00:00So my lead is pretty straightforward. It's off of the news of the Jalen Waddell trade yesterday. So Dolphins continue
00:07to unload ahead of what looks like it's going to be a gruesome rebuild for them. And the Broncos acquired
00:13Jalen Waddell for three picks, including their first round pick for 2026. To me, it's just a reminder of what
00:20other teams are doing in the AFC and especially a team that has a quarterback on their rookie contract. And
00:26the Patriots have to do more than Romeo Dobbs.
00:28That's no disrespect to Romeo Dobbs. I'm hopeful that he is going to have his best season of his career
00:35with this Patriots team in the upcoming year. But it's not enough. Like you are gonna have to swing a
00:42trade. And I know day by day, everybody is looking at the A.J. Brown situation and saying, we're probably
00:47gonna have to wait until June. We'll see the way that the leverage shifts back and forth there. But I
00:52think the Patriots also need a backup plan. If the A.J. Brown trade doesn't come through, if they go
00:57in with this wide receiver,
00:58even if they add someone from the draft, I'm just not confident that it's going to be more productive than
01:05last year's wide receiver room and you're going into a tougher schedule.
01:09Yeah. And so the team that you played in the AFC championship is getting better, clearly is intending on getting
01:15better. And you are, I, we've talked about it a bunch of times on this show.
01:21So I just wonder if they're looking at Dobbs and they believe that Drake may elevates him and that's what
01:29they're resting on when it comes to their hopes. I, I, I just don't, I, you know,
01:34I think that they think Drake may elevates him, but Dobbs also elevates Drake may a little bit. I think
01:41that's what they're thinking.
01:43Honestly, I think they look at it and they go Dobbs is young. We didn't have to give up any
01:48draft capital to sign him. He's a versatile guy. So he can fit in all these different places on the
01:53field and he'll probably be better with Drake may than he was with anybody in green Bay, including Jordan love,
01:59which is a nice idea, but it's still not enough. Like I know others have pointed this out. When you
02:04look at Romeo Dobbs, his best season is Stefan Diggs is worst season production wise in his entire career.
02:10And we're not talking about who Steph Diggs would be in 2026. And if Romeo Dobbs can match that, it's,
02:16can he match the production Diggs had last year?
02:18Right. Maybe there's a wink and a nod and they are very confident that they're getting AJ Brown once June
02:25gets here. Like maybe that's the, like those guys, Eagle signed, uh, uh, Hollywood Brown yesterday.
02:32That's correct. So, I mean, they're clearly getting rid of them and they say it's really just the Rams and
02:38the Patriots that are in.
02:39So the Rams said they're out. Yeah. But, but I've seen of late, like literally yesterday, somebody saying that it's
02:46those, it's down to those two.
02:48And that's, but I, I have no idea. Well, I can, can I follow that cap with my lead?
02:53Well, let's do it though. In a minute. Okay. All right. Yeah. You're going to remember it. And I wrote
02:57it down. Did you write it down? I did write it down.
02:59The whole thing? Uh. Start to finish? Yeah. I wrote it, it wrote it down exactly. Do you want Shyam
03:04to sing it?
03:05Yes. I would love for Shyam to sing it. Do you want to have Shyam sing Wiggy's leads from now
03:09on, from this point forward?
03:11If you really want that. Yeah. All right. We'll get to Wiggy's lead.
03:15Did for you, if you're the Patriots, it showed you exactly what the market is for AJ Brown.
03:21It's going to cost you a first and a third. When you look at Jalen Waddell, he's a, he's a
03:26year younger numbers wise.
03:28He's not as good as AJ Brown. If you just compare their two numbers, but that's what it's going to
03:33cost you.
03:33If you want AJ Brown, the Philadelphia Eagles are probably going perfect. This works out great for us.
03:40Here's what Jalen Waddell costs for us. You want AJ Brown. It's probably going to be relatively the same price
03:48of first and a third.
03:49And at the New England Patriots, kind of to Mago's point, are they willing to give up a first and
03:55a third to get better in that wide receiver room and not have that wide receiver room be what it
04:01is now with the addition of Romeo Dobbs?
04:04So, so that's what, if you're the Patriots, you know what the market is.
04:08I agree. I think the only thing that's a wild card is that it seems that the Eagles want to
04:13wait until June 1st because they don't want to incur the dead cap money that they're going to have to
04:17take on trading AJ Brown before that.
04:19And what can happen between now and June to swing the leverage over to you?
04:25Because you already have a little bit more leverage because you got Romeo Dobbs.
04:28So you're, you can at least bluff and say, well, we got a receiver who we think could be a
04:33number one.
