CONTRACT DRAMA 👀 Browns Free up $36M with Watson restructure + Ja’Marr Chase not practicing again?!

The Browns restructure Deshaun Watson’s contract see what the Cleveland Browns just did with deshun Watson's contract where the three up uh free up$ 35 million and now they have $62 million in cap space by doing some salary cap gymnastics by reassigning some of his guaranteed 230 million doll deal biggest of all time still to this day and make it a signing bonus so you can kick that thing down the road throughout the rest of the contract which makes you think wait a minute seems like Lynch is about tired of it mhm Cleveland bronze were in it at one point for sure then they were considered out of it that sounds very similar to what happened with the Des Watson situation with the Cleveland Browns where they were considered in it then they were considered way out of it and then they came all the way back in with a heavy offer to make it take place is this all joining us now as a man who might know senior NFL Insider for ESPN Michigan man Adam schfer what's going on Chey am I am I uh am I am I doing too much of this am I doing too much of this I know you just watched what just took place Cleveland opens up a lot of money a lot of money right before the season starts why would they do that unless they were trying to make a a signing or bring somebody in what are your thoughts on it and should I be linking this all together well let me say this with Brandon auk nothing ever seems to be what it appears to be right on Thursday August 1st I thought a trade to Cleveland was happening and was imminent and then it didn't get done and so the hold up with Cleveland all along hasn't been whether or not the Browns have cap space the hold out the hold up there has been Brandon I's willingness to accept a trade to Cleveland big money the contract would have been done there if he wanted to go the compensation would have been done there if he wanted to go he's balked at going to Cleveland in the past now could he change his mind today in the next week anything's possible here because I would venture to tell you that there's never never been a case as unpredictable as the one that has gone on this summer between the 49ers and Brandon auk at various points at various points dating Back to Before training camp the 49ers thought they had a deal with Brandon auk and they didn't they thought there was a trade with the Cleveland Browns and then there wasn't a trade with New England was coming together until it wasn't a trade with Pittsburgh was going to happen until it didn't he was resigning with the 49ers after meeting with them until he didn't he was going to be traded again until he wasn't now he was going to practice yesterday until he didn't until he ghosted him so how many people have been out there also pointing out that trades with teams are done like at various points I've heard he's going to Pittsburgh I've heard he's going to Cleveland I've heard has anything gotten done yet no all of a sudden at some point when Mike Lombardi saying the rubber meets the road yes when we were on Monday here we're saying this becomes a critical week for all sides to get get together to push to make something happen it doesn't mean it's going to be resolved but there certainly were going to be renewed efforts this week with CD lamb which got done with Jamar Chase which seemed to be going the right way until yesterday with Brandon auk which continues to be a situation that has been a stalemate with Trent Williams which hasn't been a lot of progress so far and with thean reic which also a stalemate with not a lot of progress so far but that's not for a lack of effort this week from teams and trying to make something happen knowing that the regular season's opening one week from tonight which is awesome we all happy about it it's very good news but it is deadlines normally bring compromises and agreements in this entire thing and we kind of thought maybe the commanders whenever they traded Dotson for a third rounder maybe they were trying to load up a third rounder commanders are not in got it got it got it got it got it got it Commander not in obviously deal didn't happen then I see the Browns open up this money and I think to myself with the deshun Watson situation remember Deshawn wasn't going to Cleveland he boed at going to Cleveland that has not taking place then they come in with the H the the biggest contract guarantee in the history mulig he dog absolute dog Miga but he comes in over the top 230 million guarantee and all of a sudden Deshawn Watson's like I'm not going to Cleveland I'm not going to Cleveland I'm not going to Cleveland free up this money so that they can still have have a good amount of money to use during the season but maybe they are going to make him one of the highest paid guys and if he becomes one of the highest paid guys all of a sudden does that make him change his tune going to Cleveland like is there like it no okay no it hasn't to it hasn't they already were offering more money than Pittsburgh more money than San Francisco they were offering a lot that that wasn't the issue got it the issue simply was that he preferred to go elsewhere so what do they open up all this money for then Trent well they opened it up knowing that they have business to do at the start of the new league year next year and to have that flexibility and again I I don't ever rule out that Brandon IU couldn't change his mind today but I haven't heard that he is like if I heard today that he was being traded with Cleveland would it shock me it would surprise me but in this particular situation nothing nothing has been what you thought it would be nothing like so it's hard it's hard to predict I but I don't think to answer your question I don't think the Browns opened up that cap space with the idea that we are getting close to making a trade for Des Shawn I could be wrong but I don't believe that to be the case Okay uh we will keep an eye on it obviously and the auk situation is certainly awesome because the Niners seemingly have to deal with this every offseason something like this and then inevitably they get it worked out and then inevitably they're all the way around to the end and then if they don't want to Super Bowl people say there's a lot of complaining for a team that done win a Super Bowl it's like yo they are