Kwesi speaks to Jefferson extension

Hmmmm, kinda sounds like a deal might be coming soon. I hope so.

I think that's fair to give JJetta his own time in the sun. It's gonna be a big one. Somewhere in the neighborhood of five years, $175mm?

Wide receiver

Highest three-year APY:

1. A.J. Brown, $32 million

Signed: April 2024 (contract ends in 2028)

2. Amon-Ra St. Brown (DET), $30 million
3. Cooper Kupp (LAR), $26.7 million
4. Stefon Diggs (HOU), $26.2 million
5. Tyreek Hill (MIA), $25 million

Total guaranteed money:

1. A.J. Brown, $84 million

Signed: April 2024 (contract ends in 2028)

2. Amon-Ra St. Brown (DET), $77 million
3. Cooper Kupp (LAR), $75 million
4. Tyreek Hill (MIA), $72.2 million
5. Stefon Diggs (HOU), $70 million

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/34096853/highest-paid-nfl-players-tracking-most-money-guaranteed-per-year-every-position

Darrisaw will break this:
Offensive tackle

Highest three-year APY:

1. Penei Sewell, $28 million

Signed: April 2024 (contract ends in 2029)

2. Laremy Tunsil (HOU), $25 million
3. Andrew Thomas (NYG), $24.2 million
4. Ronnie Stanley (BAL), $21.2 million

Total guaranteed money:

1. Penei Sewell, $85 million

Signed: April 2024 (contract ends in 2029)

2. Ronnie Stanley (BAL), $64.1 million
3. Andrew Thomas (NYG), $61.9 million
4. Ryan Ramczyk (NO), $60.2 million

This is one thing I would still criticize Kwesi on... these contracts shouldn't take this long. All it does is make it more costly. Pretty sure two TE extensions happened before we did Hock at the last minute which only drove up the price. Now, we've had the Sun God and AJ Brown get extended before JJ. Just get it done. He's a young stud. Best WR in the game. This shouldn't be hard.

It's kind of embarrassing when we hand out big money deals to Greenard, Van Ginkel, Cashman, and Darnold within the first day (or two?) of Free Agency, but we've been waiting over a year to get JJ extended. I mean Kwesi obviously knows how to write a contract. What are we waiting for?

MAD GAINZ wrote:
This is one thing I would still criticize Kwesi on...  these contracts shouldn't take this long.  All it does is make it more costly.  Pretty sure two TE extensions happened before we did Hock at the last minute which only drove up the price.  Now, we've had the Sun God and AJ Brown get extended before JJ.  Just get it done.  He's a young stud. Best WR in the game.  This shouldn't be hard.

It's kind of embarrassing when we hand out big money deals to Greenard, Van Ginkel, Cashman, and Darnold within the first day (or two?) of Free Agency, but we've been waiting over a year to get JJ extended.  I mean Kwesi obviously knows how to write a contract.  What are we waiting for?

Maybe Kwesi wasn't the hold-up?

MAD GAINZ wrote:
This is one thing I would still criticize Kwesi on...  these contracts shouldn't take this long.  All it does is make it more costly.  Pretty sure two TE extensions happened before we did Hock at the last minute which only drove up the price.  Now, we've had the Sun God and AJ Brown get extended before JJ.  Just get it done.  He's a young stud. Best WR in the game.  This shouldn't be hard.

It's kind of embarrassing when we hand out big money deals to Greenard, Van Ginkel, Cashman, and Darnold within the first day (or two?) of Free Agency, but we've been waiting over a year to get JJ extended.  I mean Kwesi obviously knows how to write a contract.  What are we waiting for?

I think JJ's camp wanted to see us draft a QB first. He knew we intended to. But there was always a chance we'd miss. I think that explains the small panic that happened at 10.

@purplefaithful wrote:

Maybe Kwesi wasn't the hold-up?

When it's not just JJ, but Hock's deal going into training camp and reaching an impasse with Cousins and Hunter two years prior, it's becoming a pattern.  Now I do think JJs camp probably wanted to see if we were going to get a QB THIS off-season, but that doesn't explain not getting this done last year when we still had Kirk, were negotiating with him, etc.

It's just a little worrisome when all our big time player negotiations are dragging on.  That's pointing to a FO/GM issue, not a player/agent issue.

MAD GAINZ wrote:

When it's not just JJ, but Hock's deal going into training camp and reaching an impasse with Cousins and Hunter two years prior, it's becoming a pattern.  Now I do think JJs camp probably wanted to see if we were going to get a QB THIS off-season, but that doesn't explain not getting this done last year when we still had Kirk, were negotiating with him, etc.

It's just a little worrisome when all our big time player negotiations are dragging on.  That's pointing to a FO/GM issue, not a player/agent issue.

Agree that the delays and hand-wringing are likely costing us more money than they're saving. 

But I like what he's done with the competitive rebuild. In two short years we've shed major age and expense by moving on from Dalvin, Thielen, Z, P2, Barr, Kendricks, Hunter and Cousins. And have replaced them all with much younger, much cheaper talent like Addison, Greenard, Turner, Pace and McCarthy...and $100M+ cap space to go with it. All this is good. 

