Front Office NFL Chat
powered byJotCast
This chat is available to members only. Please log in to participate.
Sam Robinson
4:00
Hey everyone, we are days away from every training camp starting. Let's get going!
Bledsoe2Moulds46
4:12
Hey Sam. Do you agree with Miami's extensions or would you have gone full reset and gotten best value for Achane, Brewer, and Brooks in trades?
Sam Robinson
4:12
DrewEric (man, tough beat for Bledsoe on the uniform front in Buffalo), the Brooks and Brewer pacts are interesting due to both being third-contract players approaching 30. The Dolphins also took advantage of depressed markets at each position, the Achane deal included, so these contracts shouldn't interfere too much in a rebuild.

Miami got great value for Waddle, the team's top trade chip, so that was a good start. I do wonder if all three of these players needed to be extended. Trading one of them would make sense; I would have bet on Achane fetching a solid return. Then again, Achane is one of the fastest RBs in NFL history and is coming off a big year. Not yet 25, I can see why the new regime paid him.

Locking down a piece like Brewer maybe makes a bit more sense than a rebuilding team paying an ILB. But a team acquiring Brooks in a swap would have likely needed to have a new deal ready. Fine with the prices here, but I maybe would have looked to sell high-ish on either Brewer or Brooks
TD-Machine
4:23
Do you see another standoff between Jonathan Taylor and the Colts, or will they get a deal done smoothly?
Sam Robinson
4:23
Hey TD-Machine, there won't be an injury -- as far as we know -- to exaggerate this time around. A true hold-in would need to commence now. The late Jim Irsay also complicated the Colts' process with Taylor in 2023. I can see it going smoother through that lens, but I do wonder if the Colts are too eager for a third Taylor contract now that they've paid Jones and Pierce and have the Gardner deal on the books. And a monster Quenton Nelson payday should happen soon.

Barkley, Henry and McCaffrey laid groundwork for modern-era third RB contracts. Taylor will turn 28 in January. With Nelson highly unlikely to be tagged, the Colts will probably consider that route -- at just more than $18MM -- for Taylor.

The Barkley/CMC/Henry deals give Taylor a roadmap, and waiting for Gibbs and/or Robinson to be paid would create a price range. Will the Colts be OK giving a back with 1,551 career carries -- and one who missed 16 games to injury from 2022-24 -- another deal with a two-year guarantee?
JS_22
4:38
With all the changes the Ravens have made, should they still be considered serious contenders like last year?
Sam Robinson
4:38
JS_22, I think they should still be viewed as an upper-echelon AFC team (setting aside Lamar's health issue), and they could benefit significantly from the schedule. The AFC North draws the AFC South/NFC South schedule double. While the AFC South has reawakened, the NFCS provides the Ravens a path to extra wins.

I like Baltimore's Minter move a lot. He did plenty with limited resources in L.A. The Ravens' defense should improve, especially with Madubuike due back. Trey Hendrickson is not on the Maxx Crosby tier, but no matter your views on how that went down, Hendrickson plus two firsts is better than the Crosby reality.

Losing Linderbaum hurts, but Baltimore did upgrade significantly at guard. Andrews looks to be slowing down -- is this the year Henry does? Tough to keep predicting that at this point -- and the non-Flowers WR cadre doesn't excite. Lamar has a lot of motivation, holding Dak-like leverage, this season. Maybe a high-second-tier AFC roster around him, though
NOLA Nick
4:52
What would a fair Olave extension look like?
Sam Robinson
4:52
Nick, Olave's availability has only really been an issue in one season (2024). His camp has surely made this a key component during extension talks. The Saints have also been discussing a deal for nearly a year. He will be positioned to clear $30MM per year, and recent developments help him.

Beyond his bounce-back 2025, Olave has seen the Saints turn to a rookie-scale QB contract and draft a first-round WR. Shough is under contract through 2028, while Jordyn Tyson can be kept through 2030 via the fifth-year option. These deals will complement an Olave second contract well. The Bengals and Seahawks raising the ceiling past $40MM AAV should raise Olave's floor, too.

I can see a Garrett Wilson floor here, as Olave's ex-Ohio State teammate has also produced with sub-average QB play. Olave falling between Drake London's $35.2MM per and Wilson's $32MM AAV is fair (London's production given QB issues is also relevant). I'll be curious about Olave's guarantee structure due to his concussion issues, however.
Bibs
5:02
The Bengals are rated 14thish in odds to win the SB ranking behind the Ravens in their own division.   Has the last three years got people sleeping on them?
Sam Robinson
5:02
Hey Bibs, I do think the Bengals warrant being slept on a bit based on the past three years. Burrow's injury history is obviously concerning, but there is more to like roster-wise than in recent years.

Save for LB, Cincy threw most of its resources to improving defensively. They suddenly look deep up front, and several quality FA ILBs remain. Seeing as the Bengals have spent big to (in part, at least) appease Burrow, I doubt they'd have an issue signing one of them in a win-now window. A big defensive improvement will be expected, and Burrow's 2024 showed the offensive potency when he's healthy.

Drawing the NFC South is big for this division, and I do see a playoff berth coming. Allocating so much on defense does leave a perennially shaky O-line without similar resources. First-, second- and third-round picks going to defense limited the team there. That is an issue, but this roster looks considerably better than 2025. Zac Taylor and Al Golden do give pause, though. Seats deservedly hot
Sam Robinson
5:03
We will wrap there for today. Thanks for the questions, everyone. A big extension window is opening up now that camps are almost here. A lot of storylines set for key chapters soon
Connecting…