NFL SQUAD: Veteran WR Market HEATING UP Ahead Of NFL Free Agency
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Lots of storylines going on the week before official free agency options open up for the NFL team. We're going to ask our panels, who's I learned how to speak, which ones their favorites are on this week's NFL squad. You are talking ball with the NFL squad. From the Chiefs to the Bills, Falcons to the 49ers, and everyone else around the NFL, it's the local experts of the Locked On Podcast Network bringing you scoops, breakdowns, and the most crazy

comprehensive preview of the upcoming weekend for hard-hitting football with our harder hitting taste. Buckle up, it's the NFL squad. Then we have a seat for you. No hurt feelings allowed. Squad up, you're part of the NFL squad.

And welcome to this week's NFL squad. Sit back, grab your favorite drink and join us as we get you ready for what is sure to be a wild, wild NFL free agency period kicking off next week. It's already been wild guys and we haven't even actually officially started yet. We are all part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day and we are grateful to

for you coming through for this NFL squad. Our squad this week, Landon McCool, locked on Cowboys, Cody Rourke, locked on Broncos, James Yarko, locked on Bucks, Patricia Trana, locked on Giants, Mike DeBate, locked on Patriots. And I was in such a hurry. Peter, we were going to set you up. Peter McKowski, locked on Packers. He had stepped away. Well, you actually can see that he had stepped away in the intro. And I was in such a hurry to get through it because we were going to boo you when you came back that I stepped on my own tongue a little bit there. But you made it back in time. Squad, listen.

A lot of great things going on this week. A lot of interesting things going on this week. Players being moved, players being signed, players being extended, records being broken, players being released. I want to go around the circle here. I just want to ask each and every one of you which storyline this week so far, and I mean, the week's not even over yet,

has been your favorite land, and we will kick it over to you with the Locked On Cowboys. Yeah, I'm obviously going to be selfish here because the Cowboys don't get a lot of play during free agent periods usually. Yeah, the Cowboys are one of the most criminally undercover teams in the National Football League, and you're right.

We never hear about the Cowboys anywhere. It's really sad. I'm going to go with the Odigizua signing. I think it was a big first step for the Cowboys who are trying to be a little bit different this free agent, or at least we'll see if they're going to be a little bit different this free agency period. And I think the first big domino to fall for them was signing Odigizua to the deal that they did sign him to, and then just getting that defensive tackle done.

checkmarked off their list. This is going to open things up for Micah and potentially, you know, who knows, maybe even a tier nine free agent at some point in late, late August before the season starts. I love that. Yeah. You know what? Big fan of most of that. I remember him coming out of college. I was really hoping he wouldn't go to a team that I actually despise. Unfortunately he did, but it's okay. I'm happy for him as a human being. Cody Rourke, Lockdown Broncos. What are you loving?

Man, can we talk about the NFL wide receiver market right now? I mean, supply and demand is at an all-time high right now. You have so many veterans, guys getting released, Devontae Adams, Christian Kirk. You got guys requesting trades, DK Metcalf. Where is he going to end up? Could Chris Godwin somehow end up on the free agency market after they did not franchise tag him? I know James has a lot to say about that, but I think if you were a team who's in need of a veteran receiver this year, man –

You have your pick of the litter here. To me, this is the most exciting thing of the week leading up into NFL free agency, and it may not even be done. I even forgot to mention Tyler Lockett being released as well. I mean, so many good wide receivers available for any team out there who is in need.

