3-9-23 After Hours with Amy Lawrence PODCAST: Hour 2

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Toll-free 855-212-4CBS. We're going to talk a little bit about the teams that are still left waiting and hoping and wondering about their quarterback future. But we know there are a couple of teams that have made decisions, one of them being the New Orleans Saints because they got their man in Derek Carr. Carr, play action again, walking down field, lofts it in your corner, Adams wide open at the 5, he walks in and the Raiders walk off with a win. Touchdown Devante Adams to win it here in Denver.

Jason Horowitz on the Raiders radio network. One and done for the BFFs, Derek Carr and Devante Adams. And a little bit later we'll hear what David Carr has to say about the divorce with those Raiders. First time that they are looking for a starting QB since 2014 when Carr won the job as a rookie. So that's the Raiders. Carr now has the deal in place with the Saints. They get their man, they don't have to worry about that position any longer.

So phew, if you're talking about chessboard or maybe the musical chairs analogy, they found a chair quickly. I want to know the reaction though in New Orleans so we're pleased to welcome Ross Jackson from the Crescent City. He's got the Locked on Saints podcast as well as the Saints Wire for USA Today. Ross, I'd love to start with your reaction to Derek Carr's signing with the New Orleans Saints. I think this is one that the New Orleans Saints needed because simply it's the move that the New Orleans Saints wanted. I mean I can tell you throughout the entire offseason that Derek Carr was the quarterback that the Saints had their eyes on. And I think that was pretty indicative from their visit with him when he could have potentially been traded. Saints of course were the only team that he visited there.

And then just the continued communication there as well. And so when the trade finally happened, I think it was one that I looked at and said okay, that's what the New Orleans Saints wanted. They were able to get it done because they had gotten down the road several times with a bunch of different free agents in previous seasons that ended up signing elsewhere. J. Davion Clowney, a long time ago, Josh Norman, there's a name that will bring you back a little bit. And then guys like Ndamukong Suh and Odell Beckham Jr. as well.

So that was the move that they were looking for, the move that they were able to get done. And it certainly gives Dennis Allen here in his second year as head coach in New Orleans the opportunity to fully say okay, he's put together his team. And now we get to see what he's able to do as a head coach with his guys. Why is Derek Carr, the quarterback the Saints desired? Yeah, I think Derek Carr and Dennis Allen have a bit of a connection, right? Dennis Allen was the head coach back in Oakland in 2014, drafted Derek Carr, made the decision to start him as a rookie.

They've maintained their connection ever since. The Saints really want to be able to run this offense that's still pretty familiar to what it is that Sean Payton had in place with Pete Carmichael and an offensive coordinator that really attacks defenses laterally. So they want to be able to stretch defenses from sideline to sideline, attacking in the short, which would be 0 to 9 yards, or intermediate 10 to 19 yards from the line of scrimmage. And Carr is really, really solid in those two areas. That's probably where he is most sound in terms of his fundamentals, good decision making, things like that.

That complements the New Orleans Saints really well. Dennis Allen, of course, thinks very highly of Derek Carr, having gone out and drafted him in 2014 as he was coming into the league. And so I think just kind of the combination of those things, and I'll tell you as well, Dennis Allen told us that two qualities that they love in Derek Carr when they were still pursuing him, actually, was his work ethic and his ability as a leader. Those are two things that they absolutely very much value at the quarterback position.

Well, those two things can't be questioned. We'll see whether or not the offense can find a rhythm, but definitely Carr has proven himself in those two arenas. Ross, what have you heard from fans or even from inside the Saints organization, I guess, not including Dennis Allen? This was kind of an interesting signing because the moment that the signing was done and the news had broke, Alante Taylor, second year cornerback, Cameron Jordan, of course, who had actually been campaigning for Derek Carr or in favor of Derek Carr throughout the offseason at Super Bowl Radio Row and other places. You know, veteran defensive end and one of the big emotional leaders and veteran leaders of this team, he chimed off about being very excited about it. DeMario Davis had campaigned in Derek Carr's favor. Carr and Davis have a close personal relationship.

But here's a big key one. Michael Thomas even took to social media. New Orleans Saints wide receiver has been embattled over the course of the past couple of years dealing with injuries, 10 games played over the last three years.

