TBayXXXVII

I can't say I know enough about Plunkett to agree or disagree with you. I think I've mentioned this here before (maybe not), but while I don't think pro-football-reference.com's, "Approximate Value" is the be-all-end-all of metric's, I think it does have merit. When you look at Plunkett's AV, his total with the Raiders was 46 which was better than New England, where he was at 44, so it's not like his production was anything different, just the caliber of team was different. That was also in an era when defense and rushing was more important than the QB. To be clear, I'm not saying the Bucs should go get Cousins (even though I doubt he'd be available to them), but I'd much rather they spend $40M on him than $30M (or more), on Mayfield. I'd rather the Bucs wait until the draft. Like I said, I don't think there's a market for Mayfield. Wait until the draft... if they can't get the guy they want, then offer Mayfield a deal. Yeah, I really believe that there are a total of zero teams who have interest in giving Mayfield $30M+.

Mayfield is a finished project, that's a below average/back end of the league starter. Giving him anything that you can't move on from in April is a mistake. If Tampa says to him, "Go test the market and give us a chance to match", he'll come back for pennies. With the draft having anywhere from 5 to 7 QB's going in the top 40, plus Cousins and Wilson out there, and possibly Fields, that's anywhere from 8 to 10 QB's available. There aren't 10 teams who need a QB, and at best, Mayfield is #8 among the the 9 to 11 QB's. Meaning, there's no market for Mayfield. It's basically whatever Tampa wants to give him. There's no reason to give him more than $15M.

Mayfield cost them $6M last year. You're a QBR guy... who had a higher QBR last year, Gardner Minshew or Baker Mayfield? Which one can be had for $6M this year? They have $50M in cap space. To piss away anything of substance on a backend league starter, is a waste of money. I don't doubt they're going to re-sign him, I just think they're wrong and if they give him more than $15M AAV, they're foolish.

I don't have a problem with Mayfield at the proper cost. He's a bottom tier starter in the league. Pay him $15M and be done with it. The team should walk away if he wants more.

Kirk Cousins? I'll take it if he does... https://www.spotrac.com/news/contract-breakdown-projections-for-6-qb-extension-candidates-2197/

I wouldn't want Fields. I know he's cheap this year, but his 5th year option needs to be picked up. I'm not sure that I'd want to trade for him and then pay him $20M the following year. To me, he's still an unknown. If I can't get Cousins, I'd rather just trade up into the top 10 and get the guy I want. If I think there's a future stud in the draft, I'm trading up to get him. The Bucs have Pick #26. According to trade value charts, the Bucs could give up picks 26 & 57 (1030 total), and assume doubling it for next years 1st and 2nd (2,060 points), and move up to #4 with Arizona. Almost everything I've read says that Williams, Maye, and Daniels are the top 3 guys. If Washington hangs on to Howell and takes Harrison or Nabors at #2, one of those 3 QB's will be there at #4. I'd rather have one of them, giving up 2 1's and 2 2's, than parting with a 2nd (or more), for Fields and only having him locked in for 1 cheap and 1 extra year that isn't cheap. In 2017, the Chiefs gave up #27, a 3rd, and a #1 the following year to move up to #10. A pair of 1's and 2's, should be enough to get into the top 5.

If the idea is to work 4 days (a 32-hr work week), they're going to make less money and be home more to spend it. The net result is complaints about not making enough money. It will force businesses to offer higher pay rates and obviously, the costs of their products go up. In turn, people on the lower spectrum of the financial world will be forced to pay higher prices without seeing higher wages. The obvious conclusion made will be to increase minimum wage... which will in turn, cause another raise in prices in other industries. A viscous circle created by laziness. If the idea is to work 4 days (a 40-hr work week), I find it hard to believe that people would rather add 2 hours to their current work day, just to get a 3-day weekend. I'm not sure I understand the logic. If they want to be home with their family more, a 4-day/10-hr work week is the exact opposite of that. Instead of 8-5, it's now 8-7... how does getting home at 7:30 give you more time with your family, with the only trade off being no-work Friday's? I mean, the kids still aren't getting home from school until what... 4 (the younger ones)? This works great for the single partiers, but I don't see families liking this idea. If I'm a parent of a young child, I'd rather have the ability to eat lunch at my desk and cut out an hour early every day. I'm still working my 40-hrs (8-hr shifts), and being home in time for the kids and having dinner ready at a reasonable time. I'd also wouldn't be opposed to the working through lunch and staying until my normal schedule time, and cutting out at noon on Friday's in given weeks if I know my kids are home, such as around holidays or the summer.

