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We continue our free agency positional previews with running backs after the news broke that
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the Bucks are not going to tender running backs, Sean Tucker, meaning he will hit free agency
1:31
and the Bucks only have one running back on the roster.
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You are locked on Buccaneers, your daily Tampa Bay Buccaneers podcast, part of the locked
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on podcast network, your team every day.
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What's up and welcome into this episode of Lockdown Bucks, your daily podcast covering
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the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, part of the locked on podcast network.
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Now the number one sports podcast network, I'd like to thank you for making locked on
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Bucks, your first listen review every day.
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I am your host, James Jarko, writer over at Bucks report.
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I have covered the Buccaneers for over 10 years and I am here with you every Monday through
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Friday along with the every day.
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Or so for that, I want to share my appreciation for your continued support of the show.
2:17
I'm going to tell you why the Buccaneers offense is going to be perfectly fine if they lose
2:22
a receiver in free agency that we're going to take a look at linebackers that can be
2:26
of interest to Jason Light and Todd Bowles in free agency.
2:30
That is all coming up a little bit later.
2:31
I'm going to start this one off with a two-parter.
2:34
Obviously, we were already going to talk about running backs in our positional previews,
2:39
but there was some news on Wednesday that shoves that conversation into the forefront.
2:43
The Buccaneers are not going to tender, restricted free agent running back, Sean Tucker, meaning
2:48
he will now likely get to the open market and will have some options.
2:53
Now this means a couple of things.
2:56
Number one, it means that the need for running back gets that much more important.
3:00
You're already losing Rashad White.
3:03
Now there's a chance that Sean Tucker leaves as well, which leaves you with one reliable
3:08
running back on the roster in Buccaneerving.
3:10
Jason Light told us in Indianapolis that they were looking to add to that room no matter
3:15
what, and they were not completely satisfied with where they were at the moment.
3:20
The other thing that it means is that Tucker isn't necessarily gone, and I want to make
3:25
that very clear, just because they didn't tender him does not mean that he will not be
3:31
a Buccaneer in 2026.
3:34
The Buccaneers could very well bring him back at a lower price than what that tender author
3:40
It would have cost the Bucks around $3.5 million, and perhaps they feel like his market
3:46
isn't going to dictate that big of a salary and they can bring him back cheaper.
3:51
If not, you still need to sign one, and now maybe you're a little more interested in
3:57
the running back class in the draft, then you would be if you signed one and still had
4:02
Sean Tucker on the roster, and I think I could be wrong, but I think this was the fastest
4:09
or one of the fastest running back classes in scouting combined history.
4:14
That's also a direction the Bucks may want to go in since they don't have that home
4:19
Yes, Bucky is quick for sure, but we saw in his rookie season that he does not have
4:25
that elite breakaway speed to knock out 50, 60, 70 yard touchdown runs.
4:30
He usually, when he had those big breakaway runs, got caught and didn't make it to the
4:37
So a guy like Giderian Price or Mike Washington on day two would make some sense for the Buccaneers,
4:43
depending on what they're able to do in free agency on the defensive side of the ball.
4:48
All that said, you still have to replace Rashad no matter what.
4:52
You guys, I've been talking about this, I mean, even before the season ended that Rashad
4:57
White was gone, but you know where I stayed.
5:00
I think that Tyler Algier is the best fit for this team for this offense to replace Rashad
5:07
He was great in Robinson's offense in Atlanta when he actually got opportunity, but when
5:13
you have Bijon Robinson in front of you, you don't get a ton of opportunity.
5:19
He is a complete bat that your confident can be on the field on third downs.
5:23
He's a much better short yardage guy than any running back.
5:26
The Bucks have had over the last couple of years and it's not going to take him seven
5:30
tries to gain one yard against the New Orleans Saints like we saw with the Bucks last year.
5:36
But beyond Algier, who are some players, the Bucks can look to in order to address the
5:42
need of running back that also aren't going to cost big money.
5:46
That big money needs to be spent on defense.
5:48
I know I've talked about bargain binge shopping and that the Bucks should avoid it, but that
5:52
is on the defensive side at edge, linebacker, maybe defensive line running back.
5:58
You can bargain hunt for sure and still be able to fill the need.
6:02
The first name that pops out to me is Najee Harris.
6:05
Now, does Najee still believe that he is a top level starting caliber running back in
6:11
Because if he does, that would be a non-starting.
6:13
You don't even enter negotiations at that point.
6:15
He would know where you stand with Bucky Irving.
6:18
You would know where he stands as far as what he thinks.
6:21
He can accomplish the two sides are not going to meet in the middle there.
