Seahawks Flocking For A QB In The Draft? (Hour 4)

Alrighty, our number four of our radio program, it is the Zach Gelb show on CBS Sports Radio. The two biggest stories of the day, Lamar Jackson slapped with a non-exclusive franchise tagged and all of a sudden, collusion. If you can prove it or not, that's a different story, but it's happening around the NFL where all the NFL owners are now basically talking to their reporters or their teams are talking to reporters and you find out the commanders aren't interested and won't pursue Lamar Jackson, the Carolina Panthers won't pursue Lamar, the Falcons won't pursue Lamar, the Raiders won't pursue Lamar, and I'm sitting here Hickey and I'm saying, hold up, wait a second, who do the Panthers have at quarterback right now? Who do the Falcons have at quarterback right now? And those two teams tried to go get to Sean Watson last year. You know, the commanders, you're going to really roll with Sam Howell next year? The Las Vegas Raiders? But what are you guys doing? Moving up in the draft?

Okay. You know, some of those teams, you go move up in the draft, you could say they're trying to take advantage on a quarterback on a rookie contract and I could understand that. But I don't think the Panthers, the Falcons, the commanders and the Raiders, Hickey, are all going to be able to get one of the top four quarterbacks in the draft in Stroud, in Bryce Young, in the water, Anthony Richardson, and Will Levis, because you do have in front of them, naturally in the draft, the Texans and the Colts.

And I know we poke fun at you all the time, Hickey, on how like you don't even want to entertain the idea of CJ Stroud going to the Colts. But if let's say Bryce Young goes off the board at two or one to the Texans, maybe the Texans move up and you still have CJ Stroud sitting there at four, I don't think the Colts are going to pass up on a quarterback. Now, maybe they prefer Levis, maybe they prefer Anthony Richardson instead, but I would be absolutely stunned, even if Bryce Young is their top target and they don't get him, if Jim Irsay, Chris Ballard and company don't end up taking a quarterback. So right there, naturally, you know that the Texans and you know that the Colts are going to get quarterbacks and you just do the math, the Panthers, the Falcons, and the Raiders, you have Stroud and Young potentially off the board. Not every one of those teams could go get Anthony Richardson and Will Levis. Only two could go get him and who knows who else is going to go move up the draft board to go get those guys. Which is why, again, I think we'll see movement in about a month or so, or really two months, I guess, because the draft is still kind of good amount of time away. When those boards start being made and now when those quarterback, like again, you can dream if you're David Tepper, we're going to get Bryce Young. We're going to straight up to number one and go get him or go to number two and get C.J.

Stroud. When reality happens in the draft, and like you said, the Colts get a quarterback, maybe the Raiders make a move, maybe the Seahawks make a move, and all of a sudden, next thing you know, two or three guys you liked are gone. Now you're sitting there saying, well, we don't like Will Levis, let's go turn our attention to Lamar Jackson. Great point that you bring up, because the Seahawks and the Lions are sitting at five and six. They have quarterbacks right now in Goff and Geno Smith. But does anyone think that those guys are going to be there for the next five years? I know Geno just signed a three-year deal. I know Jared Goff's in the contract for two more years. If you are buying into the upside and the ceiling of a Will Levis or an Anthony Richardson, which I don't know how high it is, but all these draft experts and nerds say like, oh, you know, Anthony Richardson, you know, is a mix of like three of these great quarterbacks when you go watch or Will Levis, there's been people enamored with him for an entire year.

I really don't, like that's one of the rare times, Hickey. I don't think there's actually harm if you just like a quarterback and don't love a quarterback, if you're the Seahawks and the Lions and taking one at five or six, because you have another first round pick this year. And also you have teams that are moving in the right direction and shouldn't have been five and six, but the only reason they're five and six, not because of their record this year, it's because the trades that they've made previously, where that's why they're sitting at five and six, the Lions and the Matthew Stafford deal, and then, yeah, the Lions and Matthew Stafford deal, and then the Seahawks, was that in the- Russell Wilson. Oh, Russell Wilson, duh. Obviously with the Denver Broncos and that catastrophe that they had this past year. So like for those teams, Hickey, I look at them at five and six and I kind of say you could just like a quarterback there.

You don't have to love them. I agree, or if you're nervous about Anthony Richardson, I would still say take a chance. I guess I'm 100% with you. In that specific scenario where the Seahawks and Lions are, when you have a pretty good roster and a free pick almost, take the chance. And you don't have to move up potentially.

