Free Agency Matchmaker: Finding Fits for Trey Hendrickson, Mike Evans, and Others!

19:15Sheil Kapadia:Right, because they average out all offensive line, which makes it tricky.

19:18Diante Lee:It's so strange. Because I remember even when I first saw that headline, I'm like, is there something I don't know about Tyler Linderbaum? I thought he was like one of their better players here. So they chose not to do that. And you can understand why they didn't. But now you face a situation where it's like, unless you franchise tag him or something, he could hit the open market. And now you might not be able to keep him if there's another team that wants to get really aggressive. So the way that played out is pretty interesting with the Ravens. He could just go back to the Ravens. That's a possibility.

19:49Diante Lee:Now, do they want to pay a center? That kind of money? We'll see. but I think one of these other teams certainly not will be my guess. That's, that's what it feels like. You know, if you kind of let it get to this stage here, you kind of are wondering, Hmm, maybe he's not going to go back to Baltimore. So yeah, Baltimore Raiders chargers. I think those are all good names for Tyler Linderbaum. All right, let's take a break. We come back. We're getting to a quarterback who I've been thinking about this guy way too much over like the last week or so. And in the last 48 hours, when I was kind of diving into free agency prep, but I'm just like, how is this going to play out?

20:25Diante Lee:And is it going to be a good outcome for anybody? So we'll talk about him. We'll talk about some other players.

20:30Sheil Kapadia:This episode is brought to you by Hotels.com. Save Your Way is a new feature on Hotels.com. And it's as simple as it sounds. When you book a trip as a Hotels.com member, you decide how to use your savings. Take the instant savings now or bank the savings as rewards for later. It's your call. Only at Hotels.com. Save Your Way is available to loyalty members in the U.S. and U.K. and hotels with member prices. Other terms apply. See site for details.

20:57Diante Lee:All right, we're back here on the Ringer NFL show. Deontay, the guy I was teasing there is Daniel Jones. And Colts fans, I'm not trying to be mean to you, but I just feel like this is kind of setting up to be a disaster for the Colts. You know, Daniel Jones played well for, let's say, 10 games last year. It was an outlier performance statistically based on what we had seen from him previously in his career. They go all in on the sauce gardener trade. So now they don't have a first round pick in 26. They don't have a first round pick in 27. And they're facing a massive decision on how to go forward with Daniel Jones coming off of an Achilles injury.

21:38Diante Lee:And so what are the options? The options are franchise tag one year,$47 million. dollars. I'm sorry. I don't, I just, I just don't. If I'm in the room, I'm like, that's not even an option. Don't even put it up on the whiteboard. We're not paying a guy coming off an Achilles 47 million dollars for one year when we have no idea what he's going to look like next year. You could sign him to a long-term extension. Now, what's that number going to be? Is he going to be like, I'm cool with the Sam Darnold, you know, three years, a hundred million dollar deal. Or is he going to say, I don't think so. I would like to be paid more than that.

22:14Diante Lee:The number should start with a four. I really don't know what direction it's going to go in, but you hear the Chris Ballard talk, you hear the Colts talk. They're just like, Daniel Jones is our quarterback in the short term and the long term. And it's like, all right, I guess they're going to do whatever it takes here. And I don't know that that's going to end up well, Deontay, where are you with this Daniel Jones situation? Am I being an alarmist here with my analysis?

22:39Sheil Kapadia:I don't think you're being an alarmist, but I will say that this Andrew Jones situation is the stuff that dreams are made of if you're a sports agent. From a leverage perspective, you dream of being in these situations. You have this team 100 % over the barrel. And while you don't want your client to have ever suffered an Achilles injury, if there was ever a time to do it, it's as you're hitting the market and the team is totally bought in to this being the core that is supposed to get them a deep playoff run.

23:06Diante Lee:And you didn't come back down to earth. Exactly. You kind of suffered it. You left still on a high level.

23:11Sheil Kapadia:They were evening out. But like you said, you didn't get the dip, right? It would be one thing if he finishes the season out and maybe he's kind of trending downward and that kind of depresses his value out in the market and maybe you're able to bring him in at a more reasonable number. But if I'm Daniel Jones, the Colts can say whatever they want to say. The franchise tag number is where this negotiation is starting. And then how far down you want this to go is going to depend on how many years you want to tack onto this deal. That's really kind of where I'm at, at least if I was negotiating on the player's behalf, right?

23:43Sheil Kapadia:I think if you're the Colts, you probably look at like Geno Smith's deal. It's about 38 million per year. And you say, okay, this is our ceiling. We'll give you two years of real money on that deal, right? It's kind of a make good. We know you're going to need some time to recover whether you're ready at training camp to practice or not. You're probably not going to be a week one starter. I can't imagine given when he suffered his Achilles injury. So yeah, we'll give you maybe, you know, 75 to 80 over two years. And then if you show and prove and we're back in the playoffs, then we can tear this deal up and go tack on another two years at the end of it.

