The first wave of free agency is done, folks.
And man, oh man, do we have a lot to talk about.
So let's just get into it. Jalen Waddell heads
to Denver. DJ Moore heads to Buffalo. David Montgomery
heads to Houston. Trent McDuffie heads to LA.
Garrett Bradbury heads to Chicago. Minka Fitzpatrick
and Geno Smith heads to the Jets. Michael Pittman
heads to Pittsburgh. Rashawn Gary heads to Dallas.
Osa Edigizua heads to San Fran. Justin Fields
heads to Kansas City. My thoughts on Max Crosby.
And we got to talk about some free agent signings,
okay? All of this and more. on the 105th episode
of the Football Junkies Podcast, okay? I am your
host with the most, all right? I am your chief
Bagrod Thomas. That's right, chief, head of the
table. Anything and everything related to the
bag, rumors to the bag, and more. I am your hopium,
hopium, hopium, hopium, hopium deal. That's right.
All the hopium that you need to make it through
this offseason, I am the guy to go to, okay?
But I am all these things and more. But most
importantly, the most important thing that you
must remember is I am your host, Kale. Buckle
up. It's going to get crazy. So guess what? On
three, one, two, three, let's Fuck him. All right,
folks, let's get into the meat and potatoes of
everything that is going on in the league right
now. So let's just get into it because there's
a lot to talk about, all right? So Jalen Waddell
has been traded to the Broncos. Let's talk about
the details. So Miami receives a 2026 first,
third, and fourth, while Denver receives a 2026
fourth. According to Spotrack, Jalen Waddell
is guaranteed $17 million in 2026 and $15 .2
million in 2027. However, the dead cap number
continues to grow for the Dolphins. According
to Spotrak, they are second in the league in
dead cap hits at 108 million, and that number
is supposed to rise to 174 million. post -June
1st. Despite the financial ramifications that
came with this move, I think it benefits both
sides. And the reason why I say this is because
Denver has been looking for a highly productive
wide receiver to pair with Courtland Sutton.
And they realized they were in a position where
they can get a Jordan Tyson, a Cardinal Tate,
or a Makai Lemon in this draft. So the best thing
to do is just trade for a proven talent. A proven
talent that can play the Y or the Z. according
to reception perception. When he runs the nine
route, it's a 57 .9 % success rate. When he runs
a corner route, it's a 62 .5 % success rate.
When he runs an out route, that's a 77 .1 % success
rate. When he runs the post route, it's a 89
.5 % success rate. When he runs the dig, it's
a 83 .9 % success rate. When he runs a slant,
it's a 86 .8 % success rate. And when he runs
a screen, it's a 100 % success rate. He also
has a 81 .3 % success rate against zone coverage,
a 73 .5 % success rate against man, and a 76
.5 % success rate against press coverage. By
trading away Jalen Waddell, the Dolphins have
two first round picks. And we know with one of
those picks, they have to address wide receiver.
Now, I know this isn't the stack and shed series,
but we're going to incorporate that in this moment,
okay? The one move that I would do if I was the
GM for the Dolphins is either trade that second
first round pick for a future pick that you can
use in 27, or you just trade out of the first
round. Because I guarantee you somebody who doesn't
have a first round pick is gonna try to trade
into the back end of the first round. We've seen
it multiple times. It's bound to happen, okay?
Because let's be honest here. The only way you
can build this team is through the draft. You
can no longer make any big trades or big signings
until you figure out what you're going to do
with this snowball of dead cap that you have
right now. And that's not going to go away anytime
soon. So DJ Moore heads to Buffalo along with
a 2026 fifth while Chicago receives a 2026 second.
If the goal is to bring in a productive receiver
that can work with Josh Allen, fine. But the
way that you go about that is wrong. Because
why are you giving up a second round pick for
a receiver who was hot and cold all last season?
Instead, the Bills needed to go after a true
X receiver. DJ Moore isn't a true X receiver.
He's a Y, possibly a Z at this point in his career.
But if you're the Bills, if you believe that
you are still in your Super Bowl window, if you
truly believe that if you get a really productive
receiver that it's going to take you to the Super
Bowl, then you make that move. You did it with
Stephon Diggs. You saw how explosive and how
great the offense was. So why wouldn't you try
to do that again? The price is the price for
high quality players, regardless of what the
position is. Now, the angle that needs to be
talked about is the familiarity between DJ Moore
and Joe Brady. When DJ Moore was still with the
Panthers, Joe Brady was on that coaching staff.
