Fear The Chorizo

Boras was his agent, so frankly there was zero point in the Brewers offering any sort of contract extension that would've bought out free agent years to begin with. Boras/Prince did indeed sign a 2 yr deal that took care of Prince's Arby 2 and 3 offseasons before reaching free agency - frankly I don't mind seeing that approach compared to having to take the gloves off with arbitration hearings when both parties know they're parting ways as soon as free agency is reached (or even before that via trade, for that matter).

Burnes spouting off publicly about a hearing that by design takes place privately told me this was all premeditated from his side, and there was nothing the Brewers could have offered before the arbitration deadline that would've avoided the hearing in the first place. Sorry Corbin, the process is what it is and you embraced slogging through the worst of it in effort to set arbitration precedent. I get having sour grapes about losing the hearing and having to sit through a statistical breakdown by the team that drafted you/developed you/stuck with you through a horrid 2019/and who plans to start you on Opening Day knowing you're their best pitcher that doesn't paint everything in the rosiest colors so their side (which is also heavily tied to the other MLB organizations) wins. But, that doesn't mean you get to pout about it publicly without people feeling like you could use a reality check. This was discussed at length in a previous post about the lost hearing and Corbin's immediate comments afterwards, but Burnes and his representation at the time opted to go to the mat over probably about $350K in 2023 pretax salary difference from Burnes' initial offer and where the two sides were in negotiations at the arbitration deadline, knowing full well if they lost the hearing Burnes would be paid ~$750K less AND the two parties would have to slog through the arbitration hearing. And this drawing a line in the sand over the delta on a contract of at least $10M ($350K is about 3.3% of a 'meet in the middle' $10.5M contract offer)...and he's fully aware that in a couple offseasons he's likely going to sign somewhere for closer to a quarter billion dollars of guaranteed money.

Definitely is...both frees up cap space to add Rodgers to the fold and gives the Jets an extra 2nd rounder to either flip or use if they trade a different high pick. I like Homer's trade scenario, although I think it may be more along the lines of: Jets get: Rodgers (and ALL that goes along with him) Packers get: Jets' #13 and a conditional 2024 pick ranging from a 4th rounder (Rodgers retires) all the way to a 1st rounder (Jets make 2023 playoffs, or Jets trade Rodgers elsewhere for 2024).

Let's be honest, it was always 100% since he won the Cy in 2021. This doesn't really change anything aside from his old representation missing out on their own payday whenever Burnes signs a free agent deal. Frankly a big part of this is probably poor representation that led to Burnes' failed arby case to begin with. Maybe this will actually lead to him agreeing to a 2024 arbitration salary with whatever team he's a part of next offseason - Borascorp helped Prince lock in the last two years of Brewers' team control with a contract that avoided year 2 and 3 arby hearings.

Rodgers is still a great quarterback - but he was limited last season with that thumb injury. That being said, it was also apparent that he's entered the stage in his career where he needs receivers to get themselves open instead of being able to throw anyone open, and his mobility has declined enough to the point where he can't be relied upon to extend countless plays outside the pocket and take over a game. As great as Rodgers played, I think a big part of Rodgers' 2020 and 2021 resurgence to MVP level has to be credited to how amazing Davante Adams was his last couple seasons as a Packer. I've long maintained that Rodgers' ability to take advantage of defensive substitutions or getting pass rushers to jump offsides was a double-edged sword that limited offensive creativity/game-planning. Toward the end of MM's run, the Packers were willing to avoid a bunch of personnel substitutions to try and keep the opposing defense on the field, along with basically having zero pre snap motion. It stagnated the offense and limited MM's playcalling using all sorts of personnel packages, which was a strength early in his tenure as GB's coach. Rodgers always has enjoyed holding the ball in the pocket, almost waiting for a chance to extend a play to break the defense down. MLF's offensive creativity (or lack thereof) will have nowhere to hide next season - Love has developed fully in MLF's system, and won't have the experience a HOF veteran quarterback leans on no matter what the playcall may be.

Yeah you knew at some point he was going to hit a ball hard fair if it got too much of the plate - he wasn't getting fooled at all.

