NFL Free Agency Begins with a Frenzy

0:00Well, you know, there's a lot going on in our world in sports, which is a wonderful thing to take our minds off everything else going on in the world. Not that we shouldn't pay attention, we should and we do, but there's nothing wrong with thinking about other things and looking forward to seasons ahead of us in sports. Nick Lundberg, a proud MSU grad is a WJR digital sports reporter and he's here to fill us in on a few things going on here as the Lions restructured Jared Goff's contract and make a few moves in free agency. And in fact, we'll be hosting a big 10 tournament pre show this coming Friday night at seven before the MSU game. So first of all, nice to always nice to have you here, Nicky, but also congratulations on hosting that pre game show Friday. And I think you're going to be joined by Mr Valentine, Justin Valentine from our WJR Web Department.

1:04Yes, we've been having a lot of fun with that and like kind of like you said earlier, sports is definitely a good way to kind of get your mind off of all the, you know, serious things going on. And that's kind of why I really do this. And I love what I do. So it's always glad. I'm always glad to talk to you, Paul. Well, you do a great job and you're a recent graduate of MSU and folks that might be watching on Facebook and YouTube pages because of the live video streaming can see. He's got his Michigan State Spartan hoodie on because he is such a good Spartan sky. I just want you to know, I have a Michigan shirt on under under my sweater out of respect. See that out of respect for our listeners because they know I went to Michigan, but we are the voice of Michigan State and we appreciate and love that. We've been the voice of both. So talk to me about what had to happen here to restructure Jared Goff's contract. So there's a lot of moving pieces with the NFL free agency, especially in Detroit right now. Obviously they've moved on from a number of different players that, you know, we've known to kind of, you know, learn about Alex Anzaloni, David Montgomery, a lot of mostly based on their contract situation.

2:15And now you get to Jared Goff who's one of the highest paid players on the team. And there's still a lot of pieces that they need to fill. And there's a lot of money that still needs to kind of be, you know, circle back and do other players to make sure that the team is, you know, makes the playoffs next year pretty much. So they basically cleared $32 million for this season and cap space so they can go find more free agents that will fit, you know, their playoff aspirations and the roster. That doesn't, that doesn't mean Jared Goff necessarily lost that amount in pay. No, a lot of it was converted into a signing bonus and it stretched out over, you know, the next couple of years or so. So he will still get his money at some point. It's just the way it's kind of used so that the team can kind of move, you know, their money that they have for this year and use it in other places and not just with Goff's contract for this specific season. As it said, I guess here in the newspaper with Goff, the Lions converted 40 million of his base salary into a signing bonus as you just explained Nick and added an extra voyage year, whatever that means in 2030.

3:24And the restructure lowers Goff's cap hit from 69.6 million to 37.6 million in 2026, but increases his cap hit in future years. It is, it is a bit complicated, isn't it? And a lot of this is guaranteed money, which didn't used to exist very much in football, but now it's in every, it seems like it's in every contract. It's a difficult time for those of us on the outside because we liked David Montgomery and, you know, we liked following these people. So fill us in on some of the new signs that have been done, for example, to replace David and other things that are going on in the league of noting, I'm sure you're, you're very concerned about the chief signing the Super Bowl MVP and former MSU start Kenneth walk of the third. That is definitely a great signing for them. And, but for the Lions perspective, you bring in Isaiah Pacheco, who's make, who's going to make a lot less than David Montgomery made last year. And, you know, Montgomery, I feel like is, you know, the better player, but kind of for what the role he had with the team last year, bringing in a cheaper option who still, you know, did well with the chiefs.

4:37Obviously, one, two Super Bulls was a big part of their offense for a while. You know, he can really step in and kind of fill Montgomery shoes very well. And a lot of these moves like they didn't, they chose not to resign Alex Anzaloni and Amique Robertson. And these guys are fan favorites and, you know, culture locker room guys, another one Taylor Decker, they decided to release him. But like I said, a lot of this is just about making sure they have enough money to pay the guys that they believe in. And obviously some of these guys are getting older. Last year, obviously showed that for a lot of those names, I said they didn't have their best seasons. And like I said, they're getting older. And for what they wanted, I just don't think I agree with Brad Holmes on a lot of what he's been doing is that these guys just aren't worth what they're getting paid right now. For what the team, you know, wants to do in the playoffs and how they want to pay their other guys, because you also have guys like Jamira Gibbs and Sam Laporta, who still need to be paid. So there's a lot, there's still a lot of moving pieces. It's early in free agency. But I think even though they've been gone rid of a lot of familiar names that it's for the best and for the better for the team.