Yeah, look, the NFL doesn't do trade deadlines as well as some other leagues in this world, but they do the offseason better than anybody. And I'll take a full offseason of excitement than I will one single trade deadline. So I'll take all of that smoke. Speaking of future Washington Commanders receiver Chris Godwin, even though I know a lot about him from my years covering him, when he comes to Washington, I will bring James Yarko on lots on Commanders for his takes. But right now, James, let's get your thoughts on your favorite storylines outside of Chris Godwin.

just pending finalization of his deal to come to Washington. They just got Debo. Calm down. But no, I'm 100% with Cody. Like the wide receiver market, 48 hours ago on Locked on Bucks, I was talking about Chris Godwin being the number one wide receiver set to hit the market. Now, obviously, you can make the case that it's Devontae Adams. You can make the case that DK Metcalf in a trade would be the number one choice for a lot of these wide receiver needy teams. Lockett,

Kirk, you still have Stefan Diggs out there. All of a sudden, it's starting to look a little bit better for the Buccaneers. I'm still confident they get a deal done with Godwin. He wants to stay. Tampa wants to keep him. But now it allows for Bucs fans to kind of take a breath and be like, okay, now all of a sudden Godwin may not be as in demand as he once was.

Yeah, I mean, fan favorite aside, you know, more receivers being available to the rest of the league only helps the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Chris Godwin situation. Patricia Shana, Trina locked on Giants. What is your favorite storyline this week?

Round and round and round they go, where they stop. Nobody knows. I'm talking quarterbacks. We got quarterbacks on our mind here. Where's Sam Darnold going to land? Where's Peter's favorite player in the whole wide world. Aaron Rogers going to land. I mean, who's going to go where so many teams with, with quarterback needs, including my New York giants, you know, the Raiders, you've got the draft prospects too. It's just, it's just going to be an interesting, uh,

off season in terms of who's going to land where, how's that's going to affect the draft class and how that's going to affect the seasons coming up. Yeah. Look, I woke up Wednesday morning to tweets about the giants potentially trading up for the number one pick to get cam ward. I'm here for all of the quarterback madness. Peter Rakowski locked on Packers. Unfortunately got here before we can unleash our booze on you. There you go. We'll do it anyway. What's your favorite storyline this week?

I'm going to go macro on you here. I am always fascinated this time of year in how the bad teams are going to try and not be bad and how the best teams are going to try and stay the best teams. I'm thinking specifically of what the Bears are doing right now. You add big time guards, big time money that you're taking on.

not crazy draft capital, but those are going to be two really expensive guards for the Chicago Bears. And if you're the Chiefs, you're moving on from your most important offensive lineman after a Super Bowl where you just got your ass kicked by the Philadelphia Eagles. What's going on there? Matthew Stafford, why are the Rams who are

a Jalen Carter slip away from potentially being in the NFC championship game, dicking around with their franchise quarterback. What is happening there? Like there's so many fascinating storylines. DK Metcalf, like Corbin, Corbin Smith, our pal from lockdown Seahawks reported the guys that called on DK Metcalf, the Packers NFC contender or wannabe contender, the chiefs, the bills, like those teams are trying to swing understanding. We are, everyone is chasing the,

the Philadelphia Eagles. And so that, that to me is, is a great big story. And I've got, you know, two people on either side of me right now. Like what giants are they going to be players for Aaron Rogers? Are the Patriots going to be the team that swings for the fences on DK Metcalf? Like those to me, those big ebbs and flows at the top and the bottom of the league are always so fun to me. Yeah. I even saw a story of the new England Patriots called the Philadelphia Eagles and said, Hey, what's up with AJ Brown, Mike, the bait and the lockdown Patriots.

Yeah, man. Let's, let's catch your attention this week. That's it. I mean, the Patriots are in on all of these stories right now. Look right now, the help wanted sign is posted on one Patriots place right outside Gillette stadium. We're taking all calls. We're making all the calls. The New England Patriots are going to be aggressive this off season. That's my favorite part of the storyline because my head's going to be on a swivel for the next couple of weeks, wondering what moves are going to be made and how they're going to stack up.

