No one knows how to spice up a Tuesday in March quite like the NFL. On most Tuesdays during the offseason I like to take a nap, but there will be no time for a nap today and that's because today is the deadline for NFL teams to use the franchise tag.
One team that won't have to worry about the tag this year is the Cowboys and that's because they finally worked out a long-term contract with Dak Prescott. As recently as 48 hours ago, I thought for sure he'd just be playing on the franchise tag every year for the rest of his career. Sure, I'm slightly exaggerating there -- because you can only be tagged three times -- but if anyone could figure out how to break that rule, it's Jerry Jones.
Not only will we be talking about Dak's contract today, but we'll also be talking about the TAX implications of Prescott's new deal, which means I should stop wasting time with this intro and get to the rundown.
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1. Today's show: AFC West deep dive
With free agency just around the corner, we'll be spending the next few weeks doing a deep dive on each NFL division and for Tuesday's podcast, that meant jumping headfirst into the AFC West. In this division, there's really only one question that needs to be asked and that question is: Will any of the other teams ever be good enough to beat the Chiefs?
Right now, our answer is no.
If you look at the Raiders, they're already going the wrong way this offseason and free agency hasn't even started. Over the past week alone, they've gotten rid of three starters on their offensive line (Gabe Jackson and Richie Incognito were cut while Trent Brown was traded). Going into the offseason, we knew they needed to revamp their defense, but now, they also need to rebuild their offensive line.
Like the Raiders, the Chargers also have some key offensive linemen potentially leaving town. Although Justin Herbert was good last year, he probably could have been even better if the Chargers didn't have one of the worst lines in football. If the Chargers can beef up their line, they could have one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL next season.
On the Broncos' end, they need to figure out if Drew Lock is actually their quarterback of the future. The team doesn't seem very committed to Lock and the last thing you want as a quarterback is to play for a team that doesn't really want you.
As for the Chiefs, if they can upgrade their offensive line and maybe find one more receiving weapon for Patrick Mahomes, they would be borderline unstoppable.
To listen to today's episode -- and if you're a fan of any team in the AFC West, you will definitely want to -- be sure to click here. We also have an emergency podcast on the Dak Prescott signing that you'll definitely want to listen to.
2. Dak Prescott gets second-largest contract in NFL history
I'm guessing Dak Prescott probably isn't going to qualify for the latest round of stimulus checks and that's because he just landed the second-largest contract in NFL history on Monday when the Cowboys gave him a four-year deal worth $160 million.
Here are a few quick nuggets from the deal:
- The $160 million in total value is the second-highest number ever, behind only the $450 million that Patrick Mahomes got from the Chiefs, but that was a 10-year deal.
- Prescott was given a $66 million signing bonus, which is an NFL record. The number tops the previous record of $65 million that was held by Russell Wilson. Dak will be getting a total of $75 million in the first year of his deal as he'll have a $9 million base salary on top of his signing bonus.
- The Cowboys quarterback is receiving $95 million guaranteed at signing, which breaks the NFL record that was previously held by Matt Ryan, who got $94.5 million (Prescott's total guarantees are $126 million, but if something were to happen and he decided to quit football after 2021, he'd only get the $95 million in actual guarantees).
- The Cowboys saved some serious money on the 2021 salary cap. If they had tagged Dak, he would have had a $37.7 million cap hit. With the new deal, the cap hit is now just $22.2 million for 2021, giving Dallas a savings of $15.5 million this year.
If the Cowboys had gotten this contract done one or two years ago, they probably would have saved $20 million to $30 million, but instead, they decided to procrastinate. The moral of the story here is that you should never procrastinate.
3. Franchise tag deadline is here
Although there had been some speculation that the NFL might extend the franchise tag deadline, it doesn't look like that's going to happen, which means if a team wants to use the tag this year, they have to do it by 4 p.m. ET today.
As of noon ET, here's a look at the teams that will likely use the tag:
- Cowboys: Dak Prescott. This is not a typo, Dak is going to get tagged as a procedural matter, according to ESPN.com. This means the Cowboys won't be able to use their tag on anyone else.
- Broncos: Justin Simmons. For the second straight year, the Broncos are using the tag on their starting safety.
- Panthers: Taylor Moton. Moton has quietly become one of the best right tackles in the NFL and when you have a solid tackle, you don't let them get away.
- Giants: Leonard Williams. The Giants are hoping to get a long-term deal done before 4 p.m. today but if that doesn't happen, then the team will use the tag on their star pass-rusher, according to ESPN.com.
- Jets: Marcus Maye. For the first time in five years, the Jets decided to use the tag and they used it on their starting safety. Maye was a force on the Jets defense last season, recording two interceptions, two forced fumbles, two sacks and 11 pass breakups.
- Washington: Brandon Scherff. The Football Team announced on Monday that they would be using their tag on Scherff. Since it's the second time the guard has been tagged, he'll be getting a 20% raise in 2021, which means Scherff will be pulling in more than $18 million this year.
- Jaguars: Cam Robinson. Apparently, tagging an offensive linemen is a hot trend in the NFL this year. Robinson, who has started every game he's played in for the Jaguars since being drafted in 2017, is one of three linemen to be tagged.
