 years old says a lot. Whether 00:21:29.509 --> 00:21:31.829 or not most teams in the NFL or any other team 00:21:31.829 --> 00:21:34.450 would have committed to that, I don't know. It's 00:21:34.450 --> 00:21:37.210 certainly a huge commitment, end quote. But here's 00:21:37.210 --> 00:21:40.309 the thing, though. Weren't you the same owner 00:21:40.309 --> 00:21:43.049 that was in the sweepstakes of getting Deshaun 00:21:43.049 --> 00:21:46.750 Watson? See, I want everybody to remember this, 00:21:46.849 --> 00:21:50.079 right? During that whole Deshaun Watson trade 00:21:50.079 --> 00:21:52.819 debacle, once it got down to the nitty gritty, 00:21:52.839 --> 00:21:54.940 once a lot of the teams were eliminated and it 00:21:54.940 --> 00:21:57.940 was just between the Falcons and the Browns, 00:21:57.940 --> 00:22:02.579 Deshaun Watson posted a picture of wearing Falcons 00:22:02.579 --> 00:22:07.140 gear. It was an old Falcons varsity jacket. And 00:22:07.140 --> 00:22:10.019 everyone was thinking, oh, he's going to go to 00:22:10.019 --> 00:22:13.069 the Falcons. But then come to find out, the Falcons 00:22:13.069 --> 00:22:14.970 didn't want to give him the money that he was 00:22:14.970 --> 00:22:17.890 looking for, and so eventually he went to the 00:22:17.890 --> 00:22:21.130 Browns. But this is the same owner who had an 00:22:21.130 --> 00:22:24.049 opportunity to get Lamar Jackson, and he didn't 00:22:24.049 --> 00:22:26.730 want to get Lamar Jackson because of his playing 00:22:26.730 --> 00:22:28.910 style and the money that he was looking for. 00:22:29.029 --> 00:22:31.609 Man, get out of here. Get out of here with this 00:22:31.609 --> 00:22:34.369 foolishness. Now, this is what John Mera had 00:22:34.369 --> 00:22:38.450 to say about the presentation, and I quote, Beware 00:22:38.450 --> 00:22:40.589 of the fact that the more signing bonuses you 00:22:40.589 --> 00:22:42.609 pay, the less flexibility you're going to have 00:22:42.609 --> 00:22:45.690 to manage your roster, end quote. Many owners 00:22:45.690 --> 00:22:48.930 who testified have denied participation or being 00:22:48.930 --> 00:22:51.569 aware of colluding together to reduce guarantees 00:22:51.569 --> 00:22:55.849 after the March 2022 meeting. Now, this is what 00:22:55.849 --> 00:22:57.910 John Mayer had to say, which, believe it or not, 00:22:57.970 --> 00:23:00.130 this is probably the most that I've ever heard 00:23:00.130 --> 00:23:05.589 him say anything. He is a man that does not speak 00:23:05.589 --> 00:23:08.259 a whole lot. I guess, I don't know, but this 00:23:08.259 --> 00:23:10.160 is what he had to say on the competitive nature 00:23:10.160 --> 00:23:12.799 of the league, and I quote, I'm not going to 00:23:12.799 --> 00:23:15.299 be told what to do in terms of individual player 00:23:15.299 --> 00:23:17.500 contracts by anybody from management council 00:23:17.500 --> 00:23:21.339 or by anybody from another club, end quote. He 00:23:21.339 --> 00:23:24.980 further explains by saying this, and I quote, 00:23:25.079 --> 00:23:27.200 just the thought of me calling Jerry Jones or 00:23:27.200 --> 00:23:30.059 somebody and asking him not to guarantee Dak 00:23:30.059 --> 00:23:32.900 Prescott's contract or somebody else's contract, 00:23:32.980 --> 00:23:36.819 I mean, he would laugh at me. Among other choice 00:23:36.819 --> 00:23:40.299 words, I'm sure. Just the whole notion is ridiculous. 00:23:40.700 --> 00:23:43.559 We're out here to win, to win games, and we're 00:23:43.559 --> 00:23:46.039 going to do whatever we can to improve our teams. 00:23:46.220 --> 00:23:48.700 And if that means give more guarantees, we're 00:23:48.700 --> 00:23:51.039 going to give more guarantees. It doesn't always 00:23:51.039 --> 00:23:54.059 work that way. Unfortunately, sometimes guarantees 00:23:54.059 --> 00:23:56.559 end up hurting you in the end, but you have to 00:23:56.559 --> 00:23:59.140 make your own decisions. And the thought that 00:23:59.140 --> 00:24:01.579 I'm going to be influenced by what another owner 00:24:01.579 --> 00:24:05.849 is saying to me is just absurd. Now, he is right 00:24:05.849 --> 00:24:08.990 with some of the things that he's saying. However, 00:24:10.210 --> 00:24:13.589 Jerry Jones is probably the best example to go 00:24:13.589 --> 00:24:15.910 with this situation because Jerry Jones sometimes 00:24:15.910 --> 00:24:19.109 overpays his players. We all know that Jerry 00:24:19.109 --> 00:24:21.589 Jones loves his players, the players