24:19Sheil Kapadia:But that's about as far as we're willing to take this is basically to the end of the draft capital that they expended to go get Sauce Gardner. We will sign you through 2027 and that's about it at about 38 to maybe 40 million. But if I'm Daniel Jones, Kirk Cousins money, baby. Three years, 45 per. That's what I'm talking about. if I'm the player and I'm the player's agent.

24:40Diante Lee:Yeah, you're absolutely right about that. I mean, if you're Daniel Jones, what is your motivation to take less money there? Like you said, all right, you want to tag me? Cool, yeah, I'll play next year for 47 million guaranteed for one year. I would do that. And the Colts, I just feel like the position they've put themselves in, I swear, if I were in that building, I would be like, we need to have a conversation about we might need to get out of the Daniel Jones business. Like, let's have our number, which one of those numbers you mentioned. Is it 33? Is it 35? Is it 38? If that starts with a four, I'm going to be in the room going, no, I'm sorry.

25:20Diante Lee:We're not doing that. We have to look at this with clear eyes. It is highly unlikely that the level of play we saw for 10, 12 games from Daniel Jones last year is who he is going to be going forward. You don't reward, Well, you know, I am always pro player, but if I'm in the building talking about what to do for the team, I'm going, we're not rewarding him for a 10-game stretch. We have to look at what's he going to be for us going forward. He stayed healthy for an entire season, once in his entire career. He's played at a top 10 level once. Once-ish. Maybe once-ish, if you want to give him the one year with the Giants plus this, that's fine.

25:59Diante Lee:Twice in his entire career. And I would look at it and say the key last year was Shane Steichen did a fantastic job. The supporting cast did a great job. O-line, Jonathan Taylor, Alec Pierce, Tyler Warren. We have good pieces in place. Let's keep the lines of communication open with Daniel Jones. If he wants to play hardball, we thank him. But we're monitoring markets for Malik Willis. We're monitoring markets for Mac Jones. We're monitoring markets for Kyler Murray. Maybe we're going to get a PR hit. Maybe the locker room. We got to explain stuff to them. But we have to do what's best for our football team.

26:37Diante Lee:And if I'm in there, I'm going paying Daniel Jones long-term, over$40 million per year coming off an Achilles after an outlier season is not what's best for the football team. So I know it's outside the box. And I know the Colts, by all accounts, are not thinking like that. But I swear if I were in there, I would be trying to convince everyone that that is actually how we have to look at this situation.

26:57Sheil Kapadia:I'm 100 % there with you. and this is the thing I was thinking about with the franchise tag before we got on. And I'm not saying that I advocate for this. I'm just saying that I get it. If I'm Daniel Jones's agent, I'm also saying franchise tag us if you want to, and then we will see what condition he's in come training camp. I'm going to be on this contract no matter what. I'll sign the franchise tender because it's going to get me$45 million. Oh, sign that right away. Yeah. You know, but we'll see. We'll see what condition this Achilles is in once you want him to report to camp. And like I said, that's the ugly side of the business, where all of a sudden you're going to hear anonymous sourcing on Daniel Jones, unsure if he's going to be ready for week one.

27:37Sheil Kapadia:Daniel Jones' representation is putting out messages that he might need some extra time, or they're being very cautious with his Achilles rehab. And this is the thorny nature of trying to make these deals for guys coming off of the year that Daniel Jones just had. And I'm right there with you in terms of contingencies. if I'm Chris Ballard, if I'm Carly Gordon, I'm coming in and saying, hey, this is what we are offering you. If this is not good enough for you, we will rescind this and I will go call for Kyler Murray and I'll give up a second round pick. We're already pot committed to the next two years either way because we traded away these two first round picks.

28:13Sheil Kapadia:What the hell is a little bit of draft compensation going out to go bring in a quarterback that at least has played at a high level and is flawed, maybe not as flawed as Daniel Jones, but similarly flawed in terms of being an athletic guy who's been banged up at different points in his career. We'll go take a chance on Kyler. And if it doesn't work, we're all fired anyways. But if I'm, if I'm, if I'm them similar to what you were saying, I don't want to get fired because I was a team that gave up three years for 130 million to Daniel Jones coming off of an Achilles injury. And we look up halfway through the 2026 season and it's like, he's not even going to be healthy enough to finish this contract, let alone, you know, give us the, the, the wins that we need to be the team that we want to be.

28:52Diante Lee:I'm going to predict he goes back, by the way. I think he goes back and they pay him and I'm on here going, they shouldn't have done that.

28:58Sheil Kapadia:I'm right there with you. I just think that inertia is going to win out. I don't think that Indianapolis wants to get back in the quarterback business. I think that Daniel Jones will give them maybe a little bit of leeway to be able to negotiate down to a number that they like. As long as it's a multi-year deal and we're all going to have our cheeks clenched as they go through this three-year deal, right? That is probably coming up at some point at the start of free agency.