Now here's DJ Moore's stats in the last two years
that he was with the Panthers. So in 2020, he
had 118 targets for 66 receptions, 1 ,193 receiving
yards, four touchdowns, and he averaged 18 .1
receiving yards per reception. Now in 2021, he
had 162 targets for 93 receptions, 1 ,157 receiving
yards, four touchdowns, and averaged 12 .4 receiving
yards per reception. Now as we fast forward to
now, these are the routes that DJ Moore ran the
most from last season. So he ran the dig at 20
.7%, the slant at 14 .5%, the nine at 14 .2%,
the post at 12%, and the out at 9 .5 % according
to reception perception. Now if we compare this
to the success percentage against the same routes,
this is what we have. DJ Moore was 100 % successful
when running the screen. He was 80 % successful
when running the slant. He was 90 .9 % successful
when running the comeback. He was 71 .9 % successful
when running the dig. He was 72 .7 % successful
when running the post. And he was 61 .5 % successful
when running the nine. Now, I don't think the
Bills are done with this receiving core, but
hopefully they make another addition, preferably
somebody that is a physical receiver who is proficient
in catching 50 -50 balls, over -the -shoulder
catches, and is very good at man and press coverage.
So the Lions traded away David Montgomery to
the Texans while receiving Drew Scruggs, a 2027
7th round pick, and a 2026 4th round pick. By
making this move, the Texans are signaling that
they want the run game to play a more prominent
role in the offense. which I don't hate them
for it because the one year that Joe Mixon played
for the Texans, it was really good. They were
15th in the league and they averaged 112 .3 rushing
yards per game, 4 .4 rushing yards per play,
and 15 rushing touchdowns compared to being 22nd
this past season in rushing offense where they
averaged 108 .9 rushing yards per game, 3 .9
rushing yards per play, and 9 rushing touchdowns.
Now as far as the Lions acquiring Drew Scruggs,
I feel like that's more of a def acquisition
i feel like at best he can compete with one of
the second year offensive linemen i'm not buying
a lot of stock into it okay so former chiefs
corner trent mcduffie has been traded to the
la rams so the chiefs receive a 2027 third a
2026 first a 2026 fifth and a 2026 sixth and
with this trade trent mcduffie and the rams have
agreed to a four -year 124 million dollar deal
50 million guaranteed at signing a 14 million
dollar signing bonus and he'll be making 31 million
a year now this is a trade where both sides are
winners because when we look at the ram side
they needed a dominant corner i'm sorry emmanuel
forbes was not getting the job done at kello
weatherspoon is not reliable at this point they
needed a true number one corner and trent mcduffie
is that guy During the playoffs last season,
I saw the secondary get targeted multiple times
because offenses realized that this secondary
wasn't that strong. Emmanuel Forbes can't play
press coverage, he's okay in zone coverage, and
he hasn't shown anything at this point. So by
getting someone like Trent McDuffie, who's versatile
in playing both the slot and outside, I think
that's going to add another weapon to this defense.
And the angle that nobody is talking about is
that the Rams gave up their first round pick
and kept the Falcons first round pick. So whatever
need they've been targeting, they can still get
it because the Falcons first round pick, if I'm
not mistaken, is a top 10 pick, which is great.
As we've seen in multiple years, the Chiefs continue
to show that if you're not Patrick Mahomes, Travis
Kelsey, or Chris Jones, you are expendable. And
mind you, they've traded away Tyreek Hill, LeJarrius
Sneed, Joe Thune, the list goes on. And by making
this move, the Chiefs are also admitting that
they believe in their drafting and scouting and
development of players so much that they're willing
to move off of high quality players just so they
can keep the core. Now the question is this,
what are the Chiefs going to do with those two
first round picks? Because me personally, I'm
drafting Kenyon Sadiq so he can be the next Travis
Kelsey. Now that second first round pick, you
can either use it for the 27 draft class or you
can use it to address a position on the defense.
