I agree with you, but I really think they are going to let Reader walk and pray they can get serviceable help. They can't afford many stars on defense if they are going to stick $100 million a year on 3 players on offense.
I think that depends. So far, Pratt and Wilson are taking good contracts, but they are absolutely team friendly. If Reader wants to stay, lead this defense like he has, and know that on the other side of the ball they still have Burrow, Chase and maybe Higgins.....I mean....that's enticing.
And this is the crux of the matter.
As with many of the contracts - there is little information to know what the exact issues are, assuming there are any real issues. Sometimes it just takes time to hammer everything out. We likely won't ever really know.
Mike Brown can only read 2 or 3 pages of text before needing a nap these days. It will take him a long time to get through the Burrow contract before we're ready for signing.
Funny, but I don't think Brown has a ton of say any longer. Katie, and her husband, are pretty much the ones doing everything now days. I'm sure Brown is aware and given reports, but from all that's been said over the past few years, it doesn't seem he is in the weeds with these types of things any longer.
I don't get the sense he's involved much either. I thought it was interesting that he didn't attend the Ken Riley HOF ceremony. He said he can't really do that sort of long day in the heat anymore. The man is 88! As much as the man has caused me too much sports fan agony over the past few decades, I would love to see him hoist the Lombardi one time.
I've always argued with those who said Brown didn't want to win, and that he was more concerned with money. Yes, I think money was on his mind, but I also think he was stuck in 1970's/1980's when his dad still ran the team and more importantly HOW his dad ran the team. His refusal to embrace free agency is largely what hindered the 90's franchise. It sucks that when he passed, just before F/A became a thing, it really sunk Mike into a pattern of running the business like his dad did to keep his memory alive, and that it came with a cost to the franchise as a whole. Thankfully, starting with Lewis roughly a decade later, we did start to see some small changes. Finally, with the hiring of Taylor and Brown stepping aside for Katie...we've seen a full replacement of those ideals that has allowed the team to move into the current era of NFL. Sucks that it took 25+years to get there, but here we are....
Hope so. You are more optimistic than me. Three weeks before the season begins and negotiations end for Burrow and Higgins.
I don't know that's the case. While many players do not like to negotiate in-season, I don't think I've seen anything that has said either player has put a hardline stance on getting this done.
I thought I had heard both were not going to deal with business in season.
You could be right. Not sure...but, it'll be what it'll be.
To add the additional on Burrow - he has said several times, he wants a deal that also helps keep Higgins and Chase in the fold. I think getting a contract for them also likely takes time because you are trying to work two contracts, not just simultaneously, but also connected in how they are structured so that everyone is happy and remains in the fold.
This is why I think next week is the real deadline. I'm guessing that the parameters for Burrow's deal are set - But there are still some options such as how much money to put in a signing bonus or in future guaranteed bonus payments. These parameters could all change if they want to do additional contracts this offseason (i.e. Tee or maybe one of the defensive guys). But, as mentioned before, if the season begins without a deal for Tee, I don't see his agent pushing any further. So, right before the season we should either see multiple contracts being finished or we will see a single deal for Burrow. In the latter case, it would indicate to me that they didn't get close enough with Tee and he's heading for the FC next season.
