Lingering questions with the free agency dust settled

Summary

The Athletic Football Show: Lingering Questions with the Free Agency Dust Settled

Date: March 19, 2026
Hosts: Robert Mays & Derrick Klassen

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Episode Overview

With NFL free agency’s first waves over, Robert Mays and Derrick Klassen break down the unresolved questions still lingering around the league. They analyze team holes, positional concerns, possible trades, and roster strategies that remain as the NFL transitions from free agency to pre-draft season. The discussion traverses both macro-level themes (team directions, trends) and granular personnel uncertainties, blending expertise with candid, engaging debate.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Intro: The Post-Free Agency Landscape

[02:00]

• Robert Mays sets up the show's agenda: “Now that a lot of that dust has settled, what are the big questions that are still left? … How are they going to solve some of these problems?”
• Transition point for the podcast—moving toward draft coverage after final free agency reflections.

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2. Team Needs & Roster Holes Still Glaring

a. Chargers' Edge Rusher Depth

[05:02]

• Derrik Klassen: “I really want to know what the Chargers are going to do to solve their edge problem and solve some of their edge depth…They don’t really have a true number three right now.”
• Existing options (Mack aging, Dupree limited).
• Suggestion: Sign a vet (e.g., Clowney, Epenesa) so they’re not forced to draft early out of desperation.

b. Seattle Seahawks' Running Back Situation

[07:30]

• Robert Mays: “Who's going to play running back for the Seahawks in week one?”
• Emmanuel Wilson and George Holani likely to be usage stopgaps.
• Limited draft capital (only 4 picks) and lacking high-potential free agent/trade targets.
• Both agree Seahawks might be resigned to a “reset year” and piecemeal approach.

c. Trade Market Wildcards

[11:25]

• Big names like AJ Brown are possible trade chips, but hosts focus more on defensive trade targets (Maxx Crosby, Lucas Van Ness, Kayvon Thibodeaux, Dexter Lawrence).
• Robert Mays: “Is there another Jalen Waddle potentially looming for guys that might be available?” [12:45]

d. Jesse Bates and Other Defensive Trade Opportunities

[14:05]

• Falcons’ Jesse Bates as another trade option; mismatched timeline for Atlanta.
• Derrik: “If you need a safety, that seems like the guy to go and do it.”

e. Bears Still Searching for Pass Rush Pop

[19:35]

• Despite several depth signings, Chicago still lacks a clear “pop” piece on the defensive front.
• Past rumors about Maxx Crosby make sense; might have to look to the draft.
• Cap flexibility concerns lessen their incentive to make a big trade for a pass rusher.

f. Ravens: The Glaring Center Hole

[30:09]

• Both question Baltimore’s plan at center after not being aggressive in free agency, with potential fallback to Lloyd Cushenberry.
• Ravens' offensive identity likely to resemble Ben Johnson’s previous schemes.

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3. Quarterback Carousel & “Dice Roll” Young QBs

a. Why Haven’t More Young QBs Moved?

[25:59, 27:36]

• Notable names like Anthony Richardson, Will Levis, and Spencer Rattler remain with their teams.
• Cheap “lottery ticket” QBs are attractive to veteran teams (Rams, Dallas), tanking teams (Arizona), or teams needing backup/competition (Green Bay, Bengals).
• Robert: “Is it free though?...How much would you have to give up to get one of these guys?”
• Malik Willis as an intriguing “what if” for several situations.

b. Steelers' Quarterback Mystery

[44:05]

• “If you're looking at teams that want to be competitive this year and the biggest remaining needs on depth charts… the Steelers quarterback is number one.” (Mays)
• Frustration with potential Rodgers reunion; preference for more upside (Malik Willis, Rattler).
• “There is an upside… at least Malik Willis maybe there’s a chance” — Klassen [47:45]

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4. Position-Group Questions Across the League

• Lions’ Edge Rusher Depth: Thin behind Aiden Hutchinson, maybe this is draft year for a true bookend. “Looking at their edge room is startling.” (Klassen) [35:42]
• Broncos Defensive Line: Denver lacking depth since losing John Franklin-Myers; draft solution likely. [38:28]
• Chiefs’ Pass Catchers: “Are the Chiefs just going to roll with this group…this is going to be it again?” (Mays) [39:24]
  • Debate on using rare high pick for trench help vs. taking a premier WR.
• Bengals & Cowboys Linebacker Room: Both teams curiously inactive at a position of evident need. [49:32]

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5. Remaining Free Agents, Trade Chips & Roster Battles

• Juwan Jennings (WR): Noted as perhaps the most intriguing FA left. “Juwan Jennings is not a band-aid…he can be a pretty useful player for us.” (Klassen) [34:06]
• Stefon Diggs, Juwan Taylor: Mentioned as high-impact FAs who could still influence a contender.
• Jonathan Greenard: Vikings DE/OLB as possible trade target; would Minnesota actually move him? (Mays) [51:07]
• Washington’s WR Room: Will they “hunger games the room,” signing/cutting amidst draft and trade additions? (Klassen) [52:57]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “If you look at the remaining edge market right now in terms of free agents, it’s a lot of the old veterans…The only guy who’s really younger…is like an AJ Epenesa.”
  – Derrick Klassen [05:02]

• “With how much cap space they have, is there another shoe that might be dropping? Or again, are they just saving some of this money for extensions?”
  – Robert Mays [10:38]

• “Even if you have guys that you’ve committed resources to, this team still needs more pop up front.”
  – Robert Mays on the Bears [19:35]

• “I'm kind of curious about why none of the young dice roll quarterbacks really got moved.”
  – Derrick Klassen [25:59]

• “I'm so fed up with [Aaron Rodgers]. I would legitimately rather sign Kirk Cousins than bring back Aaron Rodgers.”
  – Derrick Klassen [44:30]

• “Malik Willis in Green Bay looked pretty good for obviously limited snaps, but he looked pretty good…you could totally sell me on Malik Willis and that offense.”
  – Derrick Klassen [45:21]

• “Are the Chiefs just going to roll with this group of pass catchers? This is going to be it again?”
  – Robert Mays [39:24]

• “Looking at their edge room is…startling.”
  – Derrick Klassen on Lions [35:42]

• “If you want to go get one of those guys who is like true X receiver type of body type, they would have to do that at nine in a class like this.”
  – Derrick Klassen [41:15]

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Important Timestamps & Segments

• 02:00: Show overview — The “big questions” post-free agency
• 05:02: Chargers’ edge concerns, market rundown
• 07:30: Seahawks RB room struggles, lack of picks, roster-building outlook
• 11:25: Trade market “dominoes,” names to watch
• 14:05: Jesse Bates as an under-the-radar trade target
• 19:35: Bears defensive line, pass rush urgency
• 25:59: Young QBs as bargain bets – Anthony Richardson, Levis, Rattler et al
• 30:09: Ravens’ offense, center position, and play-caller DNA
• 35:42: Lions’ edge depth crisis
• 38:28: Broncos and Chiefs positional dilemmas
• 44:05: Steelers’ unresolved (and unsatisfying) quarterback question
• 49:32: Bengals and Cowboys linebacker strategy
• 51:07: Jonathan Greenard trade speculation; Washington's receiver scenario

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Tone & Language

• Conversational expertise, quick banter, mutual respect.
• Frank, sometimes exasperated, about certain team choices (“so much more interested [if Malik Willis was QB]”, “it’s ridiculous”).
• Mix of analytical and candidly emotional (especially on QB situations and franchise inertia).
• Heavy on team-building philosophy and roster construction best practices.

