00:00There's a lot for us to discuss, and I'm hoping this can make sense because I don't want to get
00:07too granular on the NFL salary cap.
00:11But over the years, I've had NFL executives tell me that over-the-cap and SpotTrack are really useful tools,
00:22right?
00:22Like, it's a good indicator of where a team's financial situation is, but it's also hardly the only metric that
00:32NFL teams use.
00:34And I think fans get really caught up in salary cap space, and teams and executives, salary cap space matters.
00:46But that's more of a long-term thing, like making sure we're not going to be in a bad situation
00:52two, three years from now.
00:54What teams and executives care about is cash.
00:58Like, how much cash is going out year over year?
01:03And I think what a lot of fans don't understand is it's terrific that if you sign a five-year
01:11contract that has –
01:13you know I'm going to botch the math here.
01:15Say it's a five-year contract with a $20 million signing bonus, that signing bonus money gets allocated out over
01:22the five years on the deal, right?
01:24Yeah, four million a year.
01:25Right.
01:26But the owner, the organization, has to cut the $20 million check that week and put it in escrow.
01:34Like, the money is gone.
01:38Normally, that check is going to that player.
01:42I think it goes through like a third party, right?
01:44The signing bonus is going to the player.
01:46If they say it's guaranteed $68 million, they've got to put that $68 million away.
01:51Right.
01:51And some of the guarantees are different, injury guarantees, whatever.
01:55But, like, you have to prove the money exists.
01:58Yeah.
01:59Like, that's the rules of the league.
02:01And it's smart because otherwise you get in trouble.
02:04Like, you see this with European soccer teams where they make these outrageous contracts
02:07and then at the end can't get to the finish line and then all hell breaks loose, right?
02:12Yeah.
02:14So, I just think it's really important to stress that.
02:16And specifically with Biotis, people are like, oh, you have the cap space.
02:20Why would you need to do this?
02:22It wasn't about cap space.
02:24The actual cash number with Biotis was $8 million that would have had to be paid out.
02:30And while that's not, I mean, on a $300 million payroll, $8 million is what, 2%?
02:39But they allocate that $8 million to a certain position somewhere.
02:43Right.
02:43And they can't pay here, man.
02:44Pay somebody else.
02:46So, I just think it is quite important to understand the differences in, like, we talked
02:58to, it was interesting talking to Adam Peters yesterday because it was a good conversation
03:03and he was super honest about the draft particularly.
03:06He said, I have no idea who we're going to take at number seven because I have no idea who's
03:11going to go before us.
03:12And I think he's telling you.
03:14He has an idea who he wants.
03:15But he don't know who he's going to take.
03:17Right.
03:18Yeah.
03:18And I imagine he's got five guys he wants.
03:21Not the hamburger chain.
03:22Yeah.
03:22But, like, there's probably three, four, five.
03:24I wish I could give him five guys a day.
03:26I could go for some five guys, even though it's 8.30 in the morning here.
03:30I could still go for some five guys.
03:32But, you know what I mean?
03:34Like, I think Peters was honest about the work they've done.
03:38He said, you know, because of a month ago, they were desperate.
03:45For edge rusher.
03:46They were desperate.
03:48And they had to cross their fingers and hope that one of Bain, Bailey, or Reese was going
03:53to be there at seven.
03:54That's the reality of where they were a month ago.
03:57So, now, today, signing O.A., signing Chason, signing Amenahu, like, they've added a lot
04:03on the edge.
04:04So, they're no longer desperate.
04:06They certainly could still use a first-round stud edge rusher.
04:11Yeah.
04:11And have them under team control for five years.
04:14Like, they can absolutely use that.
04:16They're no longer desperate.
04:17And I think AP was honest about that.
04:20He's like, yeah, you know, we've got some options now.
04:22And we'll see how that ends up kind of shaking out.
04:28But the total truth about not knowing what's going to happen in this draft, because, frankly,
04:32I don't think anybody knows what's going to happen in this draft.
04:34No.
04:36To the point, I was talking to a Jets guy yesterday.
04:39They don't know what the hell's going to happen at number two.
04:41It's number two in this draft.
