- 2 weeks ago
NFL Insider Mike Florio joined the show and tackled about the Christian Gonzalez contract situation with the Patriots, what to expect when it’s Drake Maye’s turn to negotiate with the team, Mike Vrabel’s ability to not answer a question, and Bill Belichick’s future.
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00:00Mike Florio from Pro Football Talk.
00:02Mike, thanks for coming on with us, man.
00:04We appreciate it. We always do.
00:06Great to be with you guys, as always.
00:07How's everybody?
00:08Good.
00:09We're just sitting here confused as hell about Christian Gonzalez
00:12and whether he's going to have a new contract.
00:14I don't know.
00:14First of all, did you see the video, by any chance, yesterday
00:17of Christian Gonzalez trying to speak to the media?
00:20And he's out in the field, and in the background,
00:23Robert Kraft's helicopter is landing right behind him
00:27so none of the reporters can hear a word that Christian Gonzalez is saying.
00:31It was fairly ironic.
00:33It's a great way to keep Gonzalez from saying anything
00:36they don't want him to say.
00:37Good strategy.
00:39Sure.
00:39That's what billionaires do to shut you up.
00:42What's your read on everything that's going on right now?
00:45It's all weird around here, but what's your take on what you're seeing?
00:49Well, I thought this was going to be easy when Devin Witherspoon,
00:53the Seahawks cornerback, signed a contract a week and a half ago
00:56with the Seahawks that put him at the top of the cornerback market,
01:01$33 million per year in new money.
01:03When Bajon Robbins and the Falcons running back signed a deal
01:05a couple of weeks ago, it just took a matter of days,
01:09maybe two days, three days at the most, for Jameer Gibbs,
01:11the Lions running back, to do basically the same deal.
01:14The structure, the template, the money was almost identical,
01:18a little bit more for Gibbs because he went second,
01:21and we thought that's what would happen.
01:22We thought Gonzalez was waiting for Witherspoon,
01:25and then once Witherspoon got his deal,
01:27then he just changed some of the numbers,
01:29and Gonzalez gets his, especially since it's the same agency
01:32representing both guys.
01:34So nobody knows specifically what it is,
01:36but it can't be something fairly simple,
01:41or it would have been done by now.
01:42So I don't know why it hasn't gotten done,
01:47and with each passing day, it just makes me wonder,
01:50will they get it done by week one, and what happens if it doesn't.
01:53I was intrigued yesterday by the fact that Gonzalez wouldn't comment
01:56on whether or not it was a hold-in,
01:58wouldn't comment on whether or not he was actually injured,
02:00and now that he's back at practice,
02:03you never know when he's going to be, air quotes,
02:05injured again with week one approaching.
02:08Hey, Mike, I'm curious what you think about just the cornerback market
02:11in general, it feels like it's, you know,
02:14it used to be more higher prioritized than it is now.
02:18I feel like, you know, it used to be behind cornerback
02:20was cornerback market and edge rusher,
02:22but it feels like it's slipped down over the years.
02:25Do you think that's the case, and if so, why are you don't hear
02:30the term shut down corner or cornerbacks maybe making as much
02:33as they maybe, I don't know, theoretically used to make?
02:37Well, it's rebounded pretty significantly in recent years.
02:41When Patrick Sertain bumped it up above where it had been,
02:46it was lurking around 20 for a long time.
02:48So it's kind of systematically been going up and up and up,
02:51and it operates almost like the quarterback market used to,
02:54where all you have to be is the next guy up for a deal,
02:59and boom, you become the highest paid player at the position.
03:01There isn't a range there.
03:03Quarterback is now a $45 million range,
03:05and good luck figuring out where some of the guys fit in it.
03:08With corner, next guy becomes the highest paid.
03:11Next guy becomes the highest paid.
03:12And I don't know whether or not Gonzalez is looking at it saying,
03:15wait, this is not how it should go.
03:18You look at market at other positions, and corner has lagged.
03:22Corner is important.