You know, you're unhappy with your contract right now. Yeah. New England Patriots, bring them right in. We got 130 million in cap space. We can make you the offer you can't refuse. You got an undersized wide receiver out there. No problem. Bring them in. We got an offensive coordinator that loves undersized wide receivers. You got an offensive lineman that actually understands that part of

offensive line work is to use more than just your arms that's like Vince McMahon falling off the chair memes right there that's exactly what the New England Patriots are doing right now feel like I'm channeling my inner Jerry Seinfeld you know you don't you got guys that don't return phone calls you got guys with bad penmanship if you got bad credit no credit bring them all in hang that sign out on the store that says we're ready for business we need

all hands on deck. We need as much help as possible. Yeah, I'm just loving the fact that the New England Patriots are going to be approaching this offseason with aggression because they have so many holes to fill. Waiting to do so in the draft is going to be detrimental to this team. You've got to backfill a little bit. It may mean overpaying for a good number of veterans to come in and anchor this team for the time being, but it's going to be exciting times in Foxborough watching this team try to climb back to respectability.

David, I'm going to hijack it here for you a little bit. You host this show every single week, but we want to hear your input too, buddy. You cover the Commanders. What is your favorite storyline of the week?

My favorite storyline, I don't know if it's this week, so I'll kind of cheat a little bit and go back into the combine days, is the Cleveland Browns digging their heels in on Miles Garrett because I'm praying that they try to drag this through the end of April and allow the Washington Commanders to trade 2026 draft capital to get the best edge rusher in the National Football League. Outside of that, though, it's the receivers because I'm just – listen –

Every time I load Twitter, every time I get a Locked On Bucks insider text from James Yarko, I'm praying there's no Chris Godwin extension news because I just need Chris to make it to Monday, man. Make it to Monday. And it is game on.

Speaking of game on, the New York Giants are looking to get out of the basement of the NFC East. Their name is going to be around a lot of conversations. Free agents, guys like Aaron Rodgers, but also the NFL drafts. Patricia Train is about to take center stage here on this week's episode of NFL Squad, part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day.

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Continuing this week's NFL squad episode here, all part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. Thanks for coming through for this week's episode. Make sure you're coming through every week because we're doing this all season long. We just touched on some of the main storylines going on this week as we get ready for the NFL free agents frenzy to start next week. But let's dive deeper here into some of these. And we're going to start with Aaron Rodgers. And actually, Patricia, before we get to you, we are going to start with our resident Aaron Rodgers expert, Lockdown Packers host, Peter Bukowski.

Aaron or Aaron? There have been rumors specifically listed here for us. Giants, Raiders, Steelers. Do any of those teams make sense to you, not just from an Aaron Rodgers perspective, but from those franchises where they are today? No. No, they don't. Look, they certainly don't make sense for the New York Giants at all. Disagree. Nothing about that makes sense. But

Because he's going to come in and hijack the season. It's not going to go any better on that side of the MetLife Stadium locker room than it did on the other side. I don't know why on a worse team it would be any different. So that doesn't make any sense. Las Vegas doesn't make any sense because that team stinks too. And then that leaves you with the Steelers. Why would Mike Tomlin...

Want to do that. Why would Mike Tomlin want to deal with all the toxicity, all the Aaron Rodgers nonsense? The only caveat there is, are you getting Devante Adams? It sounds like no, like Devante Adams is kind of over it and doesn't want to play somewhere cold. Probably wants to enjoy himself in California with Matthew Stafford or Justin Herbert. And I can't blame him for that. Come home Devante. And so like that,

At this point, I think we are closer to Aaron Rodgers getting Bill Belichick this offseason than we are to Aaron Rodgers starting quarterback this season. Yeah, I mean, listen, I don't know if it matters what team I was covering. I don't know that I would want Aaron Rodgers. And Landon, you kind of said you disagreed there with Peter. What makes you think the Giants are a good fit? Well, let me be clear. I agree with everything that Peter said except for the part where he should be with the Giants.

