the other three teams that he's currently considering. I was
told last night. He was torn between the four options. And
when you're torn between four options, your best approach is
to try to eliminate one
and he's eliminated one. He eliminated Cleveland, but it's
still down to three NFC South teams, the Falcons,
the Panthers and the Saints. I was told within the past hour that
he remains undecided,
people have been saying all the decisions coming decisions,
coming decisions coming. And where's the decision mean?
I was told last night. It could come by this morning. It could
happen in the next few days.
They need to do something
and he needs to make a decision
and reportedly had a second meeting with the Saints last
night. And ownership is involved in these meetings for
all the teams that have met with Watson coach and GM.
So, he was serious enough about the Saints to talk to them
again.
Now,
who knows where it goes from here. The Falcons are in his
hometown of Atlanta and Simms said today on PFT live, Shereen
that he has heard. Watson actually wanted the Falcons
that the other three teams wanted, Watson,
Watson wanted the Falcons.
And if all things are equal,
then I would think the Falcons would have an edge
since it means playing in his hometown.
Yeah, the thing is I look at the roster and I looked at
their depth chart today and I was like, oh my gosh is he
really go? I mean the team that he would be going to looks
worse than the Houston team. He won four games with two years
ago. I mean that roster is just awful and I don't see it
getting much better with the salary cap that hit they're
going to have to take with Matt Ryan and taken on DeShaun
Watson salary and everything else
they're going to do.
I just don't know how good that roster is going to be, but I
That it and I'm like, okay, you've got Kyle pit in a bunch
of nobodies, that receiver, Mike Davis at running back. So
you've got a tight end basically,
who's really good and, and not much of anything else, but
I get it. He was former Falcons ball, boy. He grew up a Falcons
fan. He likes Arthur Blank, Arthur, Blank likes him
Hometown. I get all that. So, I get why he's interested in
the Falcons, but I
just don't see this being a team. He can go to and suddenly
transform them and they're going to go win a Super Bowl.
I just Don't really see that happening. So I'm surprised
I thought they were a long shot and now to me based on
everything we've heard
and what you've said. They may be the favorite in this thing.
Kyle Pitts who plays for the Falcons first round pick last
year, had a great season took a little while to get going but
ended up having a great season
represented by David mugato who also represents DeShaun. Watson
ended up trending today on Twitter.
When he said, it's about to get scary in Atlanta, zipped mouth.
Shut emoji and is my girl full of pointed out. The Tweet was
deleted. Now. This is where it gets a little fishy. Kyle. Come
on
Kyle. Come on, Kyle, wait, we're not, we're not. Over
here,
he tried to say he was talking about. Casey Hayward being
signed by the Falcons. This is not Deion Sanders 2.0. This is
not something that's going to make it scary in Atlanta.
DeShaun Watson makes it scary in Atlanta. And if you really,
we're
talking about Casey Hayward,
there's no reason to immediately delete it. So, his
story does not hold water to me. I think he caught wind of
something that made him think. DeShaun Watson was picking
the Falcons and maybe he's still will
Shireen, but that that made me think it's just a matter of
time. So
that basically between
when that happened and 4 p.m. Eastern,
we were going to see the news that DeShaun Watson and pick
the Falcons and we still haven't, we still could at any
moment. We are in one of those fairly rare
scenarios where we are. Just anticipating, anticipating
anticipating and
who knows, maybe it'll come during the show, but it felt
like it was going to be Atlanta.
And you also know that the teams are working behind
the scenes to aggressively. They want their guys. So I'm sure
that when the Saints and the pan
There's caught wind of that. They probably reached out to
somebody and said, is this really the end? What else? Can
we do? What can we talk about? Can we talk to him again?
Etcetera? And also one more thing? I still
hold out the possibility that there's somebody else out there
waiting to try to swoop in and make a play. The longer this goes
the greater the chance. Somebody's going to say, you
know what, let's jump in get this done. If the Rams didn't
have Matthew Stafford, I would say the Rams would eventually
jump in. I'm trying to think who out there
that doesn't have a high-end quarterback, could be that team
that decides to swoop in at the last. A minute and try to get
the Sean Watson but until there's a decision. And as more
time goes by,
I'm going to be thinking more and more that somebody else
could try to get involved in this.
Well, it might, let's talk about plan B's. What is
the Falcons Plan, B. Well, they've got to have to plan B. So now
are they talking behind the scenes? Do they have something
set up for Matt Ryan? Because we've heard
no noise of, although their shop and Matt Ryan and they
have this deal ready. Is that going to be something that's
going to be easily done. Once DeShaun Watson makes his
decision. If it in fact, is the Falcons
and B. What is their plan B? If they don't get DeShaun Watson?
