Skip to playerSkip to main content
  • 23 hours ago
On The Midday Show, Andy and Abe discuss how upcoming extensions for Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs could reshape the running back market. As two of the league's most dynamic young playmakers, their next contracts may challenge long-held beliefs about the value of the position and set a new standard for elite backs across the NFL.
Transcript
00:00All right, let's get to an NFL no huddle to kick off the noon hour.
00:04We're going no huddle with the midday show.
00:07No huddle the best.
00:08The NFL has to offer.
00:12I still will find little tiny pieces of glass like in my glove compartment.
00:18And this was almost 10 years ago, like from when the car was broken into just because
00:22they kind of get in all the little nooks and crannies, the little tiny pieces of glass
00:25when they break it, which always sucks.
00:27But anyway, have you checked any of them for specks of blood and DNA evidence?
00:30Yeah, we're going to track the guy down.
00:32We're still on it.
00:32It's a cold case, but I think they're still working on it.
00:36Christian Watkins gets a new four year deal with the Packers worth one hundred and ten
00:41million dollars.
00:43He obviously waited for Christian Watson.
00:46Christian Watson.
00:46Yeah, he got his deal.
00:49Christian Watson's like, all right, so we'll just go lower than that.
00:52More like in the Alec Pierce.
00:53And this is a good bit lower.
00:55They had also paid Reed.
00:57Is that Jadon Reed?
00:58Is that their other receiver?
00:59I think that's right.
01:00A couple of months ago.
01:02So they re-upped two receivers.
01:05Obviously dealing with the Josh Jacobs thing.
01:07They got the quarterback situation, they believe, figured out.
01:10They're trying to put it together and keep it together for a number of seasons here to
01:15try and make a run.
01:16Watson's really good when he's healthy.
01:17He's just missed quite a few games.
01:20And so, not healthy all that often.
01:23Let's hear Dan Campbell talking about Jameer Gibbs as we transition from a wide receiver
01:27market conversation.
01:28The Falcons took care of that into a running back market conversation.
01:32Gibbs is, I mean, he is.
01:34He's going to be our bell cow now.
01:35You know, he really became more of that last year.
01:38And, but we're, you know, we're going to hang our hat on him quite a bit.
01:42You know, we're going to, we're going to do a lot of things we feel like he does well.
01:45Now, I've mentioned this before.
01:46He can, he can run everything that we've got.
01:48He can run every scheme that anybody's ever run.
01:51You know, he's not just an outside runner.
01:53He's not just a space runner.
01:54He can create his own space in the middle.
01:56And some of his biggest runs have been gap scheme right down the pipe, you know, where
02:00he's had patience and found it and guys blocked it up well.
02:03So, we're going to ask a lot of him.
02:06Yeah.
02:07David Montgomery, not there anymore.
02:09Obviously they had split carries.
02:10Jameer Gibbs was 1,200 yards last year, 13 touchdowns, 243 carries as well as a handful
02:21of receptions as well, 77 receptions.
02:23So, he's touching the ball a ton.
02:25He kind of already, I mean, he got 300 touches last year.
02:28Yeah.
02:28That's, I know that they had Montgomery, but that's bell cow adjacent already.
02:33Well, wasn't that like us with Bajon?
02:35We're like, yeah, I don't know how many, however many carries it was, not enough.
02:40Like more.
02:41And obviously, you know, a similar situation too with Algier being here.
02:44He's gone now too.
02:45So, both of the running backs that are going to get contracts this offseason are in similar
02:52situations in terms of the other guy that was getting carries isn't there anymore.
02:55And I just wonder, I wonder a couple of things.
02:57I wonder what the price tag actually ends up looking like.
03:01Because the market right now, if you look at the top end of it.
03:04I think they're getting 22 or 22.5.
03:06I think that would be about right, right?
03:09Because Saquon's the highest paid running back right now.
03:1121 and change?
03:1220 and a half.
03:13Okay.
03:13Christian McCaffrey's right behind there.
03:15And the interesting thing about that is both those contracts were done a couple of years
03:19ago.
03:19So, there hasn't been a new market setting running back.
03:21Saquon's is only two years, right?
03:23Yeah.
03:23Yeah.
03:24There hasn't been a new market setting running back contract for a couple years.
03:27I know HN got paid earlier this offseason, but that's right around 16.
03:31What crazy is, Jeremiah Love, who just got drafted, is the eighth highest paid running
03:35back in the NFL because of how high he was drafted and what the running back market is
03:38right now.
03:39But yeah, I would say it's probably around 22, 23 per.
03:45I just don't know who goes first.
03:46So, that's the question for me.
03:49And I wonder if it's less of a, we can't settle on a number with our team and more of
03:56a don't
03:57blink challenge between Bajon's agent and Jameer Gibbs' agent in terms of like, well, we're
04:06not going to go first and let that guy be the highest paid running back.
04:11And then the other guy feels the same way.
04:14Well, because that's the thing.
04:14Like at one point, at some point, someone's got to go first.
04:17Right, but whoever goes second is going to get more, right?
04:20Yeah, but like $88.
04:22Right, but a little bit, right?
04:23$22,500,088 is our deal.
04:27But right, Jameer Gibbs and Bajon's contracts are going to be very similar.
04:30Yeah.
04:32It's not a Drake London compared to the top end of the market conversation.
04:38It's not a Christian Watson compared to Drake London's contract situation.