that he 00:24:21.589 --> 00:24:23.910 drafted, not free agents, the players that he 00:24:23.910 --> 00:24:27.250 drafts. And we have seen multiple times within 00:24:27.250 --> 00:24:30.529 the last five years that he goes above and beyond 00:24:30.529 --> 00:24:33.170 with his players. From the Zeke Elliott contract 00:24:33.170 --> 00:24:36.369 to Dak's contract, CeeDee Lamb's, and possibly 00:24:36.369 --> 00:24:42.569 Micah Parsons. We've seen it. But, I mean, one 00:24:42.569 --> 00:24:46.789 has to be a little bit lenient when it comes 00:24:46.789 --> 00:24:49.269 to the guarantees. Because you don't want to 00:24:49.269 --> 00:24:53.119 give a player these crazy guarantees. And then 00:24:53.119 --> 00:24:55.059 something crazy happens. And now you're stuck 00:24:55.059 --> 00:24:56.720 with all this dead money because you still have 00:24:56.720 --> 00:24:58.640 to pay him because, you know, it's guaranteed 00:24:58.640 --> 00:25:01.819 money. So I understand where John Mayer is coming 00:25:01.819 --> 00:25:05.059 from a little bit. However, it still does not 00:25:05.059 --> 00:25:10.240 dictate the decision to collude together on preventing 00:25:10.240 --> 00:25:14.259 large guarantees. Now, here is the part where 00:25:14.259 --> 00:25:17.359 we're all going to love. We're going to get to 00:25:17.359 --> 00:25:20.559 the players. So the first case is Russell Wilson, 00:25:20.700 --> 00:25:23.259 all right? So during his negotiations with the 00:25:23.259 --> 00:25:25.940 Broncos, Russell Wilson wanted a seven -year 00:25:25.940 --> 00:25:28.740 fully guaranteed contract around $50 million 00:25:28.740 --> 00:25:31.160 a year. Now, this is what Russell Wilson had 00:25:31.160 --> 00:25:34.519 to say about his negotiations with the Broncos. 00:25:34.519 --> 00:25:36.880 And I quote, they kept saying, we'll do whatever 00:25:36.880 --> 00:25:39.140 it takes, we'll do whatever it takes. However, 00:25:39.400 --> 00:25:43.039 after he waived his no trade clause and his trade 00:25:43.039 --> 00:25:46.400 to the Broncos became public, I would say shortly 00:25:46.400 --> 00:25:49.460 after, maybe within the next 10 days or so, they 00:25:49.460 --> 00:25:52.359 started getting cold feet on doing his fully 00:25:52.359 --> 00:25:56.319 guaranteed thing. End quote. So after trading 00:25:56.319 --> 00:25:58.700 for Russell Wilson, the Broncos changed ownership, 00:25:58.880 --> 00:26:01.720 which delayed Russell Wilson from signing, which 00:26:01.720 --> 00:26:04.299 is true. But here's the part where things get 00:26:04.299 --> 00:26:08.480 a little bit sticky. So Mr. Penner's handwritten 00:26:08.480 --> 00:26:11.119 notes show that he questioned the urgency of 00:26:11.119 --> 00:26:13.980 a contract extension. He wrote, two years left 00:26:13.980 --> 00:26:17.299 on a contract? Why not wait? But during negotiations, 00:26:17.960 --> 00:26:20.900 Russell Wilson chose to submit a non -fully guaranteed 00:26:20.900 --> 00:26:23.980 offer to the Broncos, though he testified that 00:26:23.980 --> 00:26:26.980 he considered it to be effectively fully guaranteed. 00:26:27.180 --> 00:26:30.180 But talking points within the Broncos' ownership 00:26:30.180 --> 00:26:32.500 indicated that the Broncos believed that they 00:26:32.500 --> 00:26:35.359 had quote -unquote leverage in Russell Wilson's 00:26:35.359 --> 00:26:39.160 negotiations. And so somebody noted that they 00:26:39.160 --> 00:26:42.759 did not foresee any of the owners of teams with 00:26:42.759 --> 00:26:45.339 top quarterbacks with upcoming deals matching 00:26:45.339 --> 00:26:47.759 or exceeding Deshaun Watson's fully guaranteed 00:26:47.759 --> 00:26:51.339 contract. But here's a junkie nugget. Russell 00:26:51.339 --> 00:26:53.920 Wilson had two years left on a pre -existing 00:26:53.920 --> 00:26:57.119 deal with the Seahawks. And with the Broncos 00:26:57.119 --> 00:27:00.579 making this move, they wanted to make sure that 00:27:00.579 --> 00:27:02.759 they signed him to a new contract because they 00:27:02.759 --> 00:27:05.130 didn't want a disgruntled quarterback. Russell 00:27:05.130 --> 00:27:07.690 Wilson also testified and said that the Broncos 00:27:07.690 --> 00:27:10.109 communicated to him that it was effectively a 00:27:10.109 --> 00:27:12.349 fully guaranteed contract, which in some ways 00:27:12.349 --> 00:27:14.869 is sort of like, right? And so we all know the 00:27:14.869 --> 00:27:17.289 results. September 1st, 2022, Russell Wilson 00:27:17.289 --> 