Ari Meirov, PFF NFL Reporter

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Viator, one site, over 300,000 experiences you'll remember. Alright, thanks for the time. How are you?

I'm fine, thank you. The thing is, after these last couple of contracts that have come in with Kyler Murray, Derek Carr, Russell Wilson most recently, where they are still the traditional quarterback contract, that probably hurts Lamar's chances of getting a type of contract like Deshaun Watson. And I think it's noteworthy to mention that when the Watson contract happened, their owner, Stephen Bishati, was the one owner who came out publicly and said that contract was a good contract. So if Lamar is really all in on trying to get that type of a structure, where the raw dollars don't matter, but the guarantees matter more to him, I don't think Baltimore is going to go there. If that's the case, he'll be going through the year with this rookie contract and possibly a franchise tag come next year.

And that's the thing. I still think Lamar has all the leverage here. He's a unanimous MVP from a few years ago, and if he wanted to go down that road of waiting a few years, and injuries could happen, but we saw Dak get hurt and then he got paid still a king's ransom, there would be one team, I would have to imagine, at least in the NFL, that would still be willing to go all in on a fully guaranteed contract a few years from now for Lamar, just because you know it. If you don't have a quarterback, you do desperate things to go try to find one. Right.

Absolutely. And it's the one thing here is Baltimore had kind of gone through this road once before of Joe Flacco, where they couldn't get a contract pension with him. He bet on himself, won a Super Bowl, a Super Bowl MVP, and then became the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL. So if they don't pay him now and Lamar goes off this year and has a spectacular year, a year where so many good players are coming back from injury and they somehow get to the playoffs, win a Super Bowl, you're right, all the leverage for sure will go to him. And by then, when you're already on the franchise tag, the leverage definitely starts shifting towards the player like we've seen of Kirk Cousins, like we've seen of Dak Prescott. At that point, if he's still playing at the level that we know of Lamar Jackson, the leverage 100% goes towards him.

I can tell you this much. Last year, a lot of agents told me they would not allow Lamar Jackson to step on the field without a new contract. He didn't do a deal. He ended up being right. Even though he got hurt, it wasn't a serious injury, and the quarterback market has exploded this option. So, so far, he's been right up until this point. But like you mentioned, the injury part, the security part, this is the 32nd overall pick in the draft.

He hasn't made great money up until this year where he's making $23 million in the fifth-year option. So it's a very fascinating situation. If it doesn't get done, I'm most curious to see it become a bit of a distraction in Baltimore. Ari Mirov here with us, My Sports Update.

Make sure you give him a follow on Twitter. There's a great job covering the NFL for Pro Football Focus. Who do you have winning the AFC North this year, Ari? Yeah, it's definitely a very fun conversation to have, especially in that division, the AFC West as well. I'm in on Baltimore.

I mean, I mentioned some of the things before. I mean, first of all, just all the players coming back from injury, whether it's the running back room, which was basically cleared out before the season started, to Marcus Peters, Marlon Humphrey, Lamar Jackson coming back, Rodney Stanley coming back. So many high-level players are coming back. And on top of that, we just talked about Lamar's contract. If no deal gets done, I think he has a bit of a chip on his shoulder. But they also have a fourth-place schedule after he finished their division last year. So they get a game against Jacksonville, for example, because they were fourth place.

So the little things like that, I feel like the fact that they've gotten so much healthier. We all know about John Harbaugh. We all know about what Lamar Jackson could do. All these players coming back. All the new players that they added this offseason as well, from a guy like Marcus Williams and Kyle Hamilton in draft and Kyle in the Met Center. A lot of new faces coming in. A lot of returning faces coming in.

And just the element of the schedule and the chip on the shoulder for Lamar, if no deal gets done. I really like Baltimore, but as I mentioned, that division was Cincinnati. We'll see how it all goes with them.

Still love them. I would probably have them as a wildcard team. So it's definitely a fun division to watch throughout this year. How many teams out of the AFC West do you have making the postseason this year, Ari Mirov?

I have two. And I've kind of been going back and forth on which two it would be. As of right now, I've got the Chiefs and I have the Chargers. And the reason I kind of go there is, first of all, just the two other teams of new head coaches. I'm always hesitant when there are new head coaches in there. But the thing with me is that the AFC is just so stacked, and especially that division, that I feel like these teams are going to be beating up on each other. And in particular with the Rangers, I'm really curious to see how that offensive line does.

I feel like everyone loves talking about their weapons and they really are great. The offensive line has an argument as being a bottom three offensive line in the NFL. I know Josh McDaniel has a good history of getting the ball out quickly with his quarterbacks.

But I want to see how that all gels early on. Same thing with their secondary. I really want to see how that all does over there because I think the back end is a bit shaky. And then in Denver, I just want to see how it all does. I mean, I'm fascinated by a new quarterback, a rookie head coach, all these new pieces as well with that team.

I just want to see it before I commit to it, if that makes sense. So I like the two teams that have been there with the Chiefs, obviously. I'm not that worried with Tyreek Hill no longer there. And the Chargers, Brandon Staley, basically inherited a defense last year. This offseason, he basically brought a lot of guys that he wants in his defense, from J.C. Jackson, Khalil Mack, Sebastian Joseph Day.