Nope. Because if you have to move up, that's different. But you look at when the Chiefs had to move up to go get Patrick Mahomes, there was a great unknown about what Mahomes was and all you heard was about the ceiling. Now you look at the other way, the 49ers, they had to move up to go get Trey Lance and you heard about his ceiling, right? You talked about his ceiling until you were blue in the face last year. And so far, or two years ago, so far, it hasn't worked out for Trey Lance, but I'm ready to write Trey Lance off and say he's a boss. We'd barely even see him play in the NFL.

Just either didn't get the opportunity in year one or wasn't healthy in year number two. So if you tell me that Anthony Richardson, no, he's not going to be Mahomes, but he could be like, what, 50% of Mahomes? I think you take that there. You would absolutely take that.

Absolutely. For Tina, you thinking whenever he plays two years, three years from now, we'll still be a playoff caliber roster. So one of those teams, the Panthers, the Falcons, the commanders, the Raiders, I guarantee you one are going to eventually offer Lamar a deal. And then it's up to Lamar to accept it and it goes back to the Ravens. Then we figure out if the Ravens are going to match it or not. And if they don't match it, then all they get back is two first round picks.

I don't know about you. And who was that guy that called Bob in Baltimore or Bob in Maryland, 86 year old that was very annoyed with me and said I was being disrespectful to Baltimore. And when I wasn't being disrespectful to Baltimore, all I was saying was I thought that they were heading to a divorce.

This may be a comment that could be perceived as disrespectful to Baltimore Ravens fans. I'm actually hoping that Lamar gets a deal done with another team and the Ravens end up passing on it because just the way that this has all gone down and let's eventually see how it does end. But so far it seems like Lamar Jackson's getting screwed by the Ravens and screwed by the NFL. Now, some people could say, well, if he would just not demand for a fully guaranteed deal, I have no sympathy for him. He could go get $160 million fully guaranteed. Yeah, obviously people like Hickey and I, we would just take a million dollars fully guaranteed.

How about like $600,000 fully guaranteed? But Lamar's in a different world. And I understand Lamar, if it's true, that he is set on getting a fully guaranteed dealer close to it after seeing Deshaun Watson, what he's accused of, and Lamar having better on the field success than Deshaun Watson with the accolade of unanimous MVP.

I totally get why Lamar would ask for the moon because Deshaun just got it and the Browns are willing to give it. Now, I know all the other owners were annoyed at Haslam, at Jimmy and D. Haslam for giving that deal. But you don't think another owner will kind of go rogue here when it comes into the self-interest of their own team? Absolutely one of those owners will.

And you may not even have to go fully guarantee because this is where it could backfire. I think right now the Ravens, where I would not have said this yesterday, they have the upper hand because all the other owners right now are falling in line. And all of the other owners are saying, we're not interested, we're not interested, we're not interested because they don't want to have back-to-back years of a quarterback getting a fully guaranteed deal. But if let's just say that $230 million fully guaranteed ends up still being a $230 million contract, but over five years. And I don't know, a team offers Lamar $230 million over five, but it's only $190 million fully guaranteed. That to me is going to be the fascinating part about this, where let's say that's the Panthers, Hickey, that offer $230 million over five. Lamar agrees to it, says, I realize I'm not getting a fully guaranteed deal, but I'll take $190 million out of the $230 fully guaranteed. If the Ravens, who's latest offer was $1.33 fully guaranteed, then the Ravens who thought they had the upper hand, if they don't feel comfortable giving them that $190 million fully guaranteed, then it's like, okay, right now you have the upper hand, but you may not have the upper hand in a month or now or two. And then if that's the case, you don't want to give them $190 million fully guaranteed, and you only wind up with two first round picks for Lamar, I think you look foolish. So I'm rooting for Lamar pretty much to screw the billionaires and to screw the owners because if Deshaun gets the contract and I hear teams like the Panthers and Falcons aren't interested when they were interested in Deshaun, that doesn't make sense to me.

That's just jackassery if you ask me. Yeah, I actually believe they're not interested when rubber meets the road and actual deals are starting to be made and talks and conversations are starting to happen again. I just, easy to say today when there's really no action to be taken today, all we found out today is that Lamar is going to be available. Now there's no deadline for when he could be signed. So there's no rush to, we got to get him before tomorrow or Monday or Wednesday or April 1st or by the draft. So there's no real incentive for anyone to come out today and say we're interested or we're not. Just when it comes down to it, I don't think that these teams are all of a sudden going to sit one out here and allow, I mean, hell who, who's left even the Jets.

Let's say that if they're just backfires, allow the Jets to walk right in and take them. I don't think so. Well, the only thing I will say, isn't there a deadline on when you could agree to a long term deal with a player in a franchise tag?

Not that I've seen. I mean, I don't know, but I have to double check this, but I think there is a deadline. I want a player that's on a franchise tag. I think it like maybe in July can agree to a longterm contract or else it has to be that he's playing on the franchise tag. I don't know if that also applies to non-exclusive franchise tag, but I do think there is a deadline when you could agree to a contract, but I don't think that's until like July anyway, like usually like middle of July or something. Well, first of all, I mean, you're going to make the, if you want a March action, you're not waiting until July right before training camp to acquire them. You're having them in your building and knowing the playbook well before that.

Yes. I would say probably two weeks, if this doesn't get done like two weeks after the draft, then I, then I don't think Lamar is getting a deal done with another team. That's I think absolute latest, like two weeks after the draft, I would assume. Right on OTS. Makes sense.

Because I don't know how long that process takes and the negotiations and then, you know, you know, the Ravens that have a certain amount of time that they could decide if they're going to match it or not, things like that along the lines as well. Now you get to the other big news item and that is that the Packers have given Aaron Rodgers permission to speak to the Jets. They did discuss and had conversations last night, and this has even gone to where the Jets have now flown out to go visit Aaron Rodgers today.

And I saw the plan. I always love this when you have these chases and you have a passionate fan base is Hickey. You had Jet fans today tracking the plane that was going over with the Jets contingency to go visit Aaron Rodgers and whatever cave he's hiding out in probably. Really? Yeah.

Are you sure about that on Twitter? Don't let Elon Musk know about that. Oh, that's a no no.

That's when you get banned right away. Well, it's happening because I saw our pal Jake Asman, who we like, he was he was talking about how the Jets fans are tracking the plane all the time today and how the plane eventually did land. And it was in California. I'd hope the plane would land. Well, yeah. And in the right place, you never know. You could never know where Rodgers is.

It may be a long flight. Was it somewhere, right? No cow, right? I think somewhere where the whales are. I know that.

I've always seen California, but you never know. Rogers, you could go take a trip to like in Dubai or somewhere. You go anywhere, Rogers. But yeah, there was this one account that was tracking the plane today. And. Yes, yeah, it was the plane was flying. It was over Arizona. And it was on its way to California. So they were tracking the plane.

But anyway, not to get too sidetracked of what is allowed on Twitter and what isn't allowed on a lot on Twitter. If. You do get Aaron Rodgers going to the Jets, and I do believe that Rodgers will be a jet by the end of the weekend, because I don't know how many other teams are our interest. Seems like none are interested right now, but maybe this starts a domino effect because at least the Packers are granting permission for for for the Jets speak to him.

So maybe that does have a domino effect. But I really do believe after the Jets passed on car and waited for Aaron Rodgers that they're going to end up getting him because the Jets are desperate. And if you're the Packers, you hope other teams get involved so you could drive up the price on the Jets to go get Aaron Rodgers. But if Rodgers says I only go to the Jets, you really don't have any leverage. And I think a lot of that meeting with Nathaniel Hackett, Robert Salo, if you could go sit and talk to Carr and tell him to be a first Ballot Hall of Famer, what is he going to say to actually a first Ballot Hall of Famer?

So I think this will get done and the Packers want him gone and there will be a deal that will be done by the end of the weekend. But if the Jets do get him, which I do fully expect them to, what are your expectations for them? Because like Carr yesterday, when we find out he goes to the Saints, I was like, I win the division because division stinks, but I can't really expect anything further out of them. For the Jets, I would probably say it's be a wildcard team and the Apex is winning one playoff game. They have a great defense. You have an up and coming offense that needs a quarterback. I would say that the Jets are a wildcard team where at best they probably win one playoff game next year.

Because that's the other thing about Rodgers, greatest he's been in the regular season, the postseason, especially recently, the tide has started to turn in terms of the excuses that were given on out on why there was shortcomings in the postseason. I get that's a huge push for the Jets to say they currently have the longest postseason draft. So I get just making it and maybe we have a playoff game is big, but I'm with you.

It's about it. Wildcards, six, seven seed, get in there, maybe Paul for first round upset if you get a good matchup, but they're not beating the bills or the chiefs or the bangles right now. The dolphins almost beat the bills with Skylar Thompson. Yeah, but do you trust Aaron Rodgers to play well in the playoffs?

I don't. I get it that the Packers lost in a game where the 49ers did not score an offensive touchdown. I can't say it's impossible though that Aaron Rodgers can't like, let's say if that is a three six game next year, I can't say it's impossible that Aaron Rodgers goes into to Buffalo and plays well.

Like I don't think that's inconceivable. Now I do think there's a pecking order and right now the chiefs are in front. The bangles are two, the bills are three. And then you look at teams like I probably still think the Chargers are better and probably the Jaguars are better. But after that, yeah, they're competing for probably those two last wildcard spots because the bills will probably still win the division. If two stays healthy, dolphins going to be in the mix, Steelers up and coming. The Browns, let's see what happens with the Watson. The Ravens, let's see if Lamar Jackson is on the team. And then you look at the West, you know, could the Broncos have a bounce back year?

That's a possibility. Let's see the Raiders go get a quarterback. So I think they're a wildcard team that could win a game in the playoffs with a good defense and a quarterback that is a top 10 quarterback of all time. But yeah, he's had playoff shortcomings.

So I would say that would be my apex. They could be a wildcard team. They could win a playoff game.

It is Zach Gelb show on CBS Sports Radio. And right now the returns on those poll question, 19% say be in the Super Bowl for Rogers and the Jets, 22% missed the playoffs, 23% win the AFC East and then 36% be a wildcard team. And I would order that one most likely be a wildcard team to miss the playoffs. Three win the AFC East and then four be in the Super Bowl.

Take a break. Geno Smith gets a deal done with the Seattle Seahawks. Do a little QB carousel feature. The 12th man with Greg Bell.

You're listening to the Zach Gelb show. What does the future hold for all 32 NFL teams at the QB position? Now I'm going to give you an opportunity to spin this wheel right here. Let's spin the wheel and find out which teams we hit today. The Seattle Seahawks. All right, let's connect with our pal Greg Bell.

It is a great job covering the Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune as he joins us right now off the news from yesterday that Geno Smith has a $105 million deal over three years with the Seattle Seahawks coming off what is one of the craziest stories they ever see in the history of the NFL with his redemption story a year ago. Greg, appreciate the time. How you been? I'm doing well. Thank you. How are you?

I'm doing fantastic. So it seemed like all along you knew that this deal was going to get done. When you go and do a deep dive on the numbers yesterday, what stands out to you here? The first thing is that it's three years. It's not a four or five year deal like they've done with Russell Wilson twice and franchise players, foundational players, Bobby Wagner, Earl Thomas, Ken Chancellor. It's a three year deal. And yes, he's 32 years old.

He's a young 32. As we know, he was on the bench for 14 for seven years. But the Seahawks didn't go max contract prorated across five years of max. You can prorate signing bonuses for cap purposes.

They gave him mostly front loaded contract, which is only three years. And that, to me, keeps them in play to draft a quarterback with the fifth overall pick, a generational pick for Seattle that they're not used to having, obviously. And they are looking at the top quarterbacks in the draft.

They are making it known across the league that they are interested in them to attract trade offers from teams wanting to trade up to them that need quarterbacks like Carolina and Las Vegas and Atlanta that are drafting below them. But if the other thing that jumps out is the money, it gets reported all the time when news breaks on contracts at the max value of 105. I've got used to writing in this league up to 105 million because invariably a portion of that are incentive bonuses that the player would have to max out to get the full max value of the deal. And in this case, that's true with, you know, it's really boils down to a three year, $75 million deal, averaging $25 million a year with $30 million in performance bonuses. And only if he maintains pro ball play and pro ball selections, it becomes by then a four time pro ball quarterback. By the end of that third year, would he make all 105 million?

So it may end up short of that. And it's a, to me, a team friendly deal, both in length and frankly, in cost about 25 million. Sounds like a lot for a year for a quarterback. It's below market value for his level of play just as last year. We'll see if his level of play can stay with it. Of course, beyond 2022.

Yeah. What are your kind of your expectations for Gino for next year? Cause he was remarkable this year. It was a story book.

Like even you couldn't even write the script in Hollywood. What are your expectations for him next season, Greg? Well, for him himself, he says he's gonna be better and that he was shaking rust off for part of last season and that he can only be better next year with a full season having started for the first time in eight years, he needs a center, someone that they can have and play for multiple years, which they haven't had out here in Seattle since really they traded max hunger in 2015 to for Jimmy Cram and the saints. They got to fix the center position and they need more consistent play in the interior of their office supply. They're going to have a new starting right guard, probably Phil Haynes. So they've resigned for one year and $4 million probably to release Dave Jackson who's now into his early thirties and taken up $6.6 million in caps. If he alternated with Phil Haynes as a starting right guard last year.

So that's probably one change they'll make. And they need a consistently healthy running game. Everyone knows that Kenneth Walker was a breakout rookie star with 1000 yards, but he played most of December and into January injured ankle injuries, other injuries. He missed a few games.

Rashad Penny, of course, had a season ending injury and surgery in early October. Gino Smith was a elite. I mean, top of the league quarterback, maybe even we had it all pro MVP level until his injuries in the running game and the running game slowed down. So he needs a complete offense around him to maximize his talents in this offense.

He's not a quarterback. I don't see and nothing in his career suggests that he's a quarterback that can win by himself without a running game and offensive line support. And then finally, they need a defense that is so much better than what they had last year, especially their front seven, which didn't rush the passer consistently and gave up tons of tons of rushing yards.

For a while they were allowing the most rushing yards in team history, 170 plus yards a game. They have to fix their defensive front seven, which pretty much subverted all the goods that Gino Smith did last year. You talked about them potentially taking a quarterback at five. You think that's more to field trade offers or is that legit that it wouldn't surprise you if they end up taking Richardson, Levis, whoever's still available there with the fifth overall pick? Well, I wouldn't surprise you if they take a quarterback because again, this is a pick they have not had since 2009 and they don't expect to have again for another decade or two, but they're not just going to take a quarter. If, if I think they really liked the physical skill set of Anthony Richardson and they may not take him at five, they could potentially trade down and say Carolina moves up from nine to five. Scott Spritter is a former assistant general manager and a good friend of John Schneider, the Seahawks GM.

And he's a Seattle native. He was in the Seahawks for 10 years, sitter at the combine last week. I listened to him speak in Indianapolis when I was there and he went out of his way to say, basically we're open to move up and we're trying to move up to draft a quarterback. The issue is which ones will be left and if Carolina does trade up to five, does that mean Bryce young, CJ shout and potentially Richardson are off the board. If the Seahawks could get Richardson even in a perfect world, say at nine Richardson wouldn't have to play right away because now that they've resigned Geno Smith, but only for three years, a rookie quarterback's contract will be longer than Geno Smith and certainly much cheaper and he wouldn't have to play right away, which is so rare. Obviously a team drafting in the top 10 or even top five, especially have to play that quarterback right away because those teams stink, which is why they're drafting at five or nine or 10.

Not so is Seattle having just made the playoffs. That's the, that's the beauty of the Russell Wilson deal. Do you think there's any chance they trade up from five to go get one of those quarterbacks?

I don't see that it would be so against what Don Schneider has done here. Again, though, they've never been in this situation of a top five pick, but Snyder is in the business of cultivating picks by draft by trading down and getting more. It would surprise everybody who's watched this regime for 13 years if they traded up higher in the top five to get a quarterback. If it, if they did do it though, that would suggest how much they value whatever quarterback they would take by doing that.

I just don't, it would be so against the grain to what this regime's done. So logically, if you think they're drafted a quarterback, it's going to be Richardson, you would say. Correct. And, and would they trade down and risk Richardson not being there at nine? Would Carolina be trading up to five to take Richardson whose stock obviously is just skyrocketed to combat? That's all anyone talked about when I was there last week was Anthony Richardson. He only has 13 starts in the college rank.

We all know that. Do you hand the keys over to if you're Carolina or Las Vegas trade up for a guy who's had 13 career starts, no matter what his physical talents are, the beauty of Seattle saying, yes, we'll do that again. Is it Richardson would not have to play right away with, you know, Smith now under contract. Wrapping up with Greg belt is a great job covering the Seahawks. When you look at Pete Carroll, everyone counted him out. Everyone was doubting him a year ago when, when Russ wanted out and they allowed him to go to Denver in that trade a year later, it is completely different where everyone's like, all right, Pete in the Seahawks won and Russ is, is declining and he had a horrible year and it's a disaster in Denver. I know Pete's won a Superbowl in this league, but this past year had to be the most satisfying year of his career, right?

It was, this could not have gone any better. I guess only only way it would have gotten better is if the Seahawks had won the Superbowl and it stopped raining in Seattle. That's the only way this last 12 months could have been better out here for Seattle, for the Seahawks. They did not in their wildest dreams think that Russell Wilson was going to become the league's worst quarterback and the worst offense in Denver was going to go five and 12 and they were going to have the fifth overall pick.

That's not why they made that train. They were giddy inside that CR headquarters with every loss. The Broncos were piling up and for a long time they had the third overall pick until 10 for one on the last weekend of the season. They were picking third and what, how different it would be right now if they were sitting three, pretty much assured, especially if Chicago picks at one, pretty much assured of getting one of the two top quarterbacks drought or young had Denver not won that last game, at least fielding calls from every pro football team ever invented to trade up. So having said all of that, plus the fact that Geno Smith broke three of Russell Wilson's passing records, plus the fact they went to the playoffs, which they didn't go to with Wilson the year before, plus the fact that the overall pick on top of all, I mean, it's just, it's incredible that the way that trade has worked out for them, not financially, but draft picks for the first 52 picks in this draft are because of that trade and this team's coming off a playoff run. So they could not have, this was not intended.

This is so far above what they thought they were going to get. Well, not only that, like if you would ask me when the deal was made, I would have thought that your lock would have been starting, not, not Geno Smith. Correct.

And that was all to speak. Carol, Carol gauge correctly that the locker room love Geno Smith, that he had learned a lot of respect as Russell Wilson's backup for three seasons, that he's proven himself somewhat in the three starts. He had to make for Wilson for season before in 2021, after Wilson broke his finger. And really they gave Geno Smith the keys to the offense in April's mini camp and really never, it wasn't a competition.

I mean, they were about to give, you know, or drew lock a start in the third preseason game, a second preseason game. And then he got COVID and was out hard COVID for more than a week. And that was it. That was just going to be his one chance.

And then he didn't get it. And that was the competition. And other Geno Smith pretty much took every snap minus one day of training camp. So that was all feet.

Carol's estimation from the start. And obviously Smith backed up his coach's faith in him at the end of the season, Smith mentioned, Hey, I want to return to Seattle and repay the loyalties Pete Carroll and the Seahawks gave me. I could be out of the league right now. And he wanted to resign here. What the contract length and, uh, and some of that is what the, how the deal got done yesterday. Last thing I'll ask you, Greg Bell, wrapping up, uh, the quarterback that used to cover Russell Wilson. Now is Sean Payton out in Denver. How do you think we're talking about Russell Wilson a year, a year from now when we're having this conversation? I think you're going to see knowing him as I do, and I know how much he's wanted to play with Sean Payton for years, you know, when he was here in Seattle, I think you're going to see a redemptive season from him. I think you're going to see him, uh, maybe be a little more, uh, on football back to the fundamentals. Uh, we'll see if all the other trappings that come with Russell Wilson that I covered for 10 years stay the same and consistent or even increase next year.

I would suspect not. I think you're going to see a new focus and certainly a new offense with Shane, with Sean Payton. And if he doesn't do it with things, but he's probably not going to do it.

And I think that he's not falling off the cliff where he's not going to ever do it again. He's now got the quarterback coach, the quarterback coach guru guy that he's wanted for years. He's admired him. How he, Peyton has worked with Drew Brees. Drew Brees has been a mentor for Russell Wilson for a long time.

And I know for a fact that Sean Payton has been an apple of Russell Wilson's eye for years, wait before this, covers the Seahawks with Tacoma news Tribune. He of course is Greg belly could follow him on Twitter at G Bell, Seattle. Greg, thank you. Thank you.

Have a good night. You got it. There is Greg bell joining us on CBS sports radio. So Marco, uh, bloody is here going to give you the latest CBS sports radio update in just a second. I got two questions though for you right out of the gate or actually three. Okay. So we got a little hat trick happening here with Marco bloody, a little trifecta question. Number one, I think it's pretty obvious now that Roger is going to go to the jets probably happened by the end of the weekend.

I'm assuming you're in agreement with that. If you are expectations next year for the jets in your opinion are what? A minimum, obviously a playoff birth fighting for the division with the bills and or the dolphins.

I'm still not a huge believer in two of being able to be healthy and then making noise in the playoffs, whatever that is. I mean, it's a little too early to sit here and tell you AFC championship or anything like that. And our poll question is if the jets land Aaron Rogers, what are your expectations for them right now? 19% say be in the super bowl, 22% missed the playoffs, 23% when the AFC East and 36% be a wildcard team. Would you, you think it's a wildcard team minimum, like I said, battle for the bills, possibly win the division. You have Aaron Rogers with the jets. You're a minimum playoff team and then you see where you go from there.

You're a giant fan, Daniel Jones. It's reported four years, $160 million. Yeah, it's 82 million pretty much over the first two years. These contracts that make you want to take an aspirin or Advil, whatever your choice is, maybe even sprinkle in some leave as well.

They're just so confusing to figure out. And then Saquon on the non-exclusive tag, you gotta be pumped up, not a bad deal for the giants or the Jones front. And then you look at Saquon, maybe they get a deal done. Maybe they don't, but no one's going to give up two first round picks. I would think for Saquon Barkley. No, he's obviously going to be there for the giant.

And again, they get there too. They needed to keep Daniel Jones. They needed to keep the vibe going and the idea that Brian Dabel, this was the part that didn't make a lot of sense to me with some of the giant fans. Like I understand the money is, is difficult to comprehend, but also you got to remember that it's the NFL and it's funny money and you don't really know what's actually true money and what's guaranteed and all that kind of stuff. But the idea that Brian Dabel that you love and it's like, you know, in Dabel we trust, but now when it comes to this Jones, that's too much money. It's like, wait, what if Dabel wants Jones and he's not making this deal because he thinks, Oh, well, this, I guess is good enough. No, he obviously truly believes in Daniel Jones. Then you got to get your quarterback and you solidify that position.

You move on from there. And they also changed their opinion because they declined the fifth year option. And throughout the year, I think Jones gave him enough reasons to believe where they go, okay, we're going to continue the marriage. The decline of the fifth year option had to be, they walked in the door.

He had really done nothing since his rookie year. You couldn't, you couldn't pick up that fifth year option. Why lock yourself into like the Panthers with Sam Darnold and you kicking yourselves for what reason? So if he works out, worst case scenario, you got the franchise tag.

It was, if everything works out great, we'll figure it out. And they made Jones prove himself. And he did. And if you watch the giants as the year went on, they put more and more on his plate. It stopped being Barkley's team about midway through the year. And at some point late November, Brian Dabel gave it handed the keys to Daniel Jones and said, this is your offense. We've now figured it out and let's go.

And he really, he stepped up in every way. And then finally, we know Lamar gets slapped with a non-exclusive franchise tag. And then all of a sudden the teams like the Panthers and Falcons are interested in Deshaun Watson leaked to their reporters. Yeah, we're not interested in Lamar Jackson and the commanders and the Raiders and the dolphins unexpected to pursue Lamar Jackson. This to me is collusion with the owners.

I don't think you could prove it. I understand that. And they could say, Oh, we're all making our individual decisions. They don't want Lamar Jackson to get a fully guaranteed deal because it's back to back years where you get Watson and a fully guaranteed deal. And then Lamar Jackson, a fully guaranteed deal. The NFL owners don't want that. They don't.

I don't have sympathy for them. I hope someone gives them a fully guaranteed deal and say kind of screw the billionaires. But again, I think it's, they just don't want the power structure of the NFL contract to change.

They like the idea of non-guaranteed money simply because it allows them to get out from under and anybody that's good. This was not about, so I think the part that people are missing though, it's not about Lamar Jackson. It's about a second quarterback getting guaranteed money.

It didn't matter what his name was. If this is something where the owners are stepping up to say, we can't do this. It doesn't matter which quarterback it was. It was, let's not do this to a young quarterback to set the new precedent that we now have to have guaranteed money all the way across the board with everyone. If it was my homes, $250 million fully guaranteed. I think the cheese was, again, he's never going to hit the open market with that regardless.

So no, I get it. But here, here's the, I mean the telltale is going to be Joe Burrow, right? Is he going to wind up getting guaranteed money? All of it?

The entire contract? Because if he does, then it was just straight Lamar Jackson. If it's not, then I think it's just the NFL owners trying to reset the market back to where they wanted it. That's not fair. That's not right. But that's the way things kind of go.

And that's unfortunate, but that's, that's where we stand. Now I think the interesting part here, the latest offer reportedly was $133 million fully guaranteed. I would wonder since Watson got 230 over five and the fully guaranteed was all 230, does a team step in eventually, which I think a team will and like Calamari just got almost $190 million fully guaranteed.

Do they give him a buck 90 or 200 fully guaranteed out of 230? And then I'd be curious to see what the Ravens say. The Ravens will be willing to match that. That's fair.

And that's why I said, I think that's why we were talking about this yesterday. I expected them to kind of do this because they obviously weren't, I mean, the tea leaves, we could read them. They weren't going to get the contract on the idea that they were going to allow Lamar Jackson to go out there, see what you got now. I didn't expect every team to then turn around and go, Oh, that's the part we all kind of seem to blow right past this.

But I think it's the idea that they look at it and go, look, if that's what comes back and you can get one 90 guaranteed or 200 guaranteed or whatever it is, but it's not the entire contract. Now we'll find out if the Ravens truly believe all the things that they were saying and if they had the appetite for it or if they let him walk away. And I still feel like when push comes to shove, he'll wind up in Baltimore because I think the Ravens are going to swallow real hard if they're going to really let a former MVP and a guy that's still in his prime injury concerns aside, walk out the building and have no option to be able to replace him. And for who knows how long, because everybody seems to think like, Oh, you get two first round picks. You can have a quarterback by next year.

Really? Is it that easy to find a quarterback? Because I think I could talk to a lot of franchises that have been shooting this shot for a long time.

One of them's in the other room behind the glass and Ryan Hickey with the Colts. It's not that easy. It's really not that easy. I mean, we're talking about the jets.

When was the last time the jets had a franchise quarterback? It's not that simple that you snap your fingers. Oh, I use a first drum pick. I have my guy for 10 years.

It doesn't work like that. By the way, this is the best dress you've ever been. A Led Zeppelin t-shirt and a flannel.

It's a very nice looking flannel. I think. And then your Yankee hat too. And I did you just trim the beard? The beard looks good today. Uh, uh, yesterday I think I did trim it. It was the first time in a while actually.

I was a little, a little grizzly Adams there for a bit. You look like you lost like 10 pounds though. Uh, no, I'm actually gaining weight. That's a problem.

That's a serious problem. Well, you look good. I appreciate that.

You look good. I'm a little surprised by it. I appreciate it. Just I'm surprised. This is not a new shirt, nor is it a new flannel and sure as hell ain't a new hat. So I was a little surprised by the, uh, the compliment, but I'll take it.

I don't get many. So you're listening to the Zach Gelb show. Another day is in the books and we're taking stock of the sports world. It's time to find out who's up and who's down.

Let's end the day right and hit the closing bell only on the Zach Gelb show. The defensive player of the week is sponsored by the Navy federal credit union who proudly serves the armed forces, DOD veterans and their families. Their members are the mission.

Learn more at Navy federal.org. How about Donovan Mitchell? He saved the game for the Cavs as he got in the head of Celtics forward grant Williams, forcing him to miss both free throws that caused the game to go to overtime. Williams at the free throw line with just eight, eight tenths of a second left in the game that was tied at one Oh nine Mitchell chirped Williams who responded I'm gonna make both free throws then proceeded to miss both of them.

Cleveland eventually won an overtime one 18 to one 14 as spider Mitchell did score 40 points in the contest. Give a stock up to Donovan Mitchell. Same dollar time, one 10 one Oh four victory last night for Portland over the dreadful Detroit Pistons. But Dame dollar time goes for 31 points, 13 rebounds in 12 assists. Give a stock up to my favorite player in the NBA. Let's keep it moving with the basketball talk. High scoring affair last night between the Sixers and the Pacers. The Sixers win a buck 47 to 143. Joel Embiid came up clutch late and pretty much all throughout the game made all of his free throws 19 to 19 was 11 to 16 from the field and had Oh yeah, by the way, 42 points in the Sixers victory.

Give Joel that process Embiid a stock up. I was in Barcelona, as you may or may not have heard from Wednesday evening until Sunday evening. And I'm one of the many restaurants I went to. I saw something I've never seen before. Hickey's a big fan of pesto. I'm a big fan of pesto. They had a syringe brought out to the table that was filled with pesto and they injected it into the burrata.

The pesto syringe Hickey, one of the greatest inventions I've ever seen. You could give it a stock up. The jets. I think it's happening. I think they're going to get Aaron Rodgers by the end of the weekend. They're meeting with them right now. They talked to him last night.

Give a stock up to the jets. I think this is a really neat story per Vic Lombardi who does a great job covering the, uh, you know, all Colorado sports or the altitude. And then also does a great job covering, I believe the Denver Nuggets as well. Um, but Mike Malone said on altitude sports radio today that he instructed his assistant coach Ryan Bowen to attend his son's high school semifinal game. And he's then said I don't need you on the bench in San Antonio Friday night. I need you at Denver Coliseum being a father.

Pretty neat story. Give a stock up to Mike Malone of the Nuggets. And finally, stock down to all you colluding owners. I see what you're doing.

You don't want Lamar to get a fully guaranteed contract. So a stock down to the colluding owners. Good show today. Big thanks to Mike Florio, Greg Bell, stopping by Greg Almond as well. We'll be back tomorrow on a big Wednesday show at 6 p.m. Eastern three Pacific. We out. Bye .