sparky151

Probowl rosters are decided by voting. I wouldn't say it's a gimme. IMO he's a top 3 QB in the AFC but it could end up being Mahomes, Rodgers, Herbert or something like that. Tua, Lamar, Josh Allen, Joe, maybe Russell Wilson or Deshaun Watson will be in the conversation.

Burrow's 5th year option price will be about 3 mil higher if he makes the original probowl roster for 2023.

That's a bit surprising. He's a bright guy and was an MBA student at Georgia Tech. You'd think he hasn't blown his career earnings already and could pay and would be wise enough to kick up the money rather than go to jail.

He entered a not guilty plea today. Not sure when the trial will be.

He'll certainly be convicted on the failure to block charge. Maybe on the menacing charge too.

Yeah, they're welcome to him and his contract.

It looks like 180 mil in the last 2 years. They'll probably add some void years to spread it out further, even if Hurts gets hurt and doesn't keep ascending.

That's really sad. I recall Smith played pretty well in limited snaps here but got a nice contract offer from the Stains.

In good news, Damar Hamlin has been medically cleared to resume football activities.

Hurts was already under contract for 2023 on his rookie deal. The new contract tacked 5 years on to that. If those numbers from Shefter are right, it's massively backloaded. It looks like they dropped his salary for this year from 4 mil to the minimum, as he got a 24 mil signing bonus.

For what it's worth, signing bonuses can only be prorated over 5 years, even if the contract is longer. On a deal like Mahomes, there will be multiple bonuses, guaranteed at signing but not paid until several years later to take advantage of the prorating over the course of the deal. That's pro bowl QB Tyler Huntley to us. Hilariously, he was chosen as the 3rd alternate QB for the probowl, ahead of Tua and Trevor. Huntley is a restricted free agent. They almost never get outside offers so he'll be back but I don't think he's signed yet.

If it's brown, flush it down

If the NFL let's use start 12 defenders, I don't think Zach Carter will be one of them. I doubt Irv Smith is our starting TE as well. They must be assuming a trade of Williams.

Yeah, it's being portrayed as a genius move by the team to make up with Lamar. But OBJ is about 5 years past his prime.

Ravens will have to do some cap maneuvering to add OBJ. They are 6 mil under the cap without him. If he's earning 15 mil plus incentives, they'll have to restructure other players. That's with Lamar on their cap for 32 mil. If they ever agree to a deal with him, it could easily have a lower number for 2023. But so far he's not doing them any favors.

Burrow has repeatedly said he wants to be here and play for Taylor. You seem to think he's insincere about that but I doubt he is. He's going to be paid handsomely and is on a team that has the potential to win. The Jets and Rams will have QB openings in the not too distant future but will have to fill them before Burrow is free.

What makes you think Burrow wants out of Cincinnati or wants to maintain an option to leave Cincinnati? He has as much leverage here as Mahomes has in KC. He's a local hero, playing as close to home as possible, and will soon be among the highest paid players in the league. What a terrible fate 😜

The accusations against the Cardinals don't seem to amount to much. They read like an angry ex-employee throwing stuff around and hoping something sticks enough to get him a payday. Now that they're public, Bidwill most likely would rather pay lawyers than the ex-employee.

The NFL funding rule is apparently optional. Under it the Browns would have had to escrow $160 mil for Deshaun Watson by last Friday. There are no reports that they actually did so.

If the team is giving Burrow a new deal now, it better be a long term one. Burrow is 5 or 6 years away from the open market so signing a 4 or 5 year deal now doesn't do much for the team. It saves them from using tags but that's about it. He's under contract for 2023 on his current rookie deal. The team will certainly exercise their 5th year option for 2024. Tags 1 and 2 cover 2025 and 2026. He'd likely get tag 3 for 2027. That would be his first year with an above-market salary as it comes with a 44% raise over his prior year pay. So, if the team wants to reward him for his excellent play earlier than necessary, they should be getting a long term commitment from him with a team-friendly structure that allows them to keep his supporting cast. Bengals aren't known as innovators but maybe a contract that simply pays a % of the cap would work for both sides?

Yes, since they can be signed to another team's active roster from someone's practice squad.

Yeah, there is a law that requires 60 day notice for mass layoffs (I think it's if more than 50 people are losing their jobs). Simultaneous cuts across the league probably mean a lot more players clear waivers and make it to the practice squad.

The point of demanding a trade was to make teams that might want Jackson to deal with Baltimore. If they just sign Jackson without a deal in place, Baltimore might match the offer, thank the other team for negotiating a contract they can live with, and look forward to the season. Jackson probably thinks his trade value is higher than the 2 first round picks Baltimore would get if they don't match an offer sheet. So a team reaching an agreement in principle with the Ravens would be his best shot at a change of scenery. Of course they'd still have to offer him a contract that he'd sign. I agree with your point that he's an idiot for not having an agent, he could have had something like the Josh Allen deal from 2021 that has paid Allen about 60 million more than Jackson has made in the last 2 years.

Jonah asking for a trade is our version of this. But JW is a lot less vital to the Bengals than LJ is to the Ravens. Tyler Huntley was somehow named to the Pro Bowl roster last year ahead of either Tua or Herbert but that was a joke. If Jackson leaves charm city, they are hosed, at least for this year.

I don't think any other team is willing to trade to Baltimore something they'd prefer to Lamar. So he'll either be playing on the tag this season or holding out (or getting an agent and signing a realistic deal).