29:21Diante Lee:All right. We're on the same page there. All right. Next quarterback. One of the more fascinating free agents in recent memory. We talked about this with Billy last week a little bit, but Malik Willis coming off of what? Six starts here. I'm now entering free agency. And we just talked about it. It's a very strange quarterback market this off season. And so if you are a team that needs a quarterback, and you liked what you saw from Malik Willis and a limited sample with Matt LaFleur, what number are you willing to go to? And I was thinking about this, Deontay, that I think a two-year try with Malik Willis is actually reasonable.

30:05Diante Lee:And I know it sounds crazy because you're like, man, come on. He was six games and he was Matt LaFleur. But the thing is, you're not giving up draft capital. So it's not like some big swing where you're trying to move up for some guy you talked yourself into and now you're down first round picks. No, it's not that. So no draft capital. And presumably, I think even the most optimistic takes on what Malik Willis will command in free agency is still going to be below market value if you think he can be just sort of an average starter in the NFL. So I actually don't think it's a crazy move for a quarterback needy team.

30:42Diante Lee:And I know when the contract comes out, everyone's going to go, oh my gosh, are you kidding me? And it might not work out, but finding a quarterback is hard. And you have to look at the different paths available and say, which one are we willing to live with? And I think the thing you don't want to do is dig yourself like a deep hole with a swing with uncertainty. And you're kind of not doing that with Malik Willis. So the more I look at it, if I were a team in need of a quarterback and had some cap space and I felt confident in my offensive coach and maybe my supporting cast, he's one that actually would be pretty intriguing to me.

31:14Diante Lee:Where are you with Malik Willis?

31:16Sheil Kapadia:It's so funny, man. When I was going through this process, if I'm other teams, this is where I'm really, really annoyed with New York last offseason for giving Justin Fields 20 per year and 30 million guaranteed. That was kind of unprecedented, honestly. Nobody thought he was getting that. It was so unnecessary at the time. And the reason why I'm upset is now if I'm Malik Willis, I hit the market and I say, don't call me unless it's that number plus at least a couple million dollars. My brand is not in the tank the way that Justin Fields was leaving Pittsburgh and having the failures of Chicago also kind of on his resume.

31:57Sheil Kapadia:No matter what you think about the level of development that he did or did not receive during that time there. I'm saying if it's going to be a two-year deal, you're going to have to pay me$25 per. Now, I think that ultimately in the quarterback market, when you look at the hierarchy of what these guys are getting paid, if he's behind Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold, who are in that kind of mid-30s range, I think if you're a team, you just kind of have to grit and bear it. If you're in the free agent market looking for a bridge slash let's figure out what this guy is type of quarterback. So yeah, I'd say two years,$50 million.

32:28Sheil Kapadia:Maybe you guarantee on the lower end, Maybe it is just$30 million guaranteed. And you hope you at least get a year from this guy that gets you through to the 2027 draft. Because even if it is a disaster, now you probably have good enough draft position to go get a young guy. And now Willis can be that player's competition, ultimately to be the starter. And as far as teams go, I had three in mind. One, which I think is a little bit longer odds, even though he's been linked there. And the other two, I feel good about. The one with longer odds will be the Dolphins, right? Because they just have so many things financially.

33:00Sheil Kapadia:that they have to work through. I can only imagine he's a Dolphin if he and Jeff Halfley and John Eric Sullivan had some kind of handshake deal as those two were leaving for Miami, where it's like, hey, we're going to play this slow in the market. We've got to figure out what we're going to do with Bradley Chubb and Minka Fitzpatrick and Tua Tunga-Vailoa. Give us, you know, give us still that post-June 1st date where we can maybe trade one of these veterans away. We can make Tua's number a little bit easier to handle, and then we can bring you in later. And if I'm Malik Willis, I'm saying, The other two teams that I'm going to use is a backstop against that would be the Arizona Cardinals, who could absolutely use a new quarterback to turn the page.

33:38Sheil Kapadia:And the New York Jets, which would just be funny because stylistically and contract wise, he would probably be being paid something very similar to what Justin Fields just got. And that was just an abject failure by the franchise. So those are the three that I had in mind.

33:51Diante Lee:I landed on the Cardinals and I led it on the same number you said, you know, I think around$25 million per year. And you're so right. Because if you're his agent, you're looking at it and going, Fields, two for 40, 30 million guaranteed. Like, yes, that's the floor. That's the number. That's the floor. And I probably want more than that, you know? Because to your point, Fields had been one of the worst starters in the NFL statistically when he got that deal. And everyone looked at it and was like, he's entering free agency. Would you take like a one-year flyer on him? You know, I was thinking like 8 million.

34:25Diante Lee:Maybe like 8 million. Yeah, something like that. And the Jets are like, two years,$40 million. Here you go. And here they are a year later. So yeah, I think that's probably the type of deal you're looking for. And again,$25 million per year for a quarterback who's not on a rookie contract. That market kind of doesn't exist other than the Justin Fields one. So I think that's maybe what you're looking at. So yeah, I want Willis to go somewhere where I feel like he has a chance. I do too. I'll do respect to the Jets. But man, I'm looking at the... I think the Jets are just looking ahead to 2027 and Aaron Glenn probably might not know it or might not want to admit it, but I feel like the front office and beyond is like, this is about 2027.