in they are it is not easy super they Ja’Marr Chase not practicing today with the Cincinnati Bengals are such a dominant team such a great team hopefully they'll be able to figure it out let's talk about an AFC team that has a situation that you alluded to there Jamar Chase was back it was going good T Higgins obviously on a one-year deal he understands the situation Jamar Chase two years left on his deal but I would like to get paid everybody understands what my worth is to this particular program he's coming back to practice Zach Taylor saying I'm excited I'm excited to watch the Jamar CH show I'm excited to watch the Jamar show then 13 minutes into practice Jamar CH shows up wearing a t-shirt and shorts I saw people saying that street clothes I think that's a bangal shirt I think he's wearing a bangal shirt so that means he W into his locker he was there in the building so he's wearing team apparel gear just not practicing what is the situation here how do we feel about it and I know you alluded to it earlier do we know anything with what's going on with Jamar Chase well I think Zack Taylor the Bengals head coach yesterday said that he spoke too soon and I think what happened was when he came out the day before and said that jamar's back practicing and he absolutely expects him to play week one I don't know that the Jamar Chase Camp particularly liked those comments where the Bengals are dictating The Narrative when things are not done and a contract is still being discussed and Jamar still hasn't been paid and I think this was Jamar Chase's way of saying you're not the only one in charge here I have a say as well and I'm not going to practice and just step out there the way that you think I am now again the question is is he willing willing to do that on opening day against the New England Patriots is he willing to do that in week two most people around the league believe that he's not now again I say here's a guy who sat out a full season of college football uh when there was business at hand I don't know what he's gonna doar so good yeah and Jamar Chase hasn't spoken publicly so we don't know exactly what he's thinking what we do know is that there is an issue what we do know is that contract talks have been moving in slow motion what we do know is he's not practicing as of yesterday what we do know is Zack Taylor said he doesn't know what's going to happen it's day-to- day right now so there's a lot of uncertainty here and there's still some time to have this play out like you have to figure that Joe burrow is banging his drum like to get this deal done they did Joe Burrow's deal after three years Jamar Chase wants his deal done with three years if you're the Bengals you're saying well you've got two years left and we could tag you and we could tag again so we could make the argument that we contractually control your rights for four years Jamar Chase could say yeah Jamar Chase could say well I'm not playing this year for a million dollars in base salary a base salary of $1 million like I I just think I thought this all along I think this is a complicated situation and if it weren't it would have been solved by now so I think it's been proven to be a little bit of a sticky situation quagar no matter how much some people want to deny that yeah it's a little bit of a conundrum a little bit of a quagmire but let's go uh Pacman Jones obviously lives in Cincinnati Bengals Legend and what is Cincinnati talking about this what are the thoughts around Cincinnati well Pat what we do know is Mr Brown have never paid a wide receiver with two more years left on the deal what we do know is that we haven't seen no quarterback like Joe burrow and God knows win so that deal had to get done um do I think the deal will get done during the season no I don't I don't think Mr Brown do deals during the season and I don't think he going to play him with two years maybe he add some to the deal and that's probably why in maybe they're like no not even incentiv B probably add you know 10 million or whatever the number is to it but as far as doing a whole new deal Mr Brown is not going to do that with two years I just what we do know what we do know is that Pacman's a quick learner there that's what we know yeah we a quick Lear I love that I think we all know that about Mr Brown you know that have been around the NFL and the fact that you know his daughter I believe and son-in-law and everything they have certainly built up the business of the Bengals you know they sold the naming rights to the stadium for the first time ever like that that's like hundreds of millions of dollars just sitting there available and they knew it because Joey burrow is Coming to Town Ohio guy has the ability it feels like a new era of Bengals football but now are we going to get trapped in a situation where one of the Stars wants a little bit more money there has to be a deal to be made has to be a deal to be made by the way by the way again jayen Wadd two years left on his deal that deal gets done after three years thanks lot Joe burrow they did his deal for three years after three years so again Jamar Chase wants to be paid let's be very clear about that and we're going to see how these two sides handle it and how far he's willing to push it which we don't know right now there has to be somewhere but if you miss the game and he's fine it's like 250,000 bucks not even right like what is the fine if he missed the game nothing and yeah what I what say is so what like no I think I I don't know I think if you missed a game we we get I was on the phone last night with the GM we were talking about this and it's it's it's more complicated we're going to look into it today but if he misses a game check who cares it's nothing who cares was it four million what's he he's getting one million you said in base Sal one million B what's what's 1 million divided by 18 divided by 18 that like okay 7000 yeah 70 grand 60 Grand that that that that is his Weekly game check 70 grand that's the number he was making that at school yeah Bingo we you know 70 we down but then does the contract toll okay well again if Jamar doesn't care about that yeah and then they just keep the contract in place because he didn't play the opener or Beyond but if you're Jamar Chase like you've made that decision if you're not playing the opener you're not he's not playing