Even he took it took to social media and showed how excited that he was. And so that could be a big key thing to watch because the Saints and Michael Thomas looked like they were on their way to parting ways with a contract restructure after week 18 of the NFL season. Now, with Derek Carr in the building, there's a chance here that the Saints could use their car as a leverage ship to get Michael Thomas back on a very incentive based deal that capitalizes in terms of his availability, production, things like that, and actually have him back in New Orleans in 2023, which we weren't sure was going to be the case. So when it comes to the organization players, general manager Mickey Loomis is very excited about this. Coaches all very excited about this as well.

So lots of excitement there. Fan base is a little bit split because I don't think that the perception of the NFL fan versus the perception of the NFL personnel and player when it comes to Derek Carr is the same. But I will say that a lot of fans are happy that at least the New Orleans Saints landed a free agent that they were pursuing and have their quarterback in there for a direction and vision for what their 2023 should be here ahead of free agency. We're excited to spend a few minutes with Ross Jackson, who has the locked on Saints podcast and also writes for the Saints wire in USA Today.

It's after hours on CBS Sports Radio. What does this mean, Ross, for Taysom Hill? Look, Taysom Hill is not going to be going anywhere, I can tell you that much. I know Sean Payton was making all of his quips about potentially trading for Taysom Hill before he had landed over in Denver. But the Saints have restructured his contract, pushing some of his money down the road to open up some salary cap space here in 2023.

So he's pretty solidly here this season. And what I can say for sure is that the Saints really feel like they found something last season, particularly games like the Los Angeles Rams game, the Cleveland Browns game, of course, where they kind of packaged him later on in the game and utilized him big time in the second half to help put the game away. So I would look for Taysom Hill to still potentially see six, seven, ten snaps at quarterback per game, particularly in short yardage situations like third and one, fourth and one, and of course in the red zone as well. But still being able to play all of those other multiple roles that he does over in the offense also. So even though that they have Derek Carr and their big ticket free agent, their big ticket quarterback in the building, I don't think that we've seen the end of Taysom Hill still getting some of those quarterback snaps in the right situations, but expect them to be much more selective about it. I love the fact that he will do anything the team asks of him in order to get a W. He'll do anything. I'm surprised we didn't see him kick a field goal last year, honestly. I mean, we thought, you know, Will Lutz had some big time struggles last year and I thought, OK, well, it's only a matter of time before Taysom Hill is out there either kicking field goals or potentially I was waiting to see if they're going to throw them out on defense before. I know they've cracked jokes about that. I don't think we'll be seeing that this year, but certainly all the things that he does over the offense is an absolute spectacle and obviously one that works in their favor when it gets the rolling.

Oh, yes. And he does like to tackle at least the offensive version, which is to throw the block. He definitely enjoys the contact, to be sure. Well, let's talk about Alvin Kamara then. What's the latest with him, his status with the team, but also what we know about the legal situation? Yeah, so the legal situation will start there first. You know, he pled not guilty. So this trial is set now, you know, it has been continued and continued and continued all throughout the 2022 season.

But now the trial is finally set for July 31st. Whenever the legal process wraps up, the NFL will do its independent investigation and then eventually hand out its discipline. So whether this thing gets settled out of court, whether there's a guilty verdict, whether there's whatever kind of verdict that's reached in this trial, the NFL would look at this separately.

What we know for sure is that the NFL code of conduct policy specifically refers to violent acts as being subject to the suspension of six games or more. So it's reasonable to expect that Alvin Kamara could possibly see and very well may see at least a six game suspension in 2023. So that leaves the New Orleans Saints in a situation where they should be expecting to not have Alvin Kamara for a pretty good chunk of 2023.

If this case doesn't continue to get pushed and continued on and on and on. So that means that running back becomes a big time need for them. And it kind of already was, if I'm being honest with you, Amy, because outside of Alvin Kamara, they got one other running back on the roster. So I was very much expecting to be aggressive in this running back market and looking for somebody that can work in place of Alvin Kamara, work in tandem with Alvin Kamara and potentially be the future after Alvin Kamara as well. Because we are looking at the potential end of Alvin Kamara's prime as a running back. That 30 year old mark, unfortunately for folks like me, is what people are looking at and saying, uh oh, that's a little bit too old.

