Jason La Canfora, 105.7 The Fan Host

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Talk saves lives. There's a number of owners who feel the same way he does. I think I'd also point out though if this was still a heavy revenue generating franchise.

You know, and one that could get a stadium built and was bringing in the kind of money to the table that it was 20 years ago. I'm not sure you'd hear quite the uproar you do. But regardless, yeah, they usually try to keep that in house. And obviously when the meetings began, they did keep it in house and the league kind of, you know, lassoed everybody up. And, you know, told them to bite their tongues. But we're, you know, we're still a long ways removed from having 24 of them being willing to say he's got to go.

And then commit to the type of legal fight that you're going to be up for to try to pry this from his hands because he's going to fight it with every fiber of his being. So, you know, we're in a different place than we've ever been before. And it certainly seems like the tide is turning.

But we're still not, you know, I wouldn't say we're DEFCON 5 here. We'll see what happens. You know, we have five investigations ongoing, right? So we'll see what results that produces. But Dan Snyder is certainly never a guy who had a ton of allies with other owners to begin with.

And he is persona non grata with a lot of them right now. I know these NFL investigations, they move at the beat of their own drum. Do you have any idea when this investigation could potentially be wrapping up? Nope. I don't.

I don't. And who knows? We may learn more from the District Attorney of Washington, D.C. or, you know, there's a number of different investigations right now going on. So maybe there are some bombshell findings and some of the other ones that are originating from this jurisdiction or that jurisdiction before we hear from the league's second probe into Dan Snyder.

But I couldn't give you a date. Last week, Jason, looking for when the ESPN article came out that alleged that you had Dan Snyder hiring private investigators for the other 31 NFL owners and Roger Goodell. I said on the air, you know, a challenge him, you know, get him out of the league, challenge him, see what information he has. Because I think a lot of people, unless if he has this crazy damaging information, would kind of just take whatever he has to say with the grain of salt and be rejoicing that he's finally out of the NFL. Does he actually have a lot of damaging information or is this just a kind of hearsay and what you get kind of? Yeah, I have no I have no idea. You know what I mean? What he and his lawyers may or may not know.

I don't have a clue. Look, that story, the sort of things alleged there is stuff that by and large have been talked about in league circles for a long time. And part of why he's so stuck in is because he thinks he could take other people down with him. And clearly, again, he hasn't been a popular figure among a wide swath of owners since the moment he got there. So, you know, he's someone who throughout his business career and his football career has made a number of enemies. And I think you could look at a pattern of behavior where he tried to discredit people or he tries to come up with compromising information on them.

It would not be out of character whatsoever, you know, if he were doing things like that in a potential defense or a potential attack on those who would try to strip him of this franchise. But again. I'm not so sure that his biggest problem is that Capitol Hill or, you know, D.C. And I mean, I don't know, you know, does he have compromise when politicians?

I don't know. But, you know, the enemy isn't only in this case potentially just from within. Again, he's dealing with a multitude of government level inquiries. Department of Justice stuff. That's going to carry with it, I think, a resonance, frankly, even more than anything Wilkerson finds or whatever the NFL purports to have found this time. After looking back into this again, after an original investigation, that was whatever the opposite of transparent is. That's what that was.

Jason, like a four here with us. Absolutely. On that front. This whole Jerry Jones telling Robert Kraft to don't bleep with me. Is that a big deal or really no deal at all in just typical Jerry Jones? Yeah, I mean, the stuff that goes on in those meetings, especially when you get down to one member per club. Just bitching between billionaires, pretty much. Yeah, I mean, this is, you know, boys will be boys.

I mean, it's, you know, guys saying, you know, challenging each other and wanting to maintain a higher pecking order and, you know, Lord of the Flies stuff. I'm richer than you. I got a bigger plane than you.

I got a bigger yacht than you. But Jerry Jones has had a thing for Roger Goodell for a while. I mean, Jerry Jones, you know, tried to lead a soft coup to get Goodell thrown out when the Kaepernick stuff was going on. And this is not breaking any new news, you know, but it was well documented and well reported then that he was trying to get enough votes to throw Goodell out. Goodell has gotten a contract extension since then. Goodell is making a ton of money and the bottom line is Roger Goodell's number one job is to make money for the league.

They're doing that in droves. They're doing that in ways that any other sports league in this country, you know, could only dream about doing. So Roger Goodell is in good stead with most of these guys. Roger Goodell made it clear to them when he did this last contract that would probably be his last one. And Jerry Jones, if he wanted to or not, is not going to be able to derail that process. How would you classify the relationship between Lamar Jackson and the Ravens right now?