So did I.

If the Pirates are cheap azzhats, July 1. If they're smart and bring him up when he's ready, possibly as early as May 1, as late as June 1 (give or take). The dude is going to be a stud. I'm shocked they drafted him to be honest.

Mitch Keller signs 5-year extension. The third year in a row that the Pirates dole out a $70M+ deal. Pirates are a dark horse to win the division this year. NL Central is pretty weak and 84 games could win it. If Keller takes another step forward and Skenes comes up by June, this team should be in the 80 to 85-win range. Jared Jones (a 2020 2nd round pick), has been making great strides in the minors and will start the year in AAA and could get to the majors by July. If that happens, an 85-win season is definitely in the cards and a division win is possible. That said, someone could end up with 92 and it all be moot, but 85 could still get them into the playoffs.

The issue the Bucs have is that they have $50M in cap space. They're going to need to pony up about $25M for Evans. Winfield is either going to get tagged and paid $11M+ or get $16M+ to be the highest paid FS in the league. Then there's Lavonte David who's going to need about $5M+. So, conservatively, those 3 are going to command around $40M. Then they need to address the middle of the OLine. They need a Center and at worst, a LG. Sure, there's cap manipulation that can be played with, but you do that for impact players to be a contender, not mediocre/replaceable players who don't make your team better. Giving $30M to a guy like Mayfield forces you to either not sign Mike Evans, which would be a tragic mistake or put yourself right back into future caphell that they just came out of... with a lower level of expectations. Now, Kirk Cousins is a guy I'd give $30M+ to, even $40M. A QB who can utilize all of the teams weapons (instead of just one), makes this team a legit contender. That's a guy you finagle the cap for... not Baker Mayfield. To me, ideal money for a below average starter in the NFL (which Mayfield is), is around $15M. If he's willing to take that, then I'm happy to keep him around. Otherwise, I'd let him test the market. No one is going to even offer him $20M. He's just not good enough. Any team who "needs" a QB, like Atlanta, Vegas, Washington (?), Pittsburgh(?), would much rather draft a player, trade for Fields, or go after Cousins or Wilson. At best, Mayfield ranks about 9th on the available QB list behind (in no particular order), Cousins, Fields, Wilson, and at least 5 of the rookies. Is there even 9 teams that need a QB? Atlanta - Trade for Fields New England - Draft a QB Chicago (if they trade Fields) - Draft a QB Washington (if they move on from Howell... don't know why they would) - Keep Howell Pittsburgh (maybe... not sure why they would either) - Keep Pickett Vegas - Russell Wilson Arizona?? - Keep Murray Tennessee - Draft a QB Minnesota - Re-sign Cousins Denver - Draft a QB I think I'm stretching it to get to 10 here. That's my thinking of what happens... and there's still another QB that can be drafted. Simply, I see no market for Mayfield. Why pay him $30M when there's no other buyers?

This is the underlying reason why the country is where it is today. The Democrat party prey's on victim's. If they can't find any, they create them. People majoring in something stupid with no future is foolish, but what's more foolish is the cost of that program. Are Democrat's addressing any of those issues? No, because in one case you have to blame your side (we all know colleges and universities, by and large, are liberal indoctrination centers), and that certainly can't happen. The other is an opportunity to pander to a group of potential voters. Obviously, they're going to call the stupid people victims and champion a cause for them, knowing that it can't be done. When it can't get done, they blame Republican's. Idiots on the left soak that crap up all the time.

My point was that Lawrence was supposedly a "once in a generation" prospect... and he we are 3 years later, and there's a prospect better than he was. Meaning, the definition of the phrase "once in a generation" seems to be getting diluted.

The ruling doesn't do that. Liberals pouting and not getting their way, is doing that.