the opener and then coming back week two to play against the Chiefs without a like that's why we have to know what he's thinking and we don't we don't know how far he's willing to push this right now my guess is he's going to play that would be my guess but do I know that I don't know that okay well I uh I hope they get it figured out yeah they need to get it need to there's some business uh conversation that's coming around a former quarterback Connor has a question for you Chef D yeah Chef you why are the owner making it so hard on Tom Brady just to get a little piece of the Raiders now it's coming out that you know if he does become part owner that he's not going to be able to sit in production meetings with players yeah here's the Tweet right here not have access to practice um what's the deal here and is this just inevitably going Restrictions for Tom Brady as owner? to get done for Tom or are they going to try and put all these different things in place so that it doesn't get done well well no here's the situation other owners have objected to him being a partial owner of the Raiders and being a broadcaster considering let's just say Tom Brady is assigned to the number one game that week and let's just say Tom Brady his Raiders are playing the Chiefs how can you have a guy who is a partial owner of the team go to Chief's practice or sitting in our meetings you can't do that it just so other owners have objected to that type of thing and they said you know if he's approved as the owner they're going to have to put in place certain rules which I I mean again you'd like to think somebody would be professional enough to abide by that but again he's owning the team you know he' be a piece a partial owner of the team so teams that are going against the Raiders don't want Tom Brady in their broadcast meetings and in their production meeting they want them I want to say this just nobody has said the angle that I'm saying and I can't believe that this isn't what everybody's thought was immediately so he doesn't have to travel to another city early to watch any practices he do have to sit in those four to five hour production meetings on Zoom or in person he just show up on game day call the game and he's getting paid $350 million and he owns an NFL team that sounds like the perfect like and allegedly Tom Brady's Camp not happy because he wants to be overprepared and he wants to see and everything like that by the way by the way as as a color analy and I've never been an analyst so I don't know this and uh I've been in some production meetings in my life back when I was a this the initial sideline reporter for NFL Network Thursday night games with Brian gumin oh I remember that I remember you back there yeah back in the day so you know you go through this production meetings I'm just telling you I wouldn't want to be uh an analyst for a game a play byplay man for a game a sideline reporter for and not go through those meetings yeah but he'll get transcript he'll get the right I I guess I mean I guess they would send him the transcript no no they wouldn't if he's the partial own of the Raiders because those meetings are very candid and honest and coaches tell you what they think of players and what they're planning to do and how they want to attack that team no he's not going to get the transcripts of those meetings gosh all right so maybe I was wrong in thinking that this was awesome for Tom but now now you could say okay Tom Tom doesn't go to the meetings he doesn't go to the practice but he calls the game but then what Insight does he have other than being Tom Brady feels like it's good enough to me that's a lot but he doesn't have the insight and the benefit of sitting in and preparing the way that he would want the way that everybody else does for these games about these teams I agree that's what goes on I agree but if you could be an owner of a team and make $350 million to show well that's having his cake and eating it too of course he would love to do that yeah that's as soon as I read it they're like Tom's in a bad spot it's like mother what not this is not a he's getting 300 something million to call G he's only going to show up one not even allowed to do more by the way if you're Fox again he's Tom Brady like you know I I got it he's one of the most iconic people in all of all time in sports but if you're foxing you're paying Tom Brady all that money don't you want him to be as involved as he can be in getting ready for a game and being as prepared as he can be for a game but now all of a sudden you you can't go to practice you can't go to production meetings you can't prepare the way that every other analyst prepares for a game that might be Force majour there might be it might be a force majour situation in there I'm assuming somebody's going to have to kind of look into the details of that whole thing all I know is Tom Brady calling a game just watching a game like if he's just watching a simoc cast I'm going to be glued to it for at least a year now year two 3 4 five six I guess that's where it really starts getting into the whole thing but Chey anything else we should know about Trent Williams that going to get done that feels like a massive ordeal Hanan reic you said stalemate what does that even mean it it means that the two sides haven't made any progress on Assan reic and the Niners haven't made a lot of progress so far with Trent Williams and again I just feel like at the point in the calendar I always felt like this was going to be one of those weeks that would tell you a lot about each of the situations and it's amazing to me that there's a real possibility that we may get through the week a is in its own category because it could happen any time where it could go on forever I I don't I I give up there like I don't know what that is about but you know Trent Williams Assan reick Jamar Chase it certainly feels like those situations right now aren't getting done this week which means they bleed into the week of the opener which means that the urgency on them gets dialed up even more which means again when the rubber meets the road usually these things do get done but so far there aren't a lot of signs of Hope with Hassan reck and Trent Williams so far but it's uh Thursday and there's still a little bit of time but [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music]