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Mike Johnson, Beau Morgan, and Ali Mac react to the latest news, rumors, and reports in the NFL as they go In The Huddle, including talking about how Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba's record contract will affect the Atlanta Falcons trying to give wide receiver Drake London a contract extension.
Transcript
00:00The Seattle Seahawks made Jackson Smith and Jigba the highest paid wide receiver in NFL history.
00:07He's getting a four-year, $168.8 million contract extension, about $42.15 million a year.
00:15Given this information, what does his payday mean for Drake London?
00:20Are the Falcons going to pay him like that?
00:23Bo brought up something yesterday around this conversation, and I wanted to circle back to it
00:26because he said that Drake London, and he says this before and he says this about Jackson Smith and Jigba,
00:31are top seven wide receivers.
00:34Why seven?
00:35Why are we going with seven?
00:36Because to me, Screams, I'm not ready to say he's a top five wide receiver,
00:40but he's better than a top ten wide receiver.
00:43Because I think he probably ranks around, I think Jackson Smith and Jigba is right now.
00:48And look, when you rank these, you have to rank it on the last season.
00:54You can rank it as all-encompassing, but that's not overly fair to some of the guys
00:58that just came in the league.
01:00I think Jackson Smith and Jigba was probably the best receiver in football last year,
01:05top from start to finish.
01:08But I would say that if you rank statistically Drake London,
01:13I do believe he would fall outside of the top five but inside the top ten.
01:18So, yeah, I think he's somewhere in that seven to ten range.
01:22Is that statistically?
01:23I think lining, well, last year he obviously missed five games.
01:28He was a little bit off.
01:29But I think when you go through it and you look at just some of his numbers
01:33through the years and how he is, yeah.
01:35Because I don't think there's a guy out there that I would rather have
01:38in a jump ball situation than Drake London.
01:39I agree with you on that.
01:40But I think, and Abe and I were talking about this last night at the Hawks game
01:44because him and Mike Bell had talked about it yesterday during Dukes and Bell.
01:48But I think that when you think about Drake, you can't think about him in the same light
01:54that you think about Justin Jefferson and Jamar Chase.
01:59I agree with that.
01:59I believe he is more like Jackson Smith and Jigba, whereas those two guys are bigger-bodied burners
02:07down the field, Jackson Smith's a little, I think he's a small, I think he's only like
02:11maybe 6'2".
02:13I say only, you know, standing 5'8 and a half.
02:15But he just doesn't present himself as like a bigger-bodied player, right?
02:21Yeah.
02:21But Drake reminds you more of kind of a Mike Thomas type No. 1.
02:25And, God, I can't stand Michael Thomas.
02:27But there's more contested catch, power slot.
02:33Yeah, they can go deep, but that's not their specialty.
02:36JSN even shorter, by the way, 6'0".
02:38Yeah, that's what I just saw.
02:40Yeah, so he's not a bigger, but I think Jefferson and Chase are both like 6'2", 6'3",
02:47if I'm not mistaken.
02:47Yeah, yeah.
02:48I don't know that.
02:49Yeah, no, I think you're spot on with everything you said,
02:51and I think that will be a conversation.
02:53I would have to think that's a conversation inside of the building
02:57and outside of the building with Drake's team of where he fits
03:01because I don't think that he's not a home run threat at wide receiver,
03:07in my opinion.
03:08Not the traditional one.
03:09No, he's not somebody that's going to catch the ball on the run
03:12and take it the distance.
03:14And I think that that, to me, is how you become a top-five wide receiver.
03:17For Jackson, Smith, and Jigwell last year, 27 plays of 20 more yards.
03:21Yeah, see, that's the thing about him is he can move inside,
03:24and he's strong enough to play in some of that slot stuff
03:31with the contested catches, but also he can burn you, too.
03:36Like, he's special.
03:39Yeah.
03:40But Chase and Jefferson are, too.
03:43I'm not taking anything away from them.
03:44They're just different.
03:45They're bigger, and I think they can – they just – I don't know.