Wasn't Lawrence supposed to be the best QB prospect since Peyton Manning? A once in a generation type? Generations are only 3 years nowadays, I guess.

I'm not letting stupid people off the hook, I'm assigning the word "stupid" to the right place. If the school is going to offer a program that requires a $30k annual student loan, knowing that the degree isn't worth that, then they shouldn't offer the program at that cost. If they are, they're the problem for "price gouging". Let's be honest here... the only reason that "DEI" exists, is because colleges were offering programs that cost $30k per year for a careers that don't exist. There's no future for a gender studies degree. There's no future for a African American studies degree. There's no future for a Women's studies degree. It's not a coincidence that those are the 3 major components of DEI.

Mayfield isn't that either. The answer is a franchise QB. Picking at #26 isn't the best spot to get that, unless they trade up. The team isn't trading up if they re-sign Mayfield to a $30M+ deal. So, if the two options are... Mayfield @ $30M or Minshew @ $5M (with a trade up possible), Minshew in the better option because that's a faster path to winning.

Depends on the cost. Minshew at $5M is a better option than Mayfield at $30M.

Your last sentence is the reason. According to Spotrac.com, Mayfield's stock market value is at $27M AAV for 4 years. I think that his agent will try to get a Daniel Jones deal because Mayfield is better than Daniel Jones. I mean, really... who isn't better than Daniel Jones? So IF Tampa offers what Spotrac.com shows and his agent is at $40M AAV... $27M is way too high in the first place, but if they split the difference and go with $34M, that's too much money over 4 years to give a guy who isn't a difference maker. That's money being spent at the risk of not bringing in guys who are difference makers.

The word is that Mayfield could command a $30M+ AAV. That's too much for a mediocre to below average starter. Just because the Giants did that with Jones, it doesn't mean the Bucs should do the same thing. If they're paying that kind of scratch for a QB, I'd rather spend it on Kirk Cousins. While I think Russell Wilson is done, the fact that the Broncos are on the hook for $54M over the next 2 seasons, I'd be perfectly happy throwing $10M per year at him and get the same production than Mayfield at $30M AAV. Then there's the draft. From what I've read, there's like 6 guys who could be first rounders. Tampa picks 26th. There's no reason why they can't trade up and get "their guy" if they have one that they like. I'd even be ok with bringing in Tannehill at $5M AAV for 2 years and giving Trask a year to see how he's developed. Though, if he wasn't good enough last summer to beat out Mayfield, odds are he doesn't belong in the NFL. In 2022, Tannehill had a passer rating of 91.4 and a QBR of 51.2 and the year before, he was at 89.6 and 55.9 respectively. While both were down last year, I think the fact that the team around him was awful and were of no help. Tampa has a very solid pass blocking OLine (it's the run blocking that blows), Tannehill will have the best receiving corp he's ever had. I'll go one better. I'd rather give Gardner Minshew $5M AAV for a couple years. If you're a QBR guy, Minshew had a QBR of 59.6 last year where as Mayfield had a 54.3 and I think (pretty confident many other people do as well), that Tampa had (has), better pass catching weapons than Indy. All of those options are better than Mayfield at $30M when not only do Evans, David, and Winfield need re-upping, but the middle of the OLine needs to be upgraded as well. Flushing $30M down the drain on a guy who doesn't make you better... but simply keeps you afloat, isn't financially prudent. A lot of people are trashing Derick Carr and laughing at the Saints for the deal they gave him. In 2023, Carr had a higher passer rating (97.7), and higher QBR (56.5) than Baker Mayfield (94.6 & 54.3).

That's exactly it. In my opinion, if the school sold it's program at a higher cost than the field you're going into, it should be the school who pays off the loan.

They're hoping that over time, any money they borrowed would be forgiven and/or, tuition retroactively will be voided. Hence, they'll never have to actually pay the money.

This is a good thing. Anytime a leftist establishment shuts down its operations, the country wins.

The reason I don't have an issue with the law is because Alabama law states that an embryo inside or outside the body is life, hence requires the same protection. If that's the foundation, abortion laws need to apply to both. Neither the left or the right, are correct on the abortion issue, but at the very least, they need to be consistent.

Agreed. Leave that childish behavior to the children on the left.