Or, or, or, or, just hear me out for a moment,
okay? Just hear me out for a moment. What if
you use that first round pick to acquire a high
quality player? Just saying. I don't have my
tinfoil hat on. I destroyed it. But I'm just
saying. It's a possibility. You never know. So
former New England Patriots center Garrett Bradbury
was traded to the Chicago Bears. And so the Patriots
received a 2027 fifth round pick. Now, prior
to this trade, the Bears brought in Tyler Beatty
for a visit. And then there were rumors going
around that they were interested in signing Tyler
Linderbaum once free agency started. Now, I'm
glad they didn't sign Tyler Linderbaum because
that's way too much money for a center. But I
think this is a really good move. Now, the question
is this. What are the Patriots going to do at
center? Are they going to bring in a veteran
such as Lloyd Cushenberry? Are they going to
draft one? Who knows? So we have two trades for
the same team. So let's start with Minka, all
right? So he was traded to the Jets, and so the
Dolphins received a 2026 seventh round pick.
Now with this move, the Jets have given Minka
Fitzpatrick a three -year $40 million deal, $20
.5 million guaranteed at signing, a $7 .5 million
signing bonus, and he'll be making $13 .3 million
a year. The reason the Jets made this move is
to bring in a proven veteran presence while at
the same time trying to emphasize more playmaking
from the secondary. Because last year, nobody
in the secondary had an interception. Now, this
trade doesn't make any sense for the Dolphins
because had you released Megan Fitzpatrick, you
could have received a high comp pick for next
year. It could have been a third or fourth or
even a fifth. And I would have rather taken that
than a 2026 seventh round pick. Now, the second
trade involves Geno Smith. And so the Jets, of
course, receive him in a 2026 seventh while the
Raiders receive a 2026 sixth. Now, this is a
low risk, high reward move. You already know
what you're getting with Geno Smith. His highs
are going to be really good. and his lows are
going to be head scratchers, okay? But at the
same time, understand this. He is a bridge until
27. This isn't a long -term commitment. This
isn't something where he's going to be the guy
for the rest of his career. He's just holding
you over until you get the guy that you really
want in the next draft class, which hopefully
that next draft class actually produces a few
more quarterback prospects that everybody's going
to want. So the Steelers traded for former Colts
receiver Michael Pittman, and so Indy receives
a 20 -26 -6, while Pittsburgh, of course, receives
him in a 20 -26 -7. Now with this move, the Steelers
have given Michael Pittman a two -year $35 million
extension, $24 million guaranteed at signing,
a $22 .7 million signing bonus, and he'll be
making $17 .5 million a year. Now this trade
is a corresponding move to the Colts paying Alec
Pierce and Daniel Jones because they realized
that they weren't going to be able to keep everybody
on this offense. So they decided to move off
of Michael Pittman knowing that what they have
right now on this offense is still good. In the
last few years, the Steelers have attempted to
address the wider receiver two position, but
have been unsuccessful in doing it. They've went
the veteran route and trying to go after Adam
Thielen, MVS, Van Jefferson, for instance. None
of them have been very successful. But by training
for Michael Pittman, you're addressing that position
while at the same time not handcuffing yourself
to somebody for the long term. Now, the question
is this, how did the Steelers view Michael Pittman?
Do they view him as a slot? Do they view him
as an outside receiver? Because I believe he's
effective in both of those positions. Now, according
to reception perception, Michael Pittman ran
the dig at 27 .7%, the curl at 17 .7%, the slant
at 12 .7%, the flat at 8 .8%, the out at 5 .8%.
and the 9 at 11 .5%. However, when we compare
that to how successful he ran the routes, this
is what we have according to reception perception.
So he was 100 % successful when running the screen,
90 .9 % successful when running the slant, 80
.4 % successful in running the curl. 80 .6 %
were running the dig. 76 .5 % were running the
post. 75 % successful in running the comeback.
87 % successful in running the flat. And 100
% when he ran another route that's not being
listed. So overall, I think this is a good move
by the Steelers. It's just now we have to wait
and see what are they going to do at quarterback.
I'm not going to go on a rant. I'm not going
to talk about Aaron Rodgers. I'm not going to
say anything about it. Want to know how I feel
about it? Listen to the previous episodes last
year. So former Packers edge rusher Rashawn Gary
has been traded to the Cowboys. And so the Packers
received a 2027th fourth round pick. Prior to
this trade happening, Rashawn Gary had been floated
around as a potential cap casualty. But the question
is this, what are the Cowboys going to do with
his current contract? Because if I'm not mistaken,
he doesn't have any guaranteed money on there.