03:24And I'm not content to simply take 33 and make it 33.5 or 34.
03:28I want to blow this thing out.
03:30I don't want to reset it completely.
03:32But it has been lagging, had been lagging.
03:35It has been increasing.
03:37But you look at some of the other positions,
03:38and you wonder, should 33 be a lot higher
03:42for the highest paid player at the position?
03:45Hey, Mike, how do you see Drake May's contract
03:47playing out in comparison next year,
03:49and coupled with Jaden and Caleb?
03:52Do they all get done together in the summer,
03:54or how is that going to go?
03:56Well, it's going to be a critical year for all three of those guys,
03:58because you're eligible for a new contract
04:01after the final game of your third regular season.
04:05Not season, but regular season.
04:08And I keep waiting for the time to come
04:09where a quarterback finishes his third regular season
04:13and makes it clear, I want my deal,
04:16if it's a playoff team, obviously,
04:17I want my deal before the first playoff game,
04:20because the playoff money isn't significant.
04:22I'm still carrying the risk of the impact
04:24of an injury on me to my future earning.
04:28I want to have that protection before my first playoff game.
04:31I could see Caleb Williams definitely doing that.
04:34And between him and Drake May,
04:35those are the two that are most likely
04:37to be getting a significant second contract.
04:40Jaden Daniels has to go out and stay healthy
04:42and earn it this year,
04:43because he had one great year,
04:45and then he had the regression last year
04:46fueled mainly by injury.
04:48But it's a big year for all three guys.
04:50And again, we look at that quarterback market,
04:52you've got 20 all the way up to 65.
04:55The Bucs and Baker Mayfield are having a hard time
04:58finding his spot.
04:59And I think that day has ended.
05:01It used to be that way.
05:02There was a time, 2018,
05:04there was a rush of new contracts for quarterbacks,
05:06and every one was just a little bit higher
05:07than the one before it.
05:08That doesn't happen anymore.
05:10Some guys are going to get near the top.
05:12Some guys are going to be closer to the middle.
05:16And teams are more willing to take a hard line
05:19when it comes to the old knee-jerk reaction of,
05:22all right, we drafted a guy,
05:23he's checked the Bucs,
05:25pass versus fail,
05:27Bucs versus not bust,
05:28and we're just going to suddenly make him
05:30the highest-paid player in the NFL.
05:31It just doesn't happen that way.
05:33Man, the Patriots better not jack around
05:34with the Drake May contract.
05:36I don't know.
05:36That would backfire.
05:37I mean, I know that Ted's been saying
05:39that Christian Gonzalez,
05:40the one thing that makes him different
05:41than a guy like Will Fork
05:43and a guy like Rob Gronkowski
05:45is that those guys had massive fan support.
05:48Christian Gonzalez, everyone knows,
05:50is a great player,
05:51but for some reason he's not loved like that.
05:52If they F around with the Drake May contract,
05:55now that is a guy who has fan support around here.
05:58And I just, I don't know if they realize
06:00how much that would backfire
06:02if they treat it the same way as Christian Gonzalez.
06:05I think you're right.
06:05Gonzalez has three years.
06:07He only played four games as a rookie.
06:09He's got one Pro Bowl.
06:10He was an AP All-Pro second teamer.
06:14And the flip side is,
06:15even though he's better
06:16than maybe the accolades would suggest,
06:19the flip side is the guy
06:20who finished second in the MVP voting.
06:21I voted Drake May first in the MVP voting.
06:24And there's no reason to think
06:25he won't continue to develop at a high level
06:27with Josh McDaniels as the coordinator.
06:29And my conspiracy theory,
06:33and it's not much of a conspiracy,
06:34I just think it's more of an interpretation.
