00:00All right, welcome back to Newswire here on Sports Grid.
00:02Let's check in on the latest in the National Football League.
00:04Getting a lot of news, by the way, from the NFL Combine.
00:07So we'll dive into the very latest here.
00:10We got some prepared things to discuss that we do in our pre-show meeting.
00:15I look these things over, and then we have news that breaks in the NFL, too.
00:18So I want to get to one piece of news as well.
00:21But let's bring in our Sports Grid insider, Adam Kaplan, for the latest on that
00:24because he can certainly more eloquently explain what is going on in the National Football League more than me.
00:29I can just watch and tell you.
00:31All right, so a quick trade here.
00:33Let's get to this.
00:34And it looks like Robert Sala is trying to pick a player off his old team.
00:38It would appear to me, Adam, beyond anything else.
00:41Jets, Titans make a trade.
00:43So break this one down, how sort of something like this comes to fruition.
00:47Yeah, here's what I'm told by a league source.
00:48So you're right, mentioning Sala, obviously.
00:51He coached Jermaine Johnson.
00:53Jermaine Johnson played his best football for Robert Sala.
00:55Now, here's the problem with Johnson and the Jets.
00:59They changed their defensive scheme last season.
01:01Aaron Glenn came in.
01:03They ran a 34.
01:04They're running a 34.
01:05And Glenn, by the way, is going to call plays this season.
01:08And Johnson was not drafted by Darren Mugee, the new general manager.
01:13I say new.
01:14Last year was his first season.
01:16And they were not, as I understand, going to extend Johnson's contract.
01:19He's making over $13 million this season.
01:21It's his fifth year.
01:22So Robert Sala, and I could tell you if I'm talking to the Titans over the last two years,
01:26their pass rush was anemic.
01:28They just don't have, next to no talent is pass rushers.
01:31They're changing their front.
01:33They're changing to what's called a wide nine, where it's a 43 front.
01:36The ends play.
01:38They get upfield.
01:39That's their job.
01:40And that's what Jermaine Johnson does really, really well.
01:42And also told by JetSource.
01:43One of the things they loved about Johnson early in his career, like he came in.
01:47He grew up a little bit.
01:48And then he became a leader.
01:49He became a father.
01:49And he became, actually, a leader for them.
01:52And they loved his maturity and how he kind of changed himself a little bit.
01:55And he became a good player.
01:57But they were not going to extend his contract.
01:58Now, what did they get in return?
02:00A very talented third-year defensive tackle in Tavondre Sweat.
02:04Sweat was drafted by a former general manager.
02:08Notice the theme here.
02:10He was drafted by Ram Carthon, the then general manager two years ago.
02:15And Sweat, who was a second rounder, is a good player.
02:18But, again, the Titans are changing their scheme.
02:21They're going to a 43 front.
02:22Wide nine.
02:23He doesn't fit it as well.
02:25So he's going to play for Aaron Glenn.
02:27And remember, the Jets traded Quinn and Williams.
02:30That was quite the shocker last season.
02:31So you put this all together, it makes a lot of sense.
02:34Now, Sweat's on a rookie.
02:35He's only on his third year.
02:36He's going to make well less than $2 million.
02:39Johnson's going to make a ton of money.
02:40I mean, over $13 million.
02:42And that's really the difference is the cash.
02:44But, overall, both teams get what they want here.
02:47It's just an odd trade because you typically don't see two bad teams make a trade for each other, with
02:52each other.
02:53But you understand just the dynamics between it because when you change your schemes, man, that changes a lot.
03:02Definitely so.
03:03I like to discuss facts before rumors, so I'm going to change up what we were going to do to
03:08what I'm seeing right now on social media here.
03:11Because that's just the way I am.
03:12I mean, I'm just as much a rumor guy as you are, Adam.
03:15But when I see something factual, then I feel like we should do that ahead of time here.
03:19So, I'm seeing Stephen Holder, who I know because he used to cover the Dolphins.
03:22He works for yesterday.
03:22Yeah, I see you.
03:23And I see this report here that he says, which is rare because now it opens up the door for
03:29everybody, to say, go ahead, Anthony Richardson.
03:31We don't want you anymore.
03:32Go seek a trade.
03:33So, you know the league as well as anybody else here.
03:38I would think that they will get some compensation back.
03:42I don't think he's a free player, Adam, because he's still relatively cheap.
03:45And you never know.
03:46Look, if Malik Willis and all these rumors are true of $30 million, who's to say in the right developmental
03:51system that Anthony Richardson couldn't go to a team and get himself $5 million, you know, in the future or
03:56something like that?
03:57Am I overstating his value for some team to take a shot here on him?
04:01Well, you have to see.
04:03Here's the thing.
04:04It's like when Trey Lance was traded.
04:06You have to be willing.
04:07Like, the Cowboys just did not have the infrastructure to develop him, and now he's moved on to the Chargers.
04:12Where Richardson, maturity, got to grow up.
04:17Daniel Jones beat him out soundly with the competition, I'm told, wasn't even close.
04:20Now, he's on the final year of his rookie deal.
04:23There's no fifth-year option they're going to be picking up if they can't move him.
04:26He's going to make just over $5 million, $5.4 million this season, which is not bad backup money.
04:31But you've got to want – if he's coming in there, he's a backup.
04:34No one's – he's not starting anywhere.
04:36That's not going to happen.
