minutes, to get you up to speed on everything that's happening.
In the National Football League. And of course, we're
nine days away from the draft. So, plenty
is happening. And in Cleveland
members of the 2018 first round draft class are getting paid.
Not Baker, Mayfield not Baker. Mayfield. No, thanks on Baker.
Mayfield. The guy they took with the fourth overall, pick
that year
cornerback Denzel ward. He agrees to a 5.
Year extension five years, a hundred point, five million
with 70 1.25 million guaranteed. We know the drill
by. Now. We know that the initial numbers should be taken
with many grains of salt.
I was trying to get the real numbers last night. I was told
they were still finalizing, the contract, and the official
numbers will be available today.
When we get them.
You'll get them, you'll see them and we'll break it down.
Whatever it is good, bad or otherwise, whatever the truth
is, but we know by now that the stuff
Get from the information robots who rushed to Twitter at
the speed of 280 characters to tell us what they're told by
the agent, who is trying to make it look as good as possible. When
in Rome,
they understand it's a
occupational hazard to pass this stuff along. That's what
happened. So, set it aside. We'll break it down. Either
way. He got paid either way, it was enough for him.
It was enough for the Browns
and now, he's under contract. Well into the future, Chris.
Yeah. Well, you know, again, it shows a little like Like, you
know how you started off. I'll just piggyback off that Baker.
Mayfield same draft class here. You got a guy three pics
later. They re-signed them
right? Because he's done
everything right in their eyes, and he's played really well in
the football field. I mean, Denzel Ward, I don't know if
I would sit there necessarily go. Oh, I think he's the best
corner in football, but I understand having them in that
conversation. He's top 10. That's her. Sure.
And of course, when you're a homegrown talent and done all
the things, the right way went to Ohio State, you don't have
a, you know,
Marquis corner on your roster right now. He's that guy, they
don't come, you know, easy in the NFL. I understand. It's
a smart investment. Get out in front of it right now. It's
a really good defense to there in Cleveland. We've talked about
that they got talent. So yeah, it's a high number. He's the
new highest-paid Corner. You're right until we see the details.
But also at the same time
and I think it's one of those where it's probably smart for
Cleveland to with that defense with the chaos. They can create
Denzel ward has the year as last year. Here and gets three
or four more pics to add it on top of it.
He's gonna want a number that maybe is even more astronomical
than this. So I think it was good all-around, certainly and
Denzel Ward certainly deserving to be in this conversation for
highest-paid Corner.
Five year extension with one year left that puts him under
contract for six more years. And the way these deals
typically work,
the first two or three, they will be honored by both sides.
We get into the final three years. That's when the team has
the option to keep going or to tear it up.
And if the cap keeps going up and up and up the way that it
did this year, that's going to be a pretty good deal from
the Browns perspective. That's when Denzel Ward may say, hey, how
about we tear it up here and
and do something else. So that's just going to be part of the
ever churning reality of the NFL. We're always going to be
looking three years out, four years out, five years out.
Where will the cat be how these deals look? So, we'll see, once
we get the full breakdown of the Denso War, deal will have
an idea
of what it's really going to be worth
when the team may want to tear it up. When Denzel Ward may say
I'm not really making as much as I'd like to make, but these
are all factors that applied, all these contracts and
the first guy to get the nine-figure cornerback deal,
Jalen Ramsey,
slight humblebrag. Not I mean, I don't know. There's anything
humble about you Alan Ramsey and I got no problem with it.
I've been waiting on somebody else to touch that 100 Club and
you definitely deserve it at Denzel Ward. Congrats.
Remember. It was Jesse Jackson
who wanted Jalen Ramsey money not Jalen, Ramsey's actual
money, but money. Jalen Ramsey was getting and he didn't get
there Denzel war did
again. Yeah, bring it down and we'll see those. A chance
Jackson's deals better. We'll see where he fits in this once.
We have the final numbers. It's, it is interesting. It is,
I mean, again, I don't want to understate this. I mean, this
is a really
awesome football player who deserves to be in this conversation,
but Corner seems to be
kind of one of those positions bike that we've talked about
a lot where it's just like the next good one. Seems to want up
the next guy. It does seem like it has that going on a little
bit right now
to where I just, I wonder how long it goes on.
Was it as good as I look at a Denzel Ward,
you know, and is talented. He is, he is, yes, he's awesome
player. Do I think he's as good as Xavier and Howard who just
got his new contract, and didn't get this much money. At
least by appearance.
Absolutely not. I don't, I do. I do, I do. I also don't think
he's good as JC Jackson. Either, you know, again
the other thing like we've talked about and and again, I don't
want to disrespect but Cleveland's defense is good.
It's a really good pass rush. It's
one of the In football there to,
you know, it's the Seattle scheme. They don't play
man-to-man auton, you know, they play he plays man-to-man
less than I would think really. And I'll look up the numbers
here in a second. I would bet you less than some of the other
top corners in the sport. So that's where it's interesting
to me as a football
guy really good player. They don't put as much on his plate
as some of these other corners
and, you know, I'm not sure I guess I believe that he's in
that Marlon Humphrey, you know, Jalen Ramsey class quite yet.