35:04Diante Lee:So with all these free agents, I'm kind of like, are the Jets even going to do anything? I don't know. How aggressive are they going to be? Is it just going to be younger players who can be here three years from now, that direction? But I have no idea what they're going to do at quarterback. But yeah, if I'm Willis, I would rather go to a team like the Cardinals than a team like the Jets. So we shall see very, very interesting free agent, Malik Willis. All right. Next guy, Alec Pierce, wide receiver, 26 years old. And he is a guy who they could potentially use the franchise tag on, which would be one year,$28 million.

35:43Diante Lee:The Colts we just talked about with Daniel Jones, they could do that. Or they could try to sign him to a long-term extension. or he could hit the open market and he could go somewhere else. He has been a guy who has been one of the most explosive play wide, biggest explosive play wide receivers in the NFL. That's what the NFL is about right now. Can you find ways to hunt those explosives when every defense is like, we're not letting you hit explosives. He's averaged over 22 yards per reception over the last two seasons. That is tops in the NFL. Deontay, if you're the Colts, how aggressive are you with Alec Pierce?

36:21Diante Lee:If you're another team, who are the teams that are kind of keeping their fingers crossed, saying, come on, let him hit the open market. We're going to make a big time offer for him.

36:30Sheil Kapadia:I think if you're the Colts, you are stuck in such a hard spot, because I do think that eventually they're going to have to make some decisions about what they want to do with the receivers on their roster, period. I think Michael Pittman could end up being a cap casualty, because I think they can save$24 million against the cap. whether they cut or traded him. So I would not be surprised as the combine goes on this week, if we start to hear that the Colts are maybe putting out some feelers or they plan to be active on the trade market and maybe Michael Pittman is the name that they're dangling out there to see if they can recoup some mid-round draft value.

37:03Sheil Kapadia:And if you're able to get that deal done, then you bring Alec Pierce back and you pay him. I think if you're not able to get an Alec Pierce off your, excuse me, a Michael Pittman off your roster, now we're back to the numbers we were talking about with Daniel Jones, you're gonna have to i think pay um quentin nelson after this year because he's on an expiring deal you kind of got to start playing this stuff out 2027 2028 and beyond and what this roster might actually look like for a team that has been middling right at at its best and it's never really broken through in the afc south and to me this is one of those things if you're alec pierce i can't wait around for my incumbent team to figure out their financials because there's some legitimate earning potential out there for him.

37:44Sheil Kapadia:And when I was looking at the market, I think that about what Jalen Waddell was making, which is in the$28 million range, could be out there for him. I think that DJ Moore's$27 million per year deal is also another comp that you can look at that I think would make a lot of sense, even up to maybe, you know, for a desperate enough team, you might be able to make Brandon Ayuk money, which is about 30 per year, right in the right situation or with the team that's desperate enough for a receiver as explosive as Alec Pierce has been. And I think that the production over the last two years would justify making that payment.

38:15Diante Lee:I'm with you. Good organizations, you draft a player, the player works out well for you. The player's 26 years old at a premium position. You don't just let those players walk in free agency. It's hard enough to find those, especially when it's not a first round pick. It's hard enough to find those players that when you do find them, you kind of want to hold on to him. Like that is the way you build a roster. And I'm with you on the comps. I even had down Jamison Williams, just under$27 million per year. So we're, we're in the same ballpark. I think right around that 27,$20 million per year with the chance that actually if he hits the open market, that he's a guy who, you know, that first day of the negotiating period, we come out, Whoa, he got over 30, 31 a year.

39:03Diante Lee:That wouldn't shock me if he was that type of player because that is the he has a unique skill set which always works in your favor where it's just like this guy's gonna make plays downfield for you and that is something that i don't care what offensive scheme you're running that is something uh you're gonna value and so uh he could be entering his prime right now you know he again he's still in his mid-20s uh and maybe if he's like with a elite quarterback who knows what some of his numbers might look like there so i I liked where you were going with the Pittman thing. I sort of feel like we're looking at a situation where they move on from a Michael Pittman.

39:38Diante Lee:Maybe it's a trade. I was thinking like a team like the Patriots, a team like the Raiders, you know?

39:44Sheil Kapadia:I think a team like the Chargers too, who might not want to pay big money on the market for a receiver, but would trade mid-round draft capital for a sure thing, like Michael Pittman. That's what I'm thinking.

39:55Diante Lee:Yeah, because he's not going to, I'm with you. I think mid-round pick, the salary is it's not you know top of the market it's not like you know I wouldn't say it's like the greatest contract either but it's one you can live with for a guy who's maybe going to be your second option in your passing game and so I think maybe they trade Michael Pittman and they say Alec Pierce is just going to be a more valuable piece for our offense for the next three seasons and he ends up going back to the Colts let's say$27 million per year so that's what I've got with Alec Pierce One more break. We come back.