And so I think that, you know, as we look at it, that's something that they should be looking at as a future of that position as well. You mentioned the question marks around Michael Thomas. Who would you say are their top offensive weapons to go with Derek Carr? Well, I think you got to look at Chris Olave, who is now second year wide receiver who just came out of the draft. He was distinct 11th overall selection last year out of Ohio State University. He was a thousand yard receiver his rookie season, despite missing a couple of games, had a concussion and a couple of other little things that he was dealing with throughout the season.

But incredibly talented. He came into the NFL not necessarily feeling like he was going to have to bulk up or anything that he was fine in terms of his playing weight, played the 2022 season and said about that. And now decided that he's going to spend a lot of time this offseason trying to bulk up, add a little bit of muscle, add a little bit of weight, but not compromise his speed. If he's able to do that, then obviously he becomes, I think, the saints potentially top weapon in terms of most consistent guy that we've seen before.

I don't want to leave out, though, undrafted free agent guy that came in that was supposed to just be a return specialist effectively out of Weber State comes in Rashid Shaheed and was just an absolute phenom. First time he touches the ball is a 44 yard jet sweep for a touchdown against the Cincinnati Bengals. Second time he touches the ball is a 57 yard bomb from Andy Dalton against the Arizona Cardinals for a touchdown. So two touches, two touchdowns to start off his career. Targeted seven times, 20 plus yards downfield last year. Caught six of those for a pair of touchdowns.

That's just an incredible conversion rate. Perfect passer rating when targeted down the field. So look for him and Chris Olave to be these versatile weapons that can impact the game in the short and intermediate areas to each have their own strengths there, but also be able to take the tops off of the defenses. And that would become a big part of what the New Orleans Saints offensive identity would be running through those two guys. We're spending a few minutes looking at the Saints and what is this project of the offseason with Ross Jackson, who hosts the Locked on Saints podcast.

It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. What else does the team need as they address other positions on the field? Yeah, big thing to watch is going to be over the defensive side, particularly rebuilding their defensive line. I could start at offensive line, but that's mostly kind of filling in depth in things like that. They've got their starters pretty well locked in, but on the defensive side right now, as we speak, at least there are no defensive tackles on contract in 2023.

That's a little bit of a little bit of a problem. Yes. So David on Yamada, their big star that they brought in. Forgive me. I think it was the 2016 season in the third round when they brought him in. He's already been resigned for a contract. His contract expires on March 15th. They'd certainly love to get a second extension done with him. So that's going to be a big one to watch over the course of that negotiating period, the quote unquote legal tampering period, if you will, the 13th and 14th.

But then after that, look for them to continue to try to add bodies there. Guys like Larry Ogunjobi, another free agent like Ashawn Robinson, formerly of the Los Angeles Rams. They could go for a big fish like Super Bowl contender and Javon Hargrave or the Philadelphia Eagles. There's a lot of different guys out there in terms of that defensive tackle class that they can bring in that can have an impact for them.

And it's an incredibly talented defensive tackle class in this year's draft, too. So I think that's a big place where they start. I think very much believe that games are won and lost in the trenches right now.

They've got a trench, but I wouldn't call them trenches just yet. That's a big thing that they don't need to build up. Sean Payton, you referenced now with the Denver Broncos. I think it's hard for fans to see him now somewhere else.

There's kind of two schools of thought on that. I mean, there's a lot of fans that feel like Sean Payton was somebody that kind of walked away from the team and kind of are upset about that. And so what they look forward to is next year, the Saints have the AFC West on the on the schedule. And so they're looking at, you know, hey, when's the chance that the team gets to go up against Sean Payton and see what they're able to do?

By the way, with them having the AFC West on the schedule, that means the Raiders are on the schedule, too. And so that's going to be that's one part of it. But I truly think that for the majority of fans, and certainly for me as somebody that got to cover this team when Sean Payton was a part of it.

And now we'll cover beyond. There's just such an appreciation of what Sean Payton did for the city of New Orleans, what Sean Payton did for, you know, Louisiana, did for the team. That I think there's still something there to where people are more than willing to say, hey, all the best to you in the AFC, Sean.

Hope that everything goes very well. And obviously, you know, he's brought in a bunch of guys that have been a part of this New Orleans things organization. Joe Lombardi, Zach Strieff, Bo Lowry and a few others that he added to that coaching staff and to that that that organization. And there's a ton of respect, obviously, still between the organization and Sean Payton. And there's a ton of respect between Sean Payton and the organization in the city of New Orleans. So I do think that there is something that where people, when they see him and his visor, but it's orange and blue and not black and gold, that there's going to be a little bit of a tug at the heartstrings there for sure. So before I let you go, let's talk about this NFC South, which was very odd and underperforming, underwhelming.

