Front Office NFL Chat
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Sam Robinson
4:00
Hey everyone, let's get started!
walterj23
4:09
How much will it cost the Steelers  to extend CB Porter and will a deal be reached before the start of the season ?
Sam Robinson
4:09
Hey Walterj, I would be pretty surprised if a deal doesn't come together this summer. After all, the Steelers have their rigid policy against negotiating in-season. That has expedited a host of extensions under Omar Khan and Kevin Colbert. Residing as a young pillar on an aging defense, Porter will almost certainly be paid before Week 1.

It may now be in Porter's best interests to wait. All-Pros Devon Witherspoon and Christian Gonzalez are extension-eligible, though each has a fifth-year option that could -- in theory -- allow the Seahawks and Pats to take their time. Those two moving the market toward $35MM per year would help raise Porter's floor.

I said recently the unexplored area between Jaycee Horn's $25MM-per-year deal and the Sauce Gardner/Derek Stingley Jr. $30MM-AAV range will be where this ends. Will stay with that, especially considering noise about the Gonzalez and Witherspoon deals potentially happening soon.
RoxTalks
4:16
Does Jonathon Cooper’s situation force the Broncos to go all in on an EDGE? If he’s suspended for a good portion of the year they need someone they can rely on opposite Bonitto, they have the picks/cap space to go and get a big name (if they’re still available), and they’re in a Super Bowl window with a rookie QB contract. What do you think?
Sam Robinson
4:16
RoxTalks, I get what you're saying here, and the Waddle trade -- to go with the bevy of extensions in 2024 and '25 -- does highlight the window you referenced. I just don't know if the Broncos will go too crazy in a trade.

Denver could simply try to get by with Jonah Elliss, Que Robinson and Dondrea Tillman. All three have shown promise, and the team is pretty high on Robinson in particular. Sean Payton also nixed the Elliss-to-ILB experiment due to his growth at the higher-valued EDGE position. I think Denver would feel it's in decent shape without Cooper.

Also, the FA market is pretty deep still. Beyond Von Miller's interest in a reunion, PFR's Connor Byrne recently listed a host of vet options. Even if Joey Bosa retires, the likes of Leonard Floyd, Jadeveon Clowney, Haason Reddick, Kyle Van Noy and a few others are available.

One could be a rental cog, a la the team's 2013 Shaun Phillips signing after the Elvis Dumervil fax situation. But the Broncos may view a vet as a progress stopper
Motor City Mike
4:29
If Arnold is done, what are the Lions' CB options?
Sam Robinson
4:29
Mike, unlike the edge rusher market, this one doesn't appear too deep. The Lions are in this situation for a second time in 3 years, after their Cam Sutton release. Arnold's situation is more serious, but the Lions have shown they don't have the tolerance other teams do for off-field slip-ups.

Rasul Douglas is still available, and the team showed interest in Michael Davis for a P-squad spot last season. Injuries have derailed Marshon Lattimore and Trevon Diggs, and Tre'Davious White is not close to what he once was. Kenny Moore and Mike Hilton are slots.

Detroit still has D.J. Reed, but Rock Ya-Sin and Ennis Rakestraw -- the latter having not panned out yet, missing all of last season -- do not offer much comfort. With the safety injuries, the Lions have secondary issues.

Will they try to reopen the Cleveland pipeline (from the Za'Darius Smith move) and ask about Denzel Ward? Some other trade options could materialize, but Ward may need to be a conversation
M’s Fan
4:35
Will Witherspoon be the highest paid CB?
Sam Robinson
4:35
Hey M's Fan, I'm confident that happens. It does depend on how the Patriots proceed with Christian Gonzalez. Unlike the Belichick years, the Pats regime under Eliot Wolf has shown a willingness to spend big on extensions. If Witherspoon goes first, it is possible Gonzalez benefits and leapfrogs him. But I don't see a scenario in which the Seahawks give Witherspoon anything south of a CB-record contract at the time of signing.

The sides don't appear close yet, but Seattle showed a willingness to reset a market via its Jaxon Smith-Njigba deal. Although the Jamal Adams contract -- one that created a gap between the blitzer and the field at safety at that point -- busted, Witherspoon has been consistent and is a homegrown standout.

The Seahawks do have more time here, thanks to the fifth-year option, but another strong season from the former No. 5 pick -- and another cap spike -- would only make an extension more expensive. It would be best to do a deal now.
NFC West
4:42
Even if the Cardinals improve, do they have any hope of making the playoffs with the rest of the division being so good?
Sam Robinson
4:42
The NFL going to four-team divisions in 2002 used to make 4-for-4 playoff entries impossible when the field was at six teams. With seven-team fields, a division going 3-for-3 in wild-card teams is possible. We haven't seen this happen since the 1990s, when the NFC Central and AFC East did so (in the five-team divisional era). It hasn't happened under the new format, and I don't think the Cardinals are a candidate.

It certainly isn't a lock the NFC West produces three playoff teams, but barring major injuries, I'd be shocked if the Seahawks or Rams didn't qualify. The 49ers' injury trouble makes them harder to trust, but the talent an infrastructure is there. The Cardinals face a grueling path.

Based on their QB situation, the Cards don't seem overly optimistic themselves. I like Arizona's skill-position corps, but the defense was poor last year -- and their DC search somehow led to Nick Rallis being retained. Arizona should be much closer to the '27 top pick than '26 playoffs
Foxborough Frank
4:50
Can the Pats' offensive line be trusted to improve enough in 2026?
Sam Robinson
4:50
Hey Frank, I didn't necessarily think the Patriots had a bad O-line last season. Yes, New England's schedule breaks are well-covered territory at this point, but the team has reasons for optimism up front.

I'm willing to give Will Campbell a pass after his knee injury. Playing through a ligament tear in the playoffs certainly showed. But the team still has Onwenu as a solid guard option. And if Morgan Moses' age shows up (he ranked seventh in run block win rate), Caleb Lomu provides a hopeful higher-end RT option.

As our Ben Levine noted in his Pats Offseason Outlook, Jared Wilson moving from G to C aligns with his college experience better. Vera-Tucker is a dice roll, but he would have been this FA class' top guard with a healthier profile. The nuclear option of kicking Campbell and his short arms inside exists as well, with Lomu and Moses at tackle, though I don't think we're there yet.
Sam Robinson
5:00
We will wrap there for today. Thanks for the questions and hope you all have a happy 4th
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