I mean, it's a business relationship. He's aware that most quarterbacks get deals before year five, especially quarterbacks who've accomplished what he's done. He's very acutely aware of how this market works and what it's meant for lesser quarterbacks like Dak Prescott, like Kirk Cousins.

So he's not naive. He's not ill-informed as to how the league works and how guys get paid and what other guys are making. And frankly, how the franchise tag for a quarterback, while it's not ideal, can be far more lucrative and can give them leverage and advantages that it just doesn't afford other players. Which is if your quarterback waits until right before the start of the regular season to sign his franchise tag, which he completely will have that right, then you're going to have a real interesting offseason running all your stuff with your backup. And there's no fines and there's no nothing. He's just an unsigned player until or unless he signs that tender. So it's, it's far from optimal.

It's, it's, uh, not ideal, but it's not going to change anytime soon. And the owner, Steve, who hadn't talked in about three years, talked at the league meetings in the spring in Florida. And he said, I think we're headed to a franchise tag and they're headed to a franchise tag. JLC Jason, like a four here with us. We were talking about Odell Beckham Jr.

Earlier. I predicted he's going to the bills. My producer hot take Kiki is saying he's going back to LA with the Rams. What's your prediction on where Odell's playing football this year?

Well, Sean McVeigh can be pretty persuasive. And, um, both those owners are all in terms of their, you look at Duncan caught up in salary cap, look at actual payroll dollars spent on their football teams this year. They're both way up there. Um, Pagula and Kroenke. So they'll both be motivated, but I think being back in LA coming in and kind of like riding in on his white horse and saving the day. Right. The offense is broken outside of Cooper cup, um, a system he already knows, you know, everything he already knows.

Um, most of those games are going to be played in premium, uh, weather conditions, especially that becomes a bigger issue November into December. So I would, I've talked to Sean about it. I would not discount the Rams re recruitment of him in any way, shape or form.

They were pretty persuasive a year ago. Now I get it. You know, Bob Miller's not there and he helped recruit him last time, whatever. But he also is one of Superbowl there. I mean, he obviously, you know, you know what I'm saying? So whether, you know, he's hurt or not. So I think, I think I'd put my money on the Rams. Are Green Bay or Kansas City possibilities here?

Um, I, I, sure, sure. Uh, I mean, Green Bay's got a lot of issues right now. They don't even look like they want to throw the ball down field. Um, so I don't, I don't know, man.

That'd be a tough sell to me right now. They're, they're a mess. Um, but it is Aaron Rodgers and it's a storied franchise.

And I get all that. And yeah, I mean, Kansas City, uh, does a lot of things really well, but they're struggling in the fourth quarter. And you're seeing Mahomes make some throws in the red zone that he, he hasn't made before. And when you look at Patrick Mahomes, like the 31st Frank quarterback in the fourth quarter, I think you have to say something of that has to do with, you know, the lack of guys besides Kelce who can really get open and make things happen.

And, um, yes, I wouldn't discount that, but again, I'd lean to the Rams. Before we let you run, Monday night, do you think Mac Jones is starting for the Patriots or is it Bailey Zappi? Um, I think it's Bailey Zappi. I'd ask Bailey Zappi's job until or unless he loses it.

And, uh, I'm not sure that he's going to. They're opening up that a little bit more. They're getting the tight ends involved now. His ability to kind of throw on the run and be a little bit athletic, um, is working well for them. And Mac Jones was not playing good football when he got hurt. And he threw about four jump balls in that game against the Ravens before he got hurt. And a couple of them were picked, but they all easily could have, um, they weren't moving the ball then the way they are now. And I don't think Dolcek's worried about where he drafted him or what next year is going to look like, or who's going to be number one on the depth chart come, you know, OTAs. And he's just trying to win a football game.

And right now he's, he's in on Bailey Zappi. Fascinating stuff. Jason, lucky for we appreciate the time as always. Thank you. How's your mental health?

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And like that's how life works. Explore more at I'm listening dot org. How's your mental health?

I'm listening with Luke Combs. I am somebody who has struggled with anxiety a lot. A couple ways or tools, I guess you would say to maintain my mental health is making myself aware to the things that I know I'm prone to. Information is key for things like that and knowing what you're dealing with and how they operate. Being aware of the way your mind works in certain situations has been the most important thing for me. More at I'm listening dot org. Talk saves lives.