That's one way to say it. In 2022, besides the Buccaneers, who ended up winning the division at eight and nine, you had three teams at seven and 10. All four teams are going to end up with different starting quarterbacks.

What else comes to mind when I bring up the South Division? I think the other thing that you're probably looking at here is that you've also got pretty relatively new coaches. Todd Bowles going into his second year with the Tampa Buccaneers, Dennis Allen going into his second year. You've got a new head coach in Carolina with Frank Reich. Arthur Smith is still relatively new and it kind of becomes a little bit more refreshed for Arthur Smith, too, because with the Atlanta Falcons, because he's very likely going to be rolling with Desmond Ritter. So I'll have a new starting quarterback there, as you mentioned. So I think that just as much as we're looking at the new quarterbacks in the division, there's still relatively new coaches, each organization as well.

And so I think that's one of the things that the Saints really were trying to bank on going into 2023. They hadn't planned to make a change at offensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen. The Saints co-defensive coordinator ends up getting hired by the Atlanta Falcons. But I'm curious, had that hire not happened, if the Saints would have ended up keeping Ryan Nielsen, they eventually parted with the other co-defensive coordinator, parted ways with Chris Richard. But I'm curious if they would have kept Ryan Nielsen there because that would have made the Saints the only team in the division to not have to make a change at two of their three big positions. Head coach, offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator. Now it's still true for them because they didn't have to make a change at offensive coordinator, but the Carolina Panthers had a change at head coach and on defense. The Atlanta Falcons had a change at their defensive coordinator spot and then you saw the changes that took place as well at the offensive coordinator in Tampa Bay with Byron Leftwich being moved on from it. So the things we're kind of trying to see if maybe they could be the one team in the division to keep their big three, their triumphant together, didn't work out. So there's just these big coaching changes and big quarterback changes all over the division here that maybe don't make it as clear cut as I think people are already looking at it, which is that the Saints should be the favorite in the NFC South. I kind of pump the brakes on that just a little bit and say, OK, they have the best quarterback in the NFC South, but they have a lot of work here still left to do because they're still effectively set back in the same way that the rest of these teams are across the division with a generally new coaching staff.

So in other words, it's a crapshoot in twenty three as well. It should be a ton of fun to watch. Never a dull moment for sure. So find Ross on Twitter at Ross Jackson NOLA. He's got the Locked on Saints podcast, also writes the Saints Wire for USA Today. We're glad to have you on the show for the first time.

I hope it's not the last time. Ross, thank you so much for a couple of minutes. Hey, absolute pleasure.

Thank you so much for having me on. Look forward to being back as well. Y'all take care.

Stay safe and have a good one. I'm pretty sure it's been a couple of years since we've talked specifically about the New Orleans Saints with a guest. So, Ross, awesome.

Love the voice, too. Good to connect with Ross in New Orleans. And there is some potential there, though still a lot of work yet to be done. And I love his assessment of the NFC South, because so often it revolves around quarterback and other player positions. And he looks to the changes that head coach as well as coordinator. So good insight and intel there. Also about Alvin Kamara, as well as why Derek Carr is the man the Saints wanted from the very beginning. On Twitter, A-Law Radio, also on our Facebook page.

After hours with Amy Lawrence. How do you like this marriage with Derek Carr, Dennis Allen, and the Saints? And what do we have left? Even as we see the Giants introduce, reintroduce, but reintroduce Daniel Jones as their franchise QB with this big four-year deal with $40 million annually. There are a lot of middling quarterbacks that are kicking around, maxing and relaxing, kind of, waiting for offers. But the Aaron Rodgers piece still has to drop. We don't know what happens with him. And then we'll see what this chessboard looks like.

Honestly, there are more teams who are looking for QBs than there are top-flight QBs available, which poses a problem. But I'm always fascinated by how they shuffle the deck in the offseason. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. You are listening to the After Hours podcast. After five or six hours of, kind of, going through that, I found a really nice sweetness and comfort in the reality that I was sitting with that day, which was retirement, and what that would look like. So a really beautiful ending to that, but a lot of really difficult contemplations around all this insecurity and fear that came up of, like, what happens when I turn the lights off to your career? What happens when somebody says, oh, you used to be Aaron Rodgers, right? That's still on you. This is After Hours with Amy Lawrence. Alright, let me see if I can get this right.