Let me throw something out there and I just thought of
that may be completely baseless which would mesh with about 95%
of the things that I think of. Is it possible? The Browns
decided.
You know, what, we had to top four picks in 2018.
We have already gotten rid or are in the process of getting
rid of. Yeah, one of them. We can't go 0 for 2. We got to pay
this guy and keep him around even if he's not
one of the top corners in the league. He's good enough. He
checks the box here. Ours is a contract. We got to work
something out. And keep this guy
because we can't
say see you later to Denzel Ward. After we say, see you
later to Baker, Mayfield. You think there's any political
just kind of making yourself look, not inept in making to
top four picks in 2018. I think it makes you may be a
little more eager to get it done 92. So you don't have that,
you know, image or perception that you're kind of talking
about. They're hovering over if it doesn't work out like
I mean, look that they'll Brown's, you know, few years
ago there to top 5 picks. Look where they are that where are
they now?
And that's where I think, you know, you're right with
the your kind of check the box phrase, pyres good, you know,
he's good in the locker room.
And then of course
is is a guy that they drafted in the top five they've
invested in there and he's from Ohio State. I think it's like
it's kind of like the trifecta of a little bit of
the political angle Mike that that makes this happen and maybe
gives it
the extra boost of the money or whatever. Again
guys very discreet. Having to be in this conversation.
Like I said, I don't view him as quite that. Upper upper
echelon guy there but he's not far off. And now you know, you
just think about the gar Alexander's of the world and
everybody like that to where these contracts go.
A couple of concussions in 2018 that has not been an issue,
the last three seasons. It was one of those early career things
where you just kind of like. Oh, let's see how this goes.
Right? And I remember back when the Browns had that fourth
overall
pick. There was a lot of chatter about the possibility
of them selecting Bradley Chuck. Of the pass rusher.
They had miles Garrett entering his second season. What
a combination that could have been, but they went with
the corner instead. And again, he's good enough, that he gets
a contract and the Browns,
assuming the injury risk with that 71 million dollar
guarantee. My assumption is that that's not fully
guaranteed at signing. That's injury, aren T. So if he would
have some sort of a
problem, whether it's knee, something structural
concussion, issue, whatever, and he can't play, he's going
to have plenty of
The in hand and that's good. We celebrate when players get
upload. We don't hate when they get paid. Go like and I were
talking about this last night. There's so much transparency in
what players get
that? It's so much easier for fans to resent the players and
I think you and I have talked about this not that long ago.
We don't know how much money the owners have but they got
enough to buy big ass boats, right? Like boats that cost
a quarter of a billion with Abby not quarter of a million,
like maybe Tom Brady could buy. So
So
they're doing well too and every time a player gets a big
contract. Remember for every dollar that goes into
a player's pocket, a dollar goes into an owner's. Vault.
Yeah, no question.
No question and we're going to continue to fight that fight.
I mean we see it going on in the NFL right now. We're going to
talk about it here in a few minutes. I mean, once again,
they're just as far as
the amazing backlash of fans to the players and never caring
about the billion dollar owner. I don't understand that.
I don't but I Happy for Denzel Ward. And that's the kind of
move you make. If you're a
I think a well function,
you're a functioning good organization there.
Hey guy, that that's good. You drafted them.
Get out in front of it now. Yeah, he's the highest paid,
you know, but a year from now we're going to look at it and
go. He's the third and fourth highest paid guy, and it's
going to look very affordable
for the player. They have, who's just about to hit the pipe
peak of his, you know, Prime here, but
I like I said, I was a little surprised yesterday
that the number went North North of Jalen Ramsey. I'm not
going to lie for the reasons I stated and and Pete's looking
it up just a little bit more. But yeah, there are a team
that's one of the league leaders in zone coverage. So
I guess that's what surprised me a little bit more. Is that they
don't put
that pressure. Like we've seen some of the top corners and
football on their Corners all the time to go. Wait, you got
that guy? Shut them down. That's not really how Cleveland
rolls.
But remember, sometimes to get past that top average. They'll
be some phony number. I know everybody back. And you're
right the last year. Tyree killed deal. For example,
you're exactly supposedly 30 million. A year, is a 45
million dollar balloon payment
that he will never
ever get. That's just an example of the BS that gets
baked into these deals because the agents want to be able to
say,
I negotiated the richest contract ever
for a defensive back or receiver are running back whatever.
And the people they're trying to
impress with that aren't going to say, yes, but
you need to understand if we parse into the details.
When it gets because it's very obscure and nobody cares,
right? Nobody cares. All they care about is what you can
boast and you can boast that. You negotiated the richest
contract for any cornerback in league history
asterisk. Let's see the details and we will