And they added a lot of depth pieces as well in case they do have injuries. So I really like them this year. Ari Mirov here with us. What do you like about Mike McDaniel, if you do so? Because I know that a lot of media members get great access to him. He's very fun with the media. I'm just wondering what he's going to be like as an NFL head coach.

Give me a little thought or two about the Dolphins. Yeah, he's a very unique guy. I actually got to talk to him a little bit at the NFL owners meeting.

He's a very fun and energetic type of person. I'm just curious to see how it does in a locker room, especially if they somehow get off to a bat star. I want to see how all that does, because up until now, Mike McDaniel was a guy who followed Kyle Shanahan every stop that he made. And he basically was the guy locked in his room, drawing up plays, and Kyle Shanahan trusted him. Now you're the guy who's in front of the locker room talking to everyone, and you are essentially the leader.

So I want to see how all that does. The thing that I will say is that Kyle Shanahan will tell you this. He is a genius when it comes to offensive play calling. And when you see the Miami offense, first of all, obviously it starts with Tua. But I do like the fact that the first year where they are committing to him. When it was his rookie year, that was the Ryan Fitzpatrick element.

The second year was the Sean Watson element. This year, it's his team. And you had all these pieces where there are so many speedy players that I feel like even if you think that Tua has some deficiencies, when you have all these types of players around him, I feel like Mike McDaniel could draw up so many different types of plays to get the ball into their hands and make magic happen. So early on this season, the first two or three weeks, I want to see if they're able to do that with all these guys from Hill to Waddle to Mostert to Edmonds.

So many guys who get the ball in their hands and let them do the work. And I'll just mention one more thing with that team. The offensive line has been so bad for so many years. Adding a guy like Taran Armstead, who Sean Payton will tell you is a player and a coach, essentially, built in one. He could basically leave that entire offensive line room. They added Connor Williams as well. They have Robert Hund, who's this third-year guard who has been raving about what Taran Armstead has brought to that team. So I think if the offensive line is better in front of Tua, I think that will do wonders for him. Ari Mirov, how do you see the game playing out tomorrow night with maybe the two best teams in football kicking off the season, the Bills and the Rams?

I haven't really had a good answer to this one. It's going to be a fascinating game where you have the Super Bowl transfers. It feels like what everyone is picking to win the Super Bowl this year. I've never seen so many people heavy on Buffalo the way they are right now. I saw an image this morning of the entire NFL Network crew basically picking them to make the Super Bowl and win it.

So it's a fascinating situation. I'm just looking right now at the Buffalo secondary, which for Davis White is not playing tomorrow. He's out for at least the first four weeks of the year. That secondary is a bit shaky. You have Pierre Illa on the first-round pick. You have Dante Jackson, who is a veteran there. I just want to see how they do against guys like a Cooper Cup.

Alan Robinson, who I think is bound for a big year there with the Rams. That's the one matchup I'm keeping a very close eye on. I feel like everyone is talking about Buffalo and they are very high on them and rightfully so. I want to see how their secondary does tomorrow. If there is one thing they didn't really truly address when they knew that Tredevious White was going to miss the start of the year is the secondary. I know they have a first-round pick, but based on some of the reports out of the Buffalo media, it doesn't sound like he has in any way shined to say the least. Or that he looks like an immediate starter.

I'm definitely keeping an eye on that. In terms of what's going to happen, I'm going to go with the home team. I'm going to go with the Rams, finding a way to win this one. It could be a close game, a great game, but I always tend to go with the home team their first game back after winning the Super Bowl.

I'm surprised they were in underdog as well. I know Buffalo is supposed to be a great team. I may plus the two and a half points with the Rams. I was on a similar line of thinking as you, Ari Mirov, here with us for a few more moments. We know the three best teams in the NFC.

In my opinion, I think it's a lot of people's opinion. LA, Tampa, and the Packers. Some people getting concerned about Brady missing 11 days in training camp.

I'm not. Rogers, how is he going to do without Devontae Adams? Are there genuine concerns for Tampa and Green Bay? You're not just really buying into a lot of what the narrative has been over the summer. I'm with you of the Tom Brady missing 11 days. Nowadays with training camps, a lot of these coaches are giving guys who are 25 to 29 years old two days of training camp and take a day off.

It ends up combining to 11 days at the end of the day. Tom Brady is 45 years old. The fact that he's back in Tampa Bay right now after retiring and after the manly stuff, you should just be thankful for that. He's there for week one. I am a bit concerned with the offensive line though.

Three new faces in the interior. Shaq Neeson I think will be fine, but the other two names. Robert Hainsey at center and then Luke Gedicke, a rookie guard who they drafted in the second round who will be starting at left guard. We know how important the interior of the offensive line is for Tom Brady, someone who isn't really mobile.

I want to see how that really does because I think it has been talked about a lot, but Ryan Jensen has a good argument as one of the best centers in all of football, if not the best center. And the first call that Tom Brady made when he unretired was to bring back Ryan Jensen who was scheduled to be a free agent who many people saw would leave if Brady was not there. Now he's not there because of injuries.