40:30Diante Lee:Let's talk some running backs. A couple interesting running backs on the market when we come back. All right, we're back on the Ringer NFL show. Let's do these two guys together here. Deontay, two running backs, Kenneth Walker and Brees Hall. Both could potentially hit free agency. Now, a couple of key things to note here. One key thing is that there is a little known tag called the transition tag. And what that is, is you pay the running back. It's like a franchise tag, but it's one year,$11.7 million. And the deal is the player can then go sign with another team. You have the right to match any offer.

41:11Diante Lee:If you don't match it, you don't get anything in return. That's what's different about it than the franchise tag. But at running back, for a lot of positions, it doesn't make sense. At running back, it kind of could make sense. Because if you look at the running back market, Kyron Williams got$11 million per season. I think James Cook was$11.5 million per season. I think that's around the neighborhood you're probably talking about with both these guys, Kenneth Walker of the Seahawks and Brees Hall of the Jets. So these teams could say, yeah, let's sign up for one year,$11.7 million guaranteed.

41:42Diante Lee:If they get a great offer out there from another team, we can say, all right, wasn't meant to be. But we can sort of see exactly what the market might dictate. And if they don't get any offer like that, now one year,$11.7 million might be a good option for us. So how do you size these two guys up? Deontay, Kenneth Walker and Brees Hall.

42:03Sheil Kapadia:I like the fact that you clustered them together because I was thinking about them pretty similarly in this market, right? And I think that the transition tag ultimately is where this thing lands because I think that both teams are going to come to those guys and say, hey, Javante Williams just came off of an excellent year and he just took an$8 million per year deal to remain in Dallas. Would you like to play on that deal? And whether you're Brees Hall or Kenneth Walker, the answer is just roundly no. I'm not playing on an$8 million deal. I want to go push towards that James Cook$11.5 million per year type of deal.

42:37Sheil Kapadia:I want to push into that Josh Jacobs $12 million per year type of range. And I think the transition tag is the best way for them to get that earning potential. Even though as a running back, you never want to be in a one-year deal type of situation, given usage, given the attrition that comes with the position, especially at this age, because you're not going to have the same kind of earning potential forever, right? And it feels like that age clip that teams are working with at the running back position comes down by half a year every time I look up, right?

43:06Diante Lee:You're like, oh man, this guy's 26 already. 27, right. That kid used to be old. What's going on here? Exactly. I find myself doing that with guys. I'm like, he's going to be 29 this season. And it's like, wait a minute. I don't remember people being worried about a guy being 29, 5, 10 years ago, but yeah, that's where we are, I guess.

43:23Sheil Kapadia:It's funny in that respect. And I guess then really, like, it just opens up the conversation to, if the number is 11.7 million, what teams would be willing to go surpass that or go match that number, right? Or go offer you a contract at that Josh Jacobs 12 million per year, you know, type of APY. And I think that for me, there's a lot of teams that you can probably throw in that mix, right? Because both of those guys are probably best with the complimentary piece, but clearly both talented enough. I think if you needed them in a pinch, we just saw it with Kenneth Walker, that if you needed him to be the bell cow, he can still do it.

43:59Sheil Kapadia:But I think, again, we're going to be talking about teams like the Chargers, teams like the Commanders. I think that even if you're Seattle, you could say, hey, if we get priced out on Kenneth Walker, maybe we go call Brees Hall, who's very similar in skill set, to see if we can offer him a deal to bring him over. right I think the Steelers could use a little extra juice at the running back position as well

44:20Diante Lee:Kenneth Walker I could kind of see that one that they're looking I actually don't I don't really have a sense of what the Steelers want to do or what they're gonna do this you know that when you move on from Mike Tomlin and you hire Mike McCarthy and now it's like there's no other

44:34Sheil Kapadia:shuffling in the front office or anything like that yeah I really have no idea but I was like

44:38Diante Lee:I could just kind of see that if I you know I woke up one day and it was like the Steelers are signing Kenneth Walker to three years, you know,$34 billion, a three-year,$34 million deal. And then everyone's saying, oh, he's got that Le 'Veon Bell patient style and, you know, their offensive line could be pretty good next year. So yeah, I definitely, I actually had this dealers written down for Kenneth Walker.

45:00Sheil Kapadia:I like that. And I think that for both these guys, the one team that I will be most interested in them landing with, even though they already kind of have an interesting rotation of backs will be Denver. Yes. I do think that's who I wrote down

45:11Diante Lee:for Breeze Hall, Deontay.

45:13Sheil Kapadia:I think for both Kenneth Walker and Brees Hall, because they do have that explosive play potential. And that's something that that team is looking for, whether it's by speed or playing between the tackles. They clearly want somebody who can go get you those chunk gains on the ground to be able to control the clock and game situation. And both those guys, I think, would be knockout options for whether it's between the tackles with Kenneth Walker out on the perimeter with both of those guys. Right. I really kind of like Denver kind of getting in the market for either of these two. and they got all that Russell Wilson money off their books.