I agree that he's going to be toxic for whatever team he goes to. It's going to wreck the situation, and that's why I think he should keep him. Oh, so that's why you want him in? Yes, that's why I want him to be with the Giants. I'm sorry. Poor Patricia. She's already been thrown off with the Giants. Thanks, bud. All right, well, Patricia, let's flip it over to you then. I mean, talk Giants, talk – You get the page views, the listens, Patricia. Well –

From what I understand, the Giants' interest in Aaron Rodgers is more of a break glass in case of emergency. Last resort. I don't think they want him. Just looking into it, Aaron Rodgers, even with the Jets being the Jets, the last, what, three, four years of his career, his numbers have declined. He's had some health issues with durability. Like you mentioned, toxic injuries.

You know, the Giants aren't going to put up with that. You know, he's going to, you know, there's reports that wherever he goes, he's going to want to bring Devante Adams. And it's like, you know, are you going to insist on it?

I'm sorry. I don't want him with the Giants. I really don't. No disrespect to Aaron Rodgers, but I'd rather they go and turn the franchise over to one of the young rookie quarterbacks, who, by the way, I'm not 100% sold on. But if I had my druthers, Aaron Rodgers or one of those rookie quarterbacks, I'd take the rookie quarterbacks in a heartbeat, and I wouldn't think twice about it. Patricia, Aaron Rodgers or Gardner Minshew?

nobody's bigger than the organization so if you think you're bigger than the organization i don't want you in my organization plus hey uh the team i cover is jayden daniel so i don't got to worry about erin rogers coming here yeah uh patricia let's flip over to the nfl draft though uh rumors now that the giants are looking to trade up to uh to the number one overall pick with the tennessee titans i hear cave on tibideau harold landry swap might be involved there as well what are you uh what are your vibes on the giants trying to move up to number one and is it

Cam Ward, because that's the assumption, and I think it should be, but is it Cam Ward? I know that Cam Ward is ahead of the other quarterbacks, that they really like Cam Ward.

As far as trading up, I think those talks are a little premature. And I say that because it's going to depend on who they end up getting as the veteran bridge quarterback. You know, now, had this been Matthew Stafford, they were able to land. I guarantee you all this talk about trading up would have gone away because, you know, Matthew Stafford, they figured they could get a couple of years out of three years out of whatever.

Obviously, it didn't work out for them. So we'll have to see who the veteran bridge is. If it's Jimmy Garoppolo, if it's a Gardner Minshew, then I think, yeah, maybe there's a better chance of trading up. But as I've said on my show countless times, right now, as of this date, what is it, March 5th, I am not 100% convinced the Giants are going to trade up. To me, it makes more sense for them to trade back up.

pick up extra draft picks, maybe dip into, you know, the second tier of quarterbacks. I know they like Jackson Dart. There's a couple of other guys they like from what I understand. But, you know, look, this is a team that's not one quarterback away. The question is, is do they want to take a flyer on this year?

Or is the pressure that is coming from inside the building so much so that Joe Shane, the general manager, Brian Gable, the head coach, who are making the decision on the quarterback, are they going to say, you know what? We got to make a move here. We can't sit and wait because if we don't make a move, we're going to lose our jobs. This is exactly why, by the way, you cannot have front offices anymore.

with this level of instability because Joe Shane and Brian Dayball are incentivized to cover their own asses rather than do what is in the best interest long-term of this organization. And you hit it on the head, Patricia, because they are deciding right now

Can we convince the Maras that what we should do is draft Cam Ward or whatever it is, when really the best thing for the team is to move back, accumulate picks, and try and build a real team? The problem is that doesn't help them win now. And if you don't win now, they're gone in –

I was going to say a year, but it honestly could be sooner than that because of, you know, in-season firings and all those things. Like this is just not a very good football team. They have some talent at some spots, but like this is the inherent disconnect between a team that or an organization that has people at the top trying to save their jobs versus doing the best thing for the organization. That is the very difficult position that they find themselves in right now. I don't envy it.