Speaking of crushing a baseball, I think the one Schwarber hit off Darvish was still going up when it crashed into the right field seats

I remember when the WBC was first drummed up and roundly panned as a bad idea - there were plenty of people comparing it to a lemon the ol' car salesman Selig kept trying to sell off the lot... Well, Bud was right - can't think of a better way to grow fan interest in the game internationally, and it's held at the perfect time (between Latin American winter ball leagues and during MLB Spring Training before the season starts)

I think I posted it earlier in this thread, but the rookie contract difference between a mid 1st and a 2nd round pick in a draft year that is by many accounts a down year talentwise makes the 2023 2nd rounder pretty solid, especially if there's also a player that could provide some value coming back and a conditional 2024 pick. The 13th overall pick this year would be nice, no doubt - but it carries a higher salary and that 5th year option.

Too many conclusions are reached in 1 and done tournament scenarios, particularly with so much parity across college basketball. Last year's national title winner gets bounced by a team that can't score but turned the game into a helter skelter 2nd half. Purdue gets dominated by a 16 seed. Zona, a quasi 1 seed gets bounced by Princeton who then rolls another mid seeded team. Props to Marquette for the quick turnaround, winning their league and their own conference tourney. They looked primed for a deep run in this year's tournament, but when your best player is dealing with any sort of injury it's going to impact the team. Also, when your point guard is your best offensive player and he has a bad game, you're going to struggle beating anybody. Kolek was overmatched yesterday. Something about MSU being seeded in that 5-7 seed range that makes them an incredibly tough out in the NCAA tournament - so much depends on how the zebras manage a game Sparty plays, and they didn't get too whistle happy, allowing for physical defense that basically shut down Marquette's best offensive player. Marquette wasn't aggressive enough with the ball, leading to too many TOs and not enough free throw attempts.

That extension was the only way to get Rodgers' 2022 cap # down to something manageable for them to field what they thought was going to be a title-contending roster last season (reduced Rodgers' 2022 cap # by almost $20M, freeing up room to try and get Davante Adams signed). It was an extension that essentially gave them the option for a year to year approach of where both the team and Rodgers was each offseason, knowing at some point they'd likely either eat a big dead cap number and/or trade Rodgers. This is what happens with every team and a veteran HOF quarterback nearing the end of his career in the salary cap era - eventually all the extensions and salary cap can-kicking needs to stop. More often than not when that happens, the following season looks alot more like what Tampa Bay is dealing with in terms of being forced to burn it all down with cap casualty cuts and likely be forced into a lengthy rebuild in a dud year or two. As it stands, the Packers aren't forced to do anything at the moment even with Rodgers' 2023 cap # on their books, and they've got a young quarterback ready start without needing to find an immediate heir apparent in this year's draft. It's not a no-lose situation for the Packers, but boy it could be a helluva lot worse than it currently is.

Prior to Brees and the Saints, Payton was the Giants' OC that got Kerry Collins to a Super Bowl, then went to Dallas and was instrumental in them signing/developing Romo. Also easy to forget that prior to going to the Saints and playing in Payton's scheme, Brees was good but wasn't exactly considered a sure-fire HOF quarterback. The fact Payton has been around leading productive to potent NFL offenses for the last 20+ seasons gives him plenty more bonafides then Hackett - there's plenty of reasons why Hackett got canned less than 1 season into being a head coach and why Payton succeeded him

Sean Payton has nothing to do with this....but I'll humor you and state that Wilson will have a better 2023 season than last year. Nathaniel Hackett's calling card at the NFL level is the fact he's Paul Hackett's son.

He did such a great job with Russell Wilson last season...

I'd be just fine with a 13-15 swap, the Jet's 2023 2nd rounder, and a conditional 2024 draft pick that could range from a mid-round pick (if Rodgers retires and doesn't play in 2024) all the way up to a 1st round pick (if the Jets make the 2023 postseason OR Rodgers plays in 2024 for a team other than the Jets). If 2023 is considered a down draft year, I'd be hesitant loading up on 1st round picks in this draft and carrying more than 1 of those 1st round rookie contracts compared to adding an early 2nd rounder.

You could replace Rodgers, MLF, Murphy, and Love with Favre, McCarthy, Thompson, and Rodgers from 16 or so summers ago in this post and it would be the exact same position too many people held then. Let's just go watch the NCAA tournament and worry about this nonsense in a few weeks.

