00:00This is a weird spot to be in,
00:02so I might end up being like Ricky Bobby,
00:04not knowing what to do with my hands.
00:05What do I do with my hands?
00:06Except it'll be my emotions with this.
00:09If you look at the NFC East right now,
00:12the Commanders are the only team
00:13that doesn't have any non-football drama right now.
00:18It's just about who's maybe going to...
00:20Drama-free?
00:21Drama-free.
00:22Really, it's drama-free.
00:23Last year, it was Terry McLaurin's contract.
00:25Right.
00:26We can't count Brandon Iyuk, your guy.
00:28Wait till we sign him, then there'll be drama.
00:30Then it'll be different.
00:31That'll be drama.
00:31But if you look at the Cowboys,
00:33even though he's going to...
00:34Or I think he actually did now finally sign his tender.
00:37Did George Pickens finally sign his tender?
00:38So he did, but he still wants a long-term deal or a trade,
00:41so that's still going to be an issue with the Cowboys.
00:44We all know Jarrah's going to make sure
00:45that he's going to go through his negotiations
00:47as long as possible.
00:48George is a heck of a player.
00:49We'd love to pay him a lot of money,
00:50but we've got a lot of money tied up in CDs.
00:53Receivers are real expensive, you know,
00:55and we've got to get to know him a little better first.
00:57So you've got that with the Cowboys.
00:59Yes, he signed his franchise tag two days ago.
01:02So it locks him in at $27 million.
01:05So he's got money guaranteed,
01:07but he still wants a long-term deal.
01:10Can they carry that this year?
01:11Yeah, I mean, they can carry it.
01:13Well, does it break their cap?
01:16Sometimes teams,
01:18and I'm not sure when they have to account
01:20for this $27 million,
01:21I guess maybe now?
01:23Go to SpotRack.com on this.
01:25Because, no, they...
01:26It would not make sense
01:28to carry him for one year
01:30at $27 million.
01:31Teams don't like to do that.
01:33The Cowboys do.
01:33They love the franchise tag.
01:35For one year?
01:37Yeah.
01:38Yeah, they love the franchise tag.
01:39Did Dak play on it
01:41or just get hit with it
01:42before he signed his new deal?
01:44Dak might have played on it once.
01:47If I remember correctly,
01:49I think he might have played on it once
01:50before he got it.
01:51It might have been his first deal.
01:52Did Dak play on the franchise tag?
01:53I think his first year,
01:55first time around,
01:56he might have gotten it.
01:56But anyway, I mean,
01:57either way,
01:58that's, like,
01:59George Pickens is at least locked in,
02:01but he wants a long-term deal.
02:02So that's going to continue
02:03to be a thing.
02:04You got the Giants.
02:05They just traded Dexter Lawrence
02:06who wanted a trade.
02:07Now Kayvon Thibodeau
02:08is in the part of the conversation
02:10of is he going to get traded?
02:11Is he not?
02:11They say that they're not,
02:12but clearly they've been using guys
02:14as an example.
02:15So we've got John Harbaugh
02:16stepping in like the guy
02:17in the yard that's going to
02:18first day in jail
02:18and punch the guy in the face
02:19and say,
02:20I'm captain now.
02:21Like I said,
02:21there's that going on there
02:22with the Giants.
02:23And then the Eagles,
02:24it's A.J. Brown,
02:25it's Jalen Hurts,
02:26it's even Nick Sirianni
02:27in some capacity.
02:28A.J. Brown is the low-simmering,
02:31unresolved,
02:31okay, what are we doing here thing.
02:33Although we pretty much know
02:34after June 1st,
02:35the Patriots are probably
02:36going to be his destination.
02:38That just saves money on the cap.
02:40So, like,
02:40that's going to probably
02:41have a resolution,
02:42but Jalen Hurts
02:43is a longer situation
02:44versus A.J. Brown.
02:45Right.
02:45So, after June 1st,
02:47they're not going to cut A.J. Brown.
02:49No, no, they're going to trade him.
02:50They're going to trade him.
02:50And why does the
02:51after June 1 matter for Brown?
02:53They save at least
02:54$7 million against the cap.
02:56Even though it's not a cut?
02:57Yes.
02:58How does that work?
02:59It's still a post-June 1st move.
03:01So, a post-June 1st trade
03:02can also save you money
03:04as well as a cut.
03:05Yes.