06:37When Mike Rabel talked about
06:38the lack of depth recently,
06:40Sims and I were talking about this
06:42on PFT Live,
06:43they may be longing for the days when,
06:46and this was more first leg of the dynasty,
06:48when you had a bunch of guys
06:50who weren't insisting on market value
06:53and you could have a robust middle class
06:55of backups who were making good money
06:58filling those key reserve spots
07:00so you could take next man up to the extreme
07:03and fully expect the backup
07:04to be as good as the starter
07:06because there wasn't as much of a gap
07:08between first string and second string.
07:10So if you're going to have Christian Gonzalez
07:12with this massive deal
07:14and Drake May with this massive deal,
07:16that's how you're going to have to cut up
07:18the salary cap pie
07:19with a bunch of young players
07:20that you hit on in the draft
07:21and you develop and you trust
07:23to be backups
07:24because you're not going to have
07:25the extra cap space around
07:27if a large chunk of the cap
07:29is going to Gonzalez in May.
07:31Mike, I want to take a right turn here
07:33a little, and it's a couple weeks old,
07:35but I heard you and Sims talking about this.
07:37Hopefully you'll remember your thoughts on this,
07:39but Vrabel was asked at a press conference
07:42about his quote off season counseling,
07:44and then he went on to filibuster
07:46for like five minutes
07:47about something completely not topical
07:49to what the question was.
07:50One, I'm curious your thoughts
07:53on Mike's response,
07:55and then two,
07:56just the Rossini-Vrabel story in general.
07:59Where do you think that still stands,
08:02and is that pretty much a story
08:04we won't hear from for a long time?
08:06Well, look, I got a ton of respect
08:08for Mike Vrabel as a head coach.
08:10I voted for him.
08:10I think his coach did.
08:12He was second.
08:12I went with Liam Cullen.
08:13He ended up winning it,
08:15but it was close.
08:16It was tough.
08:17It was, you know,
08:17how well do you do with what you have,
08:19and what were you supposed to do
08:20with what you have,
08:21but he did a remarkable job
08:22turning that team around,
08:23but we had some fun
08:25with the three-minute answer
08:28that never answered the question
08:30and devolved into a discussion
08:32about offensive line play,
08:33and he's tried that a few times
08:35where it's just start talking,
08:37keep talking,
08:37never answer the question,
08:39and if you talk long enough,
08:40they'll forget the question
08:42that was asked,
08:42and I understand the sensitivity,
08:45and I understand he'd rather
08:47move past it,
08:48and by all appearances,
08:49you know,
08:50the one thing I said
08:51that could reshuffle the deck
08:53on all of this
08:54is if Diana Rossini decides
08:55she's going to do a sit-down
08:57interview with Oprah or somebody
08:58the night before
08:59the regular season opener,
09:00and we're 14 days away from it,
09:03Tuesday night, September 8,
09:04would be an ideal time
09:06if she really wants
09:07to stir things up
09:08and tell her story,
09:09and who the hell knows
09:09what she would say.
09:10It would definitely create
09:12a reaction going into
09:13the first game
09:14of the regular season,
09:15but everything has kind of
09:16died down.
09:17I don't know why
09:18the Athletic's investigation
09:20of her work
09:21has completely disappeared.
09:22Who knows what's going on
09:23behind the curtain?
09:24Is there some sort of
09:25an agreement that
09:25the Athletic and Rossini
09:27reached that nobody's
09:28ever going to talk
09:28about this again?
09:29I don't know
09:30because nobody's
09:30talking about it,
09:31but the whole thing
09:32is in a very strange
09:33posture because the
09:34Athletic created
09:35the impression
09:35internally and externally,
09:37and internally it's
09:38important because there's
09:39tension there between
09:40the New York Times
09:40and the Athletic.
09:41The people who work
09:42as reporters for the
09:43Times believe there's
09:45a lower standard
09:45applied to the Athletic,
09:46so there was a ton
09:47of internal scrutiny
09:49and concern
09:51that this wasn't
09:52going to be handled
09:52properly by the
09:53Athletic or by the
09:54Times,
09:55and now it's just
09:56disappeared.
