00:00There was a report that came out from Ian Rappaport right before the show started.
00:04And I find this to be interesting because the way that the media plays this game,
00:11and it's a strange game that's going on right now,
00:13where it seems like for months now, Ted,
00:16there has been like a wink and a nod agreement between the Patriots and the Eagles
00:22that A.J. Brown is coming here.
00:25The terms seem to have been decided.
00:27I know that Adam Schefter essentially got on and just scolded everyone who doubted
00:32that this was going to happen.
00:33Sounds like him.
00:35Yep.
00:35Yep.
00:35So he does.
00:36And now we're hearing this from Ian Rappaport.
00:40And I don't know what to make of it.
00:42Ken, I'd like to get your take on this because I can't tell whether it's just the silly season
00:48and people want to be talked about.
00:50People want to maybe are working for certain teams to make it seem like there wasn't an agreement
00:56that was made months ago because that looks a little shady and might piss off the other owners.
01:03Tell me what you think about this report from Ian Rappaport.
01:06First of all, I appreciate the comedy from Jalen Hurts.
01:08And I also like how he delivered a good line, let it marinate a little bit,
01:12didn't crack a smile at all.
01:13He's the perfect straight man, just a great wisecrack,
01:15and then got on to his answer slash non-answer.
01:19It was more answer though than non, because I think for Jalen Hurts,
01:22him talking about it in the past tense,
01:25him talking about his appreciation for what they achieved together,
01:27knowing that it is almost certainly coming to an end is something that really stands out for me.
01:32And, you know, there's been a lot of focus, Mike, on the relationship between
01:35AJ Brown and Jalen Hurts, as there should be.
01:37It has been an ongoing storyline for the last two years.
01:39We're not making it up.
01:40It is all real.
01:42Here's what I would say to this.
01:44I would say, personally, I believe they are okay.
01:47They're in a good place.
01:48Personally, they could continue.
01:50I don't know football-wise that they could continue.
01:52It does seem like they've gotten the most out of this partnership,
01:54and both sides probably would benefit from a separation.
01:58As far as the actual trade though, you know, we're all waiting for June 1st to happen,
02:03so the cap hit is in half for the Philadelphia Eagles and they could trade them.
02:06I just don't know that it's going to be like, snap your fingers and the deal is done,
02:09because the two sides are where they have been, which is the Eagles wanting a first-round pick
02:14in 2027.
02:15The Patriots, the most likely destination.
02:17We'll see if someone else rises, but Patriots, the most likely destination,
02:20not being willing to give up a first-round pick as of right now,
02:24that means they're not particularly close.
02:26And, yeah, there's a chance this could drag on for the foreseeable future.
02:29What the?
02:29He's got me all confused now.
02:31Wait a minute.
02:32He just said they're not even close?
02:35Not particularly close.
02:36Not particularly close.
02:37And it was interesting.
02:38He did say that the Eagles won a 2027 first-round pick when all the reports have been,
02:46most likely it's a 2028 first-round pick.
02:49Right.
02:49Schefter's report.
02:50Specifically.
02:50Right, right, right.
02:51So Ian's just throwing it all out of whack here a little bit.
02:54And he's kind of playing both sides.
02:56I don't know, he feels like he's saying it sounds like it's a done deal,
02:59but he's also saying it could not be.
03:00So I think he's just trying to muddy the waters.
03:03I think Goodell, or somebody in Goodell's office, seriously took Rappaport aside,
03:08sat him down and said, this does not look good for our league.
03:10Exactly.
03:11This is going to be perceived as tampering, or some team's going to get pissed.
03:14Yep.
03:15And we can't have this happen as a formality on June 1st.
03:18And you need to go on camera and say it's not close and throw out something else.
03:22And it's a charade.
03:25I mean, I don't know other, Schefter would not say this, this definitively with details
03:30if it was not already done weeks ago.
03:32That is exactly what I thought when I heard that.
03:34It sounds to me, because it is kind of a bad look for the NFL, that you can have two
03:40teams
03:40way before this deal is consummated, essentially agree on it and shut everybody else out.
03:47I can't remember anything like it before.
03:48It's weird, isn't it?
03:49Yeah, it's very weird.
03:50But would any team really get upset that everybody had a chance at one point to trade for him?
03:54Do they, though?
03:55Nobody stepped up.
03:56If you think it's a fait accompli, then you wouldn't negotiate.
03:59If you're being told that these teams have already got a deal, then you would, to me,
04:05it would adjust how you maybe approach the Eagles about it.
04:10I think you might say, okay, well, it's already done, so you don't approach it when, you know,
04:13theoretically it was against the rules and you could have.
04:16I just think there's some muddy waters there that I think they're best if they act as if
04:23it was done right after June 1st.
04:25Here's the only thing I can think about that could be legit, and that did change the story
04:30a little bit, is that the Patriots are finally realizing that they're the only bidder.
04:35And maybe they're saying, I know we talked about possibly you getting a first-round pick,
04:40but man, I'm just not feeling that that's what we need to give up.
04:43How about we give you a second-round pick and blah, blah, blah afterwards?
04:47Well, that would be as dirty as the Eagles reopening the negotiations.
04:50Same thing.
04:51But is it dirty when they need to get rid of them and no one else is bidding, or is
04:56that
04:56good business?
04:57I think it's dirty a little bit.
04:59I wouldn't feel comfortable doing that.
05:02But as a Patriots fan, don't you want the Patriots to do that?
05:04You know what I want?
05:05I want teams to always want to do business with the Patriots.
05:08And if the Patriots, you know, it'll get out that they kind of screwed the Eagles on
05:14that, and then they have a reputation, and then other teams might not want to deal with
05:18I just don't think it's good karma.
05:20I don't think it's good business.
05:20Make the right moral decision?
05:22For the first time in the Patriots history, yes.
05:24I also think that it's worth it.
05:26I think he's worth a 2028 first-round pick.
05:29I know that's huge, and it's obviously something massive to give up.
05:33But I mean, when you have a quarterback that young and somebody who truly, if you have an
05:39A-list receiver out there, can just help this kid develop and just change the game.
05:44And you said it best.
05:45As someone who is on the other side defending that, as like a linebacker, how much more
05:49difficult does it make the people on the other side when you got A.J.
05:52Brown out there?
05:52It's a whole different offense to defend.
05:57I bet you Schefter's pissed about this, by the way.
05:59He might, listen, Schefter's like puffing his chest out a little bit.
06:02Why wouldn't you go to Schefter and tell him to, well, because he'd be contradicting his
06:05own reports.
06:05He probably wouldn't do it.
06:06That's it.
06:07Yeah, it's already out there.
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