00:01Let's get back to the phones at 2485-3997-97.
00:04Save the order of text if you want to get through to us that way as well.
00:09Talking about the Lions and free agency yesterday.
00:11It started, well, the tampering period started.
00:14They were able to agree with deals with certain players.
00:17The Lions went out and got a deal to get Kate Mays, the center, from Carolina.
00:22A very reasonable deal.
00:25Three years, $25 million total.
00:28And hopefully that's a nice upgrade over what they had last year.
00:32Should help out the offensive line.
00:34And that's the first of hopefully many moves to come.
00:37But as Stoney said, still a little concerned that they haven't announced any restructurings
00:42with some of the players that they're going to have to do.
00:44They have to restructure a deal or two to clear up any kind of cap space
00:49because right now they're operating over the cap.
00:51So how do you get under the cap?
00:52Restructure.
00:53But it hasn't been announced yet.
00:55And that is kind of – it's not concerning to me.
00:59It's just – it's odd.
01:01It's peculiar.
01:02It is peculiar that it hasn't been announced yet.
01:04So are you panicked as a Lions fan right now?
01:07What do you see as the top priority starting day two of free agency here
01:12or the tampering period anyway?
01:14I guess the free agency officially begins, what, tomorrow?
01:17Yes.
01:18But what's the next priority for this team?
01:20They got center out of the way, which I think is huge.
01:22Not only did they get it out of the way, they got it away on the cheap.
01:25So what has to be the next priority?
01:28Let's go to Jay, who's next up here, 97.1.
01:30Hey, Jay.
01:32Hey, guys.
01:33Thanks for having me on.
01:34I enjoy enjoying the show.
01:36I'm not panicking.
01:37I mean, I realize that every free agent that we've signed in the last so many years,
01:43they've gotten better when they've arrived to Detroit.
01:46I do think it's going to be a year where we're going to probably, you know,
01:52battle in the wild card standings.
01:54I think Green Bay has a strong, strong team.
01:57But, you know, I'm optimistic.
01:59But, again, there's too many question marks, too many holes with the secondary,
02:04with some of these defensive linemen that have been injured.
02:09You know, so, you know, what can you do?
02:12I mean, you know, when we do sign free agents like this young center that we've signed,
02:16I only think he's only going to get better.
02:19We hope.
02:19I think he'll...
02:23We hope.
02:23So, yeah, we hope.
02:26But, again, I mean, the pattern shows that every free agent we've signed,
02:30these lower-tier free agents, they've stepped up and they've been better.
02:33They've outperformed.
02:35So...
02:35For the most part, you are correct.
02:38Yeah, no, that's true.
02:39And thanks for the call.
02:40I appreciate it.
02:42I'd like to see that trend continue for sure because it doesn't seem like the Lions
02:47are able to operate on the, hey, let's go make the big splash
02:51and go get Trey Hendrickson-type move.
02:53Or let's go out and trade for Max Crosby or whatever that move might be.
02:59They weren't going to bid up to $27 million for Tyler Linderbaum.
03:03And had they done that, what would fan reaction have been?
03:07Would fans have been happy as hell about that?
03:08Or would they be like, geez, you overpaid for him?
03:11I mean, it's like you damned if you do, damned if you don't in some ways.
03:14I think people, most people, they look at the money like,
03:17ah, I don't care about the money, but it's the salary cap.
03:20I think if they would have signed Linderbaum, I think most people would have been pleased with it.
03:26But you could definitely say it was an overpay.
03:28Mike is next up here, 97.1.
03:30Hey, Mike.
03:31Yeah, hello.
03:33Listen, guys, I'm beside myself about how Dallas got Rashad Gary for a fourth-round pick.
03:40How did they pull that off?
03:42We could have got him for a third-round pick.
03:44Well, A, they don't have a third-round pick.
03:48Actually, what Dallas did was a fourth-round pick for next year, right?
03:50It was a 2027 fourth-round pick, I believe.
03:52Yes.
03:53If they wanted to give up next year's third, they could have.
03:55But the thing with Rashad Gary is that it comes with a massive price tag.
04:00$19.6 million.
04:02Yeah, and then I think it jumps up to 22 next year.
04:05Well, okay.
04:06Well, anyway, I didn't know all those details.
04:09But it just seems like we need to get an edge rusher.
04:11That's my top priority.
04:13Well, there's no doubt about it.
04:15I definitely agree with you.
04:17Yeah, and there are plenty of edge rushers out there.
04:19Stoney gave you a few names of guys he likes.
04:21We both agree on Cam Jordan.
04:24We don't expect them to be in the Trey Hendrickson sweepstakes.