6:25
That said, up until last season with the chargers where he only played three games, he's been
6:32
Now, he's not as good as Rashad was.
6:34
He's not as good as Tyler Algier, but he isn't a huge liability either.
6:38
He's not rookie year Bucky Irving in his first couple of games.
6:43
We know he can produce over a thousand yards every year in Pittsburgh with a four yards
6:49
He can catch the ball his worst season.
6:52
He had a 75% catch rate and averaged 280 yards a season through the air.
6:58
Now, SpotTrack has his AAV market value at under $3 million.
7:04
I know mathematician, but I feel like if it costs the same or less to get Najee Harris
7:11
as it does Sean Tucker and Najee is good with being an RB2 or like that RB1B behind Bucky
7:19
Irving, then it's an upgrade to bring him in instead of bringing back Sean Tucker.
7:25
Hang up is that he tore his Achilles last season in need three.
7:29
Now reportedly, he was up to 15 miles an hour running on a treadmill just five months
7:37
So that is a very, very good sign, but there is risk there.
7:41
I think that low of a number is still well worth the risk and he could always sign just
7:46
a one year deal to show teams that he's back to normal and then can hit free agency again
7:51
the next year at 28 years old.
7:53
So this could wind up being a rental situation.
7:55
It could very much be a hey, you come in and help us and be our RB2.
7:59
We're going to help you by allowing you to showcase that you're fully healthy and then
8:03
you can get your big money on the market next year.
8:07
But I think that a reduced role coming off of surgery in this style of offense would
8:12
allow him to get those opportunities that he needs to showcase his talent in his health
8:17
while also not running him into the ground and putting more strain on him than is absolutely
8:24
Another guy that I really like and this is for sure a one year kind of play is Ricky
8:30
most now he wasn't utilized much at all in Vegas last year and this was after he led
8:35
the NFL and Russian touchdowns just three seasons ago, but he might be the best blocking
8:41
running back in free agency this year.
8:43
It has been consistently good throughout his career.
8:47
You're also talking about a guy that can get those short yardage pickups.
8:51
He can punch it in from inside the five.
8:53
He can pick up those fourth and once.
8:55
He can catch his average catch percentage over his career is over 78% and while he has
9:02
been in the NFL for 11 years, he barely touched the field first first five.
9:07
So there isn't a lot of wear and tear on him despite the fact that he's about to turn
9:13
There's not a lot of wear on the tread of those tires so to speak.
9:21
This also would give you a veteran presence that leadership role there with Bucky and
9:27
likely a rookie running back and he's someone that can certainly excel in Zach Robinson's
9:35
He averages five yards per carry for his career, which is absolutely outstanding.
9:40
It just seems like wherever he is, there's always someone else there that takes the lion's
9:45
share of the carries, whether that was San Francisco with Elijah Mitchell, Miami with
9:50
Devon H and or even last year with the Raiders and Ashton Gentie.
9:55
But most are is an outstanding compliment to Bucky as the RB two that can do anything
10:00
that you need him to, which allows him to be a three down back if God forbid.
10:06
Something happens to Bucky Irving and he misses games again this season.
10:09
But most of it has become comfortable in that RB two role throughout his career.
10:15
It would be no different in Tampa.
10:17
He knows he would still get opportunities, but that he wouldn't be the lead back in this
10:24
The last one that I'm going to mention here in their arson caveats is Alexander Mattis.
10:29
He got absolutely no playing time last year with the dolphins because of the neck injury
10:32
that was probably even more severe than what Jaylen Macmillan suffered.
10:37
Now Madison wants to return to the NFL with the hurdle being whether or not he gets medically
10:44
If he does, and the bucks are still in the market for a better and running back that checks
10:48
all the boxes that they need, Madison would flip the bill in Minnesota.
10:53
He stepped in numerous times from RB two to RB one due to injuries and he performed
11:01
He was reliable, but not great, a very reliable blocker though because it's stellar as a
11:06
past catcher, so you do lose a little bit there.
11:09
But the rest of what the bucks need, Madison would be able to provide.
11:14
I mentioned him last because I think he would wind up being kind of the consolation prize.
11:19
If you miss on the other guys that I named Madison is the decision that you make where
11:26
it's well, we didn't get the guys at the top of our list for whatever reason.
11:31
But in a pinch, we believe Madison's ability to perform to the level that we need in order
11:36
to stay honest and stay balanced on offense and keep scoring points.
11:40
We believe that he can fulfill that role.
11:43
The couple of other names that I'm going to throw out there real quick, they caught my
11:46
eye, but I discarded them mostly because of how bad they are at blocking or the injury
11:51
history kind of turned me off.