03:49It's weird because they can all do the same things,
03:51but they're just bigger dudes.
03:52Yeah, no, I completely agree.
03:54I think that, to me, what separates a top-five wide receiver –
03:57and there is no bigger fan of Drake one, and let me be very clear –
04:00I would be heartbroken to think that he was not an Atlanta Falcon
04:04at any point in his career.
04:05But I do think that if you're going to be in the top five,
04:08you have to have the explosive play capability of catching one
04:11and going the distance, in my opinion.
04:13That's just how I see top-five wide receivers.
04:15You have to be the 4-4, 4-5 guy.
04:18He's just not in that range.
04:19He is a rangy, tight-in type body when it comes to the way he plays the game
04:25and the way he catches the football.
04:26And like I said, Jackson Smith and Jig with 27 plays
04:29at 20 or more yards last year.
04:31Drake Lennon, 13.
04:32Chris McCaffrey at 7.
04:34Yeah, and Jefferson and Chase are 6'1 and 6'2", respectively, too.
04:39So they're basically all Jackson Smith and Jig.
04:42Drake Lennon's just a bigger dude, and that's okay.
04:46I hear people talk about Drake, and they're like,
04:50oh, well, that's Alec Pierce and him are comparable.
04:53And I don't think they're the same player in any way, shape, or form.
04:58I feel like Alec Pierce is more of a big play receiver, like more of a home run guy.
05:04And Drake is more of, again, the Michael Thomas.
05:08I mean, he's just more of a bigger body, contested catch guy.
05:13And you...
05:15Doesn't...
05:16Look, that all works, right, with the right people around you.
05:20That's why you need a burner.
05:21I need a Zachariah Branch-type speed guy.
05:24We've talked about him.
05:25We've talked about...
05:29Who's the other guy we talked about that's coming out in this draft
05:31that could fit that?
05:33Jeremy Bernard.
05:34Jeremy Bernard.
05:36Concepcion, I think, is the guy that can do some of that from A&M.
05:41But Drake is the number one receiver.
05:44And every time people talk about Kyle Pitts here,
05:47and this is not about blocking, so hear me out.
05:49And they're like, well, Kyle Pitts hasn't had the OC or the quarterback
05:54to really let him have those years.
06:00Well, he's had the same thing Drake London has.
06:03In fact, Drake never had a year of Matt.
06:05And yet, Drake London has had 1,000-yard receiving, 10-plus touchdowns,
06:11the whole kit and caboodle, right?
06:13Yeah.
06:14But I think Drake...
06:15And that's the other reason why I think Drake is top seven.
06:18I don't think...
06:18To answer the question that Allie asked, I don't think he gets JSN money.
06:23Where do you think he lies, though?
06:25Do you think it's going to be, like, between 25 and 30?
06:27I think he'll make more than Garrett Wilson, is what I think.
06:29What was the average on Jackson Smith and Jigman?
06:3142.
06:32I think he makes 35.
06:33I think 35 is the number.
06:35And that was going to be my question.
06:37How much...
06:37Because I don't expect Drake to get Jackson Smith and Jigman money, either.
06:42I more so wonder how much JSN's contract raises Drake London's contract.
06:47Like, say...
06:48Right, what's the difference?
06:49Say you think he's going to get 35.
06:51Was it going to be 30 before JSN got paid?
06:54It's...
06:54So, everybody looks at that contract and says, that's why.
06:59And that's sure.
07:00But the cap raises it, too.
07:02Yeah.
07:03And so, the cap...
07:04We don't know what the cap's going to look like next year.
07:07And assuming they have a thought of what it could raise to, that's how they're going
07:13to do the deal.
07:14I just feel like...
07:15And I heard the comment...
07:17And again, I heard it.
07:17And Mike mentioned it well.
07:19Maybe they're waiting to evaluate Drake.
07:21I'm sorry.
07:21If you need to evaluate Drake, then...
07:24You already...
07:25I know that this is a different regime, but you know...
07:28You can watch film and know what that guy can do.
07:31No, he's...