09:56It's been two and a
09:57half months since the
09:59guy who runs
10:00the Athletic said
10:01we're a few weeks away
10:02from concluding
10:04this investigation,
10:04and then out came
10:06that long Times article
10:07and the blowback
10:08from that,
10:09and there's just
10:09been nothing.
10:10So it's strangely
10:12silent now,
10:13and there's two
10:14specific things
10:15that could still
10:15happen.
10:16One, we thought
10:16was going to happen,
10:17the Athletic
10:18investigation ending,
10:19and two,
10:19the possibility,
10:20this vague possibility
10:21that she's going to
10:22tell her story,
10:23and neither has
10:24happened,
10:24and who knows
10:25what's going to
10:25go down between
10:26now and week one.
10:27All right,
10:27speaking of weird
10:28relationships,
10:29Mike Florio,
10:29from Pro Football
10:30Talk,
10:31has it been strange
10:33that outside of this
10:34thing that happened
10:35a couple of weeks ago
10:36where it was announced
10:36there was going to be
10:37an investigation at UNC
10:39and Mike Lombardi,
10:41has it been weird
10:42how quiet Belichick
10:44and most importantly,
10:47Jordan has been
10:48during this?
10:49Because, I mean,
10:50I'm talking the beginning
10:51of last year,
10:51they were everywhere.
10:52Jordan has barely even
10:54posted on her Instagram,
10:55which is insane
10:57because she used to post
10:58like three times a week
10:59pictures of her
11:00with Bill,
11:00pictures all over
11:01this place.
11:01What is going on
11:03with UNC right now
11:04with the investigation
11:05and the weirdness
11:06that's happening
11:07with the quad?
11:08I never even see
11:08a picture of them
11:09in Nantucket this summer,
11:10which you saw a million
11:12times over the past
11:13two years.
11:13There have been no leaks
11:15whatsoever about this
11:16Lombardi situation.
11:18Belichick has kept
11:19it to a minimum.
11:20I understand there are
11:21privacy issues involved
11:22as it relates to
11:24employment relations
11:25and there's certain
11:27things you just don't
11:27want to say.
11:29There's been no leaks.
11:30No one's whispered
11:31anything to anyone
11:32about what's going on.
11:33They haven't wrapped
11:33this thing up yet,
11:34so it wasn't some
11:36misunderstanding that
11:37could be quickly resolved.
11:38There was a very
11:39strongly worded statement
11:41that was issued by
11:41Tom Mars,
11:42the lawyer who is
11:44assisting Lombardi
11:45in all of this.
11:46And now here we are
11:47just a few days away
11:48from their opening game
11:50against TCU in Ireland
11:52and we remember how
11:53the TCU game went last year.
11:54We know how the TCU game
11:55started and we know
11:56how it ended.
11:57And I suspect that
11:58everyone in that program
11:59right now is just
12:00kind of bracing
12:01for the possibility
12:03it's going to be
12:04another disaster.
12:05We'll see how good
12:06the players are,
12:07but at the college level
12:08it doesn't matter.
12:08You can be the greatest
12:09game day coach
12:10in any sport in history
12:11and some believe
12:12Belichick is.
12:13It doesn't matter
12:14if you don't have
12:14the players.
12:15And at college
12:16it all comes down
12:17to having the players.
12:18There's been talk about,
12:20I mean, I guess
12:20there's been a couple
12:21people this week
12:21who have speculated
12:22that Belichick might not
12:24make it through the season.
12:26Could you see that
12:27with just how big
12:28that contract is,
12:29is that ever happening?
12:31Well, I'm a firm believer
12:33that once a major
12:34football program,
12:35college or pro,
12:37decides that it's
12:37moving on,
12:38there's no benefit
12:39to be gained
12:40by delaying
12:41the inevitable,
12:42especially if there's
12:43anyone on staff
12:44that you would want
12:45to give an on-the-job
12:46audition to.
12:47And I don't know
12:47that there's anyone
12:48on the North Carolina
12:48staff they'd want
12:49to do that for.