It will not be a diminutive exit for Aaron Rodgers. Boom! I did it! Yes, I did!

Without stumbling over it. I got so many texts, and actually Jay and I, not texts, sorry, tweets, Jay and I did text practicing our usage of the word diminutive. Because I could not say it for the life of me last night. Number one, I was adding an extra syllable. Number two, I kept emphasizing the wrong syllable. It was very frustrating, because I knew how it was supposed to sound in my brain, but I could not get it to come out correctly as I was speaking it. Diminutive.

Diminutive. It's such a beautiful word, and I screwed it up, and then I screwed Jay up. I'm not even sure Jay had ever heard the word before last night, and then I had some of you who were talking to me about how you couldn't say it either after listening to me stumble over it. So yeah, phew.

That terrible chapter of my battle with the English language is now behind us. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. It's a non-diminutive exit for Aaron Rodgers because he is speaking about it, and he's giving people a peek behind the curtain following the darkness retreat with the Aubrey Marcus podcast. Alright, the Jets we know flew out to California to meet with Aaron Rodgers. There were people tracking the plane, not us. We don't do that type of thing here on CBS Sports Radio. Actually, we collectively here on CBS Sports Radio probably do that on other shows.

On After Hours, we do not track planes because I think it's somewhat ludicrous and asinine. However, the biggest development certainly was the fact that the Jets sent an entire contingent to Cali to meet with Aaron Rodgers. So they want to explain to him what the Jets are about, the fact that you've got the reigning defensive rookie of the year offering to burn a cheese head.

Like all of these things that might in fact attract him to want to play for the New York Jets. And there is a sense of urgency here because if not the Jets, maybe he stays in Green Bay. Okay, but Green Bay already has a quarterback waiting in the wings, so they wouldn't be left holding the bag. Either Rodgers returns if they want him, and I suppose that's still a question too in Green Bay, or he goes somewhere else. But either way, Green Bay's got a quarterback.

It's got either Jordan Love or Aaron Rodgers. That's not the case for a bunch of other teams who are now looking at what's left after Derek Carr and thinking, rut row. So again, going back to this whole overblown idea of collusion around Lamar Jackson, are you kidding me? The number of teams that need quarterbacks out there, if there is a team desperate enough to lure Lamar. So let's say there's a team that surveyed the landscape and realizes that we got nothing.

We have got nothing. And that team is desperate enough to give Lamar Jackson a guaranteed deal or maybe closer to a guaranteed deal than what the Ravens are willing to offer. You don't think that team's going to do it?

Of course they're going to. If that's their only option and they feel like they're a quarterback away or they just can't go through another season with seven different guys rotating in. And I'm not saying the Houston Texans are going to offer Lamar Jackson. They're probably looking in the draft.

But just the idea. There are teams out there that are stuck in quarterback purgatory. They're stuck there. The Washington commanders, I know that they like Sam Howell, but but they need some other options. The Indianapolis Colts. The Carolina Panthers. These are teams that need options that quarterback beyond what they have, and they just keep spinning their wheels, spinning their wheels, spinning their wheels. And I just use the purgatory analogy.

How about the hamster wheel? Some of these teams are stuck in the hamster wheel when it comes to quarterbacks over and over and over and over again. Even the Arizona Cardinals. Now I know they're waiting on Kyler Murray.

He's now, what is he, the second highest paid quarterback in the NFL. But they don't have someone potentially to start next season. So there are teams out there that desperately need QBs. This idea that they would definitely not make a play for Lamar Jackson because they want to assist or help the Ravens in holding Lamar down and making sure he doesn't get what he wants. It's so ridiculous.

I almost can't believe people actually give that credence. Do you not know how the NFL works? These are powerful owners who make billions of dollars and want to win.

For the most part, they want to win. They're not going to let some other team tell them how to handle their business. That doesn't happen in this atmosphere, in this type of situation with the NFL where you can make one move or a series of moves one offseason and then you end up as a contender. The NFC beast being a great example of that. We know that the Seahawks get their man in Geno Smith. So at least they're off the table. But yeah, you're talking about a Buccaneers team that also does not have a quarterback and has reportedly been considering Carson Wentz.