According to Spoltrak, Rashawn Gary's market
value is a four -year $94 .9 million deal, which
is $23 .7 million a year. I think the Cowboys
can afford that, but will they be willing to
pay him? And if so, are they going to do it this
summer? And since we're talking about the Cowboys,
former defensive tackle Osa Edigizua has been
traded to the 49ers. And so Dallas receives a
2026 third. Now, I think this is a really good
move for the 49ers because believe it or not,
Osa Edigizua is a really good defensive tackle.
Now, he may not be in the same light as a Jeffrey
Simmons or a Kim Hayward or a Jalen Carter, but
best believe he can move an offensive line. His
bull rush, lethal. And I think that's what the
49ers have been missing for a very long time.
And so by pairing him with Nick Bosa and the
rest of the guys that they have on that defensive
line, I think that's a good move. But the question
is this, what are the Cowboys going to do to
replace his role? Because yes, you have Kenny
Clark and Quinton Williams, but also played just
as much of a pivotal role as all those other
guys. So Justin Fields has been traded to the
Kansas City Chiefs. And so the Jets receive a
2027 sixth round pick. Now this is a low risk,
high reward move. By going to the Chiefs, Justin
Fields can now actually learn how to play quarterback.
We have seen Andy Reid work with a plethora of
different quarterbacks and all of them tend to
play better in his system. Now the payoff is
if Justin Fields thrives in this system, there
might be a chance where he can have a resurgence
in his career because that's what we've seen
in the last few years. When Baker Mayfield went
to the Buccaneers, he looked better. Sam Darnold
went to the Vikings and then to the Seahawks.
He looked better. Now, am I saying he's going
to do the same thing that Sam Darnold did? No.
But I am expecting for Justin Fields to be a
better quarterback after his experience with
the Chiefs. Because let's be honest here. Justin
Fields has all the intangibles to be a really
good quarterback, but he's been in some unsuccessful
situations where they haven't been able to bring
the best out of him. From being drafted by the
Bears and your first head coach is Matt Nagy,
then it's Matt Eberflus, to then going to the
Steelers and they don't even give you a legitimate
chance to compete, to then going to the Jets
where the offense really wasn't designed for
you. Of course, things really haven't been going
in your way, but I think going to the Chiefs
is a breath of fresh air for him. truly hope
that he really maximizes this opportunity and
he becomes a better quarterback from this now
let's talk about this max crosby situation but
before we do that we got to pay some bills. Pardon
the interruption, but this is your GM, your bag
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Now back to the good stuff. And we're back, folks.
So let's talk about this Max Crosby situation
because there's a lot to unpack with this, all
right? So I have to talk about the past before
we can talk about now. So last year, Jay Glazer
tweeted out that the Raiders had told Max Crosby
they want to shut him down the last two games.
Crosby, who has played with injuries for much
of the year, vehemently disagreed and had left
the building. So time passes on and Max Crosby
name is being floated around as being a trade
candidate. They're connecting him to the Ravens,
to the Cowboys, and a few... other teams and
then lo and behold we have a trade. So the Ravens
were going to receive Max Crosby and the Raiders
were going to receive two first round picks.
Now the trade couldn't be finalized until the
start of the new league year and Max Crosby passes
a physical. Okay, cool. Put a bookmark on that,
all right? So Max Crosby flies to Baltimore.
He's posting pictures of the Inner Harbor. He's,
you know, changing his profile picture of him
in a Ravens jersey. Everything is good in the
hood, right? But then we run into a snag. So
as I was eating my food on a Saturday night.
My phone kept on ringing. I'm like, what's going
on? It must be something with football. Lo and
behold, the Raiders tweeted this out. And I quote,
the Baltimore Ravens have backed out of our trade
agreement for Max Crosby. We will have no further
comment at this time. End quote. So after they
tweeted that out, I instantly started to think
what would cause the Ravens to quote unquote
back out on this deal. It was his knee. Something
happened with his knee. Now, remember this, folks.
Max Crosby had his surgery in January. He didn't
have it after the whole debacle with the Raiders.
