Sports

[gardenman]

The Franchise tags have all been handed out. The Jags tagged Josh Allen.  The Panthers tagged Brian Burns. Kyle Duggar of the Patriots earned a tag. Tee Higgins of the Bengals. Jaylon Johnson of the Bears. Justin Madabuike of the Ravens. Michael Pittman of the Colts. L'Jarius Sneed of the Chiefs. And, Antioine Winfield Jr. of the Bucs.

A few more tags than expected, but teams couldn't get deals done before the tag deadline. Teams can now make their free agency shopping lists knowing who's available. Though a few guys not tagged will likely make deals with their old teams just before free agency starts.

The Cowboys made one of those penny-wise, pound-foolish moves by picking up the fifth-year option on Micah Parsons but listing Micah Parsons as a defensive end instead of a linebacker costing him $2.7 million in 2025. That will come back to bite them in the end as DEs tend to be higher paid than linebackers. Nick Bosa gets $34 million a year while the highest-paid linebacker (Roquan Smith) gets $20 million. They save $2.7 million in 2025 but can't truly argue he's "just a linebacker" in 2026 when they'll have to have a new deal in place. Parsons and his reps will feel that the Cowboys are stealing $2.7 million from him in 2025, so they'll want that back with interest. 

I would expect Parsons' reps to walk to the negotiating table with an initial demand of $50 million a year and a floor of $40 million a year. The Cowboys will argue he's a linebacker and offer $21+ million. I would expect those negotiations to be a tad contentious. The Cowboys might try to offer something around $35 million a year making Parsons the highest-paid defensive player, but Parson's reps will want $40 million a year minimum to make up for the $2.7 million JJ "stole" from him in 2025. Not smart to nickel and dime your best players. 

 Who will the Eagles look at in free agency? Linebacker is an obvious need. Expect several guys to be signed there. Probably not the top "name" guys, but guys the Eagles can hope will thrive in the new system. Safety Jeremy Chinn makes some sense. The Eagles loved him coming out in the draft. Guard Jon Runyan could carry on the Runyan name in Philly following in his father's footsteps. I don't think they'll be looking at guys over thirty years of age. I think they want a younger, faster roster in 2024.

[Spurt]

@gardenman 

Okay due to his previous affiliation with OC Kliff Kingsbury, Washington has signed 33 yr old TE Zach Ertz to a one yr deal. He joined the Cardinals in a 2021 trade with the Eagles, he then went to the Lions Pactice Squad in 2023 but didn't appear in any games. Currently the TE's on Washington's roster are John Bates, Cole Turner, and Armani Rogers and are nothing to write home about.

[gardenman]

@Spurt 

It's a good deal for Ertz. He's reportedly getting $5 million. I'm not sure how much he has left. The Cards let him go. The Lions signed him but never used him, then let him go. He's a good "presence" guy, but I'm not sure how good a player he is now.

[teganslaw]

The Buffalo Bills are releasing some big name players for cap space: Tre'Davious White, Jordan Poyer and Mitch Morse. They also released Nyheim Hines who they got from the Colts in exchange for Zack Moss. The Bills must have plans for replacing those players. 

I didn't know that Zach Ertz was with Detroit. Somehow I missed the news of him signing with that team.He didn't play in any games, so I wonder why the Lions even got him in the first place. 

[gardenman]

The Bills were one of those teams ridiculously over the cap in 2024. They were something like $45 million over the cap. ($75 million before the cap increased $30 million.) They're still around $7.5 million over the cap. Everyone has to be under the cap on Wednesday and some teams still have quite a bit more to do. The Broncos are nearly $20 million over the cap. The Chargers are $18.6 million over the cap. The Dolphins are $15.6 million over the cap. The Saints are still about $15.5 million over the cap. The Ravens are $5 million over and the Cowboys are $4 million over. And this is all with the cap rising by $30 million, so that gives you some idea of how bad things were before the cap increased.

A lot of "name" players with big contracts are getting tossed aside to try and get under the cap. It's a good year to have cap space and be a willing shopper. Lots of good players are out there in free agency to pick up and add to a roster.

The Texans may be the most ideally situated team. They have about $70 million in cap space, a good young QB,  a pretty solid roster, a well-respected coach, and are a playoff-caliber team now. If they make the right moves in free agency and the draft, they could knock off KC as the dominant AFC team and stay there for quite a bit. They have four more years of a lower-cost CJ Stroud. They also scored seventh overall in the NFLPA player survey with all As and Bs so players won't be too afraid to go there.

Washington has a lot of cap space also, $96+ million, but they scored 32nd in the NFLPA player rating. There's not a lot there now for them to sell to players. They don't have a QB. They're stuck in the same stadium and facilities through about 2030. If you're a free agent and you're choosing between Washington and Houston, eh, it's not that much of a choice. Washington's going to have to overpay to land guys which will hurt them in later years. Washington needs a great draft and to fill the roster with good young players to start to turn things around. 

The Eagles are nicely positioned to add guys and rebound. They've got $40 (or so) million in cap space. A first and two second-round picks in a deep draft. A fairly solid roster and are ranked fourth overall in the NFLPA survey. The new coaches are known and largely respected throughout the league. 

According to Jane Slater, the Cowboys and Dak haven't even started talking about his new contract yet. That means they won't be big players in free agency. A new deal for Dak could free up $20 million or so they could use for free agents, but a new deal will take weeks to get done and we're less than a week from the start of free agency.