45:41Sheil Kapadia:So they actually have a little bit of freedom to be able to go play around with their money a bit. So I would not be surprised if we hear their name attached to these backs, regardless of if they get tagged or not.

45:51Diante Lee:Walker, sixth most carries of 20 plus yards over the last three seasons. Like you said, he is a home run hitter. For some reason, in my mind, I was thinking Sean Payton. I'm like, he's going to want somebody who, you know, goes where the play is designed, maybe a little more structured, a little less.

46:06Sheil Kapadia:That's probably a little more Kenneth Walker. than Brees Hall, you think? Okay.

46:11Diante Lee:Well, I was, yeah, I don't know. I had Brees, for some reason in my head, I'm like, I can kind of see him liking Brees Hall a little bit more being like, you know what? He's got the pedigree from college and he was in that terrible situation with the Jets. But man, wait till you see what he looks like in my offense type thing. So I don't know. I had Brees Hall for the Broncos, maybe around 13 million per year. And then I had Kenneth Walker to the Steelers, maybe a little below that, maybe 11 and a half million, something like that. But to your point, both these guys could just get the transition tag and maybe they're not going anywhere next season.

46:43Diante Lee:Because for the Seahawks especially, they would need someone to really replace Kenneth Walker that they feel good about.

46:50Sheil Kapadia:And it's him plus Zach Charbonnet, who might not be ready for week one, given he's coming off of this ACL injury. Right.

46:57Diante Lee:So they would have to make another move there, like you said. All right. Next guy on my list, Devin Lloyd. I feel like you wrote about Devin Lloyd when he was coming out of college. Did you, Deontay? Am I remembering? I did. Listen, the old guy's memory is still working a little bit. I remember reading that Devin Lloyd and N 'Kobe Dean article. Absolutely, yes. There you go. See, I remember reading that one from Deontay. So Devin Lloyd now, linebacker from the Jaguars, is a free agent, second team All-Pro last season, has the athleticism, probably not for everybody, maybe, but will be for some teams.

47:34Diante Lee:And this one I thought was a pretty tricky projection. Linebacker is always a little bit tricky. And it's also a weirdly kind of deep off-ball linebacker class where I was looking at this going, if I need an off-ball linebacker, I'm probably going to chill for a couple of days and let the big names go off the board for big money. But I think Lloyd might be one of those guys who goes off the board for big money. You know, I was looking at Tremaine Edmonds a couple of years ago, goes from the Bills to the Bears and gets 18 million. I still can't believe that deal. That was shocking. Yeah. That was a shocking contract.

48:07Diante Lee:Like I said, it only takes one team. Where are you with Devin Lloyd, Deontay?

48:13Sheil Kapadia:I think that for Devin Lloyd, you're probably, I think that the median outcome is probably somewhere around Nick Bolton, which is about 15 per, right? I think that the best value for a team acquiring him would probably be somewhere between Aziz Alshair money and Patrick Queen money. So we're talking like 11 and a half to 13 and a half million. So we're kind of still in that range, right? I think that anything around 12-ish to 14-ish million will probably get it done for a young, I won't say young, but for a young-ish linebacker who was fresh off of a really productive season in terms of forcing turnovers.

48:47Sheil Kapadia:It looked like maybe he was turning a bit of a corner. He's been a better run defender over the last year, year and a half than what we saw early in his career. And I think that, you know, we are in a league now where you're going to want, there is a weekly theory that happens at the second level and in the secondary, right, where you just don't want to have guys that are easy to pick on. I think so often about that 49ers Chiefs rematch in the Super Bowl after Dre Greenlaw gets hurt. And you just see, I mean, Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelsey just instantly clicked into, we will just pepper whoever this weak side linebacker is, right?

49:19Sheil Kapadia:Just all game long. A guy like Devin Lloyd, while he's not a perfect player, if he is playing as your second best linebacker, as your move around linebacker, you can probably live with that, especially if you have a true Mike backer that he can play off of. I think that fits wise that's where it really gets interesting because I don't know if there are many teams that actually check that box of having a linebacker better than Devin Lloyd while also needing a linebacker like Lloyd to really help complete the defense so the market for me I think is going to be probably all over the place and I think that maybe the spot I'm really rooting for him to land would be the Rams who have taken a similar body type when Ernest Jones was there early in his career, kind of raw, long guy, used more as a blitzer.

50:02Sheil Kapadia:He kind of flexed down and was a pass rusher at times early in his career, and they kind of ended up melding him or molding him into a true off-ball linebacker. I think they could look at a guy like Devin Lloyd and be able to get similar play out of him.

50:14Diante Lee:Yeah, in the past, they've been hesitant, like with Ernest Jones, to reward that guy, but things change year to year. You never know. Are they feeling the heat of...