Put a bookmark on that because we're going to
be talking about it. multiple times. So according
to Adam Schefter, the Ravens consulted with Cowboys
team physician Dr. Daniel Cooper and multiple
doctors to review Max Crosby's MRI scans. Now
for all of you who don't know, Dr. Cooper has
performed multiple surgeries on players such
as Patrick Mahomes and Malik Neighbors. Okay,
cool. Put a bookmark on that, okay? Because that's
very important. Now, during this whole debacle,
according to Jane Slater, the Ravens had discussed
renegotiating the Max Crosby trade, but the talks
never progressed. Now, here's the statement from
Dr. Neil Elitros, who performed the surgery on
Max Crosby, and I quote, Max Crosby is doing
very well in the early part of his rehab and
recovery from a surgery to treat a significant
meniscus tear and the related stress injury to
the bone and cartilage in his knee. He is certainly
on track in his planned program. He feels very
well and is already much improved compared to
before surgery. We truly respect the work of
the Raven staff with Max regarding the contract
physical exam. We also understand the challenge
the staff faces when tasked to provide a future
risk assessment based on an evaluation early
in the recovery process. This is especially challenging
when dealing with an elite player like Max considering
the level of commitment necessary for a team
to obtain him. The timing of this assessment
is unfortunate because the apparent risk will
lessen as his recovery progresses and his return
to performance over the next few months become
clear. At this point, Max is doing an excellent
job attacking his rehab and his knee is responding
very well. We look forward to Max returning to
his elite level of performance this season as
planned and for several more to come, end quote.
Now as time passed, I started to wonder if the
Ravens were ever going to say anything because
from the outside looking in, it looked like the
Ravens had cold feet and they backed out of this
trade. But finally, the Ravens announced that
Eric DaCosta will be speaking to the media and
this is what he said, end I quote. It's devastating
for me to have that conversation. I'm sure it
was challenging for them to hear as well. It
was also very, very, very, very hard for the
player to hear that. It's probably hardest for
Max more than anybody else. We were really excited
about potentially adding Max. Nobody is more
disappointed than me. He's a player I greatly
admire. I know our fans are upset and devastated.
I understand that. Tough, tough, tough situation.
But I think for the Ravens, the right situation,
my role as GM and Jesse's role as head coach
and Sashi Brown. as president, stewards of the
organization, we have to make tough calls. And
this was certainly a tough call to make. When
asked if the Ravens had cold feet, this is what
EDC had to say, and I quote, we live in that
age of skepticism and people question things,
especially people that don't really know me or
know the Ravens culture and the Ravens organization.
As I said at the beginning, we've got a responsibility.
I've got a responsibility to the Ravens, to this
community, to our fans, and to Steve Machado
to do what we think. is best for the club. Nobody's
more upset about this than me. I am gutted by
it, actually, but we will move on as a football
team. It hasn't stopped my phone from ringing,
I'll tell you that. I think our relationship
with agents and with other teams is really, really,
really good. I think that GMs understand the
importance of getting as much information as
possible before making decisions. There were
moments yesterday when, honestly, I was probably
speechless. Just sitting in the chair in my office,
just thinking about what the next step would
be and trying to get as much information as possible.
We've dealt with these kinds of things in the
past, but probably never at such a large figure.
challenging you get to the point where when you
look at the situation you have to make the right
decision when you are a steward of the organization
and you're put in that position you have to make
the tough call end quote now before i give my
opinion let's talk about max crosby's side of
the story okay So he was called on March 6th
by his agent, CJ LaBoy, that Baltimore had submitted
a trade offer. As he was about to meet up with
his friends, Crosby got calls from both his agent
and John Spitek, the Raiders GM, that this was
happening. Now on March 9th, Crosby was flown
into DC and had to ride into Baltimore. The next
day, Crosby went to the team facilities. Before
he left the facility, he wanted to meet with
both EDC and Jesse Mentor. But once he met -
That Jesse mentor, he said, and I quote, felt
like the energy was off compared to earlier in
his trip to Baltimore, end quote. Now, when he
met with both EDC and Jesse Minter, he was told,
and I quote, I don't know how to say this, but
one of our doctors has concerns with the results,
end quote. They go on to say, and I quote, with
your knee, some of them are concerned about the
future, end quote. Jesse Minter had informed
Crosby that they'd get more opinions. So time
passes on. Max Crosby returns to the hotel. He
spoke directly to his surgeon, Dr. E .L. Atras,
and he told Crosby, Now, after hours of speculation.
Crosby had heard from a Ravens rep that the medical
team were trying to get something done. Five
minutes after that conversation with the Ravens
rep, his agent, C .J. LaBoy, called him and saying,
and I quote, they're backing out, end quote.