11:53
Jerome Ford, JK Dobbins and Kareem Hunt, all of them would provide something that would
11:58
help the bucks offense and fill kind of the void left by workshop white, but none of them
12:03
are as complete as the other guys that I listed off or I just don't feel like I can really
12:08
rely on them to be around for the majority of the season.
12:12
The most expensive guy that I named based on estimated market value is Al's year by almost
12:18
All the others were under $3 million a year and whether or not that's what they actually
12:22
go for is a completely different conversation because the market can be a funny thing that
12:27
these are players that can step in and help while not cutting too much into the funds that
12:32
you need to bring in impact starters on defense.
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Speaking of which, we're going to dive into the linebackers, that is coming up next
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on today's episode of Walked On Bucks Part Up, the Locked On Podcast Network 13, as we
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Much like the running backs you guys kind of know
14:59
my 101 in terms of which linebacker I would sign
15:03
if I'm Jason Light and it is Nicobie D.
15:05
He isn't going to cost the King's ransom.
15:07
He could do everything that Todd Bulls needs,
15:09
his linebackers to do in this defense.
15:11
He can cover, he can get after the quarterback
15:14
to an ask, although that's not really his forte,
15:16
when he's incredibly reliable in run defense.
15:19
So I'm not going to talk much more about him beyond that
15:23
just because I have talked about him so often
15:26
throughout this process.
15:27
But the next guy on my list is kind of,
15:30
we're gonna say the wild card.
15:32
He has all the talents and ability in the world
15:35
to completely change the scope of what this defense is.
15:40
But it also means that you're probably not investing
15:43
a lot of money in edge help
15:46
because he's going to cost so much and it is Devon Moore.
15:50
Look, Lloyd is one of the best all fall linebackers
15:54
in the NFL and the fact that he's becoming available
15:56
strictly the financial burden of the Jaguars
16:00
and the issue, the cap issues that they're facing
16:03
because of the Trevor Lawrence contract.
16:06
Lloyd's market value is north of $20 million.
16:09
And yes, I talked about it on the Swatcha Wednesday night.
16:13
The bucks can clear about $50 million of cap space
16:16
within minutes to put them close to $70 million
16:19
in total cap space, which means theoretically,
16:23
you could go out and you could sign Devon Lloyd
16:26
and you can sign Trey Hendrickson.
16:29
You still have money left to invest in a running back
16:32
and depth in the O line and a defensive lineman,
16:35
but that pretty much guarantees that Mike Evans
16:39
does not return because you will not have those folks left.
16:43
Is that the move that would be best for the team
16:46
and their chances of competing for Super Bowl?
16:48
Possibly, but I'll get more into that in a little bit.
16:53
Lloyd finished as PFF's third overall linebacker last season
16:57
trailing only Fred Warner and Jack Campbell
17:00
among qualified players again.
17:03
He's one of the best in the business.
17:05
He's coming off of kind of his worst years statistically,
17:09
at least in terms of tackles.
17:11
2025 was the only time in his career
17:13
that he didn't surpass 110 tackles
17:17
and he actually finished barely above 80 on the season.
17:22
However, on the flip side,
17:24
he had a career high five interceptions
17:26
with one being returned 99 yards for a touchdown.
17:30
He averages over six passes defense per year.
17:33
He had 10 quarterback hits last season.
17:35
He has five football recoveries in his career
17:37
and he's not a blitzing lineback.
17:39
Not that he can't be, he just hasn't been.
17:42
You want him roaming the middle of the field.
17:45
He has ball-hawk abilities with insane game speed
17:49
that allows him to go sideline to sideline with eats.
17:52
15 tackles for loss over the last three seasons.
17:56
You need to find someone to replace Levante David.
17:58
This is a guy that would come in
18:00
and remind you of prime Levante David,
18:03
the one that was going toe-to-toe year after year
18:06
with Luke Keekley, but didn't get any
18:08
of the recognition that Keekley did.
18:11
But again, are you going to, are you willing to
18:15
spend over $20 million a year on an off-ball linebacker?
18:19
There aren't many that are worth that.
18:22
Devon Lloyd just happens to be one of them
18:25
and the limited ones that are worth that
18:29
are because they change the entire landscape
18:32
of what you are able to do defensively.
18:35
It all would just really depend on
18:37
what else you can find to help the defense.
18:40
Now, if you want discount Devon Lloyd,
18:44
you get the other debt.
18:46
You sign Devon Bush.