00:27:21.769 signs a five -year, $245 million deal, $124 million 00:27:21.769 --> 00:27:26.170 fully guaranteed at signing. So with this situation, 00:27:26.410 --> 00:27:29.069 situation number one, of course. It's a little 00:27:29.069 --> 00:27:31.569 bit weird because during that time, the Broncos 00:27:31.569 --> 00:27:34.190 was going through a change of ownership. And 00:27:34.190 --> 00:27:36.549 so, you know, they had to wait for that to be 00:27:36.549 --> 00:27:38.890 approved and whatnot. And you had Russell Wilson 00:27:38.890 --> 00:27:41.630 and then that whole debacle in itself and then 00:27:41.630 --> 00:27:43.670 the trade and then the contract and whatnot. 00:27:43.849 --> 00:27:48.230 So a lot of moving parts. Definitely didn't expect 00:27:48.230 --> 00:27:50.910 the Broncos guaranteed contract, especially at 00:27:50.910 --> 00:27:53.589 that time. I mean, sure, he was still an elite 00:27:53.589 --> 00:27:56.480 quarterback, but I mean, come on now. See, this 00:27:56.480 --> 00:27:59.059 whole situation is just a very slippery slope, 00:27:59.259 --> 00:28:01.599 okay? Now let's go to the Kyler Murray situation, 00:28:02.019 --> 00:28:04.680 all right? So after Kyler Murray's third season, 00:28:04.900 --> 00:28:07.400 Eric Burkhart, which is his agent, started exploring 00:28:07.400 --> 00:28:10.279 the possibility of an extension, which that's 00:28:10.279 --> 00:28:13.980 normal. He submitted an offer on February 17th, 00:28:13.980 --> 00:28:17.359 2022, prior to Deshaun Watson signing his extension. 00:28:17.880 --> 00:28:22.480 Shortly after that, on March 24th, 2022, He withdrew 00:28:22.480 --> 00:28:25.059 the offer due to the Cardinals, and I quote, 00:28:25.460 --> 00:28:28.400 unresponsiveness to Kyler's proposal that was 00:28:28.400 --> 00:28:31.980 made over five weeks ago, end quote. Both his 00:28:31.980 --> 00:28:34.740 agent and Kyler Murray wanted a fully guaranteed 00:28:34.740 --> 00:28:38.059 contract. Here's a text exchange between Michael 00:28:38.059 --> 00:28:40.740 Bidwell, owner of the Cardinals, and his GM at 00:28:40.740 --> 00:28:43.740 the time, Mr. Kime, about the whole Kyler Murray 00:28:43.740 --> 00:28:47.430 negotiations. And I quote, we are going to load 00:28:47.430 --> 00:28:50.529 up this contract with so many incentives to earn 00:28:50.529 --> 00:28:54.029 the real money, end quote. Now, Mr. Kime responded, 00:28:54.329 --> 00:28:57.170 referring to Deshaun Watson's contract at the 00:28:57.170 --> 00:29:01.309 time. And I quote, why the Browns felt so compelled 00:29:01.309 --> 00:29:04.650 to pay Watson like that is just baffling, end 00:29:04.650 --> 00:29:08.829 quote. Come on, guys. Just come on. Now, Mr. 00:29:08.950 --> 00:29:11.269 Kime let Burkhart know that a fully guaranteed 00:29:11.269 --> 00:29:14.450 contract was not going to happen. Kyler Murray 00:29:14.450 --> 00:29:16.890 valued the ad compensation per year, which is 00:29:16.890 --> 00:29:21.450 the APY, under his new deal. So time passes, 00:29:21.490 --> 00:29:24.950 and then on July of 2022, Kyler Murray signs 00:29:24.950 --> 00:29:29.950 a five -year $230 .5 million deal, $103 .3 million 00:29:29.950 --> 00:29:33.450 fully guaranteed, and he will be making $46 .1 00:29:33.450 --> 00:29:36.930 million a year at that time. Now here's the junkie 00:29:36.930 --> 00:29:41.190 nugget about this whole debacle. He further explains 00:29:41.190 --> 00:29:44.309 that the Cardinals communicated to Mr. Burkhart 00:29:44.309 --> 00:29:47.049 that Mr. Murray was still under contract for 00:29:47.049 --> 00:29:49.910 two additional seasons, even without before any 00:29:49.910 --> 00:29:52.210 franchise tag designations. This is what they're 00:29:52.210 --> 00:29:53.430 saying. This is not what I'm saying. This is 00:29:53.430 --> 00:29:55.470 what they're saying. And therefore, they had 00:29:55.470 --> 00:29:57.789 leverage and did not want to sign a contract 00:29:57.789 --> 00:30:00.529 that would negatively impact their roster flexibility, 00:30:00.910 --> 00:30:03.470 particularly because Mr. Murray is a relatively 00:30:03.470 --> 00:30:06.930 small quarterback compared with others in the 00:30:06.930 --> 00:30:09.779 league. That's how they feel about you. Now, 00:30:09.799 --> 00:30:13.099 here is a text exchange between Michael Bidwell, 00:30:13.279 --> 00:30:16.240 owner of the Cardinals, and Dean Spanos, owner 00:30:16.240 --> 00:30:20.720 of the Chargers, on July 22nd of 2022. Dean Spanos 00:30:20.720 --> 