07:32To me, he's the heart and soul of your team.
07:33We can talk about Bajon being one of the best players in the NFL, and he is.
07:36Drake's the heart and soul of your team.
07:38I don't...
07:39I completely agree with that.
07:40And I don't believe it's Drake or Bajon.
07:42I believe it's two of the three right now.
07:45It's Drake and Bajon or Kyle and Bajon.
07:50I don't...
07:50And that...
07:51And now, hear me out.
07:53It's Drake and Bajon to me.
07:54But I think if they're deciding...
07:56They're not deciding it's...
07:58Bajon is not going anywhere.
08:01Let's just put that right to bed.
08:03Everybody knows what he can do.
08:06Travis Kelsey has officially signed his contract extension.
08:09The deal is worth up to almost $58 million over three years.
08:13If the full value is reached, he's going to become the highest paid NFL tight end as far
08:17as annual value at $19.25 million.
08:20George Kittle had it previously at $19.1 million.
08:23I think Taylor's back there being like, you've got to be number one.
08:26I'm number one.
08:27Oh, here we go.
08:28In my field, you've got to be number one in your field.
08:30Get that contract.
08:31No.
08:31Yes.
08:32I don't think that's what she's saying.
08:33I think...
08:34I...
08:35I'm actually shocked by this contract.
08:38I am too.
08:39I'm glad you said it because I am too.
08:41Well, because of the years.
08:43Years and the amount of money.
08:45Yeah.
08:45What are we talking about here, dude?
08:47This guy is clearly on the downhill side of his career.
08:51Now you're telling me he's the highest paid tight end?
08:53I'm just surprised he would even want a three-year deal with...
08:56Same.
08:56Again, it sounded like he was on the brink of retirement.
08:58Well...
08:59And then he gets a three-year deal?
09:00All right.
09:00As the highest paid guy.
09:03I think...
09:03I...
09:04We've got to see how the breakdown is.
09:08True.
09:09Is it all up front?
09:11Is it all...
09:12Is the cap hits going to be years to come?
09:16I don't believe for a moment he's going to play all three years.
09:20And that might be the other thought process between some of it.
09:23Is he's going to get a good chunk to play one more year.
09:28He retires.
09:29They can get out from underneath some of it.
09:31And then they have a cap hit the next year or whatever.
09:36So I think...
09:36I don't think he plays three years.
09:38He won't see the end of this contract.
09:40Mark my words.
09:41We might not see the end of it.
09:43But I know he won't.
09:43I'm shocked to know that he was playing two.
09:46Well, you don't know.
09:47I mean, it might...
09:48It literally might be...
09:49It could be done this way for cap purposes.
09:53And if they don't have to go through this again.
09:54Where they're like, hey...
09:55Like, we just...
09:57We don't know every single detail.
10:00For instance...
10:01You know, people are like...
10:02What's the difference in guaranteed and fully guaranteed?
10:05Well, fully guaranteed means no matter what you get it.
10:07Guaranteed means you have to hit certain qualifiers.
10:11Like, be on the roster after March.
10:13The third day of the new league year every year.
10:15And that kind of stuff.
10:16So, I'm curious in how it's actually structured.
10:19And when the really big cap hit comes for it.
10:22And the Patriots are releasing backup quarterback Josh Dobbs.
10:25After signing Tommy DeVito for $4.4 million.
10:27Which teams at this point are still looking for a backup QB?
10:33Packers?
10:36Yes, maybe.
10:37I don't really know.
10:38I'd have to really dig into that.
10:39I'm not really sure.
10:40I don't think he...
10:41I don't think he would...
10:42Well, I guess he would.
10:43I don't know.
10:44He can sign him here as our third guy.
10:47I'd do it.
10:48Where'd he go?
10:49Alpharetta?
10:51I don't know.
10:51Something like that.
10:52I know he's...
10:53I know he can learn an offense in two days.
10:55Yeah, yeah.
10:56The rocket scientist, too, from Tennessee.
10:59We saw it up close and personal, man.
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