That's what we're about. Once Aaron Rodgers decision is made or the decision is made for him, Marco Belletti, who's the next best quarterback available after Aaron Rodgers? Are we assuming that Lamar Jackson's not there? Well, he is available, but we know what he costs. So I guess the next best decision at quarterback might be a better way to say it. I mean, we'll see if Jimmy Garoppolo gets paid.

I don't know if that's, again, it depends on what your situation is and where you want to go. Garoppolo would be tough for me to swallow because I don't know if his ceiling is high enough for the money that he wants, plus the fact that he can't get through a season. I mean, when was the last time Garoppolo can get through 10 games, never mind 17 without getting hurt? So I would be very, very leery of giving Jimmy Garoppolo any kind of big money.

So there's not a lot of options. The Lamar Jackson thing- Carson Wentz? No. Baker Mayfield?

No. Sam Darn- Oh, hello. Sam Darnold? These are not viable, legitimate starters in the NFL. Jared Sidham? I mean- Andy Dalton?

Come on. Jameis Winston? No. Jameis Winston? No.

Am I missing anyone? Out of all that, I mean, again, if you want a reclamation project that you think you can maybe salvage on the cheap, then you're talking Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, and Jameis Winston. Case Keenum? I'm not going anywhere on any of those guys.

She's laughing at me. I mean, these are all, these are non- Well, they're mid-lane quarterbacks. They're backup quarterbacks.

Okay. Am I missing anyone? I guess is my question. Did I miss a name out there? Oh, Marcus Mariota. There's nothing there.

I get none of that. You know, I guess Garoppolo. Can you get Ryan Tannehill off of trade if you want to go that route, if you like that? But see, the thing is the Texans are, Texans, sorry, the Titans are afraid to let him go because they know they don't have anything else. Well, and that's also, you know, that's hopefully that that's the case or that's some big smoke because they really love Malik Willis. But it seems like they've kind of passed the boat on that one, which is a little strange. Well, I just think he's not ready.

He's not ready. Yeah, they kind of wash their hands of that third round pick pretty fast. So I don't know what the Titans are thinking and I don't know if they're going to restructure because Tannehill can't make, what is it, thirty-six or thirty-eight million off the cap? Like that can't be. So I don't know what the Titans are thinking and what they're going to do.

But no, there's not a lot of options, which is why I got to be honest, I'm a little on the other side of that. I'm very confused of the Lamar Jackson situation. I'm very, very confused because we have never seen a twenty-five, twenty-six year old quarterback who was a unanimous MVP, who was in the prime of his career, who could be had for the possibility of two first round picks as long as you outbid, find a way to make sure that the Ravens don't match the offer. And you would think teams would be lined up on his porch to see what he wants. But if he's not going to accept less than a fully guaranteed deal, then what good does it do? Not every team has two hundred million dollars to be able to give him. They don't? No, not every team does.

I don't buy that. Teams that are quarterback needy, that are willing to spend and all of a sudden had money last year. They're talking about Jimmy Garoppolo. We were talking about the Panthers and whatnot. I mean, some of the quarterbacks that were out there last year that they were dying to bring in.

Lamar Jackson at twenty-six and is an MVP and the prime of his career. Now, all of a sudden, nobody has money. And you're assuming, well, I didn't say no one. I said not every team has that kind of money.

But there's nobody, as I'm saying. But it doesn't have to be right this time. They've got time. It's not like we're talking about this has to be done today.

It doesn't. But when do we ever see a free agent? Do you want to make sure that he feels needed? I mean, we're in a situation now, if you really want something, you have to show that you want it. Not just, oh, yeah, you know what, I'll get to I'll get around to that. That's not how you go about getting a free agent.

That's a big time name. This doesn't feel right. The only two things that I can think of is, again, the collusion is just the idea of the owners getting together. We can't have guaranteed contracts because it changes the game. That's possible in my mind. I do believe that. We've seen it before in other sports.

It's possible because that is a game changer. Deshaun Watson's contract changed everything because nobody in the NFL got guaranteed money. Now you had somebody with guaranteed money. Kirk Cousins did.