The longer they wait, the less incentive there is for Dak to sign a new deal. Each day gets him one day closer to testing free agency. The selling point for the Cowboys is to give him a wheelbarrow full of cash now as a signing bonus that he could be investing now. We're talking about a likely three or four-year deal at $60 million a year with probably $100 million or so (maybe more) as a signing bonus. That signing bonus that he could be investing now and making a good return on (about 7% per year on average) would be bonus money on top of his contract money. Every day the Cowboys delay signing him makes that bonus money less and less valuable. If they wait until August to try and sign him, as Jane Slater suggests, they'll have deprived him of six months of that investment income which with $100 million at 7% would be $3.5+ million that he'll want added onto his already hefty contract demands. 

Dak will have nearly no incentive to sign an extension in August. He'll be five or six months from being able to test free agency as arguably one of the most valuable guys to ever reach free agency. He'll be able to pick a team and go wherever he wants to go.

[gardenman]

The depth in the draft at WR and OL may drive down prices for free agents at those positions. At least before the draft. Once the draft is past any team that missed on a kid at those spots may get a bit desperate for whatever's left in the free agent pool and that could drive up the price for the guys left over.

The apparent depth in the draft could also cost some kids the chance to be drafted as high as they could in a weaker year. If there are only one or two "upper-tier" guys at a position, those teams with a need will stampede each other to get up to take them. If there are twenty competent starter types, teams may decide to wait a round or two and fill another need first. If you're looking for WR or OL, you don't have to grab one in the first round this year. Guys who might have been a first-round guy in previous years will slip to the second or third round. 

[gardenman]

It's going to be an interesting free agent season. Lots of RBs and safeties are flooding the market. That should depress the price tags for those guys. 

The word from New York is that the Eagles are a preferred destination for Saquon Barkley. That has Tiki Barber warning him that Giant Nation will turn on him if he signs with the Eagles. (Bear in mind, most of the rumors about where a free agent will go are leaks by agents trying to encourage a bidding war. Much of the time the team rumored to be interested in a guy has no interest in him.) 

Could the Eagles use Saquon? Sure. So could another 31 teams. He's a premier running back who can do everything. Any team he goes to will be stronger with him.  Would he like to run behind this offensive line? Absolutely. Will the Eagles pay what he wants? Probably not.

The Broncos waived veteran safety Justin Simmons who the Eagles had reportedly tried to trade for at the trading deadline the last few years. He played under Vic Fangio in his younger days and raved about Fangio at the Pro Bowl when asked about the Eagles hiring Fangio. He makes sense as a veteran pickup at safety. He knows the system and could help our kids (Blankenship and Sydney Brown) adjust to the nuances of a Fangio defense. Since he's been cut, he could be signed before free agency starts. He might want to wait and see how the market develops. He's only thirty, so he's got a few good years left ahead of him.

Quandre Diggs is another name to keep an eye on for the Eagles. Darius Slay is actively recruiting him to join the Eagles. He played with Diggs when both were with the Lions. Diggs is 31, so a bit older than Simmons. 

The Eagles will want to fill any obvious holes before the draft. The obvious holes are linebacker, safety, a third wide receiver, and running back. They may poach an offensive lineman or two that they like also. There are lots of options out there for those spots. I would expect them to sign a backup veteran QB also.

[Spurt]

@gardenman @teganslaw 

OMG Russell Wilson is having a meeting to explore options with the NY Giants.....I can just picture Russ behind their awful online!!!!....and if Barkley leaves not many weapons for the offense either.....but one thing not even Adam Schefter mentioned, JMHO is that NY would be perfect for his wife who is trying to boost her showbiz career!  But Ciara's hopes could be dashed since Russell is also meeting with the Steelers....

Hmmm....one interesting comment by Jerry Jones, he's bragging up Trey Lance, you know the surprise acquisition that even the coaches nor Dak knew about...They like what they've been seeing and saw in practice....While its true backup QB Cooper Rush is a FA, perhaps this is also a message for Dak if the Cowboys decide to take the cap hit and release Dak in 2025.....STAY TUNED

This is what Jerry had to say about Trey:

“The arrow’s really up,” Jones said. “He’s exceeded expectations as a person, as a worker, as a character. He’s got unique skills. He’s very much what we had planned on, hoped. When we gave the pick, we knew we would be paying the bonus right now. That was a part of the same decision. That’s been reinforced by what he’s been with the team and the person he is, potentially the player.”

“We don’t know any more on the field, from the experience in games, we don’t know any more than what we knew when we brought him on, and that is his college and his time in San Francisco,” Jones said. “What we do know, though, is what he’s done in practice. We don’t know about his game experience, we don’t know his competitive experience, but we do know about his practice experience, and the things he’s done there, it’s been all plus.”

[gardenman]

@Spurt 

There's been some chatter about the Cowboys trading Trey Lance to the Vikings, so JJ could be trying to raise Lance's price to get more from the Vikings.

[teganslaw]

The Colts have 49.2 million in cap space after franchise tagging Michael Pittman. He isn't upset about the franchise tag, it will probably help him in the long run. 

They have other players who will be free agents, so there might be some trades or new contracts happening soon. 

The Cowboys restructured Zack Martin's contract to save them 13 million in cap space.