04:41These guys are comparable.
04:42Like, Jameer Gibbs and Bajon Robinson are two of the three or four best running backs
04:48in football.
04:49They just happen to be up for contracts at the same time because they were drafted in
04:52the same draft.
04:52Funny thing is, both teams got laughed at by various NFL media folks for drafting running
05:00backs in the first round when they did it.
05:01And both have worked out pretty well.
05:03Obviously, the Lions has worked out way better because the team's been way better.
05:05But both running backs have been a success for their teams.
05:10But yeah, I mean, if I'm Bajon's agent, I'll just wait because then you're also going to
05:14do the bulk of the negotiating for me.
05:16You're going to set the market right where it is.
05:18I don't want to accidentally be wrong.
05:20You know what I mean?
05:21What if the market isn't quite that for Jameer Gibbs and then you end up paying way more than
05:28you needed to?
05:29What if you go the other way?
05:30What if Bajon and his agents say, look, if you want to right now, we can get 24.
05:36Right.
05:37And then Gibbs signs for 22-5.
05:39That's what I mean.
05:40And then 24 is off the table.
05:41That's what I mean.
05:42That's why you want to go second.
05:45Well, no.
05:46No, I'm suggesting Bajon can get 24 right now.
05:50And then Gibbs signs for 22-5.
05:52And then the Falcons are like, well, 24 is...
05:54Nope, you're 22-7 now.
05:57We're not...
05:5724 is not your market anymore.
05:59There's a way you go second and lose money, potentially.
06:03Yeah, I don't know.
06:04I just...
06:05And also...
06:06I'm just not taking less than the guy got.
06:08You know what I mean?
06:09Right.
06:10I agree with that.
06:10Unless the Falcons somehow give Bajon like $30 million a year.
06:13But it's not like Bajon's sitting here waiting for Gibbs to sign knowing Gibbs is going to
06:17sign.
06:17Because Gibbs is sitting here waiting for Bajon to sign.
06:21Like, there is a, like, who's going to blink first, game of chicken type of, like, hey,
06:27man, we just need to get this done before the season or what.
06:32I mean...
06:32But then I also wonder from the Falcons' perspective, like, you know, you want to get it done.
06:36You're going to get it done.
06:37You'd love to get it done, like, the week of training camp.
06:41So that's the talk of the opening week of training camp.
06:44The Falcons love doing that.
06:45Teams love doing that.
06:46But the Falcons have always done a pretty good job of timing out whatever big offseason
06:50contract it's going to be.
06:51He kind of hits that first day of training camp, so then everybody's got a good, positive
06:57training camp story to run with at the beginning.
07:00So there is a deadline on it.
07:03Like, you don't want it to go into...
07:04I don't think that there would be a holdout, because he is still two years away from being...
07:07He's also not really a holdout guy.
07:09It doesn't seem like he would do that.
07:10Right.
07:11But again, like, you don't want to get weird with the timing on any of this stuff.
07:15Ultimately, who do you think signs first?
07:18I think Jameer Gibbs signs first.
07:20I think it goes the other way.
07:21Okay.
07:22I think Bajon signs first.
07:26Only because I wouldn't say I know Bajon, but just the perception of Bajon is, I don't
07:31know to what extent, he just wants to, like, super play hardball on this.
07:35And if the number's there and he's willing, I don't know if he's also that concerned about
07:39being the number one paid or that concerned about it being...
07:43I know, but it's not, you know, he might not be.
07:46I know.
07:46I know.
07:47His agent, you know what I mean?
07:48But the agent works for you, and if you tell your agent, get the deal done before camp,
07:51get the deal done before camp.
07:52I know, but you're also not going to risk, you're not going to take less money.
07:56You know what I mean?
07:56No, no, no.
07:57I also don't consider that hardball.
07:59Like, Bajon Robinson's one of the two or three best running backs in the NFL.
08:03He's up for a contract.
08:04He should set the market and get the most money.
08:07Again, then there's the part of it, too, that's, it's a running back.
08:10Is that a good idea?
08:11Your team's not really there right now.
08:13You're kind of figuring out other stuff.
08:15You know what I mean?
08:16But that's a whole other conversation neither of us are having because we just know that
08:19he's getting an extension.
08:21Yeah, you're going to pay him.
08:21Yeah.
08:22And he knows he's going to get paid.
08:23So let's just do it.
08:24We don't have to do all this song and dance.
08:26Just pay me.
08:26I think Gibbs is prepared to play the waiting game.
08:28How come?
08:29And wait for Bajon.
08:30Why?
08:30I just saw a weird comment about, like, you know, agent's going to handle it.
08:35He did say that.
08:36Agent's going to handle the contract so I can focus on football.
08:39That's what you say.
08:40That's what everybody says.
08:41Sure.
08:41I think you like Bajon and you don't know Jameer Gibbs really.
08:45I mean, no, but I think if we were in Detroit, you'd be like, I know Jameer Gibbs pretty good.
08:51He doesn't seem like a guy who would play a hard ball.
08:53Do we want to put a $1 bet on who signs first?
08:55Sure.
08:55We'll put a $1 bet on it.
08:57Who did I have?
09:02I don't care.
09:05Who did I say?
09:06You've got Gibbs.
09:07I think Gibbs will go first.
09:07I've got Bajon.
09:08Okay.
09:08There it is.
09:09We'll love you.
Comments

Recommended