Patricia, do you have any insight as to who Joe Shane's son would like them to get at quarterback? Because he seems like he might have a nice host. I would love to know that because that kid hit it right on the head. Just look at the Madden ratings. You'll figure it out.

Yeah, Madden ratings. Let's get back to real football here. I do want to stick to Cam Ward, though, real quick. Cody Rourke, Locked On Broncos, you, myself, and Mike DeBate of Locked On Patriots, the teams that we cover all drafted quarterbacks last year had varying levels of success. Certainly, all three teams have a lot of excitement about the future.

I want to ask you this. If Cam Ward were in last year's class and try to take the rose-colored glasses off post-rookie seasons for all these other guys, where do you think he would have stacked up in that group?

I mean, I think he would have been top 15. You know, I think obviously with Denver, they picked 12th one. They got Bo Nix at that regard. I think you would have seen that run. I think he would have probably been maybe the sixth, seventh quarterback taken so far at that point. I think everyone got thrown off a little bit by the Michael Penix thing in Atlanta. I think Cam Ward, maybe he might have gone before Michael Penix. I mean, at that point, maybe Atlanta would have gotten him instead if he had declared.

Yeah, that's interesting. So and that's kind of the situation that all these teams are in, right? Like you want to take a quarterback, but if you just look to last year's class alone, like he's not a top quarterback, then he's not a top three quarterback then, right? Maybe that's kind of the point I was getting at. Maybe a top five guy. Do you spend capital to move up to get a quarterback that relatively to relative to his class is the top guy, but in a vacuum maybe isn't necessarily up there. James Yarka locked on Bucks. I'm going to let you set up the next question.

So I want you to look at your fellow squad mates here, the six of us. Of the six of us, which team should be most interested in pursuing a trade for DK Metcalf? Ooh, I'm going to go Broncos. I think the matchup with Bo Nix...

And then DK Metcalf giving him like a major alpha wide receiver is super intriguing. And having DK in that Sean Payton offense, I think would be an absolute blast. I know Peter's upset with me already because he wants DK to go to Green Bay. My stepson is upset with me. He wants DK to go to Green Bay. But I just love the idea of the fit of Metcalf and Bo Nix kind of, you know, taking the Broncos up another notch compared to what they did last year.

All right, so we're going to kick off the next segment of this NFL Squad episode, asking Cody Rourke, what does DK Metcalf mean for the Denver Broncos, if that is where he ends up. That's coming up next on this week's NFL Squad episode, part of the Locked On Podcast. Network your team every day.

Wrapping up this NFL squad episode, we just asked James Yarko which of the six non-Buccaneers teams, because they got Mike Evans, they're going to bring back Chris Godwin. They don't need DK Metcalf. Which of us needs him the most? He says, Locked On Broncos host Cody Rourke could use some DK Metcalf. Cody, what does DK Metcalf mean for the Broncos if that's what happens? Probably

I mean, you bring in a true number one wide receiver and look, you look at pairing him with Cortland Sutton, those two guys with their size and physicality, certainly that that's a great blanket option there for a guy like Bo Nix as he goes into his second year. Right. And you got some young, talented playmakers behind him, like

Marvin Mims, who really ascended on the back half of last season. Troy Franklin's a guy who they have very big plans for. And Devon Valey as well, who had some impact minutes there. I've always been on the precipice of saying I think the Broncos absolutely need a veteran receiver this year in free agency. That certainly is a need.