5:38So do you agree with these these caps? I mean, do baseball doesn't have a cap does it? I mean, they can pay people as much as they want to pay him or am I wrong about that? You're right for right now, but that's the whole argument going into next year is that they're not sure if they want to implement a salary floor or a salary cap because there's the owners and players have been going back and forth. And that we might not even have a season next year, but that's for a different. Oh, yeah, yeah. That's the last thing we need to go through again. We don't need that. But you do wonder because you start to hear about what people are being paid. And I gave the the story of LK line turning down in 1970, $100,000 a year because he said he didn't plague well enough to get that 1971. They talked him into taking $100,000 a year, the first six figure player for the for the Tigers at least. And then I mentioned that this many years later in our lifetime still the Tigers just hired a guy who they're going to pay $105,000 a day 365,000 day 365 days a year for three years.

6:47So the world has changed. Yeah, I wonder how I wonder how 400 million would sound to LK line right now. Oh, spinning right now. No doubt such a fine gentleman. Indeed. All right. A couple of questions. Don't mean to send. Give you a curve ball. But you're very good. I've watched you along the way. Nick Lundberg. You did the great work when you were at Michigan State for their their newspaper and for other newspapers and the radio and all of that. And I'm so proud of you. Couldn't be more proud of you. I've known you for a long time. Thank you. And I'm just wondering I wrote to somebody the other day. I don't like this Jeremy fears junior because he seems to be such a dirty player. Now look, there could be a hundred dirty players. But his is so you know for I mean not following it that closely. When he does that little back kick in the groin. I mean, it's he couldn't be any more obvious. So the other guys are being dirty doing it in different ways. But that's what he does. But it it hurts my heart to see a man who I love tremendously. And that would be Tom iso. I always have. I always will. But it hurts me in my heart to see how Tom seems to have to defend fears. Any thoughts on that.

8:03I think that's exactly what he does and bias aside for me personally I I Tom iso has called out Jeremy fears in the past. There were a couple games you know in January where this was kind of the topic of you know conversation. This kind of leg kicks in these these dirty little these dirty plays. And he called that out earlier in the season. And he obviously had that you know that scene at Michigan on Sunday and Tom iso kind of you know was reluctant to comment on that. I think that at the end of the day fears needs to realize that he needs to cut that stuff out. And there's not to say that you know other players on you know for other big 10 teams commit. You know like you said dirty plays but that they do it more in the basketball way. Rather than fears was kind of just obvious way yeah exactly. So I think that at the end of the day fears really needs to cut that out. But Tom iso has called him out in this past year in the past couple months. And I think it's still defending his players important because fears is obviously a huge part of the team and he's still I've talked to fears before he's he seems like a good person and you know it doesn't seem like there's anything malicious about him.

9:13But it just it really doesn't look good you know when you see these clips of him throwing his leg out and it's something that really really needs to be addressed. We you have a clock in front of you so you can see our out is a 5750 but can you tell me what we can look forward to with your big 10 tournament pre show coming up this Friday night at seven before the MSU game. We will have Lansing State Journal reporter Graham couch to preview the Michigan State game at 9 p.m. and me and Justin Valentine will bring other sports as well. But we will also recap the first Michigan game that which will be played. I believe at 11 in the morning. So a lot of good content coming this Friday night. How do you think all this is going to shake out we're going to see Michigan and Michigan State doing well from what I can see. I hope they both make a run and I really think both of them are have are capable of making it to the final four. Are you enjoying your your duties here at WJR Nick I couldn't be more happier Paul. Well I'm going to tell you I can't speak on behalf of management but I can tell you we couldn't be more happier with you.

10:13And I wouldn't be surprised if that's exactly what and Thomas would say to keep up the good work Nikki. Thank you. Nick Lundberg WJR digital sports reporter MSU proud MSU grad and we're happy to have him on the team now officially. His first I don't say real job but his first real job out of college and he's doing a great job. I hope you appreciate that too and Nick will be hosting the big 10 tournament pre show with Justin Valentine from our WJR web department coming up this Friday night at seven right here on WJR.