18:47
Honestly, Bush is probably second on my personal list
18:52
of linebackers, I would like the bucks to sign
18:57
I just mentioned that Lloyd was PFF's third highest
19:01
rated linebacker last season.
19:02
Bush was fourth in his estimated market value
19:06
is less than half of what Lloyd's is.
19:09
He's played, you know, inside linebacker in a three,
19:12
four in the past, he's played outside linebacker
19:14
in a four three, you know,
19:15
none of that is going to be new to him.
19:17
And he's coming up with a career high 125 tackles
19:21
on a scout Cleveland Brown's defense.
19:24
In his career before last season,
19:27
he had just two interceptions.
19:29
Last year alone, he had three interceptions
19:32
with two of them being returned for touchdowns.
19:35
And that's to go along with two forced fumbles
19:37
of homework sets and seven tackles for loss.
19:41
He was in absolute minutes.
19:43
Not only did he start to come into his own as a ballhawk
19:47
and I keep bringing that up
19:48
because both harped on it all last off season
19:51
and it didn't end up coming to fruition.
19:54
So don't for one second think that he just gave up
19:57
on wanting ballhawks in his defense.
20:00
But Devin Bush is also really starting to grow
20:03
as an all around just solid reliable linebacker.
20:07
Last year was one of his best in terms of mistackle percentage
20:11
and one of his better seasons in terms of past coverage.
20:15
The past or rating when targeted last season
20:17
for Devin Bush was a career best 64.2.
20:21
And that is something that the bucks could desperately use
20:24
considering what happened over the middle of the field last season.
20:27
There is some injury history there.
20:29
So this wouldn't be without risk.
20:32
But if you can land him for under $10 million a year,
20:34
that is well worth the risk.
20:36
You would still be drafting a guy.
20:38
You may still get Lavante back as well.
20:41
But this kind of move shows up the middle of the field
20:44
better than what the bucks have dealt with
20:46
over the course of the last three seasons.
20:48
The last one here that I'll go in depth about is Leo Chanel.
20:52
And he's from the Kansas City Chiefs
20:54
and a lot of you are sitting there going to.
20:57
But let me tell you this, if the bucks sign Chanel,
21:02
it will be viewed in by a vast majority of people
21:07
as a bargain bin siding where the team didn't want to invest
21:11
much in the position.
21:11
Fans are going to be upset, why didn't you do better
21:14
at linebacker, we need someone better than Chanel.
21:18
For those of you that watched him,
21:20
you'll know that landing this guy at $5 to $6 million a year
21:24
is an absolute steal.
21:26
And it leaves you a lot of flexibility
21:28
to spend money elsewhere while getting a guy
21:30
that will immediately not only outplay his contract,
21:34
but will be in every down kind of player.
21:37
He can grow into a leader on this defense.
21:41
Chanel was still in PFF's top 40 linebackers in the NFL.
21:46
And he only played 53% of the defensive snaps.
21:49
He played over 40% of special team steps
21:53
for the Chiefs last year.
21:54
And I'm going to tell you this, he's not a pass rush.
21:57
But he is one heck of a cover linebacker
21:59
while also being one of the best run stopping
22:02
off-ball linebackers in the NFL over the last three seasons.
22:06
His career high in tackles for a season is 65.
22:09
But he wasn't a starter nor was he in every down player
22:14
And that wasn't because he couldn't be.
22:15
It was because they had so many great players on defense
22:18
that they kept rotating through all of them.
22:20
Of course, that's also a big reason why they were getting
22:23
to Superbolts is because their defense was stacked and deep
22:28
so they could keep guys fresh later into the season
22:31
than a lot of other NFL teams could.
22:33
Even with limited playing time,
22:35
he still racked up seven sacks over the last four seasons
22:39
as well as 17 tackles for loss.
22:41
He allowed less than a hundred yards
22:43
when targeted this past season
22:45
and allowed a pass rating of 88.4.
22:47
He's an incredibly good young talent
22:51
that has started just 44 games over four seasons.
22:55
Last year's 53% of defensive snaps
22:58
was a career high for him.
23:00
Having played just 41% the previous two seasons
23:03
and then 23% as a rookie.
23:06
This kid is a gamer.
23:07
He's going to be cheap probably somewhere
23:09
in the four to six million dollar range.
23:12
But he's going to play far beyond that kind of cost
23:15
if the opportunity is there to start.
23:18
Couple others that I'm going to name real quick
23:20
that are good fits and under that $10 million
23:23
threshold based on estimates.
23:25
The other chiefs linebacker Jack Cochran,
23:28
Kway Walker of course,
23:29
but I think he might be a long shot
23:31
to actually get to the open market.