00:30:23.640 says, congratulations on signing Murray. Michael 00:30:23.640 --> 00:30:26.319 Bidwell replies and says, thanks, Dino. These 00:30:26.319 --> 00:30:28.960 quarterback deals are expensive, but we limited 00:30:28.960 --> 00:30:31.160 the fully guaranteed money and have some pretty 00:30:31.160 --> 00:30:33.940 good language. Thankfully, we have a quarterback 00:30:33.940 --> 00:30:37.269 that's worth paying. Dean Spano says, your deal 00:30:37.269 --> 00:30:40.170 will help us for our quarterback next year. Michael 00:30:40.170 --> 00:30:43.130 Bidwell replies and says, I think many teams 00:30:43.130 --> 00:30:45.549 will be happy with it once they have a chance 00:30:45.549 --> 00:30:48.410 to review. Cleveland really screwed things up. 00:30:48.549 --> 00:30:50.970 I was resolved to keep the guarantee relatively, 00:30:51.650 --> 00:30:56.309 and I quote, low, end quote. That simple exchange 00:30:56.309 --> 00:31:00.190 between two owners lets you know how some of 00:31:00.190 --> 00:31:02.809 them feel about their players, their star players. 00:31:03.640 --> 00:31:06.019 Let's continue to move forward before I go on 00:31:06.019 --> 00:31:09.740 another rant. So this is the Lamar Jackson situation, 00:31:09.839 --> 00:31:12.519 and this one's a pretty juicy one, all right? 00:31:12.859 --> 00:31:16.500 So Eric DaCosta, GM of the Ravens currently, 00:31:16.700 --> 00:31:19.740 testified that he wasn't opposed to giving out 00:31:19.740 --> 00:31:23.079 a fully guaranteed contract to Lamar, but they, 00:31:23.180 --> 00:31:26.700 and I quote, have to be pushed out to later years, 00:31:26.880 --> 00:31:30.609 end quote. DaCosta stated Lamar Jackson's playing 00:31:30.609 --> 00:31:33.269 style, being a running quarterback, and having 00:31:33.269 --> 00:31:35.730 some injuries are some of the reasons he wanted 00:31:35.730 --> 00:31:38.490 to minimize guarantees within the fifth and sixth 00:31:38.490 --> 00:31:42.089 year of contracts. In 2022, during contract negotiations, 00:31:42.630 --> 00:31:45.630 Lamar Jackson had informed Eric DaCosta that 00:31:45.630 --> 00:31:47.710 he wanted a fully guaranteed contract at the 00:31:47.710 --> 00:31:50.930 time. Eric DaCosta knew that the contract was 00:31:50.930 --> 00:31:54.410 important to Lamar. After multiple offers, Lamar 00:31:54.410 --> 00:31:57.500 Jackson informed Eric DaCosta that he would rather 00:31:57.500 --> 00:32:00.519 play under his fifth -year option. Lamar Jackson 00:32:00.519 --> 00:32:04.519 texted Eric DaCosta, and I quote, I'm going to 00:32:04.519 --> 00:32:08.500 request a fully guaranteed contract. I understand 00:32:08.500 --> 00:32:12.799 you all don't, and that's fine, end quote. So 00:32:12.799 --> 00:32:16.319 after the 2022 -2023 season, Lamar and DaCosta 00:32:16.319 --> 00:32:19.000 restarted contract talks, and DaCosta offered 00:32:19.000 --> 00:32:21.400 Lamar two different three -year deals that were 00:32:21.400 --> 00:32:25.190 considered fully guaranteed. During these negotiations, 00:32:25.670 --> 00:32:28.210 Lamar stated that his mic on his phone wasn't 00:32:28.210 --> 00:32:30.450 working, which made communication difficult. 00:32:31.430 --> 00:32:34.390 EDC asked Lamar if he would be interested in 00:32:34.390 --> 00:32:37.130 being traded to, but was never given a list. 00:32:37.470 --> 00:32:40.150 Prior to the Ravens franchising Lamar, a few 00:32:40.150 --> 00:32:42.730 teams expressed interest in Lamar, but no teams 00:32:42.730 --> 00:32:45.609 reached out to Lamar directly. Pardon the interruption, 00:32:45.690 --> 00:32:48.109 but this is your GM, your bag road dominance, 00:32:48.210 --> 00:32:52.059 here to talk about RSS .com, alright? If you 00:32:52.059 --> 00:32:54.779 guys already don't know, I am a RSS .com affiliate. 00:32:54.960 --> 00:32:57.660 And so I just want to tell you for just a quick 00:32:57.660 --> 00:33:01.059 moment about why you should choose RSS .com. 00:33:01.299 --> 00:33:04.579 So me personally, on my journey of podcasting, 00:33:04.579 --> 00:33:07.180 I was looking at different platforms just to 00:33:07.180 --> 00:33:10.539 find the right place. And I looked here, I looked 00:33:10.539 --> 00:33:12.740 there, I looked everywhere, but I checked out 00:33:12.740 --> 00:33:15.960 RSS .com and it was the best decision I ever 00:33:15.960 --> 00:33:20.180 made. 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Thank you for your support, 00:34:07.210 --> 00:34:10.190 and thank you RSS .com for making me an affiliate. 