04:37But honestly, a change of scenery would be great for him.
04:40He just – it didn't work with the Colts.
04:42Sometimes guys get a second chance to make the most of it.
04:45But, yeah, and I cannot wait to talk about the Malik Willis stuff on Monday.
04:49We'll do that on Monday's Newswire with you and I.
04:52But, yeah, Richardson, it just hasn't worked out.
04:54You know, it's a shame.
04:56He looked really good.
04:57But his rookie training camp, he looked really good.
05:01Then he hurt his shoulder.
05:02He was never the same.
05:02And we know about the maturity issues.
05:04That's been well documented.
05:07I mean, I got bigger news for you.
05:09I watched every single game he played in college.
05:11I never thought – and I said it here on the air.
05:13I never thought that it would work out.
05:16But I did think another year of him in college would have worked out.
05:20And then, like, Jalen was going back to college.
05:21I think in a different era, no NIL then.
05:24You know, maybe that would have helped him.
05:25But all right, let's get to the Eagles here now.
05:28So, Howie Roseman – Howie Roseman, my buddy here –
05:32saying all the right things about wide receiver A.J. Brown as of right now.
05:39We don't know if he's going to be traded or not.
05:41But when you're planning on trading somebody,
05:43these are the kind of nice things you say about the player.
05:46Here's how.
05:47I think that sometimes what's going on outside isn't the same we feel internally.
05:53And so I think, like, A.J. – A.J. is a fearless competitor who loves to play,
05:59who loves to win.
06:00And when people ask him something, he just tells them what he views as what's going on.
06:06And, you know, he's done that before in years that we've won championships, you know,
06:10or gone to the Super Bowl.
06:13And so everything for him comes in terms of trying for us to get better,
06:17trying to improve, seeing things that we could improve.
06:20So someone asks him the question, and he's honest, you know.
06:23And all of us who have relationships with A.J. in the building,
06:27and all of us do have relationships with A.J., see a guy who cares about his teammates.
06:33He's a captain.
06:34You know, he's been a captain.
06:36He's not elected by me.
06:37He's not elected by Nick.
06:38He's elected by his teammates.
06:39And that speaks to the kind of leadership that he has and the work ethic that he has.
06:47Still a great player.
06:49All I'll say is this about this whole situation, Adam.
06:52I had no problem with any team making trades.
06:54And Howie, I mean, no one bats 1,000, but Howie's as good as anybody at doing this.
06:59If he ends up trading A.J. Brown, I hope he has a good backup plan here
07:02because their receiving group wasn't great with him.
07:06And I don't think they'd be getting a receiver back in return.
07:09It's probably headed to the NFL draft.
07:10So I'm guessing that would more or less be finding a team, Adam, right,
07:14that's like on the cusp.
07:15They think that this guy could put him over the top.
07:17Because I don't know if he's going to get traded or not.
07:20All right, a couple things here.
07:21This is what I'm told the last 24 hours.
07:23Just talking, I'm just checking into like 15 players right now.
07:26Mick and Fitzpatrick, we will talk about him for Monday.
07:30But with A.J. Brown, Eagles don't seem to be shopping them.
07:33They're willing to listen.
07:34They clearly are.
07:35And I got, look, dealing with Howie over the years,
07:39you kind of sometimes have to, you have to parse the words.
07:42I don't feel like they want to trade him.
07:44It's like he's 29 in June.
07:47He had a good season, not a great season.
07:49There was some thought around the league who people were great as tape.
07:51He dropped off a little bit the way that he moved.
07:53He's probably got two really good years left in him.
07:56And you know this as well as I do.
07:57You covered Major League Baseball.
07:59When guys get older, you don't want to wait until it's too late to trade them.
08:02And they'll listen.
08:03They're absolutely listening.
08:04Now, there's no one they could sign in free to replace them.
08:07It's either the draft.
08:08The Eagles have a lot of draft capital.
08:10Or a trade.
08:11Now, if I'm the Eagles, if they're going to trade Brown,
08:14I'm sure they're going to want a young receiver back who's got some size.
08:18Because Devontae Smith, as great as he is, is 170 with probably holding a five-pound weight.
08:23He's a great player.
08:25But he's just not that big physically.
08:29Okay.
08:29Which other move do you want to get to real quick here before we go?
08:32Do you want to do Mink and Fitzpatrick now?
08:33Do we have enough time?
08:34Yeah.
08:34I'll tell you.
08:35Yeah.
08:36Let me just tell you about Mink and Fitzpatrick.
08:38Mink and Fitzpatrick, according to people I trust,
08:40is not even remotely the same player he once was.
08:44He's a fine player.
08:45He's on the final year of his deal.
08:47He's going to make just under $16 million.
08:50And as one source has been with one of the teams he's been with,
08:54told me he's not a playmaker anymore.
08:55He's a fine player.
08:57Good guy.
08:58Not worth that cash.
08:59And that's why he's going to be available.
09:03And remember, Maia is completely eviscerating the roster, man.
09:06They're in a total rebuild right now.
09:09Yeah, I mean, so every name on that team is going to come up
09:11because they're going to have the lowest season win total in the NFL going into next year.
09:15It's going to be like...
09:16Not Waddle, though.
09:17Waddle's out there, maybe.
09:19Maybe not.
09:19Still going to be discussed.
09:20Adam, we'll see you Monday.
09:22You got that.
09:23We'll see you Monday.
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