No, he didn't. Not fully guaranteed the entire contract. His first contract with the Vikings was fully guaranteed. Three years fully. It wasn't the same money as Deshaun Watson, but it was fully guaranteed.

Again, three years versus five. I'm just saying it did happen. Remember, we talked about resetting the market when that happened. It's a dangerous, slippery slope that I don't believe owners want to take. But that is also very difficult to do with collusion. And all you need is one outlier, one rogue owner, and the collusion's gone. So I'm not going to necessarily go that route.

But I am confused. The only other reason that I could see teams not lining up, again, that are quarterback needy, that they're so quick to just say, Lamar's not really the guy we want. The only other reason is because they think that no matter what contract they put in front of Lamar Jackson and he brings it back to the Ravens, they'll say, we're matching. That's the only reason that I can hear teams not lining up if they say, we're not going to do the work for you. You know what? You guys are having all kinds of arguments. We're going to come out no matter what contract we give Lamar Jackson. You're going to say that's it because all you want to do is for him to go out and find out what his market was.

I'm not doing your work for you. I'm not giving you what the market is. You figure it out. That's the only thing that makes sense to me because you don't see quarterbacks in their prime on the market. Not real franchise quarterbacks. It never happens. What?

A little over 24 hours, maybe 36 hours, so you don't know what's happening behind the scenes. But I would say that I think in the case of the Ravens and Lamar, this is smart business. I mean the Ravens want him to go out and test the market too so they know what's happening. And I just don't think you can ever say it's collusion among every single owner because not every single owner is part of this.

Not every single owner needs a quarterback. Well, it's not that. It's the concern of the guaranteed contract. It's not about Lamar. It's not about his contract. It's about guaranteed money. The only way is that the owners got together and they basically put the Haslems in the corner and said, you started all this and we have to stop this.

This is Pandora's box and once we open it, we'll never be able to close it. That's the only danger because guaranteed money in the NFL is the one bugaboo that no owner wants to go down that road. It changes everything. All the NFL is about, and as much as we don't want to say this because it's like the dark side of it, they want to be able to get out from under these contracts. Every contract has it. It's the only sport that does it and the NFL doesn't want to lose it.

Of course not. And the players had an opportunity to change something around this with the new CBA and they chose to bargain other things. That's one of the reasons why the NFL is so competitive is because you've got this movement and because the owners have some flexibility when it comes to this.

But it doesn't necessarily mean collusion. This is just the way they've done business for years. Well, and again, if now quarterbacks start getting, once you get one or two, three, all of a sudden, then it's going to be, you know, that's how the market goes. Once the top quarterbacks get guaranteed money, everybody's going to ask for guaranteed money.

And there's not going to be no room for wiggle room. Didn't Derek Hargett $100 million guaranteed? He didn't get the full guaranteed of the contract. That's my point.

But no, no, I'm saying, you're right. More and more we're seeing the majority or a bigger bulk of the contract become guaranteed. Right. Kyler Murray got like $190 million in guarantee, but not the full.

Lamar Jackson seems to want the full, which the only person that got the full was the Deshaun Watson. That 250 or whatever was 24. I forget the exact number. 230.

230. There you go. That's the bar that the NFL is afraid to cross. Because once you get into that, there are no more mistakes anymore. You cannot have like the Daniel Jones contract is two years and out.

I don't know that it's afraid. More like it's just not smart business. I don't think it's smart business to get a contract like Deshaun Watson got from the Browns. But that's the point that would change the entire business because everyone would look for it. And then you would have stalemates on contracts. Once you set the market, it's hard to go backwards. But my point is, I just don't it doesn't have to be collusion to be bad business.

It does not know. But my contort to that is the idea that we're talking about all these teams that want quarterbacks. You're telling me there's not one owner out there that says the hell with it.

I want to win. That to me is where it doesn't make sense because so many of them have always said that that's the only thing. So it's almost like, wait, is it really that you don't believe in Lamar Jackson or you don't believe in guaranteed money? Which, if all of you don't believe in guaranteed money, it almost is collusion by default.

Because even though if you didn't sit down and think about it, talk about it. But that's not the definition of collusion, though. You can't prove that.

I get it. But the idea that we've never seen this before, it's been proven. I mean, it happened in baseball. We've seen this before. Owners have done this. When they get afraid of certain things, it's happened before. This is dangerous. And it's a slope that we don't want to go down because I'm not insinuating that owners are doing this.