DK would obviously be a game changer for them, but he's also in line. He wants an extension soon. I don't know if Denver's in a position to do that because they still have to take care of Nick Benito. They have to take care of Zach Allen, which the reports now suggest he's looking for $25 million per year. Cortland Sutton is expected to get a contract extension either before or

the NFL draft. So there's a lot of moving pieces. Whereas I think if he were an outright free agent, Denver can make a push for him, but because you have to trade and Denver loves the draft capital that they have, I think that they kind of pass on this. So I think DK would be game changing for the Broncos, but I, I think DK in green Bay or even in new England, you know, with Jordan love or obviously with Drake may, I feel like that would be a great start for him, a new start for,

The Patriots have a lot of ammunition to work with in terms of financial capital, draft capital, things like that. The Packers, if he wants to go to a contender, I think are in a better position than anybody else here right now for DK services. Yeah. So outside the Broncos, I'm looking at the Patriots, right? I'm looking at Mike DeBate. So that's my second pick. Mike, I mean, what would DK Metcalf – DK Metcalf, I can't even say his name right. Hopefully he doesn't go to Washington. What would he mean for the Patriots? Okay.

It's an immediate number one receiver for Drake May. I mean, he's absolutely the alpha in the room as to what they have in the room right now. And Cody makes a great point about the Patriots having the resources to be able to make this happen. They've got the money to sign DK to an extension. They've got the draft capital right now to possibly satisfy what Denver needs. Maybe they throw in a veteran or a young player that's not working out here in New England.

that could be a part of a package to Seattle. But when you look at what DK is going to want long-term, is New England the area where he wants to come? He's gone on record a couple of times, guys, saying that

He may not necessarily want to play in the Northeast. So you really have to be sure if you're going to push all of your chips into the center of the table and say, DK Metcalf is the guy I want to really help anchor Drake May and help him become the quarterback we believe he can be. You've got to want a guy that's going to be there long term. Can the Patriots convince him New England is the place? Maybe. But you really have to have some good assurances that he's going to be open to that. That to me is going to be the only detrimental factor here in the Patriots wanting to pursue DK.

DK Metcalf because everything on the field says that this is a call they should already have made at the time that we're recording this. My question for you, Mike, is, and I just went through this in watching what the Packers did with Jordan Love, is when they elevated Jordan Love, they had all first and second year receivers.

they grew together and it worked for two years. I mean, this was, I understand the Packers are not trying to add a premium number one guy if they can, but that's partially because Jaden Reed didn't take the step that they were hoping for. Christian Watson couldn't stay healthy. Dontavian Wicks didn't take the step forward. I feel like there's a lot of wisdom when you're a really, really bad team, which, you

You know, you watched it. I'm not telling you anything you didn't know. That's what they were last year. If I'm the Patriots, I feel like I would take the best trench player available that I could do in the first round. I would take Jaden Higgins at the top of the second and try and build something over time. DK Metcalf's 27, going to be 28 this year. By the time Drake May is, you know, a bona fide stud, he might be 31, 40.

and isn't going to help you in the same way. I'm just wondering from your perspective, what you think the best way to build this team is. How do you balance that for Drake May and the Patriots, understanding they're at least a year, probably two or three away from being a real playoff team in the AFC?

Yeah, that's a great question, Peter. And that's one that ultimately I think Mike Vrabel and Ryan Cowden and Elliot Wolfe at the top of that Patriots food chain right now are going to have to answer in short order. Look, the Patriots need to start building from the trenches and they're not being very revealing about exactly what that plan is going to be, but they're leaving breadcrumb trails along the line for us to be able to follow.

All the names that they're being linked to right now in free agency are trench guys, whether it be Milton Williams in Philadelphia, whether it be Ronnie Stanley in Baltimore. These are the types of players that they're going to look to build around. So that way, when they go to the draft, they can...

draft for best player available. They don't necessarily have to draft for need because there are so many needs on this roster that filling some of these slots with savvy veterans going in may be the best way for them to go. With regard to your question on wide receivers, I

Yeah, I think you're absolutely right on the money there. I think what the Patriots need to do is get a core together that Drake may can build with. We're already hearing about Jalen Polk working with Drake over the offseason, really meeting with Vrabel, trying to get him bought in. Javon Baker is someone that has met with Mike several times already, has spoken to him, and is very on board with him.