04:34He's young. I don't think that, but they can bluff that.
04:36Like then if AJ Brown is going on Instagram every day and saying stuff about the Eagles and he's totally
04:44miserable and he's making it a huge scene, then he could like swing the leverage further in the Patriots favor.
04:51And you could get away with maybe spending a little less in terms of like draft capital.
04:55I think you're going to have to give up the first round no matter what.
04:57Yeah. But now we'll know like, are not only going to, you know, AJ Brown's what, 28 years old, Waddle's
05:0327, you know, AJ Brown, yes, he's going to be 29 in June, but you're looking, you're going, okay, not
05:09only do we have to give up the first.
05:11And I think most people felt like the first, but you know, we've talked about this and Sean, I think
05:15was on it saying, what's going to be that other one?
05:18Is it a first and a second? Now we know it's, it's going to be a first and a third.
05:22Is anyone else concerned that it, the sticking point may not be the draft capital that you have to give
05:30up, but what you're going to have to pay him afterwards?
05:33Is anybody concerned about that being the reason that it's not done yet?
05:38I mean, I can't imagine that they wouldn't know the price of doing business now with a top receiver.
05:45Right.
05:45Like I just, I heard contracts already in place.
05:49So yeah, you don't have to, you're not going to have to pay him until 2029.
05:52Right.
05:53And all the bonuses and guarantees are remain with the Eagles.
05:55Like a new contract.
05:56That is right.
05:57I would hate that if that's the reason, because again, it's never going to be, you're never going to have
06:03more money than right now because of the rookie contract.
06:07And I feel like sometimes when I talk to other reporters around the Patriots, it's like, well, you got to
06:13pay Christian Gonzalez coming up and then you're going to have to pay Drake May.
06:16So they're preparing themselves for all that money.
06:19And it's like, okay, well, that money's going to come down in the future.
06:22You have the rookie contract for the quarterback right now.
06:25So why wouldn't you take advantage and try to build out the best roster and then figure that out when
06:30those bills come due?
06:31What's interesting here, Greg, is looking at this, Sean, you probably can tap into this and see.
06:37Hold on.
06:38The glasses went on.
06:39I know.
06:39You know Wiggy is serious when the glasses go on.
06:43To see if this is accurate, his base salary for this season is $1.3 million.
06:51Correct.
06:52And then next year it's $1.3 million again, $1.3 million again, and then $1.4 million.
06:57Yeah.
06:57Do you think A.J. Brown will be pissed and demand to get paid more than Greg next year?
07:02So isn't that a pretty good – because if most of the money that he's got left on the books
07:07is from bonuses and guarantees that the Eagles have –
07:13So the only portion of this, Wiggy, I don't understand is the option portion of the contract.
07:17And that's the big portion.
07:18Yeah, because I would assume that that's part of the salary, but I'm not 100% sure.
07:24So my assumption is you'd actually be on the books.
07:26So in 2026, the Patriots would be $14 million, then $18, $22, $28, it looks like.
07:34That's my guess.
07:36And that would be probably the money the Patriots would have to do.
07:38And then the Eagles would still owe him all those signing bonus monies.
07:43But you at least know if you're the Patriots and you're in the front office, you know we got this
07:47guy under contract for the next four years.
07:51Because – and we know how much it's going to cost them.
07:54Yeah, okay.
07:55And I think it's important in 26, the guaranteed cash for A.J. Brown on his salary is $29 million.
08:01Okay.
08:02So that's real money, you know.
08:05Yes, it is.
08:05And I don't see the Eagles being in a position where they know the Patriots would sit there and say,
08:12like, actually, we're going to eat –
08:14like, we expect you to eat a ton of the salary and then give us this player.
08:18Like, I just don't think that that's realistic.
08:19They're not the Red Sox.
08:20Okay.
08:21All right.
08:21Any challenges on Wiggy's lead?
08:24Not really.
08:25I mean, I feel like it was –
08:26I'm going to keep my flag in my pocket.
08:27You only get one or two a show that I'm going to hold on.
08:29You don't want to lose a timeout.
08:31And what do I get if you challenge me and you lose?
08:34I mean –
08:34Do I get, like, a free burrito or something like that?
08:39If you would choose a burrito.
08:41I'm smarter than you.
08:43If you want a burrito as your one meal of the day, then –
08:46I might say I want a free vodka pom.
08:49I feel like you have, like, a reverse tell about the challenges
08:53because when you put the glasses on, there's another level of authority
08:56that you bring to whatever you're saying.
08:58There you go.
08:59You are correct.
08:59Good job, Mango.
09:00All right.
09:01Well, speak –
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