Now, the Ravens flew Crosby, his wife, and team
back out to Vegas, and the next day he was back
in the Raiders facility. Now that we've got all
this stuff out the way, let me tell you how I
really feel about this, okay? And I'm not saying
this to act like I'm a Mr. Know -it -all, okay?
feeling this was going to happen because max
crosby just had the surgery in january so everybody
knew he wasn't going to pass a physical by now
but what i don't like is for media people to
say that the ravens got cold feet or backed out
of this trade the ravens were smart in making
this move because at the end of the day if max
crosby's knee is actually worse than expected
and he goes out in training camp and he does
the same move that he's been doing all his career
and re -aggravates that injury again and it's
worse or possibly career ending guess what the
rainbows are on the hook for two first round
picks understand this my fellow football junkies
in basketball first round picks are like potato
chips okay but first round picks in the nfl is
like gold that's why it's so rare for teams to
trade first round picks for players because they
understand the weight that comes with that move
Now, I commend the Ravens for doing all the necessary
work that they needed to do. But I knew the moment
that Schefter said that the Ravens had consulted
with Dr. Cooper, who was one of the top dogs
when it comes to knee surgeries, that sealed
the fate of the entire trade. Because I knew
that he probably saw the same thing that the
Ravens doctor saw as well. Now, I'll be honest
with you guys. I never believed that Max Crosby
was worth two first round picks. Now, is he worth
a first round pick and some other stuff? Of course,
without question. But to say that he's worth
two first round picks is a little bit of a reach.
Now, I understand the Ravens weren't just the
only team that was in on trying to get Max Crosby
because the Cowboys were willing to offer a first
and second form, according to Adam Schefter.
So I don't hate the Ravens for having to give
up a little bit more to seal the deal. What I
don't understand is why you would do this now.
And remember, folks, the Ravens were still trying
to do this trade despite the problems with Max
Crosby's knee. That's the part that nobody is
talking about. So for all you people out there
that are saying the Ravens got cold feet, the
Ravens got cold feet, let me ask you something,
okay? Because this is another angle that nobody
is talking about. Would your opinion on the Ravens
doing bad business be justified if they've done
this in the past? Because the few times the Ravens
have had to make a decision and they based their
decision off of medical evaluations, in some
ways they were right. With Michael Brockers in
2020, he didn't last that long afterwards. He
only played two more years. Ryan Grant, he had
problems with his ankle. A couple years later,
he had to retire. So don't just tell me that
the Ravens got cold feet, when in actuality,
they covered every single base that they could
possibly cover to make sure that they were right
on their evaluations. Because again, you're not
just giving up just one first round pick, you're
giving up two first round picks. As I've said
before in the early part of this episode, if
I haven't already said it. If the trade would
have went through, and Max Crosby would have
went out on training camp, or better yet, during
the regular season, and he did the same move
that he's been doing for years now, and he re
-aggravates that injury to the point where he
has to medically retire, guess what happens?
The Ravens are on the hook for two first round
picks. Now, shortly after the Raiders made that
statement, there was speculation on if the Cowboys
were going to try to make a trade for Crosby.
And that didn't happen. That was shut down within
a matter of minutes. So that just tells you there
is somewhat of a red flag on his medicals. Now,
the question is, what is it? Will we ever know?
Probably not. And one more thing about this Max
Crosby situation, and then we'll go on to the
last topic and be done with the episode, okay?
What I don't like with Max Crosby is how you
could go on this giant hissy fit talking about
I am where I need to be and it is what it is
and talk about how you had to fly into DC and
then you had to drive two hours to Baltimore.
Bro, relax. Relax. Because what I don't understand
is how you can go and just nitpick at the small
little things. You were making it seem like you
were staying at a Motel 6. And you wasn't. You
were staying at one of the best hotels in the
city, dog. Stop playing. Stop playing. And then
you're going to say that there was a dead body
in front of the hotel. No, it wasn't. Most likely
it was probably a homeless person that was either
drunk or high and they passed out. Relax. Because
when this trade happened, oh, you was posting
up pictures of the stadium. You changed your
profile picture to you wearing a Ravens jersey.
You was using Kodak and all these different things
related to the Ravens and Lamar and whatnot.
But now that something has come up, now you're
having bitter feelings about it. You need to
relax. And you need to point the finger at yourself.