00:34:10.409 --> 00:34:12.869 Now back to the good stuff. So Steve Bishotti, 00:34:13.070 --> 00:34:15.630 owner of the Ravens, believed the reason teams 00:34:15.630 --> 00:34:17.769 weren't really interested in Lamar was due to 00:34:17.769 --> 00:34:20.329 some teams already having a quarterback, teams 00:34:20.329 --> 00:34:22.489 weren't interested in the size of the contract 00:34:22.489 --> 00:34:25.829 Lamar was looking for, and or they didn't have 00:34:25.829 --> 00:34:28.349 any money to pay into the league's escrow account, 00:34:28.489 --> 00:34:32.409 which is required by the CPA. Now, this is known 00:34:32.409 --> 00:34:35.489 as the funding rule, which the league maintains 00:34:35.489 --> 00:34:38.670 an escrow account in which teams must future 00:34:38.670 --> 00:34:41.150 year contracts that are guaranteed for skill 00:34:41.150 --> 00:34:44.650 related terminations. While under the non -exclusive 00:34:44.650 --> 00:34:47.469 franchise tag, any team who would have acquired 00:34:47.469 --> 00:34:50.530 Lamar would have had to give the Ravens two first 00:34:50.530 --> 00:34:53.530 round picks. Arthur Blank, owner of the Falcons, 00:34:53.570 --> 00:34:55.090 which we talked about earlier in the episode, 00:34:55.210 --> 00:34:58.150 testified the reason the Falcons weren't interested 00:34:58.150 --> 00:35:01.550 in acquiring Lamar was due in part to Lamar Jackson's 00:35:01.550 --> 00:35:03.650 injuries and keeping their quarterback would 00:35:03.650 --> 00:35:07.349 provide more cap flexibility than pursuing Lamar. 00:35:07.489 --> 00:35:10.190 Think about this for a second here, folks. Here 00:35:10.190 --> 00:35:14.949 you have someone in Lamar Jackson who is a spitting 00:35:14.949 --> 00:35:19.349 image of Michael Vick, a better passer than Michael 00:35:19.349 --> 00:35:23.460 Vick. possibly a faster player than Michael Vick. 00:35:23.840 --> 00:35:27.599 All you have to do is give up two first round 00:35:27.599 --> 00:35:31.920 picks and give them some new money. And instead 00:35:31.920 --> 00:35:34.760 of you doing that, you decide and say, you know 00:35:34.760 --> 00:35:39.820 what? Nah, I don't really want that. I don't 00:35:39.820 --> 00:35:42.659 really need that. And instead, you decide to 00:35:42.659 --> 00:35:47.119 go through a carousel of quarterbacks. And now 00:35:47.119 --> 00:35:50.829 you have what? Michael Penix and you have Kirk 00:35:50.829 --> 00:35:53.989 Cousins who by the way continues to say that 00:35:53.989 --> 00:35:55.550 you know he doesn't want to be a part of the 00:35:55.550 --> 00:35:58.389 Falcons anymore because the Falcons quote -unquote 00:35:58.389 --> 00:36:01.110 screwed him and everything so it's just crazy 00:36:01.110 --> 00:36:03.869 to me you know it really is how the Falcons just 00:36:03.869 --> 00:36:06.989 continue to just fall on their own sword every 00:36:06.989 --> 00:36:11.070 single chance that they get but hey it's the 00:36:11.070 --> 00:36:14.579 Falcons right they choked the 28th 28 -3 lead, 00:36:14.639 --> 00:36:16.679 remember? Remember that, Falcons fans? Remember 00:36:16.679 --> 00:36:18.360 that? Remember that, choke artists? Remember 00:36:18.360 --> 00:36:20.519 that? 28 -3? Remember that? You remember that? 00:36:20.639 --> 00:36:25.019 I know you do. But moving forward. So as Eric 00:36:25.019 --> 00:36:27.840 DaCosta was preparing for the 2023 draft, he 00:36:27.840 --> 00:36:30.539 sent an offer to Lamar in which he accepted and 00:36:30.539 --> 00:36:35.119 signed a five -year $260 million deal, $135 million 00:36:35.119 --> 00:36:39.300 guaranteed, with a $72 .5 million signing bonus. 00:36:40.019 --> 00:36:43.630 So here's the thing with this. And we're starting 00:36:43.630 --> 00:36:45.989 to see a trend within the last two situations. 00:36:46.269 --> 00:36:50.130 Well, actually, yeah, last two situations. All 00:36:50.130 --> 00:36:52.070 three of these players wanted fully guaranteed 00:36:52.070 --> 00:36:55.170 contracts at first. And all three of the teams 00:36:55.170 --> 00:36:59.030 said no. And they stood on their ground for a 00:36:59.030 --> 00:37:01.769 long period of time until the players said, you 00:37:01.769 --> 00:37:04.789 know what, forget about it. Just send me an offer 00:37:04.789 --> 00:37:08.289 and we'll just sign it. Now for Lamar's situation, 00:37:08.750 --> 00:37:14.559 in some ways, I could understand why they probably 00:37:14.559 --> 00:37:16.239 didn't want to give him a fully