It's just that this situation, to me, smells funny. Normally, big time free agent is on the market. How many times we see with the NBA? Blake Griffin, they barricaded the door. Guys don't, they knock on your door. I mean, with Moneyball, they showed Moneyball with Billy Bean knocking on the door of a, I can't think of his name, a catcher who was hurt that they put him at first base at 1201. They're knocking on his door.

That when you want a guy, you have to make him feel needed, wanted, wine and dine. You don't get to him three weeks later after you're a free agent and go, by the way, you want to come play for us? Doesn't make sense to me. Never mind a guy as talented and as young as Lamar Jackson is. All right. We'll see what happens. We definitely disagree on it, but it's totally, I mean, it is the business of the NFL.

So if a team is desperate enough, we absolutely could see it. All right. You can find us on Twitter, After Hours, CBS.

Producer J just put up this question. Who's the next best quarterback available after Aaron Rodgers makes his decision? And we listed a bunch of them. None of them are elite, even above average QBs. You're talking about Journeyman, Midland QB. So who is the next guy, the next best guy available?

Because supply and demand, more teams than there are great options. It's After Hours on CBS Sports Radio. You are listening to the After Hours Podcast. It's the tight end left. Gage will come to that side. Now you're going to get man coverage.

Ridley and Zaccheaus to the right. Play clock at six. Ball over there, hash is snapped to Ryan in the gun. Blitz coming through, caught. Ridley touchdown Atlanta.

This is After Hours with Amy Lawrence. West Durham on the Falcons Radio Network. But man, it's been a long time since we have seen Calvin Ridley on the field. He quickly turned into their top receiver, even as Julio Jones was spending some time hurt and then exiting Atlanta. And Calvin Ridley, when he was drafted, was an immediate impact toward the end of the Matt Ryan era with the Falcons.

It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. Now he is with the Jacksonville Jaguars and will soon be paired with Trevor Lawrence and has officially been reinstated by the NFL after a year suspension, a year. He was hurt when he gambled on football. And in a piece that was posted Wednesday to the Players Tribune, he admits he was not in a good place. He had left the team to focus on his mental health to try to get healthy.

And he downloaded a gambling app, deposited fifteen hundred dollars and bet on both the NBA and the NFL, including the Falcons. This is Calvin's own words. I just effed up, period. In a dark moment, I made a stupid mistake. I wasn't trying to cheat the game.

That's the thing I want to make clear. At the time, I had been away from the team for about a month. I was still just so depressed and angry. The days were so long.

I was looking for anything to take my mind off of things and make the day go faster. He finally has returned to football. He's been reinstated and he is relieved. A year away from the NFL puts a lot of things in perspective for a young man like me. But a year away from the game and coming back now, it shows me I miss the game more than ever and that I love football more than ever. And football was something that I do in love and will always be what I love.

Speaking to JAG's Twitter and Barry Brooks, Ridley in his own words, yeah, he desperately missed football in that year away. I happened to watch it at home and knowing I really can't, there's nothing I can do to get back into the game until I get approval, you know. So that, you know, being the game being taken away from me and I was just like, man, I can't even, I can't sit home all day. You know, I need a job.

I mean, what I do is I always work every day. Football was my job for most of my life. So that was the hardest part, just not being able to run and, you know, be a part of a team and, you know, feel important at that moment.

So it was hard. He had lost his joy for football, he said. He was playing through pain, a foot injury for 20-20. He started taking pain killing injections. Then he found out he had a broken bone right before the 21 season began. It spiraled from there with a lot of anxiety, as he mentions the depression, the gambling app now finally being reinstated.

It's going to be amazing for my mom, for my family, for me. It's just going to be a weight off my shoulders because I waited so long to get back to this point and just, you know, be excited to run through that tunnel and, you know, show every Jacksonville Jaguars fan who I am. He also says he believes he can catch 1,400 yards with Trevor Lawrence next year as a member of the Jaguars.

Remember, they won the AFC South and they're now adding a talent like his under Doug Peterson. One more quote from the Players' Tribune piece that Ridley wrote that was released on Wednesday. He said the day he was called in front of NFL investigators to be questioned about those bets that he placed in November 2021 was probably the worst day of his life. He says when people ask him, what were you thinking? His answer is, I wasn't. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio.