The NFL Thread V3: 2022! It's Happening!

[Caleonia]

That is, if everyone and their mother doesn’t get injured. I trust Indianapolis to get the job done against Arizona.

I'd say if anything, that's reason to be optimistic! Unless you turn into the new Chargers, you have a ton of returning talent and a solid draft pick for that good of a team, which is what landed them Nick freaking Bosa. Out of curiosity though, were you one of the guys who said they should move on from my boy Jimmy GQ? And why?

Absolutely not. I think he’s more of the anchor to the run game that takes priority.

[Jerzylvania]

Lot of other factors may be involved here Ran. Maybe JJ likes the dry climate in Arizona as opposed to the humid hell hole that is Houston too, or anyplace like it (NO, MIA, TB). Or maybe his wife likes it there. Dude's gotta live there and raise his kids besides play football.

I can't imagine his living anywhere besides Houston or Wisconsin when he retires, honestly. That said, I do know it has a grass field, and someone on GMFB was saying that's a lot easier on older players. Can't confirm myself, I definitely prefer turf, but I'm also very young. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I will predict they sweep Seattle. No way that offensive line holds up for squat against two dudes that good. Isaiah Simmons at LB is also a beast, and they've got Budda Baker and Patrick Peterson (albeit the latter is out of his prime, too), on that defense. Kyler is good enough to make the offense work, of course. Should be interesting.

What gets me is the Bidwell family has owned the Cards since 1932. Bill Bidwell (son of original owner Charlie) was known in his days, starting in 1962, as the tightest skinflint in the league. He eventually flirted with a move to Baltimore in 1988 after wearing out his welcome in St. Louie, but chose Phoenix instead. We in the Big Crabcake all breathed a great sigh of relief. He was another Irsay, but even worse. Some of his players played like the underpaid disrespected lot they were. Not a formula for winning. But old Bill finally kicked the bucket in 2019. Current Bidwell up is son Michael. Hopefully he's smarter than Dad for JJ's sake.

[Kohr]

It's a bittersweet day in Minnesota.

[Ranoria]

Or Hopkins, Fitzgerald, Peterson, Johnson, Campbell...

You're not making much of a point here ol' buddy, sorry.

Funny how all of those players not drafted by Arizona get significantly less media attention once arriving there. Hell even Fitz barely gets attention despite being a top 7 receiver all time.

Every one of those guys I mentioned gets plenty of attention. Hell, Hopkins probably got more this season, he was a media darling this season. Fitzgerald gets way more attention than his production the last couple season merits. David Johnson got way more press when he was in AZ (remember that 2 year run, when people were talking about a 1,000/1,000 season?), and Campbell was certainly more hyped up when he was out there.

Btw, besides Hopkins, every one of those guys was drafted by AZ. I mean, I do understand Kyler gets most of the press, that's because he's the QB, but it's not a disproportionate amount by any stretch.

I can't imagine his living anywhere besides Houston or Wisconsin when he retires, honestly. That said, I do know it has a grass field, and someone on GMFB was saying that's a lot easier on older players. Can't confirm myself, I definitely prefer turf, but I'm also very young. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I will predict they sweep Seattle. No way that offensive line holds up for squat against two dudes that good. Isaiah Simmons at LB is also a beast, and they've got Budda Baker and Patrick Peterson (albeit the latter is out of his prime, too), on that defense. Kyler is good enough to make the offense work, of course. Should be interesting.

What gets me is the Bidwell family has owned the Cards since 1932. Bill Bidwell (son of original owner Charlie) was known in his days, starting in 1962, as the tightest skinflint in the league. He eventually flirted with a move to Baltimore in 1988 after wearing out his welcome in St. Louie, but chose Phoenix instead. We in the Big Crabcake all breathed a great sigh of relief. He was another Irsay, but even worse. Some of his players played like the underpaid disrespected lot they were. Not a formula for winning. But old Bill finally kicked the bucket in 2019. Current Bidwell up is son Michael. Hopefully he's smarter than Dad for JJ's sake.

Hope so. You all know I'm a JJ fangirl, I will be rooting for them hard.

Your knowledge of history is always enlightening, btw.

[Luminesa]

It's a bittersweet day in Minnesota.

That...is going to sting the Vikings hard. Rudolph was a fantastic player. They’re gonna miss him.

[Luminesa]

https://www.nfl.com/news/saints-termina ... -josh-hill

As I predicted (and as some others predicted), Jared Cook is now out of New Orleans. It’s a bit of a shame, he was a good player who ultimately fell short of expectations. Josh Hill was good...but again, not quite a star. Trautman has made moves this year to demonstrate his worth, and I’m sure New Orleans will be able to find someone else to give some depth. This clears a fair bit of cap space, as Jared Cook had the biggest contract of all free agents this year.

I am wondering who will get the franchise tag.

https://www.nfl.com/NEWS/roundup-saints ... s-contract

The Saints have also restructured Onyemata’s contract and have extended the contract for JT Gray, a safety. Good moves to keep defensive players while working on some other trades and money-saving maneuvers.

[Kohr]

It's a bittersweet day in Minnesota.

That...is going to sting the Vikings hard. Rudolph was a fantastic player. They’re gonna miss him.

I miss his prime days. With younger TEs on the team now like Conklin and Irv Smith, Rudolph's role has been diminished, and we were ending up paying him way too much money to essentially be a blocking tight end, which isn't his skillset. It's just brutal because he's been here for a decade (almost as long as I've been a fan), and he's become one of the faces of the team.

His "Dear Minnesota" article from the Players' Tribune, despite being written in that awful Players' Tribune style of overusing one sentence paragraphs, made me emotional. I wish him the best.

[Ranoria]

https://www.nfl.com/news/saints-terminate-contracts-of-tes-jared-cook-josh-hill

As I predicted (and as some others predicted), Jared Cook is now out of New Orleans. It’s a bit of a shame, he was a good player who ultimately fell short of expectations. Josh Hill was good...but again, not quite a star. Trautman has made moves this year to demonstrate his worth, and I’m sure New Orleans will be able to find someone else to give some depth. This clears a fair bit of cap space, as Jared Cook had the biggest contract of all free agents this year.

I am wondering who will get the franchise tag.

https://www.nfl.com/NEWS/roundup-saints ... s-contract

The Saints have also restructured Onyemata’s contract and have extended the contract for JT Gray, a safety. Good moves to keep defensive players while working on some other trades and money-saving maneuvers.

If their GM can find a way to retain all their key guys over the next couple of years, I'll be astounded.

That...is going to sting the Vikings hard. Rudolph was a fantastic player. They’re gonna miss him.

I miss his prime days. With younger TEs on the team now like Conklin and Irv Smith, Rudolph's role has been diminished, and we were ending up paying him way too much money to essentially be a blocking tight end, which isn't his skillset. It's just brutal because he's been here for a decade (almost as long as I've been a fan), and he's become one of the faces of the team.

His "Dear Minnesota" article from the Players' Tribune, despite being written in that awful Players' Tribune style of overusing one sentence paragraphs, made me emotional. I wish him the best.

Always liked Rudolph. Selfless playing style too, from what I saw. That's a tough loss.

[Impaled Nazarene]

Any day now Drew.

[Luminesa]

That...is going to sting the Vikings hard. Rudolph was a fantastic player. They’re gonna miss him.

I miss his prime days. With younger TEs on the team now like Conklin and Irv Smith, Rudolph's role has been diminished, and we were ending up paying him way too much money to essentially be a blocking tight end, which isn't his skillset. It's just brutal because he's been here for a decade (almost as long as I've been a fan), and he's become one of the faces of the team.

His "Dear Minnesota" article from the Players' Tribune, despite being written in that awful Players' Tribune style of overusing one sentence paragraphs, made me emotional. I wish him the best.

“Rudolph the Purple-Nosed Reindeer” is gonna hit different now.

[Luminesa]

https://www.nfl.com/news/saints-terminate-contracts-of-tes-jared-cook-josh-hill

As I predicted (and as some others predicted), Jared Cook is now out of New Orleans. It’s a bit of a shame, he was a good player who ultimately fell short of expectations. Josh Hill was good...but again, not quite a star. Trautman has made moves this year to demonstrate his worth, and I’m sure New Orleans will be able to find someone else to give some depth. This clears a fair bit of cap space, as Jared Cook had the biggest contract of all free agents this year.

I am wondering who will get the franchise tag.

https://www.nfl.com/NEWS/roundup-saints ... s-contract

The Saints have also restructured Onyemata’s contract and have extended the contract for JT Gray, a safety. Good moves to keep defensive players while working on some other trades and money-saving maneuvers.

If their GM can find a way to retain all their key guys over the next couple of years, I'll be astounded.

I miss his prime days. With younger TEs on the team now like Conklin and Irv Smith, Rudolph's role has been diminished, and we were ending up paying him way too much money to essentially be a blocking tight end, which isn't his skillset. It's just brutal because he's been here for a decade (almost as long as I've been a fan), and he's become one of the faces of the team.

His "Dear Minnesota" article from the Players' Tribune, despite being written in that awful Players' Tribune style of overusing one sentence paragraphs, made me emotional. I wish him the best.

Always liked Rudolph. Selfless playing style too, from what I saw. That's a tough loss.

Thomas Morstead has now been cut, and Will Lutz’s contract has been restructured to keep him. Morstead is an emotional loss, he’s a beloved player in New Orleans and has always been a visible team captain. I hope Pat McAfee will say some nice words about him. He’s one of the last of the Old Guard for New Orleans. Thanks Morstead for being amazing at your job. You’ll always be in our hearts.

[Idzequitch]

For better or worse, the Steelers have come to an agreement with Ben Roethlisberger, setting him up to play at least one more season in Pittsburgh.

[Jerzylvania]

For better or worse, the Steelers have come to an agreement with Ben Roethlisberger, setting him up to play at least one more season in Pittsburgh.

No Pouncey, right? Eh, well, somebody's getting set up in here. Might be the Browns D as in getting up on top that old man's head and dancing. Ben better get his bathroom bouncer back and in uniform.

What gets me is the Bidwell family has owned the Cards since 1932. Bill Bidwell (son of original owner Charlie) was known in his days, starting in 1962, as the tightest skinflint in the league. He eventually flirted with a move to Baltimore in 1988 after wearing out his welcome in St. Louie, but chose Phoenix instead. We in the Big Crabcake all breathed a great sigh of relief. He was another Irsay, but even worse. Some of his players played like the underpaid disrespected lot they were. Not a formula for winning. But old Bill finally kicked the bucket in 2019. Current Bidwell up is son Michael. Hopefully he's smarter than Dad for JJ's sake.

Hope so. You all know I'm a JJ fangirl, I will be rooting for them hard.

Your knowledge of history is always enlightening, btw.

Thank you for that acknowledgement.

JJ is a great player to follow. The Cards as an NFL team, not so much. NFL history is similar to world history. It repeats itself, mainly bc the apple usually doesn't fall far from the tree. The Bidwell tree doesn't bear fruit which totally sums up the Cardinals.

But we'll see if JJ, Kyler and DeAndre can overcome that. Could be an interesting season in AZ, but i wouldn't bet on it.

[Idzequitch]

For better or worse, the Steelers have come to an agreement with Ben Roethlisberger, setting him up to play at least one more season in Pittsburgh.

No Pouncey, right? Eh, well, somebody's getting set up in here. Might be the Browns D as in getting up on top that old man's head and dancing. Ben better get his bathroom bouncer back and in uniform.

Hope so. You all know I'm a JJ fangirl, I will be rooting for them hard.

Your knowledge of history is always enlightening, btw.

Thank you for that acknowledgement.

JJ is a great player to follow. The Cards as an NFL team, not so much. NFL history is similar to world history. It repeats itself, mainly bc the apple usually doesn't fall far from the tree. The Bidwell tree doesn't bear fruit which totally sums up the Cardinals.

But we'll see if JJ, Kyler and DeAndre can overcome that. Could be an interesting season in AZ, but i wouldn't bet on it.

Arizona had moments of looking really good last season. However they also had moments of looking extremely mediocre or even subpar. If they can find a way to eliminate some of their lesser moments, I think they could be a potential contender. I don't know if just adding Watt is going to fix that problem though.

[Pluvie]

Arizona had moments of looking really good last season. However they also had moments of looking extremely mediocre or even subpar. If they can find a way to eliminate some of their lesser moments, I think they could be a potential contender. I don't know if just adding Watt is going to fix that problem though.

Arizona needs some more consistency on both sides of the ball. Kyler Murray is still a new quarterback and he needs to continue to grow and improve. Their defense needs a better line and needs to let go of overpriced veterans like Patrick Peterson. And of course the NFC West is always a wild wild place to try and get really good in, especially if the 49ers improve and if the Seahawks don't trade Russ. But I have hope they'll improve next year. They have so many impressive pieces and if Kingsbury can tie em all together, that team will be headed for one hell of a playoff run

[Jerzylvania]

No Pouncey, right? Eh, well, somebody's getting set up in here. Might be the Browns D as in getting up on top that old man's head and dancing. Ben better get his bathroom bouncer back and in uniform.



Thank you for that acknowledgement.

JJ is a great player to follow. The Cards as an NFL team, not so much. NFL history is similar to world history. It repeats itself, mainly bc the apple usually doesn't fall far from the tree. The Bidwell tree doesn't bear fruit which totally sums up the Cardinals.

But we'll see if JJ, Kyler and DeAndre can overcome that. Could be an interesting season in AZ, but i wouldn't bet on it.

Arizona had moments of looking really good last season. However they also had moments of looking extremely mediocre or even subpar. If they can find a way to eliminate some of their lesser moments, I think they could be a potential contender. I don't know if just adding Watt is going to fix that problem though.

Yeah. Good take. If you look closely at their games last season they exhibited an inability to close out games in the fourth quarter. You can only expect to get a Hail Mary completion a couple times in a lifetime, that is, with the lone exception of Aaron Rodgers. Possibly Watt can help keep their defense from surrendering those late 4th quarter points which have cost the Cardinal games.

[Luminesa]

The Saints continue to make good moves to deal with the salary cap:
https://www.nfl.com/news/saints-create- ... rio-davis-

Demario Davis and Cam Jordan will continue to hang around with restructured deals. Malcom Brown may be on the trading table. The Saints are still $48 million above the cap, but seem to be keen on keeping their core this time. (Unlike in 2012 when they had this problem.)

[Ranoria]

Arizona had moments of looking really good last season. However they also had moments of looking extremely mediocre or even subpar. If they can find a way to eliminate some of their lesser moments, I think they could be a potential contender. I don't know if just adding Watt is going to fix that problem though.

Yeah. Good take. If you look closely at their games last season they exhibited an inability to close out games in the fourth quarter. You can only expect to get a Hail Mary completion a couple times in a lifetime, that is, with the lone exception of Aaron Rodgers. Possibly Watt can help keep their defense from surrendering those late 4th quarter points which have cost the Cardinal games.

Don't forget about Chandler Jones. 97 career sacks, which leads the league since he came in as a rookie. Or at least did until his injury, which was a biceps tear, not something you need to really worry about in terms of recovery. In Arizona he's had an 11, 17 (led league), 13, and 19 sack season, with 8 forced fumbles in that last one. Isaiah Simmons is also coming in for his second season at LB after not having a ton of impact as a rookie.

This team should be exciting honestly. I think most of you know by now one of my favorite ways to build a team is heavy passing offense with some nasty pass rushers, and that's exactly where Arizona is at.

[Pluvie]

The Saints continue to make good moves to deal with the salary cap:
https://www.nfl.com/news/saints-create- ... rio-davis-

Demario Davis and Cam Jordan will continue to hang around with restructured deals. Malcom Brown may be on the trading table. The Saints are still $48 million above the cap, but seem to be keen on keeping their core this time. (Unlike in 2012 when they had this problem.)

The Saints are doing a much better job of that than a lotta teams to be frank. It helps that they have a massively experienced staff and a playoff caliber team that players actually want to stay on.

But either way, I imagine they'll have to let at least a couple of pieces go. 48 million plus rookie contracts and free agency is still quite a bit of money to shed and if the Saints are still having cap troubles, we'll have to see what happens to the rest of the league because I think there might be a lot of teams losing major pieces in the offseason. Lookin forward to the next week or two, should be really interesting to see which teams come out on top this year. As a Colts fan I'll be very excited to see what we do with our absolute ton of leftover cap space

[Ranoria]

The Saints continue to make good moves to deal with the salary cap:
https://www.nfl.com/news/saints-create- ... rio-davis-

Demario Davis and Cam Jordan will continue to hang around with restructured deals. Malcom Brown may be on the trading table. The Saints are still $48 million above the cap, but seem to be keen on keeping their core this time. (Unlike in 2012 when they had this problem.)

The Saints are doing a much better job of that than a lotta teams to be frank. It helps that they have a massively experienced staff and a playoff caliber team that players actually want to stay on.

But either way, I imagine they'll have to let at least a couple of pieces go. 48 million plus rookie contracts and free agency is still quite a bit of money to shed and if the Saints are still having cap troubles, we'll have to see what happens to the rest of the league because I think there might be a lot of teams losing major pieces in the offseason. Lookin forward to the next week or two, should be really interesting to see which teams come out on top this year. As a Colts fan I'll be very excited to see what we do with our absolute ton of leftover cap space

Spoiler alert: Get swept by the Titans and lose the division again.

Disclaimer: This is obligatory smack talk. It is an automated response and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the poster.

[Kowani]

Major broadcast deals are about to make NFL owners even more obscenely wealthy

Probably within the next week, those 32 multi-millionaires/billionaires will see their future earnings increase exponentially. The league is on the verge of extending its broadcast deals with its current partners, and with a new full-time rights holder in Amazon likely acquiring streaming rights.

The astronomical numbers figure to double in many cases, displaying once more that despite a pandemic, lower ratings for the 2020 season, and the waves of viewers finding alternate ways to watch games, the NFL is the most desirable of all commodities for broadcasters.

That’s particularly evident when it comes to television. Though the networks, mainly Disney-owned ESPN/ABC, may have balked at the rights fees the NFL is seeking over the next decade, they also pretty much are swallowing hard and ponying up.

ESPN spent the most in the current deal at $1.9 billion annually, which provided it the Monday night showcase and some playoff representation. The league is eager for some of the Monday nighters to land on free-to-air ABC, while Disney is even more eager to get back into the Super Bowl mix on ABC.

The price tag probably won’t approach $2 billion per season, but it will increase substantially. And only ESPN’s deal ends after the upcoming season; the rest go through 2022.

Fox currently has a Sunday afternoon package of primarily NFC games and the Thursday night package at $1.76 billion per year. Amazon — with cable’s NFL Network, owned by the league — is in line to grab the prime-time portion, but Fox’s fee for the Sunday games could double from $1.1 billion.

CBS, which once had the Thursday night package, is paying $1 billion a year for the Sunday afternoon AFC-dominated telecasts and also seems headed for doubling that.

NBC, which has next February’s Super Bowl — potentially in the middle of the Winter Olympics that the network also broadcasts — has been paying $950 million a year for the prized Sunday night deal. That, too, could double in rights fees.

Amazon’s buy-in is projected in the $1 billion range. And then there’s the DirecTV Sunday Ticket package of out-of-town telecasts, which is at $1.5 billion annually and figures to jump to $2 billion or so — with several bidders lined up.

So, from $7.185 billion a year to, say, $12 billion is in the ballpark.

[Luminesa]

The Saints continue to make good moves to deal with the salary cap:
https://www.nfl.com/news/saints-create- ... rio-davis-

Demario Davis and Cam Jordan will continue to hang around with restructured deals. Malcom Brown may be on the trading table. The Saints are still $48 million above the cap, but seem to be keen on keeping their core this time. (Unlike in 2012 when they had this problem.)

The Saints are doing a much better job of that than a lotta teams to be frank. It helps that they have a massively experienced staff and a playoff caliber team that players actually want to stay on.

But either way, I imagine they'll have to let at least a couple of pieces go. 48 million plus rookie contracts and free agency is still quite a bit of money to shed and if the Saints are still having cap troubles, we'll have to see what happens to the rest of the league because I think there might be a lot of teams losing major pieces in the offseason. Lookin forward to the next week or two, should be really interesting to see which teams come out on top this year. As a Colts fan I'll be very excited to see what we do with our absolute ton of leftover cap space

Oh definitely. I can see Lattimore and Brown walking. The Saints have learned a hard lesson from letting most of their team walk in 2012, and I think they are recognizing that once Drew leaves, they'll need most of their core there to preserve some of their momentum as they transition. They REALLY need to restructure any contracts they can on that O-Line.

[Pluvie]

Spoiler alert: Get swept by the Titans and lose the division again.

Disclaimer: This is obligatory smack talk. It is an automated response and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the poster.

ROOD ;-; not gonna say you're wrong tho >.> In all seriousness though, for a Colts fan, I'm actually a pretty big fan of the Titans too and I'll be excited to see what Vrabel cooks up next season, if that involves stomping the Colts, I may cry but that is okay

Oh definitely. I can see Lattimore and Brown walking. The Saints have learned a hard lesson from letting most of their team walk in 2012, and I think they are recognizing that once Drew leaves, they'll need most of their core there to preserve some of their momentum as they transition. They REALLY need to restructure any contracts they can on that O-Line.

Oh for sure, I wouldn't be surprised if this year or next year is Brees' last season and they cannot just give up and go into rebuild mode after he leaves, they have far too many pieces. I agree, Brown and Lattimore could definitely see other teams this offseason, I could see Kamara possibly being shopped around as well just considering the replaceability of the current runningback position, but also given Sean Payton's running style, I would see it as a pretty big loss if they had to. I'll be interested to see what they do in coming months

[Ranoria]

Spoiler alert: Get swept by the Titans and lose the division again.

Disclaimer: This is obligatory smack talk. It is an automated response and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the poster.

ROOD ;-; not gonna say you're wrong tho >.> In all seriousness though, for a Colts fan, I'm actually a pretty big fan of the Titans too and I'll be excited to see what Vrabel cooks up next season, if that involves stomping the Colts, I may cry but that is okay

Oh definitely. I can see Lattimore and Brown walking. The Saints have learned a hard lesson from letting most of their team walk in 2012, and I think they are recognizing that once Drew leaves, they'll need most of their core there to preserve some of their momentum as they transition. They REALLY need to restructure any contracts they can on that O-Line.

Oh for sure, I wouldn't be surprised if this year or next year is Brees' last season and they cannot just give up and go into rebuild mode after he leaves, they have far too many pieces. I agree, Brown and Lattimore could definitely see other teams this offseason, I could see Kamara possibly being shopped around as well just considering the replaceability of the current runningback position, but also given Sean Payton's running style, I would see it as a pretty big loss if they had to. I'll be interested to see what they do in coming months

Hooray! Honestly, a ton of it is going to be dependent on whether or not Reich can get Wentz to play like he did in that second or third seasons of his. Because if he's anything like he was last year, it's going to be ugly. Dude was abysmal.

Seems like Indy always has a ton of cap space. Chris Ballard is a savvy dude who knows when to splurge, but I don't think the Colts are a team that'll ever have to worry about being squished for cap. He'll keep them competitive and financially responsible for years to come.

[Pluvie]

ROOD ;-; not gonna say you're wrong tho >.> In all seriousness though, for a Colts fan, I'm actually a pretty big fan of the Titans too and I'll be excited to see what Vrabel cooks up next season, if that involves stomping the Colts, I may cry but that is okay

Oh for sure, I wouldn't be surprised if this year or next year is Brees' last season and they cannot just give up and go into rebuild mode after he leaves, they have far too many pieces. I agree, Brown and Lattimore could definitely see other teams this offseason, I could see Kamara possibly being shopped around as well just considering the replaceability of the current runningback position, but also given Sean Payton's running style, I would see it as a pretty big loss if they had to. I'll be interested to see what they do in coming months

Hooray! Honestly, a ton of it is going to be dependent on whether or not Reich can get Wentz to play like he did in that second or third seasons of his. Because if he's anything like he was last year, it's going to be ugly. Dude was abysmal.

Seems like Indy always has a ton of cap space. Chris Ballard is a savvy dude who knows when to splurge, but I don't think the Colts are a team that'll ever have to worry about being squished for cap. He'll keep them competitive and financially responsible for years to come.

I love Reich, I think he’s a much better coach than people give him credit for, but Chris Ballard is the kingpin of the franchise and he’s the reason it’s succeeded in recent years. He is a genius with cap space and with knowing the right players to work with. I don’t know how he does it xD

Additionally, I would not be surprised if the Colts took a quarterback from this year’s draft class, possibly in a later round, as somebody to work on in case Wentz doesn’t work out. I could see like a third or fourth round pick going into a little quarterback stability and a possible successor, particularly considering the depth of both this years qb draft class and free agency.