guaranteed just 00:37:16.239 --> 00:37:18.860 because of his playing style and whatnot. But 00:37:18.860 --> 00:37:23.679 even then, he has been much more healthier now 00:37:23.679 --> 00:37:26.480 than he was probably the first three or four 00:37:26.480 --> 00:37:29.780 years of his career. Because now he knows, okay, 00:37:29.820 --> 00:37:31.619 listen, this is the playing way that I like to 00:37:31.619 --> 00:37:35.300 play at. And he knows exactly the process that 00:37:35.300 --> 00:37:37.800 he has to go through in order to be the best 00:37:37.800 --> 00:37:40.880 version of himself when he's on the field. Which 00:37:40.880 --> 00:37:43.400 is fine. But here's the thing that I will say. 00:37:43.559 --> 00:37:45.760 And this is a conversation that I've had with 00:37:45.760 --> 00:37:49.000 friends. The only other positions that I would 00:37:49.000 --> 00:37:52.360 give a fully guaranteed contract to is a kicker 00:37:52.360 --> 00:37:55.920 and a punter. Because why? Their salaries aren't 00:37:55.920 --> 00:38:00.139 high. So you can give a fully guaranteed to Chris 00:38:00.139 --> 00:38:04.480 Boswell or Sam Coach or whomever and not lose 00:38:04.480 --> 00:38:07.039 an interest lead. Because you know why? For one, 00:38:07.119 --> 00:38:09.239 they're going to be part of the team. probably 00:38:09.239 --> 00:38:11.760 for the rest of their career. You won't have 00:38:11.760 --> 00:38:15.480 to give them 20 or 30 plus million. You can probably 00:38:15.480 --> 00:38:19.320 give them, what, 12, maybe 13 at best. That's 00:38:19.320 --> 00:38:22.519 not bad. That's actually really good money. But 00:38:22.519 --> 00:38:26.139 at some point, I feel like the league and the 00:38:26.139 --> 00:38:28.219 players need to come together. They need to sit 00:38:28.219 --> 00:38:31.880 down. They need to hash this out and try to find 00:38:31.880 --> 00:38:35.820 a way to make a format that is beneficial for 00:38:35.820 --> 00:38:39.480 both the owners and the players. That is structured 00:38:39.480 --> 00:38:42.539 as a fully guaranteed contract. Now, if it means 00:38:42.539 --> 00:38:46.079 that they get probably 50 to 60 percent of their 00:38:46.079 --> 00:38:49.500 money in signing bonus and then their base salary 00:38:49.500 --> 00:38:52.800 is maybe, I don't know, eight, nine million a 00:38:52.800 --> 00:38:55.300 year. OK, fine. I think somebody will be willing 00:38:55.300 --> 00:38:59.079 to do that because right now the current contract 00:38:59.079 --> 00:39:04.239 format really isn't the best. Now, granted. Yes, 00:39:04.300 --> 00:39:07.340 we can look at the Browns prior to acquiring 00:39:07.340 --> 00:39:10.340 Deshaun Watson and now, and we can all agree 00:39:10.340 --> 00:39:13.599 that right now their cap situation is in hell, 00:39:13.800 --> 00:39:16.320 but that's because of the amount of money that 00:39:16.320 --> 00:39:18.699 they've had to give him. I think if you give, 00:39:18.900 --> 00:39:23.559 I don't know, AJ Brown a deal where he's making 00:39:23.559 --> 00:39:27.340 30 plus million a year, but a majority of that 00:39:27.340 --> 00:39:30.360 money is in the signing bonus or some type of 00:39:30.360 --> 00:39:33.739 format, I think you can make it work. Compared 00:39:33.739 --> 00:39:36.800 to, you know, they make up this contract and 00:39:36.800 --> 00:39:39.739 a majority of his guaranteed money is on the 00:39:39.739 --> 00:39:42.199 back end of the deal instead of in the front 00:39:42.199 --> 00:39:44.039 of the deal. The point that I'm trying to make 00:39:44.039 --> 00:39:46.980 with all of this is that it can be done. It's 00:39:46.980 --> 00:39:49.340 just you have the owners that just have their 00:39:49.340 --> 00:39:51.820 head up their asses that don't want to do that. 00:39:52.380 --> 00:39:55.940 And for whatever reason, I don't know why. You 00:39:55.940 --> 00:39:58.300 guys are making a boatload of money. The league 00:39:58.300 --> 00:40:01.389 is making a boatload of money. You have to do 00:40:01.389 --> 00:40:05.670 right by the players. The players are the reason 00:40:05.670 --> 00:40:08.389 why you guys are able to live the lives that 00:40:08.389 --> 00:40:12.989 you're able to live. Remember that. Now let's 00:40:12.989 --> 00:40:15.869 talk about some more conflict. And this is between 00:40:15.869 --> 00:40:19.989 Robert Kraft and DeMarie Smith. So the former 00:40:19.989 --> 00:40:23.269 NFLPA exec DeMarie Smith testified stating that 00:40:23.269 --> 00:40:25.739 