04:27No, I do not expect that.
04:29And not after Phillips got $30 million a year.
04:31No.
04:31What's Trey Hendrickson going to get?
04:32Correct.
04:33He's going to get $35 million.
04:34Is he going to get $40 million?
04:35Maybe.
04:36He might.
04:36I mean, if Hutchinson got $45 million, Hendrickson obviously is older.
04:42But Hendrickson had back-to-back years of 17 and a half sacks, got hurt last year, and
04:47I think still had, what, five sacks or something like that, five or seven, through the first
04:52half of the season before he got shut down.
04:54The only thing that worries me is if he ends up in Chicago.
04:57Well, that would be a big worry.
04:59Yeah.
04:59Because Chicago struck out on Max Crosby.
05:01But does Chicago have, well, they probably do have the cap space.
05:06Yeah.
05:06They cleared out a lot in the last week.
05:08They've cleared out a ton of cap space, and I would be very concerned about that.
05:11Where are you on the interior of the defensive line, Gator?
05:15I've got concerns.
05:16I've got concerns because of what happened last year with Ali McNeil.
05:22Well, I'd like to just brush it off and say, look, he's coming back off the injury.
05:27It takes time to really heal from that, and he was good enough to play.
05:31But we'll see a better Ali McNeil this year, just like I would expect we're going to see
05:37even a better Aiden Hutchinson this year, even though Hutch was pretty good last year.
05:41I read that what's-his-name, DJ Reeder, would like to come back.
05:46At what price?
05:47He really was disappointed.
05:48I don't need to see him next year.
05:49He did an interview with Kay Adams, and he said that too.
05:52And then he also said, like, oh, it's out of my hands, and my agent deals with that.
05:56I think he knows that he's not going to be back in Detroit, and I'm fine with that.
06:00I think DJ Reeder's best year is behind him, and I don't think they're going to get anything
06:05better from him at this point, which is disappointing, I guess, because now all the talk is,
06:10is he going to go back to Cincinnati?
06:11Will he go back there and maybe be happy there?
06:15But he said he enjoyed his time here.
06:16So I have two names that I don't think will cost them that much, but they're in the top
06:2310 of available defensive linemen, free agents, and one is 40 years old, and that's Collette
06:29Campbell.
06:30He still has stuff left, man.
06:32He's still good.
06:33He's still really good.
06:35You get him for a one-year deal.
06:37And the other guy, also from Arizona, is Dalvin Tomlinson.
06:42He's a pretty good player.
06:45There's not a lot there.
06:47Jonathan Allen, is he going to be somebody you want to spend that much money for?
06:54I don't know.
06:55I don't think so.
06:57Probably not.
06:58He's a good player, but he's probably going to cost you too much.
07:00Yeah, I think you're starting defensive tackles early, McNeil and Tylee Williams, and I don't
07:06think you're looking to try to get somebody better than those two with the money you have
07:10to spend.
07:10I think you spend the money elsewhere.
07:12I spend the money in the secondary because I don't know who the hell's playing corner
07:15on this team.
07:16You got DJ Reed, and I don't know if Terry Arnold's going to be here.
07:20We know Mick Robertson's gone.
07:23So I need to get another corner, and I need to get a safety because you're going to start
07:28the season.
07:30You don't know what you're starting the season with.
07:32Like, I know.
07:32Here's what I do know.
07:33Brian Branch is not going to be able to play right away.
07:36So if there's no Brian Branch, then that leaves Kirby Joseph.
07:39Well, we don't know how healthy Kirby Joseph's going to be to start the season.
07:44If he's going to be able to play or not, they're still trying to figure out what the
07:48heck is going on there.
07:49Is it a degenerative knee issue?
07:50Is he ever going to be able to play at that level?
07:52Is it just going to be dealing with pain for the rest of his career, however long that's
07:56going to be?
07:57I don't know, but I want to get ahead of it and go out and sign a safety.
08:01Where are you as far as on defensive back with, you know, Tariq Woolen from Seattle?
08:07I love Rick Woolen.
08:08Okay.
08:08Always have.
08:09So he's number one on my list at that position.
08:12And the other guy is somebody who would be controversial.
08:16Well, hang on to that.
08:18Okay.
08:18I like the controversial take.
08:20Okay.
08:21Because when we're talking secondary with the Lions, obviously there's a lot of work to
08:24be done there.
08:24And there's a lot of uncertainty going on with the safeties and Terry and Arnold.
08:28They just lost Amik Robertson.
08:31So we'll get to that coming up next.
08:33I want to get to your calls in Texas.
08:34Well, 248-539-9797 as we continue here on 97.1.
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