50:21Sheil Kapadia:Could be a last-ride element to next year with Matthew Stafford coming back, So maybe you're willing to spend for a year or two years. Maybe we will mortgage 2027 to maximize 2026. So you might see them be a little bit more active. You could agree with you that they're usually pretty conservative on the market in that way.

50:38Diante Lee:And then the Jaguar, James Gladstone came from the Rams. Does he have that philosophy or is he like our defense was pretty good last year and Devin Lloyd, there's no uncertainty with him in this scheme. Let's not overthink it and, you know, keep a guy who played really well for us last year. Yeah, I was with you. It was hard, kind of. And I looked at the Bengals, but I'm like, they shouldn't be spending that kind of money. They shouldn't be spending $14 million on the linebacker. They should be spending it up front on the defensive line there. The commanders I looked at a little bit, you know, is he have a little Frankie Lou Vu to his game where they say, we're going to move these guys around.

51:12Diante Lee:Lloyd did rush the passer more last year. I looked at that. I looked at the Titans. I looked at the Bucs, you know. Levante David is just kind of a free agent every year, it feels like. Like, is this the year he moves on or retires? And could Devin Lloyd fit that Todd Bull scheme and do some different things for him? So I landed on the box, but I didn't really feel good about it. The range is interesting. So you're more on the little bit lower end where I'm saying it only takes one team. I don't know. You might've convinced me. Yeah, I don't know that a team's gonna wanna pay Devin Lloyd 17-ish million dollars per year.

51:49Diante Lee:But I don't know. I look at just on paper, If I say second team, all pro mid twenties actually gets it at the open market. These guys usually are the ones who get paid, but I don't know that the Edmonds deal, you know, did a number on me, did a number on you.

52:04Sheil Kapadia:I will say my last, my last thing on Devin Lloyd is just like, again, personal, personal rooting interest perspective. I think that pairing him with a Fred Warner in San Francisco and letting him be more of that kind of rangy underneath guy and letting Fred Warner close all those passing windows deeper down the field. I think that that's a really interesting combination of body types and skill sets because those are both long-armed, lanky guys that you can kind of trust to be downhill players but can maybe match up with tight ends, running backs out of the backfield. I think that those two would make for a pretty interesting combo.

52:38Diante Lee:I like it. I like that one. All right, last one here. We will get to defensive player Odafe Owe, another edge defender entering his age 28 season, got traded from the Ravens to the Chargers early last year, ended up playing really well for the Chargers, seven and a half sacks in 12 games. The previous year with the Ravens, he had 10 sacks. So we've mentioned Jalen Phillips. We've mentioned Trey Hendrickson. We've talked about Max Crosby as a potential trade piece. And here's another edge guy who looks like he will enter the open market. Where are you, Deontay, on Odafe Owe?

53:20Sheil Kapadia:I think that he's ultimately going to stay. I wish we could end on an explosive note. I think he's ultimately going to stay. I think if the Chargers are going to spend, it would be to retain him. I think that they might look at the Odafe Owe versus Khalil Mack situation and say, Khalil's been great for us in the years that he's been here. But we can't continue to bank on a guy at this stage in his career being great at the level that Khalil Mack's been great at when he's healthy. and I think from a contract perspective, Jonathan Grenard was in a very similar scenario when he left Houston and got to Minnesota, produced for him, and they ended up paying him 19 per year, 19 million per year.

53:57Sheil Kapadia:I think that that's going to end up being a copy-paste situation for Odafe Owe, who has flashed, right? He has flashed, maybe not top tier, top of the line pass rush potential, but true dependability, a guy who will show up on rundowns. He's got the right physical profile for I think the way that the Chargers want to play. out on the edge. I think you give him a two-year deal for 19 per, and hey, if he blows it out the water, again, this is another guy where maybe we revisit it at the conclusion of this contract, but we just have not seen that true Pro Bowl, All-Pro level breakout for him yet that might push him above that Andrew Van Ginkle 23, 24 plus million per year.

54:37Sheil Kapadia:I would be highly surprised if he was able to command that, even if he does hit the open market.

54:42Diante Lee:Yeah, I was looking at Josh Sweat last year, another one, 19 million. per year. So if you count for the cap jump, maybe that gets him to 20, 21, something. Yeah. I had 21, 22 million dollar per year range, but I'm not sure. It'd be funny if the Ravens brought him back. If it was like, Jay, Jesse played well under Jesse Venter. Um, you traded him and now you bring him back the Patriots. We mentioned earlier with Jalen Phillips, that could make some sense. Um, I was looking at the Cowboys. They certainly could use some edge help. Um, maybe the Cowboys, But what about the Titans, you know, with solid, you met, you mentioned them earlier.

