00:00The great Super Bowl-winning tight end, our own Jermaine Wiggins.
00:02Good morning, Wiggy.
00:03All right, good morning.
00:04So we've been talking a lot about this Christian Gonzalez thing,
00:07and we're trying to figure out what could be the holdup.
00:10And Devin said something yesterday that made me think, like, okay,
00:14what could potentially be the holdup in this contract?
00:18And so everybody goes fully guaranteed money, and, you know,
00:22there are people who think that he wants some type of escalator in there
00:27that he's the highest-paid AAV guy every year for the next two years.
00:33So even if somebody else, you know, signs and has a higher AAV than him,
00:37his escalator will kick in and make him the highest-paid.
00:40There's one area where I think ultimately this could be the sticking point.
00:46And, Curtis, you have kind of a lead that kind of talks about numbers.
00:50But there's one area that I think people are overlooking
00:55and who might not know this world, and I don't even know the world like this
00:59because this is a whole nother ball of money.
01:02But you're closer to the world.
01:04I'm a little closer to it, but it's a whole nother ball of money.
01:07Yeah.
01:07And the contracts were way different when I played.
01:10The sticking point could be is how much does he get at signing,
01:19which is fully guaranteed at signing.
01:23When he signs, this is how much he gets.
01:26So, for example, Devin Witherspoon at signing got $59 million guaranteed.
01:34That's what he gets when he signs his name to the dotted line.
01:39Jalen Cotta.
01:40That is just as an aside.
01:41Holy cow.
01:42Jalen Cotta, the defensive lineman.
01:44That direct deposit, Courtney, $59 million.
01:47From the Philadelphia Eagles who had his contract a couple weeks
01:52before Devin Witherspoon, $63.3 million at signing.
01:57And Will Anderson, Jr., the defensive end from the Texans,
02:03$100 million at signing.
02:06So it could be when we talk about language and sticking points
02:11of what could be holding up the contract,
02:13it might not be the fully guaranteed money of like Kraft could say,
02:18all right, we'll give you $100 to $103 million fully guaranteed.
02:23But at signing, we're only giving you $55 million.
02:28So that could be something that could potentially be holding up this deal
02:35is what he might be asking for at signing.
02:40Because that's the money that you know you're going to get
02:42the minute you put your name on that dotted line.
02:46Yeah, great lead, Wiggs.
02:47I'm going to get right to it.
02:49My – I will never – I tried my best.
02:52I really did.
02:53I do think – people say I'm intransient.
02:56I do think I go back and forth when new evidence is presented.
03:00I tried to say the team was right on this.
03:03But I got some new information on the Patriots' cash spending,
03:07which I know they love.
03:08Good morning, Stacey.
03:11I'm kidding.
03:12But the Patriots right now in 2026 in cash spending,
03:18which is the only thing that matters.
03:20We've been over it 1,000 times.
03:22The Patriots are 25th out of 32 teams in cash spending for this year.
03:2625th.
03:28And this is where you are able to spend like crazy
03:32because what's Drake May's salary, Shyam?
03:35He's your best friend.
03:36Something like $10 million a year.
03:38What's Drake May's salary right now?
03:40Yeah, I would assume it's probably in that $10 million to $15 million a year range
03:44because he was the third overall pick.
03:46Right.
03:46So it's slotted out.
03:47I can double check.
03:48Josh has it.
03:49$9 million.
03:50So $9 million.
03:51So you have your quarterback on a $50 million discount because of the way the NFL draft works.
03:57You could invest like crazy.
03:59This is why saying that you have that quarterback on a rookie deal is a cheat code.
04:03It is a cheat code in the NFL.
04:05And you are 25th in cash spending.
04:09And people discuss these athletes like they're prima donnas, like they're whiny.
04:13Why do you want Jonathan Kraft to get another Bentley?
04:16Why is that of interest to you?
04:18Why do you care about the Kraft family's bottom line?
04:21You have the opportunity.
04:23We are so intransient when it comes to how the NFL's cap has been.
04:27It was created in 2000 or whenever.
04:30In 2000, the way it was utilized, it was important because the NFL was a fraction of what it is
04:35in terms of a revenue-producing, profit-inducing company, entity, lead.
04:40Christian Gonzalez is 24.
04:42He just turned 24.
04:44He is looking for market value.
04:47And he is looking to set the market because he is a better player than Devin Witherspoon.
04:52Now that we are on the eve of the season, and it is so clearly in black and white what
04:59the deal should be.
05:00The parameters are out there.
05:01He should be the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL.
05:04He should be the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history at signing.
05:07It is not like spread out over, you know, all right, we can spread this thing out over four years.
05:12It is all that day.
05:14And that, I believe, is the sticking point for this contract because we always talk about total guaranteed money.
05:23But no one really, like, peels it back and goes like, all right, so how much am I getting when
05:29I sign my name on the dotted line?
05:31Because that sort of player thinks, like, if your agent comes to you and goes, okay, so Devin Witherspoon got
05:35$101 million fully guaranteed.
05:39He signed his name.
05:40He's walking away with, you know, however they do it.
05:42And I'm being kind of a little bit, you know, facetious here.
05:45He's walking away with a check for $59 million because that's what he's getting at signing.
05:50Okay.
05:50So if that's an issue, I have an answer for you.
05:53In November of last year, the New England Patriots finalized a historic sale of an 8% minority stake in
06:00the franchise to two separate investors valuing the team at $9 billion.
06:06So there's your cash.
06:08You just got it.
06:09You got 8% at $9 billion, which, correct me if I'm wrong, is about, I don't know, a little
06:15bit less than $1 billion, right?
06:16If it was $10 billion, you got 10%, that's $1 billion.
06:20So you're looking at $900 million of cash.
06:24Use that money you got from private equity and put it to the player.
06:27Don't be 25th in cash spending.
06:30Like, to say that they can't have this cash around, that Drake may, Drake may and Christian Gonzalez combined.
06:37Let's say Drake gets $200 million guaranteed.
06:39Let's say they do $70 million guaranteed for Christian Gonzalez.
06:43That's still less than a quarter or less than a third of the money they just got in a private
06:48equity cash infusion less than a year ago.
06:52Like, why is that not discussed when people talk about the Patriots and their ability to pay these guys?
06:57They just got a little bit short of a billion dollars in cash in November of last year from private
07:03equity.
07:04They have the cash.
07:05They have the money.
07:06But I think we're all on the same page that if it just comes down to that, to the guaranteed
07:11money, to the signing bonus, and that's what's holding them up, then, yes, Kraft should pay him.
07:15But if the rumors of wanting the percentage of the salary cap moving forward for the next three years are
07:22what he's holding out for, where do you fall on that, if that is true?
07:26Because I think it's two different conversations, right?
07:28If it's just simply how much money he wants right now today, then I think I agree with you guys.
07:34Kraft should just pay him, get it done, move on.
07:36But if it is a three-year situation where you're looking down the road and saying this guy wants to
07:41be paid at the top for the next three years, I can understand.
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