03:06Okay.
03:06Dak Prescott did play
03:08the 2020 season
03:09on the tag.
03:11$31 million.
03:12So, Pickens will play
03:13on that this year
03:14and be upset the whole time.
03:16And Dak also
03:17only made it five weeks
03:18when his ankle blew up.
03:19Yes.
03:20Which would make you say,
03:22well, dummy,
03:23you should have taken
03:24a long-term deal.
03:25He's still got a long-term deal
03:27after that.
03:27And then a second one.
03:28Yes.
03:29He's now on his second
03:29with the Cowboys.
03:30Right.
03:31He's cashed in.
03:32But, if you look at...
03:33So, we're in a good spot.
03:34Yeah.
03:35The commanders are in a spot
03:36right now.
03:37The commanders are in a spot
03:38where it's about football.
03:40Now, there's plenty of questions.
03:41But questions about position,
03:43questions about somebody's health,
03:45questions about a rookie
03:46and what they're going to look like
03:47in a new system,
03:48that's not drama.
03:49That's just football.
03:50So, this is the first time
03:52that I can really think of
03:53where I can look at this
03:54commander's team and say,
03:56it's actually about football.
03:58That's the sign of good culture.
03:59Now, there's always going to be
04:01moments where you do have
04:02some level of drama
04:03around a contract,
04:04where you do have
04:05some sort of fight
04:07over money.
04:08Like, that's business.
04:09So, that will be a part of it
04:10at some point.
04:11But, man, right now,
04:12when you're looking at
04:13where they are,
04:14it really is about football
04:16and just actual football questions.
04:19Again, it's Ricky Bobby.
04:20I don't know what to do
04:21with my hands right now.
04:24So, that's good.
04:25I just don't.
04:25Yes.
04:26So, that's what...
04:27Yeah.
04:27I mean, I'm happy
04:28that this is the case.
04:29Now, they've got to
04:29just translate this
04:31into winning games.
04:32Well, that's the most
04:33important thing.
04:34Drama-free is one thing.
04:36Winning game is another.
04:37So, as far as
04:38the Pickens deal goes,
04:39would you pay him
04:40a long-term deal?
04:43Now, are you saying
04:44any team or specifically
04:45the Cowboys?
04:46If it were you.
04:47I want nothing to do
04:48with that drama
04:49and that long-term
04:50of a deal.
04:51That's not an Iyuk situation,
04:52Zabe.
04:53That is a big commitment.
04:54I would also say
04:57you could have this guy.
04:58Did he have a really good year?
05:01He was really good last year.
05:01He did.
05:02Yeah.
05:02Opposite CD.
05:03Yeah.
05:04And with Dak
05:04as his trigger man.
05:06I mean...
05:06He also was in a contract
05:08year and he knew it.
05:09Mm-hmm.
05:09He was not any of that
05:11in Pittsburgh.
05:13Granted,
05:13in Pittsburgh,
05:14they had ass quarterbacking
05:15and they didn't have
05:17anybody else
05:17necessarily opposite him
05:19to help draw coverage.
05:20Right.
05:20So there are caveats,
05:24but I would have a hard time
05:26giving him a lot of money.
05:28I mean, listen,
05:29you saw the potential
05:30in Pittsburgh.
05:31He had that 1,000-yard
05:32receiving season
05:33in year two.
05:34Yep.
05:34Missed a couple games
05:35his last year in Pittsburgh.
05:37But you knew.
05:38You obviously saw
05:38the spectacular catches.
05:40You can see the talent
05:41that's there.
05:41Oh, yeah.
05:41He's a dog.
05:42Yeah.
05:43And they knew that
05:43coming out of the draft.
05:45But still,
05:46does he care enough?
05:4693 catches,
05:48over 1,400 yards receiving,
05:49nine touchdowns.
05:50I'd say pro bowler,
05:51but that doesn't mean
05:51anything anymore
05:52because, you know,
05:53anybody could be a pro bowler
05:54if you just sign a permission slip
05:55and go show up at the event.
05:57But, you know,
05:58this is if you're the Cowboys,
05:59look, they can afford it.
06:01I don't want to hear like,
06:02oh, well,
06:02we can't afford all this.
06:03The Bengals paid
06:05two top-tier receivers.
06:06So it's not like
06:07it's unprecedented,
06:08but it's expensive.
06:09And it's got to be
06:10a real commitment.