And while I think JJ may have been waiting to see the QB plan, I think Kwesi screwed up the Cousins deal. We really should have Cousins mentoring JJ, not Darnold. Christian Wilkins too. I admire the eye on budget, but you gotta play the game. Do what it takes to sign young superstars. Stash the money into '25 if you have to. You have $150M in cap space and a QB on a rookie deal. Imagine Wilkins next to Turner. I don't see a DT of Wilkins caliber in next year's free agent class 

I'm also not a fan of how the Texans and the Jaguars had to call Kwesi about the trades. Nothing really to criticize here. He did nothing wrong. These were good trades. But I'd be a little more impressed if Kwesi had initiated them.

MaroonBells wrote:

Agree that the delays and hand-wringing are likely costing us more money than they're saving. 

But I like what he's done with the competitive rebuild. In two short years we've shed major age and expense by moving on from Dalvin, Thielen, Z, P2, Barr, Kendricks, Hunter and Cousins. And have replaced them all with much younger, much cheaper talent like Addison, Greenard, Turner, Pace and McCarthy...and $100M+ cap space to go with it. All this is good. 

And while I think JJ may have been waiting to see the QB plan, I think Kwesi screwed up the Cousins deal. We really should have Cousins mentoring JJ, not Darnold. Christian Wilkins too. I admire the eye on budget, but you gotta play the game. Do what it takes to sign young superstars. Stash the money into '25 if you have to. You have $150M in cap space and a QB on a rookie deal. Imagine Wilkins next to Turner. I don't see a DT of Wilkins caliber in next year's free agent class 

I'm also not a fan of how the Texans and the Jaguars had to call Kwesi about the trades. Nothing really to criticize here. He did nothing wrong. These were good trades. But I'd be a little more impressed if Kwesi had initiated them.

Cousins was not EVER going to "mentor" his successor with his contract situation. lol  

I love the types that just argue to pay everybody everything they ask for.  It's not a good way to do business.

One other thing, I don't buy that the Jags and/or Texans called the Vikes out of the blue.  I'm pretty sure those kinds of calls take place when some foundational work had already been laid.

Waterboy wrote:

Cousins was not EVER going to "mentor" his successor with his contract situation. lol  

I love the types that just argue to pay everybody everything they ask for.  It's not a good way to do business.

One other thing, I don't buy that the Jags and/or Texans called the Vikes out of the blue.  I'm pretty sure those kinds of calls take place when some foundational work had already been laid.

No one is saying to pay them what they are asking.  I just think this is another lesson Kwesi needs to learn as a first time GM.  He made a great trade for Hockenson, but then it took into training camp to get his deal done.  Why trade for him if you weren't going to extend him after seeing him produce like a top 3 TE?  Then Engram and Kmet both got paid because we were dragging out our negotiations and it took even longer to get Hocks deal done.

Same thing is happening with JJ...  Could have done it last off-season, but reportedly there was a hang up over some last minute terms and we tabled it instead of trying to get it over the finish line.  Now negotiations have taken months to get done, two top 10 WRs have signed extensions and it just makes a new starting point for JJ's dollars to start and end in terms of guarantees, total money, term, etc.

I like what Kwesi's done in the past two drafts and FA this year.  He's definitely improved since that first disastrous draft.  But this is another thing he needs to learn from.  Sometimes numbers are just numbers and you can't always work them completely in your favor.  And in JJ's case, he's a no brainer guy you want to keep because he just makes your whole team better.  Figure it out.

what I had heard was a signing b4 last years TB game was imminent. But JJ/Agent said not yet...

He wanted to see what others were going to get first. Now they saw it and he's going to benefit from it financially.

I dont think you are wrong Wet, and Kwesi does need to learn more of the art. But I do contend this was not all on him.

Hopefully we're all celebrating a contract b4 Training Camp.

With Wilkins it's rare to find a proven player that good, that young, who is not only available (that's the biggy, most players like that are resigned by their teams), but who also fills a big need, and for whom there was mutual interest. 

I don't know what the details of the negotiations were, but sometimes it's better to overpay a little, knowing you have future headroom, to secure a key position. I don't see a Wilkins among the free agent DTs next year; maybe one will emerge. If not, it's now likely priority 1 for the '25 draft.

Waterboy wrote:

Cousins was not EVER going to "mentor" his successor with his contract situation. lol  

I love the types that just argue to pay everybody everything they ask for.  It's not a good way to do business.

One other thing, I don't buy that the Jags and/or Texans called the Vikes out of the blue.  I'm pretty sure those kinds of calls take place when some foundational work had already been laid.

well somebody had to initiate the talks, and its reported it wasnt initiated by KAMs office, so in essence it wasnt his idea to make those trades, it was just a good idea that ended up working in his favor.

One overlooked item in the Justin Jefferson contract situation is that JJ McCarthy and Jets have the same agent — Brian Ayrault. That's got to help.