Absent getting your pick of every year's crop of blue chippers and being an NBA conduit, I've always thought a key to building a program that can consistently go on NCAA tourney runs is having strong guards that can create open looks for their teammates and score on their own with the ball, and having the ability to mix and match defenses to make it tough for opponents to gameplan against. I'm not a Marquette homer, but that's why I think they can go deep this season - it's also why I always loved the Lute Olsen Arizona teams. Round of 32 and Elite 8 games tend to favor squads with good depth based on the quick turnarounds from round 1 and sweet 16 games. In the end it tends to come down to having at least 3 reliable scoring options, keeping your key players out of foul trouble, and making 3s.

Because he's 40 and he wants to play - if he didn't want to play then sure, sit the bench and cash a huge check while destroying positive vibes from all corners instead of just retiring.

A 40 yr old HOF quarterback doesn't willfully ride the pine to cash checks and waste one of the last years of his ability to actually play at the NFL level simply out of spite for the organization he's been a part of for almost 20 years. Rodgers cares too much about his legacy to be that jaded. He would also be the biggest hypocrite ever by repeating the same history that got his career started, which he's consistently maintained being something he'd never do himself.

Anyway, that panic on Monday was a good money making opportunity...I picked up some $SCHW at a discount and it's already up 12%. I hope you've already sold to lock in that profit

This seems accurate, but the question becomes just how long the Jets are willing to wait and play chicken with their own short term outlook by not acquiring Rodgers. The draft takes place well before June 1 and that option bonus doesn't actually have to be paid until the first regular season game, if I'm not mistaken - are the Jets really willing to not have a starting quarterback through the draft and into training camp with their current roster makeup? If this goes sideways for them, everyone in that front office and coaching staff is fired. "Short term" to the Packers can mean 4-5 more months if they're not hellbent on getting 2023 draft picks as part of the trade - I really doubt the Jets are able to hold the line that long until leverage would appear to be more on their side.

At the time it became apparent that Rodgers was back in for the 2022 season, the Packers also had a more lucrative offer on the table for Adams to sign compared to what he got from the Raiders - so the amount of doubt with being able to "run it back" without Adams didn't occur until after any decision process on whether or not to try and trade the current league MVP took place. It would've been incredibly dumb to trade Rodgers last season once he indicated he wanted to play and return to Green Bay - frankly this all played out pretty well for the Packers longterm because it would've been incredibly bad for Adams to have signed that deal instead of wanting out and asking for a trade to a specific team.

It was mostly after he took the wrong side on a polarizing issue.... I don't think there is a right or wrong side to that issue itself, I've always maintained to each their own - The problem I have with Rodgers from that whole ordeal in 2021 lies with how he played games with the words he chose ("immunized") in that initial training camp presser to intentionally draw attention away from him on that issue when many other players and people who made that same decision were being crucified for it publicly and oftentimes improperly pressured by their own workplaces. He should have instead stated his own personal medical decisions are his or just been completely open and honest about his decision not to get the first round of Covid shots publicly. That being said, I've always separated Rodgers' off the field noise from his onfield performance and standing in the locker room - his performance on the field offset any of the noise the organization/fanbase had to deal with from him by leaps and bounds up until this offseason. It's not at all that the off the field stuff has gotten worse, it's that the combination of Rodgers' onfield performance/age/contract and Love sitting there ready to play makes it feel like the right time to move on. And I do think Rodgers still has a few really good seasons left in him if he can stay healthy.

Wanting to steer this over to Love - really happy for him to get this opportunity headed into year 4 as the fulltime starter with a pretty solid offensive roster. Yes, the Packers will need to pick up that 5th year option before this season starts, and most assuredly will do so - but they'll get a full 2023 season to watch him play and sort out if he's deserving of an initial contract extension that could soften that 2024 cap number (if necessary) and likely come at a bit of a discount given Love would only have 1 season as a starter...almost exactly the same setup as Rodgers' initial contract extension. I can't fathom Packer fans are spoiled enough to have history repeat itself, but what Love did in garbage time against a really god Eagle defense on thanksgiving weekend looked an awful lot like what a young Rodgers did in Dallas on a November Thursday night game a long, long time ago. Can't wait to see the kid play!

He's washed up and now he isn't preparing for the season, lol. It is weird that people have that take and then also are prematurely upset at whatever the Packers will get as a return by trading him, the annual retirement/trade circus, and his problematic contract out of town.