06:11Are you still in
06:12on A.J. Brown?
06:13Because I really lost
06:15sort of the appetite
06:17for him as a player
06:18when I saw multiple times
06:20him quitting on routes
06:22and quitting on plays.
06:24And the whole book thing
06:25on the sideline,
06:26okay, whatever.
06:27They won a Super Bowl
06:28with him reading books
06:28on the sideline.
06:30I don't like that at all
06:32out of a guy
06:32who's going to command
06:33that much money
06:34and he's on the wrong side
06:36of 30.
06:36Now, when he's dialed in
06:38and really focused
06:38and has a good quarterback
06:39throwing to the ball,
06:40he's really, really good still.
06:42The question is now,
06:44is it going to be proven
06:46that maybe it was
06:47more Hurts
06:48than it was A.J. Brown?
06:50Because if he does
06:51go to the Patriots
06:52and if Drake May
06:53is absolutely making
06:54sweet music with him,
06:55you're going to go,
06:56yeah, now I know
06:57why A.J. Brown
06:58was frustrated
06:58because Jalen Hurts
07:00was not running
07:01the offense
07:01through him.
07:02I am so glad
07:03you said that
07:03because I have
07:04a conspiracy theory,
07:05my friend.
07:06Oh, I want to hear it.
07:06Let me tell you
07:07my conspiracy theory.
07:08So when the leak
07:09first came out
07:10about Jalen Hurts
07:11and not being,
07:13it wasn't he was a bad team,
07:14but he was rigid
07:15and wasn't adjusting
07:16to the coaches
07:17what they wanted
07:18to do on offense
07:19and he wasn't
07:19adapting to things.
07:21Basically saying
07:22that he wasn't
07:22a great leader
07:23and they're questioning
07:24his character,
07:25essentially,
07:25his football character.
07:27Let's just paint
07:28a broad picture with that.
07:29It was somebody
07:30within the team.
07:30We all know
07:31that was staged.
07:31We all know
07:32that that was leaked
07:33on purpose.
07:33This stuff doesn't
07:34come out by accident.
07:35But there are two reasons
07:36why they did that.
07:37One is the more obvious one.
07:39You're setting up
07:39somebody as the scapegoat.
07:41You're setting up
07:42Jalen Hurts
07:42as the guy
07:43that is the problem
07:44so you can then
07:45say down the road
07:45when it's not working,
07:46you move on,
07:47you find a way
07:47people in Philadelphia
07:48already see him
07:49as the bad guy
07:50and they'll buy in.
07:51But there's a second
07:51layer to this
07:52and it comes to A.J. Brown
07:54because if you're
07:55the Eagles,
07:56reportedly,
07:56they want a first round pick
07:58and another top 100 pick
07:59in return for A.J. Brown
08:02coming off of
08:02the worst year
08:03of his career
08:04at 29 years old
08:06with a lot of questions
08:07of whether or not
08:07Oh, he's 29,
08:08not 30.
08:08Yeah.
08:09But still,
08:09you're hitting
08:11right on that
08:1230 mark.
08:13It's right again,
08:1429, 30,
08:14it's all going to be the same.
08:15The point is
08:16you're hitting that point now
08:18where his value
08:19is the lowest,
08:20A.J. Brown's is,
08:20than it's ever been.
08:21But if you put
08:23all of the blame
08:24now on Jalen Hurts,
08:26but you're never saying
08:27it publicly,
08:27but privately
08:28you leak it out there.
08:29Oh, it was Jalen Hurts.
08:30He didn't adjust
08:30to the offense
08:31and he didn't want
08:32to change things up
08:33and A.J. Brown
08:34just wasn't getting
08:34targets.
08:35It's the quarterback.
08:36It's,
08:36tell Adam Schefter
08:37it's our quarterback.
08:38Then,
08:39you can try to
08:41artificially raise
08:42the value of A.J. Brown
08:43in the trade market
08:44so you can get
08:45what you want
08:45if you're Philadelphia.
08:46This is all a game
08:48that they're playing here
08:49and they're pinning
08:49everything on Jalen Hurts
08:51in Philadelphia.
08:51It's so obvious
08:52that that's the case.
08:54Yeah.
08:54Well,
08:55I would love
08:56to sort of rub
08:57my hands
08:58in anticipation
09:00of it going
09:01disastrously in Philly.
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