Robert Kraft, owner of the Patriots, raised the 00:40:25.739 --> 00:40:28.780 issue of Watson's fully guaranteed contract during 00:40:28.780 --> 00:40:32.219 a conversation in the summer of 2022. Now, here 00:40:32.219 --> 00:40:36.059 is the conversation between the two. Mr. Smith 00:40:36.059 --> 00:40:39.159 stated, and I quote, I just remember him talking 00:40:39.159 --> 00:40:42.099 about Mr. Kraft saying, you know, Roger has asked 00:40:42.099 --> 00:40:44.860 me to talk about guaranteed contracts at an owner's 00:40:44.860 --> 00:40:48.139 meeting, end quote. He also testifies and says 00:40:48.139 --> 00:40:50.840 that Mr. Kraft told him that he was asked to 00:40:50.840 --> 00:40:53.719 raise the guaranteed contracts, and I quote, 00:40:54.110 --> 00:40:56.670 were a problem. This is what they're saying. 00:40:56.789 --> 00:40:58.150 This is not what I'm saying. This is what they're 00:40:58.150 --> 00:40:59.750 saying. This is how they type the things out 00:40:59.750 --> 00:41:02.909 in this report. I know, weird. But during Lamar 00:41:02.909 --> 00:41:05.730 Jackson's contract negotiations, DeMarie Smith 00:41:05.730 --> 00:41:08.630 emailed Lamar and advised him to, and I quote, 00:41:09.030 --> 00:41:11.929 stand firm in his demand for a fully guaranteed 00:41:11.929 --> 00:41:14.969 contract because he's entitled to the largest 00:41:14.969 --> 00:41:18.210 fully guaranteed contract of all time, end quote. 00:41:18.780 --> 00:41:21.380 Now, Roger Goodell denies having discussions 00:41:21.380 --> 00:41:24.039 with Robert Kraft about guaranteed compensation 00:41:24.039 --> 00:41:27.579 and or having any conversations with owners about 00:41:27.579 --> 00:41:30.940 the issue. DeMarie Smith reached out to Robert 00:41:30.940 --> 00:41:35.500 Kraft on April 11th of 2023 saying, hello. Robert 00:41:35.500 --> 00:41:38.920 Kraft responded by saying, and I quote, always 00:41:38.920 --> 00:41:42.059 felt we had a special relationship. Disappointed 00:41:42.059 --> 00:41:45.349 to hear false claim. attributed to you about 00:41:45.349 --> 00:41:48.269 me relating to guaranteed contracts, end quote. 00:41:48.530 --> 00:41:51.670 The arbitrator found Roger Goodell didn't ask 00:41:51.670 --> 00:41:54.829 Robert Kraft or any owners about guaranteed contracts 00:41:54.829 --> 00:42:00.030 in August of 2022 or any other time. So my takeaway 00:42:00.030 --> 00:42:04.170 from this entire report is that Although the 00:42:04.170 --> 00:42:07.130 arbitrator says Roger Goodell did not have a 00:42:07.130 --> 00:42:10.349 direct hand within the group effort by the owners 00:42:10.349 --> 00:42:13.710 to prevent large guarantees on players' contracts, 00:42:14.150 --> 00:42:18.409 I still believe that Roger Goodell had a hand 00:42:18.409 --> 00:42:22.269 to play in it in some way. Now, whether that 00:42:22.269 --> 00:42:24.769 be an off -the -record conversation with the 00:42:24.769 --> 00:42:27.369 owners, whether it be, you know, they're in a 00:42:27.369 --> 00:42:31.190 smaller room. That's probably with low lighting 00:42:31.190 --> 00:42:34.710 and everyone's phones is out and whatnot. They're 00:42:34.710 --> 00:42:36.409 probably turned off and everything and they probably 00:42:36.409 --> 00:42:38.750 had a conversation. Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised. 00:42:39.150 --> 00:42:42.469 But this just shows you how this was a system 00:42:42.469 --> 00:42:45.710 -wide effort to prevent players from getting 00:42:45.710 --> 00:42:49.510 large guarantees as well as getting fully guaranteed 00:42:49.510 --> 00:42:55.610 contracts. If you're a player, what do you do 00:42:55.610 --> 00:42:59.960 at this point? Who do you go to? Who do you trust? 00:43:01.940 --> 00:43:06.079 No one. If you can't trust the Players Association 00:43:06.079 --> 00:43:11.460 to fight for you, you don't have a leg to stand 00:43:11.460 --> 00:43:16.679 on. And it sucks because we know within the coming 00:43:16.679 --> 00:43:19.320 years, they're going to want to add another game 00:43:19.320 --> 00:43:22.159 to the season. They've already said that. And 00:43:22.159 --> 00:43:24.340 they're trying to expand this whole international 00:43:24.340 --> 00:43:26.599 game project that they've been working on for 00:43:26.599 --> 00:43:29.400 the past few years. That's going to take a toll 00:43:29.400 --> 00:43:33.519 on people's bodies. But guess what? You don't 00:43:33.519 --> 00:43:36.079 have a players union that can fight for you. 