with trying to revamp what was a very disappointing rookie season for him last year. So Patriots have to decide if they've got a couple of guys in the room that can work with Josh McDaniels and be cultivated in the type of image he's going to want for that type of offense. Yeah, I think there's something to be said for that. If these guys are not the answer, yeah, the Patriots definitely need to get some young guys in that room that can drive

that can grow with Drake and develop that type of synergy that you see with some of the best teams in the league that have sustained excellence, not just flashing the pan one year and then you kind of beat her off. This is going to be something that they're going to want to build for year to year to year. I'm not a fan of that phrase, Mike. I'm not a fan of it. Does this first seem like this is the NFL flashing a flashing light saying,

they really do not like this wide receiver class in the draft because it seems like the noise we've heard out of the combine is that people are lower on these wide receivers coming out. And then suddenly you see all these players being made available. It's like the teams are seeing that there's a market for available picks for veteran wide receivers because the class looks so bad. I'm wondering if this isn't all in reaction to being very underwhelmed by this wide receiver class.

Landon, I think it has more to do, frankly, with the cost. Every team needs three of these guys. And if they're going to get pass rusher money

then, or like, you know, Justin Jeffers, 30 plus million. We're not that far removed from that being quarterback money. I mean, that was five years ago. That was quarterback money. So I think what teams have realized, Brian Peacock was the one that sort of put this bug in my brain because he mentioned this, like the 49ers signed Brandon Ayuk to a top of market deal and within a year had buyer's remorse. Yeah. I think we're seeing teams go, like if you're the Seahawks, you have Jackson Smith to Jigba, but he's just one year of that.

DK Metcalf is a proven thousand yard generator since his rookie season, but they're going, do we want to pay him $30 million? Does that make sense for our football team? I think teams are a lot of teams, maybe not the Bengals are looking at this and going, I don't know if it makes sense for us to pay these guys that much. When even to your point about the draft,

There's still 15 guys who are going to go in the top 100. Lots of wide receivers are going to go. You can get receivers every year in the draft. I think it's more about what the financial market is for these receivers. No one wanted to pay Devontae Adams $35 million a year. That's ludicrous. I think...

I think it's both because I think the thing is in this class, there are tons of those guys. If you're looking for wide receiver two, wide receiver three, or a gadget guy to come in, there's tons of those guys. But as far as true wide receiver one alphas, there's almost none. I mean, outside of Hunter, maybe, and then Ted. How many teams need that though? There are 25 wide receiver ones in the NFL, I think. I just went through the list on Twitter yesterday. Most teams have a true number one.

More offenses need them than don't, I think, overall in their system. But it's changed a little bit. With the too-high shell that we're now seeing commonly, it's easy to take a corner, play him outside of the best receiver if he's lined up on the outside, safety over the top, and you can spy. If you have an athletic linebacker, you can spy inside. Yeah.

you need other guys to contribute. I mean, that's why I think like Peter, to your point of the Packers, that's why I was like, man, the Packers young receiving core, that's something to be excited about for the future. Now, obviously the injuries to Christian Watts and all this other stuff, stuff like that's out of control of that. But just a year and a half ago, there was a lot of excitement. Wow. This Packers receiver room could be very special as a young unit, but,

it's starting to go where we're seeing the market devaluation change a little bit, right? Receivers used to be a high premium because there's so many now that price is going to go down. It's hard. I think what you just described actually means that there should be less wide receivers on the field, right? Like we should be seeing more, you know, bulkier 12 personnel formations. And that to me, you need wide receivers to get in on the outside. Yeah.

And there was an uptick in 12 personnel across the league, not necessarily team to team, but there was an uptick in 12 personnel used last season. So, look, the game ebbs and flows, man, and eventually running backs will be the bees' knees again someday. I don't know when, but someday. I don't know what the style looks like.