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Summary

The episode provides a comprehensive scan of the NFL landscape between free agency’s aftermath and draft buildup, surfacing persistent roster issues, trade-and-free-agent speculation, and broader team-building questions. Mays and Klassen’s deep knowledge and sharp dialogue make it essential listening for anyone keen on understanding the league’s current flashpoints and what to watch next.

Transcript

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[Robert Mays]

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[Derek]

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[Robert Mays]

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[Robert Mays]

Welcome to the Athletic Football show. I'm Robert Mays. Free Agency the first couple waves of free agency have settled down. Most of the guys that we were very curious to see what their landing spots would be. The guys who are going to make big money, they have found new homes for the 20 and so this will be essentially our last free agency themed show. Now that a lot of that dust has settled, what are the big questions that are still left? Those can be kind of bigger existential questions. Those can be how certain positions are going to be filled by certain teams that still have needs there. So that's what me and Derek did today. Just about a dozen questions we still have left as we wait for the draft to happen. But after free agency has already unfolded, where are these teams at? How are they going to solve some of these problems? What guys might still be traded? Which players are we still curious about their landing spots? That was what we dug into today. Tomorrow we are shifting our focus to the draft. Dane Brugler is going to be joining me and Dave Hellman. We're going to do a Little Idiot's guide to the 2026 NFL Draft. I am the idiot. I know very little. Dane knows a lot. So it's a show we've done in the past, the show I very much enjoy doing. So today it's our last beat on the 2026 free agent crop with me and Derek asking the biggest questions we still have left. Let's get to that conversation right now. All right. It is March 18th here on the Athletic Football show, and as this week comes to a close, pretty much every year at this point in the calendar, we really put free agency to bed. We have about two full weeks of free agency conversations. Those started in earnest two weeks ago. We obviously had our big week of free agency reactions that started on Monday. And then we have about a week of shows that deal with the fallout of that first and second wave of free agency before we officially turn the page to draft coverage for the next month. And we have reached that point. So today, Derek, we're going to dig into some of the biggest questions that we have left after the first and second waves of free agency. Many of these will be addressed in the draft. And so these aren't like huge, blinking, terrifying holes for these teams, but the dominoes that now have to fall because of what happened in free agency. That's what we're digging into today.

[Derek]

And I actually thought like going into this and trying to figure out my questions, I thought I would have more specific like this whole this team or this available player still left on the market. And I really didn't like I have one or two of those, but it was a couple more like grander topics than that.

[Robert Mays]

I've got a couple where it's just pretty big holes on teams that should be competitive and aren't positions that there's like chock full of options in the draft. We'll have a couple of those. There's some other kind of bigger picture ones, but yeah, we can go any direction on these. But these are essentially the questions we still have left after most of the free agents have signed and before we see where some of these teams go in the draft. So why don't you kick us off your first question that you still have after a vast majority of the free agents have found their landing spots.

[Derek]

I'll start with one that is like, based on the remaining free agents potentially, and one that I think is like a will this team address it? I really want to know what the Chargers are going to do to solve their edge problem and solve some of their edge depth. Because I obviously bring back Khalil Mack. I think we were both really jazzed about that. But he's older, he's been banged up the past couple of years. You just don't know how, how long that's going to hold for you. And even regardless of that, they don't really have like a true number three right now. Like, currently it would be, I guess, Spud Dupree, but he's kind of a gives you a half a dozen really good run snaps a game and that's about it. And so if you look at the remaining edge market right now in terms of free agents, it's a lot of the old veterans. It's like, do you bring back Joey Bosa? Are you the Jadevian Clowney team? It's a lot of guys like that. The only guy who's really younger and like could potentially maybe you would want to resign him again is like an AJ Epanessa. And even then, like, I think given that they only need a number three, I think that that could be a solid signing. So to me, it's like, do they go try to address this with a lot of these vets, some of these older guys, or do they wait until the draft? I would still say both. Right. Like, I wouldn't want to go into April being like, we have to take a first round edge rusher. I wouldn't like to do that. That would be like we sign an Epanessa, a Clowney, whatever it's going to be, and then if we love who's there at 20, whatever, then we can take him.

[Robert Mays]

Yeah, I mean, it's having only two at this point that you feel really good about. It does look like a very thin room. To be honest though, it kind of felt like a thin room heading into last year, too. And that's why they had to make the trade halfway through the year, is that they just didn't have enough guys to feel good about that spot. And that's kind of where they are. And I would make an argument that there's a couple different positions where it's like you probably want to draft somebody pretty early on here. Think edge is a spot where you want to come out of maybe the first two rounds with a guy that can play. And I still think they need interior

[Derek]

offensive line help 100%. If there's a guard there that they like, it's like you would rather like if they went into April 23rd absolutely needing an edge player, but then there's a guard you like there, then you have a really, really difficult choice that you have to make. Whereas if they could solve this now and at least have a guy you feel okay about being your third guy, then if you love a guard there, then you can just take them and you don't have to think about it. Like, I think them at least using one of these remaining vets in the free agency pool to at least like, we can get by with that if we need to. I kind of think that they have to do that. And then again, if you love who you want in first or second round, then you can take another swing at edge rusher.

[Robert Mays]

Mine is similar just in terms of, again, playoff team, very much a playoff team, figuring out one position, how they're going to address. Address it. Who's going to play running back for the Seahawks in Week one?

[Derek]

I mean, I guess Emmanuel Wilson, who, like.

[Robert Mays]

Emmanuel Wilson's deal was for $1.6 million.

[Derek]

I know, but he's funny, too, because, like, I, I actually think both of us at certain points last season were like, Emmanuel Wilson kind of nice. Like he kind of gives you something. But when you, when that's your Week one starter, it's a bit of a different consideration than like week 10. He's getting like eight. Eight carries for you in a game or something like that. And so I think as to if they have to get by with him for a month, six weeks or whatever, I don't think it's that big of a deal. I also think, like, maybe this is a bad way to frame it, but, like, this is a Seahawks team that is clearly okay, taking a little bit of a step back and like a reset year. And I think they are maybe not that pressed to like, go out and have a guy. I would still love to see them draft somebody, but, like, if you don't get Jeremiah Love, which they're not going to with where they're picking, obviously it's not a very deep running back class. And so you're. They're going to have to take a swing on some guy in the third round and just kind of hope that he gives them something.