00:43:36.380 --> 00:43:38.360 You don't have a players union that's going to 00:43:38.360 --> 00:43:41.260 tell the league, hey, listen, if we're going 00:43:41.260 --> 00:43:44.420 to do a game in Australia, then the players need 00:43:44.420 --> 00:43:47.420 at least a week or two in order to get used to 00:43:47.420 --> 00:43:49.579 everything. Because they're going to go through 00:43:49.579 --> 00:43:54.260 jet lag and exhaustion and getting prepared for 00:43:54.260 --> 00:43:57.750 the time zone difference. All of those things, 00:43:57.769 --> 00:44:01.090 even if the field conditions are right for the 00:44:01.090 --> 00:44:05.170 players, all of those things is what the Players 00:44:05.170 --> 00:44:07.570 Association is supposed to do for the players. 00:44:07.789 --> 00:44:11.250 And the fact that you have leadership that is 00:44:11.250 --> 00:44:15.809 as corrupt as they possibly can be is a slap 00:44:15.809 --> 00:44:18.449 in the face to every single player. I'm going 00:44:18.449 --> 00:44:23.420 to link Pablo Torres' and Mike Florio's... episode 00:44:23.420 --> 00:44:27.780 of this entire case. I'm going to link it. in 00:44:27.780 --> 00:44:30.119 the description so you guys can go and you can 00:44:30.119 --> 00:44:32.320 watch and see for yourself. Because they do have 00:44:32.320 --> 00:44:34.820 a more deeper dive into everything because, I 00:44:34.820 --> 00:44:38.619 mean, they have sources within the NFL, NFLPA. 00:44:38.840 --> 00:44:41.059 So they can do more of a deeper dive into everything 00:44:41.059 --> 00:44:42.739 so you can understand it a little bit better. 00:44:42.820 --> 00:44:44.760 But I'm going to end this episode here. If you 00:44:44.760 --> 00:44:46.380 guys like what you are listening, please, please, 00:44:46.460 --> 00:44:48.639 please, please, please make sure you guys like, 00:44:48.679 --> 00:44:50.659 share, subscribe, turn that notification bell 00:44:50.659 --> 00:44:54.239 on, leave a comment down below for my YouTube 00:44:54.239 --> 00:44:57.070 people and for my audio listeners. 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When you 00:45:21.639 --> 00:45:23.679 click on that link tree, it'll take you to anywhere 00:45:23.679 --> 00:45:25.960 and everywhere that we have Football Junkies 00:45:25.960 --> 00:45:28.449 content, whether that be... on our Instagram, 00:45:28.630 --> 00:45:32.690 our TikTok, our Blue Sky, Twitter, and even our 00:45:32.690 --> 00:45:35.590 rss .com affiliate link, all right? Now, for 00:45:35.590 --> 00:45:38.389 my Instagram people, football underscore junkies 00:45:38.389 --> 00:45:40.989 pod, all right? Football underscore junkies pod. 00:45:41.050 --> 00:45:45.590 Junkies pod is not what? It is together, not 00:45:45.590 --> 00:45:49.269 spaced, all right? It is together, not spaced. 00:45:49.389 --> 00:45:52.150 Football underscore junkies pod. Now, for my 00:45:52.150 --> 00:45:55.010 TikTok people. football junkies pod. All right. 00:45:55.130 --> 00:45:56.929 Football junkies pod. I'm going to make sure 00:45:56.929 --> 00:45:59.809 that I start posting. more content over there 00:45:59.809 --> 00:46:02.269 because I'm seeing that you guys like it. So 00:46:02.269 --> 00:46:05.090 I got to feed the people because I am a man of 00:46:05.090 --> 00:46:07.650 the people. All right. For my blue sky people, 00:46:07.769 --> 00:46:12.730 you can follow me on there. G -M -K -I -L -E. 00:46:12.969 --> 00:46:16.329 It's the same thing with X. All right. G -M -K 00:46:16.329 --> 00:46:20.289 -I -L -E. As always, I hope I gave you guys the 00:46:20.289 --> 00:46:22.710 fix that you guys need. I love you guys. I appreciate 00:46:22.710 --> 00:46:25.110 you guys so much. I had to get this episode out 00:46:25.110 --> 00:46:28.360 before I do any other future episodes. So guess 00:46:28.360 --> 00:46:31.440 what? Once this is out, I got to get ready for 00:46:31.440 --> 00:46:33.380 gut check time. That's right, folks, because 00:46:33.380 --> 00:46:37.239 by then we will have at least a few teams reporting 00:46:37.239 --> 00:46:39.619 for training camp. So we have to talk about some 00:46:39.619 --> 00:46:41.719 battles that I'm going to be keeping my eye on, 00:46:41.780 --> 00:46:44.320 some headlines that are going to be talked about 00:46:44.320 --> 00:46:46.519 with some of these teams, all of that and more. 00:46:46.579 --> 00:46:49.360 So stay tuned. As always, this is your GM Kel 00:46:49.360 --> 00:46:51.360 signing out. Peace and love. Later.