It's coming. Saquon just got paid whatever. Saquon got fat paid. Yeah. All right. We are running a little bit longer, but I do want to ask a few more questions here before we get out. Landon McCool, I do want to play Mythbusters here with you guys. And actually, we're going to go James Jarco. We'll start with James. Locked on Bucs. What's a myth, a rumor, a point of speculation surrounding the Buccaneers that you think either holds a lot of water or holds absolutely zero water?

I think it's the interest in Khalil Mack. The Bucs are desperate for an edge rusher, and while Mack is older, he had 17 sacks in 23, only six in 24, but he still had one of his most productive seasons. I think that's the guy, if Jason Light and Todd Bowles

feel that they are on the cusp of truly contending, that's the guy you go bring in because then he can bring along. Yeah. Yeah. Diaby. He can bring along Chris Braswell and whoever they draft at edge rusher. I think the interest that's being reported in Mac by the Buccaneers is very, very legitimate. Hmm. Landon McCool, locked on Cowboys. Same question. You around the bucks. No, I'm just kidding. Uh, I think, uh,

I think for me, it's, you know, the Cowboys are completely out and spending it off season. I think I'm not completely ready to say that it is completely false, but I do think we've seen more of the steps that they would take if they were going to be more, you know, bigger spenders in free agency. I'm not saying they're going wild, but the fact

that they got osus signed up before the franchise deal they seem to be working on micah they've already started to flip the switches on some of those contracts to get the money ready uh i do think that they're going to be a little bit bigger spenders than everyone's expecting and then patricia trana locked on giants i don't want to play myth buzzers with you i'm play true or false joe shane and brian dable are going to spend the giants first round pick in 2026 that wasn't where i was going to go for what

I was actually going to go outside the box here, but are they going to spend the first round pick you want to know in 2026? Are they going to be here to spend the first round pick in 2026? I don't know. I mean, if I had a crystal ball, I mean, I think they would like, that's why it's a bold prediction, Patricia. I'm going to say it depends. Ask me in a couple of weeks. I'll be able to answer that, but now it's a magic eight ball. Ask, ask again later.

I wanted to get to my point. My point about for Mythbusters, giants are going to go offensive line and free agency. I bet you didn't see that coming, right?

You know, last year the Giants went veteran, the veteran route in free agency. They made it work until the injuries started hitting. Joe Shane at the combine saying that they have forfeits with the line set, which to me says that maybe they're not going to move Evan Neal inside the guard, though I wish they would. I'd like to see what he could do with guard. So I do think they're going to be heavy hitters in the guard market.

All righty. That's fair enough, Patricia. And honestly, I don't blame you for answering my question. If I had to answer the same question about a coach that I was covering every day, I don't know if I would do the same thing either. But that is going to wrap up this week's NFL Squad. It was a lot of fun, a lot of great things talked about. Joe Marino of Locked On Bills, unfortunately, did not come through to join us this week. But perhaps he will be here next week. Hopefully all of you.

We'll get a special announcement too. For the NFL squad, we've got a special announcement next week. I have no clue what it is, but all of us. You want to do that now? Yeah, I was going to say, obviously, the NFL squad, like next Wednesday for free agency, we're going to be live from 6 Eastern time to 8 Eastern time. We're going to be here reacting to some of the bigger signings around the NFL free agency cycle, and maybe we'll pop on Joe Marino from Locked on Bills. Even though, hey, look, no Joe, there's still a show, Bills Mafia.

it. Got to get used to it. Contrary to popular belief and comment on the Locked On Bills channel every time the NFL Squad episode drops. Thank you to all of Bill's Mafia who stayed and watched the show because it does help Bill. Bill, it helps Joe anyway. We will be here each week and each of us will be here on our respective channels bringing you all the latest on your favorite NFL team. So make sure you're followed. Make sure you're subscribed. Make sure you have all the notifications on so you don't miss a single moment of all the coverage, all part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team,

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