12:52But the buyout
12:53goes down every year
12:54because he's actually
12:55working for the money
12:56and at some point
12:57it makes sense
12:58to just write the check
12:59and move on.
13:00And I don't have
13:01the number in front of me.
13:03It's not the full balance
13:04of the remainder
13:05of the deal.
13:05I think that maybe
13:07only the first three years
13:08were guaranteed
13:08so they'd be biting
13:09the bullet for one year
13:10but I'd have to refresh
13:11my memory on it.
13:12But it wouldn't surprise
13:13me if he gets fired
13:14after this year.
13:15So if he's going
13:15to get fired
13:15after the year
13:16and they decide
13:17after seven games
13:18that that's it
13:20and it's a complete
13:20and total disaster,
13:21it wouldn't surprise me
13:23if they decide
13:24to just pull the plug
13:25during the season.
13:26If, right out
13:27it's a long shot, Mike,
13:28but if he would come
13:29back to the NFL someday,
13:30what team,
13:31what team could consider
13:33bringing Bill
13:33back into the fold?
13:34You can't let it go, can you?
13:35Ed, stay quiet.
13:35Ed, stay quiet.
13:38Well, look,
13:39dysfunctional teams
13:40do dysfunctional things
13:41and there's a cluster
13:42of dysfunctional teams
13:43in the NFL
13:44but when you consider
13:45all the jobs
13:46that have been open
13:47since his firing
13:48from the Patriots,
13:50that cycle,
13:51he got one interview
13:52with the Falcons
13:53and then another cycle
13:55and then this past year,
13:5710 jobs open
13:58out of 32 franchises
13:59and his name
14:00didn't even come up.
14:01I thought when the Bills
14:02did the delayed firing
14:03of Sean McDermott,
14:04not delayed,
14:05but it happened
14:06on a delayed basis
14:07because they made it
14:07to the divisional round
14:08and lost.
14:09I was surprised
14:10they didn't even talk
14:11to him for that.
14:13I mean, how beautiful
14:13that would have been
14:15if Bill Belichick
14:15comes back to the division
14:17and coaches Josh Allen
14:18and the Bills.
14:19I think the ship sailed.
14:20Now, I know it only
14:21takes one owner
14:22but with each passing year,
14:26I just think that
14:27it becomes a longer
14:28and longer shot
14:28even for the most
14:29dysfunctional team
14:30and right now,
14:31Cardinals, Browns,
14:32and Jets are the three
14:33that I would put
14:33at the top
14:34of the dysfunctional list.
14:35There we go.
14:35I think even for them,
14:37I think it's a hard sell
14:39to bring Bill Belichick
14:41into your building
14:42because remember,
14:42and this is what scared
14:43Atlanta away
14:45at the end of the day,
14:46you got to throw the keys
14:47to Bill Belichick.
14:48He's not going to come in
14:49as just the coach.
14:50He's going to take over
14:51whether he's got the title
14:52or not
14:53and if there's a structure
14:54in place,
14:55if there's any employee
14:56in place
14:56who is astute enough
14:58to realize
14:58Bill Belichick
14:59is going to take
15:00his place over,
15:01they're going to push back
15:01against the owner's
15:02interest in Bill Belichick.
15:04Well, listen,
15:04who's not going to want
15:05Matt Patricia
15:06as an offensive coordinator
15:07as well?
15:09Why not?
15:10Matt Patricia
15:11and Joe Judge.
15:12That's right.
15:13Joe Judge, right, right, right.
15:14Listen,
15:15you can't undersell
15:16the mastery of that decision.
15:18That combo right there, yep.
15:19I just, I mean,
15:19that is just,
15:20I still can't believe
15:21we lived through that.
15:22All right, Mike Florio,
15:23great stuff as always.
15:25You can read his stuff
15:25at profootballtalk.com.
15:27We appreciate you
15:28coming on, man,
15:29as always.
15:29Thanks, Mike.
15:30Thanks, guys.
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