So I think that is a massive and a major loss. They're holding out hope they could possibly return at the end of the year. But it's probably one of the biggest injuries we've had through this entire camp season. But as for the rest of the team, I think like the Packers you mentioned, like I think they're lucky to run in the AFC as well, I would say, because if they were there, I think I would have concerns. But the NFC is just so top load and there's a bunch of I don't know about all these other teams that I'm fine with Green Bay and we'll see how the receivers do.

What I would keep an eye on is if they don't start off the year well off their receivers where there are some struggles where Aaron might be frustrated. I would remind people that last year Odell Beckham Jr. when he became a free agent, the two teams that he were considering were the Rams and the Packers. He chose the Rams.

That was the right decision. He won a Super Bowl, unfortunately had a torn ACL, but it looks like he's not going to sign before the season. He's going to let things play out. We'll continue to recover and then I'll see which options come to him. And if the Packers receiver group isn't that great, will he consider signing there, going to Green Bay, which he thought of doing last year, becoming the main guy for Aaron Rodgers and possibly trying to win another Super Bowl to come with a different team. So I'll just keep an eye on what Odell does because it sounds like he didn't let the options come to him, let the season start and see who really needs me.

It's a great point that you bring up. Before we let you run, as we've been discussing, if you look at the top four teams in the NFC, you got to have Tampa, you got to have Green Bay, you got to have LA, summer on that list. Who's the fourth best team then or in that top four conversation in the NFC once we get through those three?

Yeah. I mean, I know that teams are getting a lot of hype, but I truly am buying into it. I think Philadelphia will be pretty good this year. I know that last year when they made the playoffs, if you look back at that seven game win streak they had, they beat a lot of just really bad teams. But I just look at what they did this off season, what Harry Rosen has been able to do really since the Carson Wentz mess, when everyone thought that he was done, when Doug Peterson got fired, everyone was like, get rid of Howie. The way he has turned around that ship has been incredible to watch. And then when you see all the additions they made this off season, the way they've committed to jail and hurt and just building up, putting around pieces around him, whether it's an AJ Brown, whether it's obviously on the defensive side with guys like Hassan Reddick, last week beach, they trade for CJ Gardner, Johnson, um, Jordan Davis in the draft and the Colby team who many people thought there was some injury concern.

It sounds like he'll be good to go come week one. It's a team that made so many additions. I've even mentioned James Bradbury as well. So many addition for the weaknesses they had going into this off season. And when you look at the NFC East, you have Washington there, you have the Johnson there.

I think you can make a very strong argument. Dallas has taken a bit of a step back with all their moves. So now if he has an opportunity here to really thrive this year, it all comes down to jail and hurts.

We'll see if he is the answer at quarterback because again, Philadelphia has two first round picks come next year. But when you look at all the things they've done, still one of the better offensive lines in the league. They built a really good team around him.

And it feels like they're able to make everything gel. And with all these new players, they could be a team that really could make noise in NFC again, looking at all what they've done this off season. So I'm really intrigued by Philadelphia. Last thing I'll ask you, is there a team or two that you want to talk about that you think aren't getting enough buzz nationally and maybe you think you're going to surprise some people this year?

Surprise people? So I don't know about making the playoffs. We talked about how stacked the AFC is. But I really want to see how the Jaguars do this season. Again, not a playoff team or anything, but last year was just such a disaster for Urban Meyer.

I don't think it even should count for Trevor Lawrence. Now you have a head coach who's been there, done that in Doug Peterson. They also made a lot of additions this offseason.

Travis ETN comes back. They added a bunch of receivers. They added Brandon Shurf on the offensive line.

Trevon Walker might be the least talked about number one overall pick since Eric Fisher. This is a team that I think could be at least competitive in games, make games hard on other teams, and it's no longer an easy win whenever you face Jacksonville. It was just so, so bad last year. Listen to all the players whenever you have press conferences.

I think today Trevor Lawrence spoke and said the culture in here has flipped. It's unfair to even consider last year a real year for them after the mess and the toxic environment that Urban Meyer brought in. So now that you have Doug Peterson, who again has won a Super Bowl as a former quarterback, could help mold Trevor Lawrence to the quarterback we all thought he would be when we all called him a generational talent when he was coming in. I want to see the Jaguars this year.

I want to see if they're able to take that next step and at least get to that six, seven, maybe eight-win type of team where they're able to be competitive in games and just be that annoying team and eventually maybe become a bit more of a destination for other players eventually, like we saw with Joe Burrow in Cincinnati this offseason. He has one of the best NFL accounts on Twitter, at MySportsUpdate. Make sure you go follow him. He does a great job covering the NFL for Pro Football Focus. That's Ari Meirov. Ari, appreciate the time. Thank you. Thanks so much, Jack.

All the best. In fact, just last year, Viator helped my family put together this amazing adventure on the island of Kona. Swimming with the manta rays, trying to avoid the barracudas, whatever your wildest dreams, if you can imagine it, Viator probably has an experience just for you. Download the Viator app now and use code Viator10 for 10% off your first booking in Viator's world of wonderful experiences. Viator. One site, over 300,000 experiences you'll remember.