[Robert Mays]

You look at it, they don't have many picks either. They had their first, second and third round pick and then they had a sixth round pick from the cheat from the Browns. They have four picks in this entire draft. And so even the idea of, ah, we'll just take a late round dart throw on a guy and he can be a part of the mix. Right now it pretty much seems like their week one plan, if they don't bring in anybody else, is going to be some combination of Emmanuel Wilson and George Holani. Maybe that's fine, maybe you can live with that for the first month of the season like you're talking about, but it's just you're really scraping by if that's your week one start of the season running back plan. And they can probably live with that for a short period of time. But we saw that the best version of the Seahawks offense as we got deeper into the season required some real player running back and some real dynamic play at running back. And so the complexion of the offense just dramatically changes for as long as Zach Charbonnet isn't in there. And I would argue into when Zach Charbonnet is in there, considering how important Kenneth Walker was to what this team felt like by the end of the year, a hundred percent.

[Derek]

And it's also like the idea of, oh, we can get by. I feel like that stuff is great in weeks 8 to 12 where it's like, okay, we know who we are as an offense. We've kind of gelled them. Some stuff we know how to do, you know, we know what holes we need to patch. Having to go into that week one when you're not entirely sure like where the issues are with your offense and stuff like that. And having that thrown into the mix I think could be a bit a pretty big issue for their offense especially too because they're obviously changing offensive systems now and so we'll, we'll see how that goes. My other thing with the Seahawks, you bring up the draft picks. I initially went into this being like, man, they still have some cap space. Like maybe they're in a Bronco situation where it's like, okay, they've got a lot of cap space to play with. Maybe they want to go trade for somebody. They just don't have the picks to do that. Like, you cannot trade your first round pick and then be stuck with a two or three and a, what did you say? A sixth round pick. Like, that's just not a way to sustainably build a roster and so they have the cap to do it. They don't have the resources to do it. Really.

[Robert Mays]

That is not a way to build a sustainable roster. And they can't do it. Are two different considerations. They could if they wanted to. Yeah, that it's a team that we talked about this last week when we were just discussing their off season and whether they were a better roster. It just feels like with how much cap space they have, is there another shoe that might be dropping? Or again, are they just saving some of this money and some of this cash for some of the extensions that they're going to have to handle? But it has been a relatively quiet offseason for this team and I think that that is very well expressed by their lack of urgency in finding a solution or replacement for not only Kenneth Walker, but for Zach Charbonnet for however time much time he's going to miss. What's your next one here? Your next big looming question now that the first couple waves of free agency are over.

[Derek]

So I'm going to a little bit tap into the last question I had here, which was the Chargers. How do they approach edge? I'm curious about what is left for the trade market and obviously the big name there is potentially AJ Brown, which we can talk about here at the end. But I think a lot of the other potential trade candidates are edge players. I think Max Crosby is still on the board. Obviously, you know, he could be a raider and if he is for the rest of the season, that's totally fine for them. But I imagine that he's still on the board as a trade candidate. Lucas Van Ness from the packers, like they seem like they're not entirely sure what they want to do with him. Who knows how he fits into the new defense. I think if some team wants to take a swing on a guy who was a former first round pick, big body like a team like the Chargers could make sense. It obviously wouldn't be very expensive to do that either with draft capital or the money. Obviously they wouldn't do that. His option.

[Robert Mays]

What do you mean you think, you think based on their current the bodies they have at that position right now, you think they could afford to trade him away for a middling return given what else they have on the roster at that position. That feels scary to me because he was playing well last year when he was healthy.

[Derek]

I mean I don't think they should. I just wonder like how he really fits into their defense being a bigger bodied guy. Like I just wonder if that's something that they that they want to pursue. And obviously he played well. He started to play a little bit well last year, but generally he has been a lot been pretty banged up for them and also been very up and down for them even when he was on the field.

[Robert Mays]

The trade candidates, that's where my mind went. Like that was one of my questions. It's like who else are the guys that we might see dealt with before the start of the season? Like is there another Jalen Waddle potentially looming for guys that might be available? Like Kayvon Thibodeau is a guy that comes to mind. The Dexter Lawrence thing is interesting to me. Again, them trying to find a little bit more money. I was read Dan Duggan today was talking about how they does seem like they want to restructure Lawrence's contract in order to find a little bit more cap space. Does that mean that they're not necessarily committed to him long term in the way that you might think? That's the guy on the Giants, like more than Thibodeau, where I'd call and be like, hey, this is an getting older expensive player for a team that and a regime that is in transition. What would it take for us to get Dexter Lawrence? So that's a name that I would at least be thinking about. And obviously we don't know how the Jalen Carter thing is going to be settled. You know, whether he would be available for the right price on top of what's going on with A.J. brown. And then there are some other less sexy ones too. Like what happens with Keon Coleman, right? Is Keon Coleman destined to be a bill? Is that somebody that you think that you could potentially salvage? Anthony Richardson is absolutely involved in this conversation. So I think there are a bunch of different guys that I would at least be sniffing around about over the next three or four months here, even as we get a little bit deeper into the off season.

[Derek]

So one of my separate questions was the quarterback specifically, but I'll holster that for a second. There was one other player that I do think based on this team's timeline and where his contract is at, I wonder if there's a competitive team that would want to make a trade for this player. Jesse Bates for the Falcons is still a really, really good player. And the fact that Falcons team is not going to really be competing this year and he's got one year left on his deal, he would be 30 by the time this deal is done. They're most likely not going to pay him after that. And so they would, they would only save Like a few. I think they would only save like 7 or 8 million dollars if they, like, post June 1st designated the trade. And so it's not like they would be saving a whole ton of money or anything, but it's just he does not really fit their timeline necessarily. And so I wonder if, for the right price, like, a competitive team could go trade, you know, a third, fourth round pick for a player like that and like, really juice up their secondary.

[Robert Mays]

Oh, now you got my gears turning. Is there a team that you had in mind that you think might make sense for a Jesse Bates?

[Derek]

I mean, initially I wanted it to be Seattle, but I don't know if they would trade with so few resources left on their board to go and do something like that. I mean, it's apparently a big charger show. Like, if the Chargers wanted to do something like that, I think that he could fit their defense pretty well. And they, I think, have a hole there. Like, currently their safety rotation. Assuming Derwin plays a lot of the nickel again or could play a lot of the nickel, is RJ Mickens and Elijah Moulton like, those are your starting safeties? I think if they wanted to juice up the secondary a little bit that way, that could make sense. So I would probably have to think more about the team and the fit and who's got the resources, but I'm like, if you need a safety that seems like the guy to go and do it.

[Robert Mays]

I'm just going over some of the other former first round picks. They're going to have to. Teams are going to have to make a decision about their options. I'd be surprised if Quentin Johnston was available in the way that you might think. For somebody who was a first round pick but hasn't been overly productive. I think they like him more than, like, the outside perception would lead you to believe. He obviously fell off in the back half of last year, but. So that's a name that I would

[Derek]

throw off in the back half?

[Robert Mays]

Yeah, yeah, that. That's a name I would throw out. That's probably it, right? There aren't a lot of other guys from that draft that immediately come to mind that would be worth trading for that teams would be willing to move on from.

[Derek]

Yeah, I mean, like you mentioned it earlier, Thibodeau was kind of maybe the only other one that is like, okay, if somebody really wanted to take a swing on a pass rusher, but even then that would be the type of swing it's like, I want to already have an ace in place and he's Kind of just our second guy.

[Robert Mays]

What do we think about the Anthony Richardson market? Is this the move that you want to see the rams make?

[Derek]

Still 100%. I desperately want them to go and make this trade or the other one is again, I'm still going to be pushing for this player. I think he's okay, but like a Spencer Rattler, I think kind of would be pretty fun over there. But I think seeing how the offense operated with a quarterback who can throw down the field. Obviously Richardson is nowhere near as talented or as good as Stafford, but I wonder how, how Sean McVay would do that. And then also Richardson is mobile and I've said it for years now, I want to see what Sean McVay's offense looks like with a guy who can move a little bit. And obviously they wouldn't like quarterback run game him a ton because of some of the injury stuff. But the fact that that could at least be like an element of the offense I think is kind of interesting.

[Robert Mays]

It just doesn't seem like there's a ton of downside in making a move like that. And look, I'm trying to figure out right now, how many games do you think Anthony Richardson has started in his career?

[Derek]

Eight?

[Robert Mays]

No, it's 15. He started 15 games, started 11 games in 2024. Obviously the best case scenario here and the most analogous case that we've seen recently is a team like the packers trading for Malik Willis, having him be in the building for a little while and then you see enough flashes from him that eventually a team is willing to pay him $20 million a year. The hope would be that Anthony Richardson can become a guy who's worth paying 20 million doll in your own building is like a potential off ramp at quarterback. I just think a team like that just trying to get him in there, getting a look at what he is, seeing what he feels like in their building, in their program for a couple years before they have to make a decision about Stafford. That's the type of team that I would love to see just take a dice roll on a player like that.

[Derek]

And they're, they're really the only team in that position. Like the only other team with like a, a good veteran quarterback that maybe you would want to bridge to the next guys like maybe Dallas and Dak. But even then I think Dak has more of a Runway than Stafford. Like Stafford, it's year to year constantly

[Robert Mays]

now, whereas have Anthony Richardson at home, Joe Milton's on the roster.

[Derek]

Oh, come on. That's really funny. I totally forgot that that Trey Lance at one point too. Like those the big six five just like throw the shit out of the football. They chase them. So maybe Anthony Richardson could fit into the building. I don't know.

[Robert Mays]

My next one here is just something that is like an existential question I've been thinking about for the entire off season. Where are the Bears going to find pass rush help? Like their big move along the defensive line in free agency was going out and getting Neville Gallimore and they signed James lynch today. And if you look at the depth chart, you know they have got they go three deep at edge when Dyo Dangbo comes back. They still have Austin Booker, they still have Montez Sweat, they still have Diodango at defensive tackle. They have bodies, they have Grady Jarrett, they have Gravon Dexter, they signed Neville Gallimore. But though especially the Jarrett contract and the Odengbo contract, those are deals that they can move on from after this season. And so I just think that somewhere there's a reason they were in the Max Crosby discussion. Even if you have guys that you've committed resources to, this team still needs more pop up front. And so I assume that is a position either defensive tackle or defensive or edge rusher, whatever one you want to add, that's totally fine. I just think you need hopefully to find a guy who can be a contributor for you in this draft in the first two rounds. And Shemar Turner will be back next year. He had a very weird rookie season as a second round pick. He was hurt I think on the first day of training camp and missed almost all of training camp. He comes back, he moves around a couple different positions. He only plays a handful of games. And so he hopefully will be more a part of your plans in 2026. But even if you're counting on that to a degree, this team still needs to add some sort of pop up front for them to be for them to take the step forward defensively that they absolutely need to if they're going to be a real in the nfc. And so where that comes from somewhere along the way is absolutely one of the bigger questions that I have.

[Derek]

You expect that to be more through the draft now at this point, right? Unless you maybe the Crosby like compensation has come down far enough like that. I guess that really is their only other answer because they given the way that Dennis Allen runs the defense, I would not expect them to be like a K. Von Thibodeau team. And then even if like you know, Van Ness who I mentioned earlier is on the board that's in division, that's absolutely not happening. And so at a certain point you kind of run out of edges to trade for. There's not that many guys that they can sign again. It would maybe be like an epanessa. It probably is going to have to be through the draft.

[Robert Mays]

They also are what they're up against the cap. They were always going to have to move some money around if they were going to do something like the Crosby deal. How much money they want to move around there. They have restructure options. Like there are five or six guys that they could potentially touch the money. I don't know who of those guys they want to be pushing money into future years for like Jalen Johnson's. This is his age. He's 27. He was hurt last year. Kyler Gordon was hurt last year. Joe Tunney is 37, 4 years old, Diodango somebody you're probably going to move on from. Jonah Jackson has a $15 million base salary, but he has an injury history and is getting a little bit older. So they do have flexibility, but there just aren't a lot of clear cut guys of yeah, I'm willing to push money to 2028 or 2029 for ex player because I know he's going to be here. There aren't a lot of those guys on the roster. And so that was always my question with the Crosby thing at the beginning is whether they would actually want to move enough money around to bring in somebody like that because they even if they have FL ability to restructure some of these things, are there clear candidates that you'd want to restructure? And I just don't know if the answer to that is yes. And so to see them not be overly aggressive in spending and to not do any of that so far isn't necessarily surprising.

[Derek]

There's probably still going to have to touch somebody to get the draft picks on there though, aren't they?

[Robert Mays]

Yeah, they have to. Yeah, they have to. Yeah. Something is going to have to happen.

[Derek]

Who would you expect it to be? Or actually, let me rephrase that. If you were in their shoes and you had to pick one or two of these restructures, who would it be? Because it is a lot of tricky positions. It's a lot of guys that you maybe don't expect to be on the roster in three years. Or like you said, those offensive linemen, they're old. Jonah Jackson's hurt all the time. Kyler Gordon at corner is hurt all the time. Even if he's a good player. Like, it's, it's some tough decisions.

[Robert Mays]

I really don't know. I truly don't know the best answer to it because a lot of these guys, I mean Montez Sweat and Jonah Jackson are going to be free agents after the 2027 season and so, and same with Jalen Johnson. So I don't know who the best answer would be there. And I assume that's why they haven't done a lot of pushing money into the future because there just aren't that many guys that you want to be on the hook for as we get into like 2028 here. All right, let's take our first quick break and then come back and chat about a few more of these big questions.

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[Robert Mays]

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[Robert Mays]

All right, what's your next one? What, what is one of your other big questions that you still have to have answered after the first couple waves of free agency?

[Derek]

I'm I'm kind of curious about like why none of the young Dice Roll quarterbacks really got moved. Like there just were not a lot of them that got moved and I wonder if there's still a market for any of those guys. Obviously we just talked about Anthony Richardson potentially to the Rams, but like Tanner McKee I think was a big discussion for a lot of people. Like could he be a guy who maybe the Cardinals go and take a swing on? Spencer Rattler I think is in that same boat. Will Levis is in that same boat to me. Like listen, I know some of like the though his worst plays in Tennessee were embarrassing but that was like that was clearly a very bad situation to begin with. And then he got supplanted by a very talented first overall pick at quarterback. And so I'm not saying that Will Levis is going to be good in the future, but that is the type of guy like if you can get him for some like mid day three pick and just get him on your roster the same way that Malik Willis got to Green Bay, like I think that that is probably a decent bet for even for a team like the Rams. I think that that would make a lot of sense, like in the same mold as like an Anthony Richardson. And so I think you've got teams like LA where that obviously makes a lot of sense. Dallas, I think it makes more sense for, you know, if they wanted to bring in like one of the lower guys, like a Spencer Rattler, like somebody who's probably not going to potentially cost you as much, or like a Will Levis. And then I'm. I know that Arizona already has Jacoby Brissette. I know they signed Gardner Minshew. I would still want to take one of the dice roll young quarterbacks if you can get them for the right price. Like if you can get them for a fourth or a fifth, I think that to me is worth doing because you're probably not going to get anybody as interesting in this draft class. And I know that they're tanking, but like, it's kind of a free lottery ticket if you can get them for one of the right prices.

[Robert Mays]

Is it. Who is it free, though? I think that's one of the questions, like, how much would you have to give up to get one of these guys?

[Derek]

McKee is the one that I think is going to cost you.

[Robert Mays]

Of course it will, because there's no way he's going to let him go for nothing.

[Derek]

Exactly. That's the one that I think is going to cost you. Rattler, I think could, because I think he is shown that he is a competent young quarterback for that specific team. And the quarterback that they have ahead of him, Tyler Schuck, has a massive injury history. And so maybe the Saints are not actually willing to move on from a player like that. But like Will Levis to me is Will Levis and Anthony Richardson in particular. I. Those two guys feel extremely movable to me for potentially not that big of a price. And so again, if you can get them for like a day three pick, I think that that is like a pretty reasonable spot for a lot of those teams to be in. I also the. The other. The one other team that doesn't fit into any of those buckets like Dallas and la, right. Those are like aging quarterback. We want to have a guy just in case. Arizona is obviously in the. We just need like a scratcher ticket here. Green Bay is the one where I'm like, they really do that backup quarterback.

[Robert Mays]

They just.

[Derek]

And they just lost Malik Willis. Exactly. And so it's like if they're the Will Levis team, For a sixth round pick. Why not? Man, like, he fits the offense. He fits what they want to do. Like, I think that that could make a ton of sense.

[Robert Mays]

Yeah, that was the other team I would throw out because you're looking at the teams that theoretically like need quarterbacks. I just don't think that. So the Cowboys just signed Sam Howell, by the way, so that's. They just added somebody to their quarterback room. The Tennessee. I think the Will Levis thing is completely well founded because, you know, Mitchell Trubisky is there now as the backup and so he's now the third quarterback. And so is that something that's worth doing? I would say, honestly, weirdly enough, the. I think the Bengals are a team that you would think about here. They signed Josh Johnson, but like the amount of time that Joe Burrow is missed, like, do you want maybe a little bit more upside with your backup quarterback if you're Cincinnati? But essentially all the other teams we're talking about, I don't think really fit the bill. You know, the jets obviously made their thing with Gino. They're going to be in play for quarterback at 2027. They're not one of those teams really. And so I think Green Bay is definitely up there. The. We talk about the Raiders right now, Aiden o' Connell is the only quarterback on their depth chart, but it seems like Kirk Cousins, that's going to be the Kirk Cousins team when this is all said and done, if he wants to go there. So I think Green Bay is probably the last team on the list where I'm like, you know what, you might as well take a little bit of a swing.

[Derek]

The Bengals are a good shout though. Cause I saw them sign Josh Johnson. I was like, really? Still, that's, that's incredible for him. But I, yeah, I would probably want at least like a younger chance to get a guy behind Joe Burrow. Probably.

[Robert Mays]

I've got a few more positional ones. Those are most of the ones that I have left. Next one for me. What do the Ravens do at center?

[Derek]

Dude, I truly have, I had, I had a very Ravens one here that was similar, which is like, how do they do something on offense? Which the big glaring, you know, flashing red thing there is the center position. Like, I, I don't know what they're going to do. They are stuck now in a position where you mentioned it. Maybe you signed Lloyd Cushionberry. Other than that though, it's kind of like they have to draft a guy like that. That's probably your best bet left on the market.

[Robert Mays]

But they might be like a Lloyd Cushionberry team if it's for the right price. Deep enough into free agency, deep enough into the off season. So again all of these ones that we're going to throw out here, there is a chance that they address this in some way, shape or form over the next few months, including the draft. But how the Ravens address that position is absolutely a front of mind for me. And we talked about pass catchers. This came out yesterday. This one I think is a fun one. David and Jogu was visiting the Ravens yesterday.

[Derek]

Oh I love that. I actually really love that. Cause again I've been saying like he, I think he's quietly still like a pretty decent player. Like I, I would be into that.

[Robert Mays]

Yeah I think that one for again that offense with Declan Doyle coming in there, they're going to be one of those teams. It sometimes when we have play callers that are new and are first time play callers and they come from a certain system, there's always a ah, how much carryover is there going to be? Like are they going to take all the same DNA from that previous place? With Ravens my assumption is yes, I, I, I think that they will do what they can to have that offense express itself in a very similar way to what Ben Johnson wanted to do in Chicago. I, I don't think there's any like and now that I get my chance I, I believe different things like that that's not how I see the Ravens offensive plan unfolding this year. That's what I would say that, I

[Derek]

mean that's kind of what I hope that it would be because and it fits really well with a lot of the personnel that they have honestly. I mean especially at running back. Like I think if they frame the offense around that and then Lamar has become I think a much better like just true drop back play action type of passer. If they wanted to do more of that like I, if they shifted the offense more that way I'd be into it. And again and Joku's like a good glue it all together piece.

[Robert Mays]

For that you bring over Durham Smythe. Durham Smythe is now their third tight end.

[Derek]

Every, every, every new play caller gets or every new coach really gets one or two guys that are like he knows my stuff, he can at least communicate it to everybody. I didn't expect that it would be Durham Smythe, but it makes sense.

[Robert Mays]

It is definitely Durham Smythe, but yeah, Ravens end up doing it center. I assume they will address it somewhere along the way and it might be with a Lloyd cushion Berry type. But right now that is a pretty big glaring hole. Even after bringing in a depth piece like Danny Pinter and free agency, which they did.

[Derek]

And I also with the Ravens, obviously center is more of the priority here, but I'm looking at the pass catcher room and I'm looking at the history of the kind of stuff that they do. I. This could be like a Juwan Jennings team. I feel like, like I. I feel like that makes a lot of sense for them to try to do that. Just the guy who. Cause they flower not really like a. Can you just win and embody someone on third down? Rashad Bateman is not really that style of player. I think maybe in previous iterations of the offense like Mark Andrews could have been that matchup guy for you, but I think as he gets older that is less true now. And so Juwan Jennings just kind of being like one, he blocks his ass off too. Which I think given the way that they are going to run the offense and have in different iterations always run the Ravens offense, I think he fits there. And then again, just having a guy who's like a mover for like a chain mover for you, I would be into that because your quarterback, your quarterback gives you the explosives. Like they will come if he is on the field. And so if you can just get guys who are like chain movers for them, you have Zay Flowers, you have Derek Henry who can move the chains that way, that might be their best solve for receiver at this stage.

[Robert Mays]

Is Juwan Jennings the free agent that's left available that you're the. You have the most interest in what their landing spot is. Who else would be in that conversation?

[Derek]

I mean, yeah, it probably is him. I wasn't like that jazzed about a lot of the other guys that they're left. Like, again, I still think if you need young edge like AJ Ebenezer was kind of the best guy available that you have for that. But other than that, I was not like particularly jazzed about it. A lot of the guys left because a lot of the guys left to me feel like band aids. Like Juwan Jennings is not a band aid. Like that is a. He can be a pretty useful player for us. We can really mold him into the offense. But a lot of the other guys left are like the old offensive linemen like the Joel Batonios, the Taylor Decker, stuff like that. Guys that we were hoping like, like, can you get us by for a year? Which I think is a different consideration than like a Juwan Jennings, the other

[Robert Mays]

guys that I would throw out. Juwan Taylor is still available, right? So Juwan Taylor is still out there and I completely understand why the Chiefs moved on at that price. But I think that if you need playable. Right. If you need a playable right tackle, he can give you that. And Stefan Diggs was really good for the Patriots last year. And so if you need somebody who can come in and be a playable, not even just a playable receiver for you, but somebody who can actually be like an impactful guy within your offense, I do think he's still is capable of doing that. So those are probably the two guys I would say I'm most interested in. Where they end up landing at the end of this. Yeah, no one else really comes to mind. I mean like we're in the.

[Derek]

There's a lot of guys who pop.

[Robert Mays]

Yeah, we're in, we're in the spot now where like DJ WAM is signing for one year, $6 million with, with the Lions like that. That's the spot in a free agency that we're currently in right now. That's another one of mine is what are the Lions going to do at first? Like where, where are those guys going to come from?

[Derek]

Looking at their edge room is. It's like startling. Like I, I think we've known for a couple years now it's been a lot of like Aiden Hutchinson and then piecing it together with a couple of guys here and there. But that's looking at it right now is. It's, it's startling because it's one, it's one of them who you just said signed for like $6 million. It's Tyler Lacy who has not played a whole lot of snaps for them. And then Ahmad Hassanan who I think it was a sixth round pick for them last year and that's it. That's all that they have. It's not a lot of guys who have done very much contributing for them.

[Robert Mays]

Yeah, I mean it's. And they've done this the last couple years, right? I mean like Al Qaddin Muhammad played a ton for them last year. They have not overextended themselves at this position specifically over the last couple years. But I wonder if that this is the year that changes. Like is this the year as they're picking a little bit higher in the first round, do they take on us? Do they take a swing on somebody who can play next to Aiden Hutchinson? Because as it currently stands, that positionally is absolutely one of the things that I have circled for, for among all of the teams we're talking about here.

[Derek]

And I actually, I will say not to get like too draft specific now. Them picking at 17 with this, it's a deep edge class in general, but it's, it's a lot of edges that are also like what they need to pair across from Hutchinson. Like Hutchinson is your weak side rusher. He's a race car. He's going to get around the edge on that other side. They like a lot of the guys who are a little bit bigger, longer and so Keldrick Falk is there, Zion Young is there. Like there's a lot of guys who fit that mold that if that's something they are really pressed towards getting, it should not be that hard for them to find one of those guys which. So it's a good position for them to be in.

[Robert Mays]

What's your next one?

[Derek]

So my next one and really my last like big one is when and how does this Trent William things Trent Williams thing get resolved? Like does it get resolved? He has. So this is going to come out Thursday, but Friday he has an option that'll kick in for about $10 million. But basically the kind of ongoing feud between them is that Williams has one more year on his deal. He want more guarantees into it. San Francisco does not want to pay him more guarantees, it seems, and wants to try to lower his cap hit however they can. And so how that gets resolved I'm very curious of like because if they, if they move on from Trent Williams, they're either going to be left in a spot where they're obviously drafting his replacement or it's like these one year stop gaps. It's like a Taylor Decker, a Cam Robinson. They did sign Vederian Lowe already on the roster who is potentially insurance swing depth stuff. But I don't think that they would want to start a Vedarian low given how good the roster is right now and how ready they are to compete. So I'm just for a team that is, I think by the time we get to like July and August and start doing these, you know the like, how good are these teams? This is going to be a team that is like really, really high up there in super bowl odds, we're picking them to be very good. If they lose their potentially very good left tackle, that, that goes a really long way for an offensive line that is shaky as is.

[Robert Mays]

Couple more just positionally that I would throw out. Where. When did the Broncos start addressing their interior defensive line depth after losing John Franklin Myers? Like I thought that was a position they could potentially take in last year's draft. Early on they didn't end up doing that. They went with Corner instead. But now without John Franklin Myers on the roster like that feels like a spot that they're going to have to start bolstering again as they've had a little bit of attrition. I mean now, now they drafted Savion Jones in the third round last year, but I mean you got Malcolm Roach and DJ Jones still there, but those are guys who are getting older and so at some point it feels like they're going to want a little bit more pop in the middle of their defensive line. And so them going that obviously they don't have a first round pick anymore but with their second round pick wouldn't necessarily be surprising given the current state of the roster and the last one I would throw out before the big one that I want to talk about. Are the Chiefs just going to roll with this group of pass catchers? This is going to be it again.

[Derek]

And so, and so this is where I get again not to spin it too heavy into the draft. This is why I'm very curious about what they do at nine. Because in, in my mind you're the Chiefs. You never get to pick this high. You have to pick a premium position. In my mind like you, you need a tackle edge anywhere in the trenches. It does not matter to me that's what you should be thinking. But you look at the skill player room and it's like they really need that badly. Like I would not be surprised if Andy Reid saw the flashy thing in like a Kenyon Siddiq and was just like I'm going to take that at nine, I don't care. Or maybe they like one of the receivers. Maybe it's Jordan, Tyson, Carnell, Tate. I could totally understand that. I just, I think it would be really difficult for me to see them having a premium pick that they never get and then spending it on. Not that those are not important positions, but it's like they rarely get to take trench players as high they probably should. Should.

[Robert Mays]

That's fair. I think my mind goes to they can live with the tackles that they have right now. Like having Jalen Moore as a stopgap after having to move on from Juwan Taylor. Like their offensive line, if they had to play with those five guys today would be fine. And so it's tempting for me to say, all right, if you can live with that group, is it worth trying to upgrade that like big bodied perimeter receiver that we want them to have because it seems like they might have an option for one of those guys at nine. And I'd make an argument that they don't always have options for those guys in the draft like that, those sorts of receivers, that's fair, like a big time receiver. Even if this class is like a tiny bit watered down, a lot of those guys are going in the top half of the first round. Like when you're finding a receiver in the back half of the first round, it's your Xavier worthies, right? Like those are the types of guys that you're usually finding in that range of the draft. So I think you, I'll know more about the draft in two weeks than I know now. But the idea of them finding a receiver in the top 10 and then trying to find edge help in the back half of the first round, that does seem like it's at least possible in this draft class.

[Derek]

You know what, actually, you've convinced me. Especially if they're trying to find like size specifically. Right? Because you mentioned even, even some of the good players that get drafted in the, let's call it 25 to 50 range. For receivers, it's guys who are a little bit thinner. Like Ricky Pearsall is not that big. Lad McConkey is not big. And those are good players. But that's not necessarily flowers. Zay Flowers, exactly. It's guys that can be good NFL receivers but are are not. They are imperfect in some way and usually a little bit smaller. So that's a good point. If they want to go get one of those guys who is like true X receiver type of body type, they would have to do that at nine in a class like this. So that actually does make a lot of sense. You've changed my mind on this one.

[Robert Mays]

All right, before we move on, let's take one more quick break.

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[Robert Mays]

I mean, this one. I don't necessarily think we have to spend a ton of time on it because I think we know the answer. But if you're looking at teams that want to be competitive this year and the biggest remaining needs on depth charts purely as we sit here on March 18th, the Steelers quarterback is number one. Look who's playing quarterback for the Steelers is the actual answer to that question. Even if we think we know who it's going to be, it's not that guy right now.

[Derek]

Now it's currently not that guy. It's ridiculous. And like I'm I'm so fed up with him. I'm also in the I'm you know what's funny? I know that we saw Aaron Rodgers be last be there last year. He has some familiarity obviously, with the offense, all that other stuff. I find myself in the same position I was last year and it's not going to happen because there's already rumors of this player signing elsewhere. I would legitimately rather sign Kirk Cousins than like bring back Aaron Rodgers. And I know that they're not going to do that because Kirk seems like he's going to go and play for the Raiders, be the backup and that's going to be that. But like Kirk Cousins was better than Aaron Rodgers to me last year and obviously he didn't play a ton of games. He was, he's like still banged up. There's a chance he doesn't look healthy again next year. But like that's what I would rather do. And so like I've just, I've been baffled by their entire process.

[Robert Mays]

How much more interested would you be in the Steelers if Malik Willis was the Steelers quarterback?

[Derek]

Oh, so much more interested. Like that's because here's. This is the important thing about the Malik Willis stuff. Malik Willis in Green Bay looked pretty good for obviously limited snaps, but he looked pretty good. Is a team that the pass protection is usually set up well. The running game is good. They had a bunch of quality receivers. The play calling was good. It was a good situation. Him going to Miami, probably not going to get a lot of that. But a place like the Steelers, while not as good as Green Bay, they've got some stuff going. That offensive line is good, they have some decent running backs, they've got pass catchers who knows about how Good the Mike McCarthy offense is going to be ceiling wise. But he usually puts together like, like competent, like NFL quality offense. And so that is a situation where it's like, you could totally sell me on Malik Willis and that offense being if not good, at least better than last year and like kind of interesting and more explosive.

[Robert Mays]

I'm looking at the numbers right now just because I'm curious about this. Okay, so we talked about this a little bit when discussing the J1 waddle trade. But Malik Willis and I think part of this is, you know, do you leave yourself a little bit more flexibility if you want to try to trace chase a quarterback in next year's draft? For example, example, Malik Willis, if the Dolphins were to move on from him after this season, it would be a $26 million dead cap hit in 2027 and then I think $13 million in 2028. That's what it would, that's what it would look like. The Steelers as of right, as of right now have $74 million in 2027 cap space and they have a couple aging players that they'd be able to theoretically move off from. Like Jalen Ramsey is $22 million. None of that is Guaranteed. And so I think that that transition will likely happen anyway, where they get even a little bit younger and shed salary after this season. So they have tons of money. So to me, the idea of giving Malik Willis the exact contract that the Dolphins did where if it goes poorly and you decide you still want to chase a quarterback in the draft, you're eating 25 million in 2027 and then 13 million in 2028, you'd still have like $60 million in cap space to work with even if you had to eat some of that money. And so for the exact same reason, season that it's a worthwhile swing for the Dolphins because you're not paying that high a price to potentially solve your starting quarterback issues. Why is that any different for the Steelers? It's an even better gambit for the Steelers because the upside of him hitting is that you have so much else that you've already built around him.

[Derek]

Yes, there, there is an upside. Like he. Listen, the, the percentage chance that Malik Willis is like actually like, it like turns into a game changer is maybe like 5 to 10%. But I think at this stage in his career, we know Aaron Rodgers is probably, it's not like he's just. He can set a floor in a certain way, but once we get to January, he's probably not going to do that for you. Whereas at least Malik Willis maybe there's a chance. And so I would have been interested in almost any of the young options they can go like here. The other thing is the Steelers have a boatload of draft picks. If they were one of the, if they wanted to flip, even like a late third round picker, a fourth round pick for like Spencer Rattler, who I'm going to bring up for the millionth time, competent quarterback who I think has more upside than Rodgers again does. Is he going to reach that? Who knows? But like, that to me is more, more compelling than them running back to Aaron Rodgers thing. Again, even if like because of the other additions they made, there's a chance the Steelers are better than last year. Right. Like Pittman's a better number two than they had. But like, I still don't know if Rogers plus those additions actually gets you anywhere different.

[Robert Mays]

Yes, it gets you anywhere meaningful. And I think that's why the Willis thing, like when you look at it, I understand that. Oh, well, then you're starting to eat into your 2027 cap space if it goes poorly. But it's just not that much money. Like if you had signed him the exact same deal the Dolphins had signed him to. I think I could have easily gotten behind that. And so the idea that it's. We don't have an answer for their quarterback, but it's probably going to be Aaron Rodgers and that's just not satisfying is kind of where I sit with this.

[Derek]

It's very frustrating. But that's kind of the, that's kind of the line for the Steelers over the last handful of years.

[Robert Mays]

Any other lingering questions you want to hit before we get out of here today?

[Derek]

That was really it. I think we hit a lot of the, like, who are the teams that have certain, you know, openings and stuff like that? Again with a lot of Chargers talk both at receiver edge and stuff like that. So I think I mostly covered my bases here.

[Robert Mays]

There are other like big picture ones that are probably be questions we talk about closer to the start of the season. Like, I'm fascinated by what the Bill's defense structurally is going to look like with Jim Leonard there now. It's going to be such a huge departure from where they were a year ago. But like that's. Those aren't really the questions that we're talking about right now. Bengals linebacker is one that I would throw out. Right. Like, I mean they obviously, they had the super young guys last year. Are they comfortable just rolling that back again and hoping those guys are going to be better? Because that's a spot where I'm just, I'm surprised that they have done nothing to add to that room this offseason considering how bad the play was overall there last year. Dallas is kind of in a similar boat. Like that's another team where I just assume they would have done something given the amount of players available in free agency. And so the fact that neither of those teams did anything at linebacker, those are probably the two other ones I

[Derek]

would throw out the Dallas. Like what's funny is I think with Cincinnati, I don't know how much Bobby Wagner is going to help them in terms of like quality of play, but just getting a guy in there who has done like a ton and obviously could I think help a lot of the young guys in the room. That would be good. Dallas, they obviously, I think they probably need two linebackers, but at least with one of the spots, they seem like they are very dead set on holding out for like Demario and Overshone. Just getting healthy one year and like really having it because some of the flashes have been exciting and they clearly continue to, at least over the past couple of years, even despite some of his injuries in the up and downs have not invested a ton at the position. I think, again, holding out, like it's going to hit at some point. He's going to be healthy and he's going to be good. But even beyond that, they probably still need another guy next to him.

[Robert Mays]

The other name that we haven't mentioned at all that I will throw out just as a trade candidate. I'll be curious if a team is willing to pay up for him. I think he's a good player. Obviously, this team needs to shed salary. What happens with Jonathan Green? Like, Jonathan Garnard is a player worth chasing to me. And you know, we talk about, we were mentioning the Bucks is this team that's kind of in this holding pattern. Like, do they want to. Which way do they want to go? Like, are they a team that would give up, like a real pick for Jonathan Grinard to add a little bit of pop to their pass rush? So that's the other name that I think has been kind of thrown around in potential trade conversations that we didn't really hit at all.

[Derek]

Do you think Minnesota should at this

[Robert Mays]

point, to me, it was always one of those, like, if the price, if a team really does blow you away, is that something that you can do? And it seems like based on my understanding of the situation, he's just unhappy with where he's being paid relative to the market. So I think that's part of it. So is he going to want a new deal if a team trades for him? I still think right now the Vikings are a better team with Jonathan Garnard than whatever Day two pick they would potentially get for him. I think this is more about a player who's a little bit unhappy with how much he's getting paid and a team that does need to shed a little bit of salary. But by the time you get into like 2027, they're going to have a decent chunk of money. Some of that is going to, you hope, be earmarked for Kyler Murray. Right. Like you, the best case scenario there is that you have to give him a new contract and he's going to be your quarterback moving forward, but they still have a little bit more flexibility starting next year than they do right now. And then the other, the last one that I'll throw out there is what's Washington going to do at receiver? Is that is the answer to this? Is it the same thing as the Rogers thing where it's like, we know who the name is. It's just we have not arrived there yet. Like, is Brandon IUK going to be that guy? Is that enough? Do they feel like they do they feel obligated to address it high in the draft, but positionally, that's probably the last one I would throw out.

[Derek]

And that one's, I think, interesting too with that, like, if they bring in Iuk, they already signed two other guys. They still have Burks, they still have McCaffrey. It doesn't necessarily stop you from drafting a guy, but then it becomes a point where like, one or two of these guys that we signed or is on the roster is going to get and like either somebody who played significant snaps for us last year or someone we just signed is going to get cut. Which, given how bad the receiver room is, is like, I think you kind of hunger games the room a little bit and just like we have five spots, we're going to throw seven guys at it and pray. But it is interesting.

[Robert Mays]

My assumption is that the Van Jefferson contract and things like that, that wouldn't prevent them from moving on from him if they add to that room. Same with the Brown, most likely. All right, that is all we've got for today. Tomorrow we're kicking off our draft coverage on this on these shows on the athletic football show channel. Obviously we've been doing building the beast the entire off. The entire season into the off season, but we, you and I will be shifting our focus to draft coverage starting tomorrow. It's gonna be my first show with Dane this off season, which I'm very much looking forward to. The idiot's guide to the draft is tomorrow on the athletic football show. I am the idiot. I'm gonna say this tomorrow, but I'll say it in now. In terms of people who do this for a living all the time, I don't think there are two people on further ends of the spectrum in terms of how much they know about the draft on March 18th every year than me and Dane Brugler.

[Derek]

We're. We're five weeks away and that guy, like could probably, if he really needed to rattle off a thousand names in this class, I could not.

[Robert Mays]

So that's what we're doing tomorrow. Dane is going to teach me and Dave's going to help about the 2026 Draf. And for the most part, it's going to be all draft all the time until our live draft show this year, which we are already starting to plan. We're already excited about, already looking forward to. So be on the lookout for that show with Dane tomorrow. Excited about digging into it for now, that's all we got. Appreciate you guys listening. We'll talk to you very soon.

[Derek]

Foreign.

[Pablo Torre]

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[Derek]

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