Because again, like I just said in the previous
part of this episode, had you had the surgery
earlier on, you wouldn't be in this situation
right now. But that's the part you don't want
to bring up. You want to point the finger at
the Ravens, but you don't want to point the finger
at yourself. And from now on, every time that
Max Crosby complains about not wanting to be
with the Raiders, pull up the clip of him talking
about he's where he needs to be. Pull it up every
single time because you know what's going to
happen. Because he's had a track record of doing
this every single year. You murmur and complain
and talk about, I don't want to be here no more.
I'm trying to win. I'm trying to do something.
I want to have a legacy. Blah, blah, blah, yada,
yada, yada. But when you get an opportunity to
do it, you don't want to capitalize off of it.
Because if I'm Max Crosby, I am blowing up my
agent's phone. Hey, bro. We got to find a way
to go to another team, man. I don't want to be
with the Raiders. I like the Raiders. The Raiders
are cool and everything, but I want to go somewhere
else. Can you take me to this team? Can you take
me to that team? Can you take me to any of these
other teams? Please, because I don't want to
be with the Raiders. But instead, you're content.
But that's okay. It's perfectly fine. All right,
let's get these free agent signings out the way,
and then we'll just end the episode, okay? So
Jalen Phillips inks a four -year $120 million
deal with the Panthers, $60 million guaranteed
at signing, a $35 million signing bonus, and
he'll be making $30 million a year. When we look
at his stats from this past season, he had 53
tackles and five sacks. Now, when we look at
his market value according to Spoltrak, it's
three years, $52 million, which is $17 .3 million
a year. Now, do I think the Panthers overpaid
for Jalen Phillips? Yes, but I'm leaning towards
no. And the reason why I say that is because
we know that edge rusher is a premium position.
So with it being a premium position, a lot of
times some players are going to be overpaid.
And don't get it twisted. Jalen Phillips is a
good pass rusher, but to say that he's worth
$30 million a year, I don't know about that.
Maybe, maybe not. I just got to see more from
him. But by going to the Panthers, you now have
a true dominant edge rusher to pair with Derrick
Brown and the rest of those guys that's on that
defensive line, which I think is good. Now on
to Tyler Linderbaum, who inks a three -year $81
million deal with the Raiders. $60 million guaranteed
at signing, a $20 million signing bonus, and
he'll be making $27 million a year. So he is
now the highest paid center in the league. Now
his market value, according to Spoltrak, is four
years, $70 .8 million, which is $17 .7 million
a year. I'll be honest with you, this is a reach,
a major reach, because I still believe that Creed
Humphrey is way better than Tyler Linderbaum.
Now, I understand when a lot of players hit free
agency, a lot of times those teams are going
to overpay for that player. That's perfectly
fine. But to overpay like this at center for
Tyler Linderbaum? Come on now. And don't get
it twisted. I don't think Tyler Linderbaum is
a bad center. I'm just not going to pay him more
than a Super Bowl winning potential Hall of Fame
center in Creed Humphrey. I'm not doing it. Now
let's talk about Adafio Way. So he inks a four
-year $96 million deal with the Commanders, $50
.6 million guaranteed at signing, a $26 million
signing bonus, and will be making $24 million
a year. Now, according to Spoltrak, his market
value was three years, $57 .9 million, which
is $19 .3 million a year. While I understand
the Commanders want more production from their
defense, and they realized that they needed to
add in a legitimate pass rusher, I don't know
if this is the right move. If you're going to
go after somebody, go after somebody that you
know that you know that you know can close a
game, can change a game. I feel like Adafia Way
has only shown that in moments. I need to see
a little bit more consistency because if we can
be honest here. Last season, when he got traded
to the Chargers, was probably his best stretch
of football. And that was only a couple of games.
I'm not going to pay you $24 million a year just
for a couple of games. But instead, I'm going
to pay you $24 million because you have shown
this throughout an entire season or even longer
than that. But by signing Adafi away, is this
signaling that the Commanders are not going to
address pass rusher in the draft? Because I really
don't want that to happen. I truly believe the
Commanders need to take a pass rusher. Now, I'm
not saying you need to do it in the first round,
but if you can do it in the second or maybe third
round, I think that's still good because I think
there's a lot of good pass rushers in this draft
class. Alec Pierce stays with the Colts and he
inks a four -year $114 million deal, $60 million
guaranteed at signing, a $26 million signing
bonus, and he'll be making $28 .5 million a year.