55:18Diante Lee:They've got the cap space. They're like, Hey, this is a young tool. See, uh, edge rusher. Let's bring him in here. Let's build our pass rush next to Jeffrey Simmons. Give him a compliment there. So that's ultimately where I landed with the Tennessee Titans are real quick. Since you said, let's end on a fun one. Let's end on Mike Evans real quick. Entering age 33 season eight games last season. what do you think, Deontay? Is there an exciting spot where you want to see Mike Evans go finish his career?

55:48Sheil Kapadia:I mean, this to me is just screaming Tom Brady, calling his guy and saying, hey, we won together. You want to go get paid? We got the money to pay you here. We're going to have a rookie quarterback who idolizes me, who's probably going to try to model his game after me. We've got a style of offense that you're going to be familiar with, right? Clint Kubiak, you know, the style of offense that they've used whether it's been from the McVay slash Shanahan scheme in Tampa Bay, I think will meld really well into what they're ultimately going to try to do in Las Vegas. Come play X receiver for us for a year.

56:21Sheil Kapadia:We'll pay you what you're asking for for a year. And then you can decide whether or not you want to retire or not. We'll come get paid. Come play with me. We'll go get, get some food out in Henderson, Nevada. You know, you can go hang out outside the facility. You want to throw the old football around before practice. I'll come down and do that in my suit. Like I do every time. Well, you know, we're broadcasting a game. This just to me seems like perfect synergy for Mike Evans if he's truly looking to go get out on the open market for a team that could use a player like Mike Evans and that will pay the number it would take, I think, to get him to leave Tampa Bay.

56:53Diante Lee:Yeah, it's such a hard one because we don't know what, I don't know what Mike Evans wants at this stage of his career. Maybe he's like, I want to finish out my career with the Bucs. Not many players get to do that. I like living in Tampa. You know, we've got a good situation. We'll be a competitive team. Just, you know, pay me and I'll come back for one year. He's already won a ring, but is he like, I would love to do that again. Let me go somewhere else. Let me check out the Buffalo Bills or the Baltimore Ravens or the Los Angeles Chargers or the Kansas City Chiefs or the San Francisco 49ers.

57:25Diante Lee:Let me go somewhere where I think that team has a chance to win a Super Bowl. Or like you said, is he like, hey, I'll go, you know, yeah, go play with a young quarterback, hang out in Vegas for a year. That sounds pretty fun as well. So I wrote down the Raiders. I wrote down all those other teams. I mentioned, you know, wide receivers this age, it's just very hard to be productive. If you look at it the last 10 years, there's been three guys who have had a thousand yards at age 33 or older, Larry Fitzgerald, Julian Edelman, and Adam Thielen. Now, Evans has had a, you know, certainly is in that category of wide receiver.

58:03Diante Lee:So he could do it for you.

58:04Sheil Kapadia:We're talking about two slots though. Two slots who are not winning because of their physical skillset. Exactly. And Adam Dillon and Julian Edelman.

58:11Diante Lee:Yeah. His 1 ,000-yard season streak ended last year because of injuries. In terms of price, Devontae Adams got$22 million per year last year from the Rams. Stephon Diggs got$22 million per year. Cooper Cupp got$15 million per year. So it's kind of something probably in between those. But I think you're probably looking at maybe a one-year,$18 million per year type deal. I'm going to say the bills, Deontay. I don't hate that. I know. you know, Tampa, Buffalo, I'm sitting out here looking at a snowstorm. So I understand if you don't want to do that and you want to, you know, hang out with Deontay and the nice climate there in Southern California.

58:46Diante Lee:But I would be a little intrigued to say, let me go play with Josh Allen for a year. Great. I feel like in terms of fit, kind of exactly what they need on paper with the other players they have there. And I know Brandon Bean's feeling the heat to add a wide receiver this off season. So I'm going to say Mike Evans bills on a one-year deal.

59:06Sheil Kapadia:I don't hate that and I love I also love the 49ers who you brought up I think if you're Kyle Shanahan coming off of the Brandon Iuke drama I don't think you're going to get any of that from Mike Evans Mike Evans will line up where you tell him to he's going to run his routes hard he's going to block hard, he's going to go win those contested passes so I think if Brock Purdy would make him a favorite target of his really early and with Juwan Jennings probably on the way out, that gives you that big bodied receiver that I think that this offense is always kind of looking to add to its receiver room.

59:35Diante Lee:Yeah, it's Some of these guys, you go through it and you're like, I don't really know if I can find a team. And even though Mike Evans is going to be 33 years old, I was like, I could find a lot of places where I'd be like, you know what? Let's take a one-year flyer on him and see if he can help us win a Super Bowl. So he is certainly an interesting name. All right. A bunch of big name free agents. That was fun looking at what they're going to command on the open market, where potentially they could land. We'll obviously do a lot more of this leading up to the start of free agency. In a couple of weeks.

1:00:07Diante Lee:All right, thanks to Deontay Lee. Thanks to Christopher Sutton for producing. Stefano Sanchez on video. And additional production supervision by Conor Nevins and Arjuna Ramgopal. I'm Shio Kapadia. We will be back later this week on the Ringer NFL Show.

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