Is it to bring Matt Ryan back? I could more see him coming
back to play in Atlanta. Obviously than Baker, Mayfield
because he has a long relationship there.
But nonetheless, I do still think that's a question. Is,
Matt Ryan going to want to return to the Falcons to be
their quarterback if they don't get DeShaun Watson.
Well, and that raises an interesting question to because
on Friday of last week, NFL media reported
as a done deal
a, Matt, Ryan restructuring, that would have created 12
million dollars in cap space this year. His salary cap
number was, and still is forty eight point six, six million
because they didn't do the restructuring.
And I was looking up today, trying to figure out what
the cap charge would be if they trade and wanted to confirm, it
was going to be 55 million, and if the New Deal had gone
through, it would be 55 million to trade him.
Before June 1, the deal didn't go through.
We confirmed that with the team, the deal did not go
through. So it's a 40 point. Five million plus cap charge to
trade him before June 1 under this current deal.
They'll carry the ridiculously record-high 48.6, Six Million
number until then
but he's got a roster bonus due tomorrow. And usually, the way
it works is
if you're on the roster at the end of the day, the day before
the roster bonus is, do you get you've earned it?
And so unless they got Matt Ryan to agree to delay
the vesting data that roster bonus
and maybe maybe he would to facilitate this. I don't know
but unless they got him to do that,
their cap charge now is 48 million plus
by trading him unless they can find a way to knock that out.
Albert Breyer pointed out the money's not due until April 15,
and I guess if they forced that on to the new team
and the new team takes on the obligation, they get cap
relief. I'm not quite sure how that works. The cleanest way to
do it though. Is get the trade done
of Matt Ryan before today,
but they're not ready to just move on from Matt Ryan, until
they know what's going to happen with the Champs W. And
so that tells me that plan B would be
try to keep Matt Ryan now.
Now.
And I want to be hypocritical here because
and I think, I think Baker Mayfield is perfectly Justified
to want to be traded after what's happened. But if
the Browns think he's not mature enough to deal with
the situation. Of course, the reasonable response is he would
ask for
a trade for Matt Ryan's perspective. When you consider
everything he's done for that team and everything. He's gone
through and he arrived as the Savior post, Mike Vick Fiasco
and now he's getting thrown overboard
after. He has never shown any inclination to want to be traded
by A Falcons, he has suffered through lean years after their
Super Bowl appearance. Five years ago.
He's never never, I've interviewed him a couple of
times. He's never done anything other than say, he wants to
stay with the Falcons and they're gonna,
they're gonna dump him
for a guy that's got 22 lawsuits,
alleging sexual misconduct, during massage therapy sessions.
He's got every right to be pissed. Mayfield's got every
right to be pissed. Ryan's got every right to be pissed. And,
you know, could we have the exact same thing if dashon
picks the Saints or the Panthers? Could Matt Ryan's
next move be to say to Arthur Blank? I'm ready to move on
pal. Sorry, but it's over.
I was I was willing to stay here my entire career
until you went out and tried to find my replacement. I am ready
to move on.
And I think somebody takes Matt Ryan, Mike, but if it's me and
it's my team, I'm not going to do it. He turns 37 in May.
I mean, he's still
been a really good quarterback. I get that. He's played on some
bad teams with some bad talent. And again, to think that
DeShaun Watson is going to go in and just
miraculously, turn, this team around, they were 7 and 10 last
year played in a lot of close games. I get that. But Matt,
Ryan truly wasn't their problem, but turns 37 in May
and
Top of that with this contract. That's just,
I wouldn't want. I wouldn't want any part of Matt Ryan.
I would want to go a different direction and try to get
a younger guy who. I think I can build with the end of it's
taking a chance on somebody in the draft. I just don't think
I would trade for Matt Ryan.
But if I was the Colts I would
if I'm the Colts and my yeah, alternative sammelan. Good.
I would yeah. Yep, and if I'm Matt Ryan and I look at
the Falcons roster as you were reviewing earlier, and I look
at the
It's roster.
The a result the end result may be that neither the Browns, nor
the Falcons get DeShaun Watson.
And that
both the Browns and the Falcons move on from their current
quarterbacks. The difference though is, as we said earlier,
and is Chris Simms, heard this morning. It was
the
Falcons who were reached out to by Watson. So maybe they'll
have an easier time. Putting the toothpaste back in the tube
if they don't get the Champs W, but we'll see. It's getting
interesting. I didn't say toothpaste holder, just for
you.
It's getting interesting
on multiple fronts.
It's a it's a story that well the hey was out of the barn on
that one,
but it's a story that's going to keep.