- Buccaneers: Chris Godwin. One of the biggest questions of the offseason in Tampa Bay was whether the Buccaneers would hit Godwin with the tag and they've decided to do that, which means Tom Brady will be getting back one of his favorite weapons. By tagging Godwin, this means that Lavonte David and Shaq Barrett could both be headed for free agency.
If you want a full list of the players who get tagged, be sure to check out our franchise tag tracker by clicking here.
4. Patriots and Dolphins both trade for offensive linemen
In a span of less than 24 hours starting on Monday night, the Dolphins and Patriots both pulled off a trade for an offensive linemen.
- Patriots acquire Trent Brown from Raiders. It looks like Bill Belichick is trying to get the band back together. Brown spent one season with the Patriots back in 2018 and during that one season, he started 16 games at left tackle in a year where New England ended up winning the Super Bowl. Not only did the Patriots land Brown, but they also got a seventh-round pick from the Raiders, and in exchange, they just had to send a fifth-round pick to Las Vegas.
- Dolphins acquire Isaiah Wilson from Titans. After a disastrous rookie year in Tennessee, the Titans basically sent Wilson to Miami for free. The terms of this deal were simple: The Titans got a seventh-round pick from the Dolphins while Miami got Wilson and a seventh-round pick from Tennessee. Wilson's career in Tennessee got off to a rocky start and that was before he even played his first game. In the lead up to the 2020 season, he was given a trespassing warning for attending a party, which is even more notable, because he wasn't supposed to be attending parties due to the pandemic. In September, Wilson was arrested for a DUI, which only added to his mounting issues. Wilson was then suspended by the team in December for "violating team rules." He also partied on a boat in Miami in January even though the Titans' season wasn't over. Of course, if anyone can fix Wilson, it's Dolphins coach Brian Flores, who has a long history with the offensive lineman.
Of course, when Dolphins fans saw that their team was trading for Wilson, I'm guessing they were hoping for another Wilson who lives in Seattle, but I guess this will have to do. Also, don't be surprised if there are more trades around the NFL between now and the start of free agency on March 17.
5. Tom Brady could become fourth QB to beat all 32 teams
Tom Brady has rewritten the NFL record book during his 21-year career; however, there is one thing he hasn't been able to do just yet, and that's join the exclusive list of quarterbacks who have beaten all 32 teams.
Over the course of his career, Brady has beaten 31 of the NFL's 32 teams and not surprisingly, the only team he has yet to beat is the Patriots. The good news for Brady is that he's not going to have to wait long to get revenge on his old team and that's because the Buccaneers are scheduled to play at New England in 2021. Although the two teams only play each other once every four years, the rotation worked out so that Brady will get a crack at his old team during the upcoming season. Of course, Brady won't know when he's playing the Patriots until the schedule comes out, which is expected to happen in May.
If Brady beats the Patriots, he'll become just the fourth quarterback in NFL history to beat all 32 teams. The only quarterbacks that have pulled off the feat are Drew Brees, Brett Favre and Peyton Manning. It's one of the most exclusive clubs that a quarterback can join and Brady could be getting his membership in 2021.
6. Ryan Fitzpatrick not ready to retire just yet
Over the past week, there had been some speculation that Ryan Fitzpatrick might retire this offseason, but as it turns out, that's actually not the case. According to NFL.com, the free agent quarterback is planning to return for a 17th NFL season and I'm guessing it's because he'd like to get to the playoffs at least ONCE in his career.
During his 16 years in the NFL, Fitzpatrick has played for a total of eight teams and none of those eight teams made the postseason while he was on the team. Fitzpatrick is like a reverse Tom Brady. When Brady is on your team, you have a 33% chance of winning the Super Bowl (he has seven Super Bowl wins in 21 years). When Fitzpatrick is on your team, you can just go ahead and kiss the playoffs goodbye before the season even starts.
Of course, in Fitzpatrick's defense, he's played for some pretty bad teams. As a matter of fact, the 2020 Dolphins might have been the best team he ever played for, but they were also the one team who decided to bench their starter (Fitzpatrick) for an inferior quarterback (Tua Tagovailoa) in a year where they might have been able to make the playoffs if they had stuck with their starter. Tua might end up being better in the long run, but Fitzmagic was definitely the better quarterback last year.
If you're wondering where Fitzpatrick might end up signing this offseason, Cody Benjamin put together a list of landing spots and here are the top-five:
1. Bears
2. Broncos
3. Patriots
4. Saints
5. Washington
For a full explanation on why Cody chose those teams, be sure to click here. I might be crazy, but I think Fitzpatrick could lead at least four of those teams to the playoffs.
7. The Kicker: Dak Prescott taxes
The only person who was happier than Dak Prescott about the quarterback's new deal was probably the tax man and that's because he always get his cut of any new contract. That being said, one big advantage for Prescott is that he plays in a state (Texas) that doesn't have an income tax.
What this means is that Prescott is actually going to make almost as much guaranteed money as Patrick Mahomes despite making more than $15 million less. According to tax numbers put together by Sportico.com, Dak will have a take home pay of $75.6 million off of his $126 million in guaranteed money. As for Mahomes, he'll take home $75.8 million after taxes of his $141.4 million in guaranteed money.
As you can see, despite the fact that Mahomes is "making" $15.4 million more than Prescott, his take home pay is only $240,000 more after taxes and that's because Mahomes lives in a state that has an income tax. I think what this clearly means is that I made the right decision to move to a state that doesn't have an income tax.