When we look at his market value from Spoltrak,
it's a four -year $80 .9 million deal, which
is $20 .2 million a year. It was only right for
the Colts to do this because they realized that
once he hit free agency, they weren't going to
be able to bring him back. Because we know there
were multiple teams that were lined up, ready
to give him whatever he wanted. So Mike Evans
inks a three -year, $42 million deal with the
49ers, $14 .3 million guaranteed at signing,
a $12 million signing bonus. He'll be making
$14 .1 million a year. When we look at his market
value, according to Spoltrak, it's a two -year
$26 .6 million deal, which is $13 .3 million
a year. Now, this signing caught me off guard
because I thought Mike Evans was going to stay
with the Buccaneers. But clearly, something happened
last season that just made him say, you know
what? It's time for me to go somewhere else.
And according to the Buccaneers GM, they were
willing to go above and beyond to keep Mike Evans.
So it wasn't a monetary thing. It must have been
something else. My guess is Mike Evans is trying
to win one more championship. Now, the question
is this. By signing with the 49ers, do you believe,
Mike Evans, that that is the best opportunity
for you to compete and to win another championship?
Somebody let me know on our YouTube page at Football
Junkies Pod, all right? I want to hear it specifically
from 49ers fans. So former Broncos defensive
end John Franklin Myers inks a three -year $63
million deal with the Titans. $42 million guaranteed
at signing, a $12 million signing bonus, and
he'll be making $21 million a year. When we look
at his market value, according to Spoltrak, it's
a two -year $15 .7 million deal, which is $7
.9 million a year. Now, this move is interesting.
because he has familiarity with working with
Robert Sala. So I feel like that's probably the
reason why he went to the Titans. Now, me personally,
I probably would have stayed with the Broncos
unless they were trying to lowball you. And if
they were trying to do that, then by all means,
this makes sense. But by signing John Franklin
Myers, that is just bolstering up this defensive
line even more because now you have him, Jeffrey
Simmons, they traded for Jermaine Johnson as
well. I know they're probably gonna get either
R. Harvell Reese, or Sonny Stiles. So best belief,
that defensive line is going to be ferocious
this upcoming season. So former Jaguars linebacker
Devin Lloyd inks a three -year $42 million deal
with the Panthers, $25 million guaranteed at
signing, a $15 .2 million signing bonus, and
he'll be making $14 million a year. When we look
at his market value according to Spotrack, it's
a three -year $60 .4 million deal, which is $20
.1 million a year. I'll be honest with you, I
feel like this is a little bit of a low ball.
And the reason why I say that is because I would
have thought Devin Lloyd would have cashed in
somewhere. But to only be making $14 million
a year is a little bit of a head scratcher. Now,
I think this happened because this upcoming draft
class is supposed to be really good at linebacker.
So my guess is that probably devalued Devin Lloyd
just a little bit. But even then, Devin Lloyd
is worth at least maybe $15 to maybe $18 million
a year. Maybe it's a former coach that's with
the Panthers that he's following. I don't know.
Only time will tell but i do think by going to
the panthers i think it's going to bolster up
this defense even more Believe it or not, they
got some guys on that defense now. You got Jalen
Phillips. You got Devin Lloyd. You still got
J .C. Horn. You got Derrick Brown. I see the
vision, Panthers. I see the vision. But Devin
Lloyd, the first thing that you need to do when
you get to Carolina, go to Garner's and get you
a barbecue sandwich with some coleslaw on top.
If you know, you know. For all my people that's
from North Carolina, okay? So Super Bowl MVP
Kenneth Walker inks a three -year $43 million
deal with the Chiefs. $28 .7 million guaranteed
at signing, a $13 million signing bonus, he'll
be making $14 .3 million a year. When we look
at his market value according to Spotrack, it's
a four -year $36 million deal, which is $9 million
a year. Now, I'll be honest with you. I think
the Chiefs realized they're going to have to
pay the Super Bowl tax to get someone like a
Kenneth Walker, and I think they were okay with
that because they realized in the last few years
their run game hasn't been good. Even though
they've had production from veteran running backs,
I think the Chiefs... Chiefs realize it's not
enough. Case in point, that's why the Chiefs
brought back Eric Biennemi because they realized
that when he was there, the run game was really
productive. But let's see how this run game goes,
all right? But I'm gonna end this episode here.
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