04:43Now, they might be BSing you like hell.
04:47You think they know?
04:47Bruh, if the assumption is that the young man from Indiana is going to the Raiders, they
04:56know who they're going to take.
04:58I bet they still take.
04:59Do you think the Raiders?
05:00They can't say, oh, we don't know what's happening in front of us.
05:04You know what I mean?
05:05They know.
05:06They know who they're taking.
05:07They're basically the number one pick now.
05:10Because everybody knows who's going one, and they're on the clock.
05:13Do you think the Raiders will still take their full 10-minute allotment, whatever it is?
05:19Yeah.
05:20They always do it.
05:21It's just stupid.
05:22But you know what?
05:22It's not necessarily stupid, though.
05:24When you look at the TV thing of it, they are going to do it, and they're going to make
05:29sure they can play every damn commercial that they got money for.
05:32They're not going to try to rush through this.
05:34They need to make it into a show.
05:36And those commercials hit at a certain point, and they cost a certain amount.
05:41For sure.
05:42Yeah.
05:43You're probably right that the Jets do know what they're going to do.
05:47They just need everything, and they're not going to take a quarterback, so it's pretty
05:51wide open.
05:52But the two things I've heard, and who knows what's real, I think, I wonder if you could
06:01get betting odds on this.
06:04I think there's a real chance Carnell Tate goes ahead of Jeremiah Love.
06:07I think you and I have talked about it repeatedly, that receiver is just a more important position,
06:15and it commands more money.
06:16I mean, just look at the math of this offseason, where Kenneth Walker was Super Bowl MVP.
06:27I mean, had a truly phenomenal Super Bowl.
06:30I thought the patience he showed running the football was pretty remarkable.
06:34He was great.
06:35Yeah.
06:36He got big money in free agency, and it was $14 million a year.
06:42Mm-hmm.
06:43Super Bowl MVP, coming off the best game of his career.
06:46Yeah.
06:47$14 million a year, and that's big money.
06:49Alec Pierce, who I would argue is best suited to be a number two wide receiver, kind of a
06:56one-trick pony, and a really good ability to get deep.
06:59That's an important trick, but, you know, he got $29 million a year and had his choice of options.
07:07Like, you can't deny the mathematics surrounding the positional value, and I think enough NFL
07:14teams recognize Love's greatness, but also recognize the math.
07:19I don't know if it's mathematics, Jay, to be honest with you.
07:22I think they have realized—somebody in the office said receiver is more important, and
07:29then they started paying him.
07:31Just like if you look at it, you look at Alec Pierce and what he does, and you look at
07:35what
07:36like a Saquon does for a team, he doesn't do it more, but they value him more.
07:41The quarterbacks, they're not always better, but they're valued more.
07:46You know what I mean?
07:47It's weird.
07:49Agree with you, man.
07:50Agree with you there.
07:52It's—I don't know.
07:53It's an interesting time, but the draft is truly completely wide open.
07:57Adam Peters also said he's not expecting any trades because there's not quarterbacks to
08:02drive.
08:02Now, once you get later in the draft, there'll be a zillion trades.
08:05Yeah, yeah, yeah.
08:06But I'm saying, like, top 10, somebody trading up to get somebody, that requires—
08:10Not expecting don't mean it won't happen.
08:13Sure.
08:13You know what I mean?
08:14For sure.
08:15And maybe people lower their asking price because there's not much there, and they really
08:20want to move down.
08:22I think it's going to be really interesting these last couple weeks getting towards the
08:26draft and seeing where things land.
08:30But by far, what was really interesting to me was at the end of his press availability,
08:37we kind of stumbled into this conversation of cash versus cap, and Peters was very engaged
08:44on that because I've said it before on the show.
08:47You and I have talked about it.
08:48Like, I think there's a big disconnect in the way front offices look at the money and the
08:54way fans look at the money, and I think he cared to try to, like, illuminate that and
09:00explain that.
09:01And whether that resonates with folks, it probably doesn't because it's a lot easier to go to
09:05a website and just look at a list that says they have so much money to spend, why aren't
09:09they spending it?
09:10But I appreciated that.
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