Detroit – It’s Hard nfl player this time of year. No, really, at a time when the game is all about memories of last year and expectations for next year, it’s hard to be an NFL veteran who watches front offices work the NFL Draft as if it were a game of roulette. .
Maybe even Russian roulette.
(L-R) Jesse Latham embraces NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell after being selected seventh overall by the Tennessee Titans during the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft at Campus Martius Park and Hart Plaza on April 25, 2024 in Detroit, Michigan. (Gregory Shams/Getty Images)
After Thursday’s first round in which a record-tying six quarterbacks were selected in the first dozen picks, and the first defensive player was not selected until the Colts took Liatu Latu with the 15th pick, this entire It was a tough night for the league giants.
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It affected people on attack and defense.
And for some, it will continue into Friday night.
Giants: Mays > Jones
Drake Mays poses with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell after being selected third overall by the New England Patriots during the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft at Campus Martius Park and Hart Plaza on April 25, 2024 in Detroit, Michigan. (Gregory Shams/Getty Images)
So who?
Consider Daniel Jones, for starters. New York Giants Tried really hard to replace Jones in this draft.
The Giants will soon write a story that they like Jones and have confidence in Jones, especially with the addition of LSU wide receiver Malik Nabors. But people who say so have tried to change Jones over the past few weeks.
You must know that the Giants did a lot of homework on all the quarterbacks in this draft and came up with the desire to add Drake Mays. Mays reminded the Giants of the undersized-but-still-impactful Josh Allen.
So the Giants tried to trade up to the No. 3 overall pick to select Mays.
Giants work on QB trade
“We had a lot of conversations with a lot of teams,” general manager Joe Schoen said. “I’m not going to go into specifics.”
The specifications are Patriot, Picking third, they all closed in on the may when they realized that the treasure they had considered trading the pick for was not going to appear.
So the Giants couldn’t trade, chose the dynamic Nabors instead, and no longer had any excuses for Jones not playing well because he had a new weapon despite wanting someone else.
And what do you think the first thing the New York media will say if Jones plays like Jones did sometime in 2024?
The Giants were right to try to replace him with Drake Mays.
And it will certainly affect Jones’ status and position in the locker room. This should tell anyone who doesn’t already know that the Giants like their quarterback, but didn’t like his departure in the April draft when they tried to replace him.
The only way that doesn’t happen is if Jones actually starts earning the $160 million contract he signed last year by playing well.
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Cancer cousins are not happy
Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. watches during practice before the national championship NCAA College Football Playoff game between Washington and Michigan on Monday, Jan. 8, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vasquez)
Jones wasn’t the only veteran QB looking around during the draft Thursday night and wondering if he was being traded.
Kirk Cousins probably felt the same way when atlanta falcons Was on the clock and got called to inform them that they were selecting Michael Penix Jr.
The Falcons are saying they opted to add insurance at the QB position. A way to secure the future, they say.
Except, from the cousin’s perspective, he’s asking how it’s safe. His Future?
Cousins is a great guy, mostly a smart guy. He understood when the Vikings didn’t offer him a contract before last season.
Yes, he understood it so well that he left in free agency.
But this is where he says he will have trouble understanding this move by the Falcons. And he’s going to dislike the way the Falcons handled it — giving information at the last minute instead of a full briefing days or weeks in advance.
It wouldn’t be surprising if the Falcons’ relationship with Cousins — still new as he agreed to his contract on March 11 — is already in bad shape.
I’m not saying that guy is going to request a trade.
But if the uneasy negotiations between the Cousins camp and general manager Terry Fontenot that lead to a move don’t work out, it would symbolize a breach in trust between the player and franchise leadership that won’t be easily repaired.
Josh Allen sees WR go to KC
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen answers questions during a news conference after losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in an NFL AFC Division I playoff football game on Sunday, Jan. 21, 2024, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)
now consider Josh Allen. His status in Buffalo is not in question. General manager Brandon Beane includes Allen (to an extent) in his talent discussions and welcomes feedback.
Wonder what Allen’s reaction is now that the Bills need replacements for Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis — last year’s starting receiver and offensive stalwart — missed the chance to pick a replacement.
The Bills, holding the No. 28 pick, traded the selection to the Chiefs, who used it to select Texas receiver Xavier Worthy.
So with Allen needing a new playmaker on the outside, he looked to his front office to help the Chiefs give Patrick Mahomes a new playmaker on the outside. And this was a guy who ran a 4.21 in the 40-yard dash at the combine.
The trade dropped the Bills to No. 32 in the first round. Well, except that they traded him too.
They slipped one spot behind Carolina, who used the pick to do what? Choose a wide receiver.
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Bean trade falls on price
The Panthers selected South Carolina’s Xavier Leggett to help quarterback Bryce Young have more big plays in his second season. And Allen needs to make more big plays next season, he’s still waiting.
And here’s the kicker: The Bills can say they’ll trade off the top receiver on their board with the No. 33 pick on Friday if they want. It would be wise to add Ladd McConkie or perhaps Adonai Mitchell.
But whoever the Bills add will sign a four-year contract. And because he’s not a first-round pick, the fifth-year option won’t be available to the Bills if the player is really good.
so Note Basically Allen may have to spend a year of contract control on the receiver he receives Friday. But, in the meantime, Mahomes gets five years with his new guy.
Finally, we need to look at the San Francisco 49ers receiver corps. Everyone out there will be wondering if they will be on the team by the end of this draft.
Will Deebo remain a Niner?
Deebo Samuel #19 of the San Francisco 49ers reacts in the end zone before the NFL Super Bowl 58 football game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs at Allegiant Stadium on February 11, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Michael Owens/Getty Images)
49ers Florida selected receiver Ricky Pearsall with their first-round selection. Why would a team that has Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel and Jaun Jennings under contract select a wide receiver in the first round?
Because Aiyuk and Jennings are in the final year of their contracts and either one of them could be traded. And because Samuel, who signed a three-year contract ahead of the 2022 season, has failed to play at the level he showed in 2021 when he earned that big contract. So Samuel could be traded.
It seems like any note in the Niners’ receiver room could be traded. This is because they are either making a lot of money or about to make a lot of money.
Neither of them knows which, if any, of them will be packing up and leaving soon. It’s like a game of roulette the 49ers are playing with their veterans.