23:33
We still have a couple of days for these players
23:35
to start negotiating.
23:36
Alex Anzaloni is another one that I've talked about a lot.
23:41
but would be a great addition
23:42
for the next couple of seasons.
23:44
Same thing with Matt Milano.
23:46
He's going to be inexpensive,
23:47
but he's a little bit older.
23:48
And then Bobby Ocarica,
23:50
who just became available on Wednesday
23:52
when the Giants cut ties with him.
23:54
If he stays below that $9 million range,
23:57
he got 10 from the Giants last year.
24:01
If he stays at $9 million or below,
24:03
I'm definitely interested.
24:04
If it goes any higher than that,
24:06
there are other players that I like better
24:08
that are in that same price range.
24:11
But that is one name that I would keep an eye on.
24:15
Can the offense survive a big departure
24:18
and still be among the best in the NFL?
24:21
That is coming up next on today's episode of Locked
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Wrap and things up here on today's episode of locked on box.
26:22
And I really said all I wanted to say
26:25
about the Mike Evans situation earlier this week.
26:28
So I'm not going to rehash all of the same topics.
26:31
If you missed it, go back, listen to it.
26:33
I spent nearly 15 minutes breaking down all of my thoughts,
26:38
you know, things that I was hearing,
26:39
what I was, the vibes that I was getting.
26:43
So if you didn't hear that, go back and listen to that.
26:47
I will talk a little bit with Evan
26:50
on tomorrow's show about the Mike Evans situation.
26:54
But what I want to talk about here
26:56
is where the offense will be if he doesn't return.
27:01
And the reason that I'm doing this
27:02
is I've seen a whole lot of, you know,
27:04
if he leaves the boxer cooked, sky is falling kind of rhetoric
27:09
being floated around out there on social media,
27:11
on different blogs, different podcasts, things like that,
27:14
I'm going to be honest with you.
27:17
I think it's really, really overblown.
27:19
And quite honestly, bordering on false,
27:24
the box offense, if he leaves, is still going to be fun
27:30
and they still have a legitimate chance
27:33
to be one of the best offenses in the league
27:36
barring the injury issues that they had last year.
27:41
We all know where Zach Robinson came from, right?
27:43
No, I'm not talking about Atlanta
27:46
and the Falcons offense, I'm talking about Los Angeles
27:50
from the Garden of McVan.
27:53
Think back to two years ago,
27:54
when the offense in Tampa was absolutely cooking
27:58
under Liam Cohen, it wasn't Mike Evans
28:01
that was tearing it up, it was Chris Godwin.
28:05
Godwin was in the top three in the NFL
28:07
in receptions, targets, yards and touchdowns
28:11
before his ankle got snapped into a billion pieces
28:17
It's because Cohen and Robinson come from an offensive system
28:21
that does not use an ex-receiver the way most teams do.
28:26
Their offense runs through the slot
28:29
and using those mismatches to create opportunity.
28:33
Now that's not to say that a dominant ex-receiver,
28:36
such as Mike, wouldn't have a place in this offense.
28:39
Of course he would.
28:40
He has a place in any offense, are you kidding me?
28:43
But look at, you know, you look at what Drake London did
28:46
with Zach Robinson.
28:48
The thing is, it's not a necessity.
28:51
Go back to 2021 and the Los Angeles Rams
28:55
when Robinson was there on the staff
28:57
and the Rams won the Super Bowl.
28:59
Who was the guy that the offense ran through?
29:02
Cooper Cup, who broke record set season.
29:05
He isn't an ex-receiver, he's a slot receiver.
29:08
He finished with 191 targets,
29:11
145 receptions, 1,947 yards, and 16 touchdowns.
29:17
108 of his 145 receptions resulted in a first down
29:22
and he averaged 114 and a half yards per day.
29:25
That's absolutely insane.
29:28
No, I don't think Chris Godwin,
29:31
being a slot receiver in Tampa,
29:33
is going to get 191 targets if Evans works elite.
29:38
That's the beauty of it.
29:40
You have three receivers in Tampa under contract.
29:44
Right now, they could all line up outside or in the slot.
29:49
All of them can play the X, Y, or Z receiver.
29:54
And it allows for a ton of flexibility on Robinson's part
29:58
to move guys in and out of those spots,
30:00
to create mismatches and be able to keep this offense hungry.
30:05
You throw in Tess Johnson and his speed
30:07
and you still have an incredibly dangerous offense
30:10
with a buffet of weapons that a lot of teams
30:13
are going to have trouble stopping.
30:15
Godwin can play the slot, a Buka can play the slot,
30:18
McMillan can play the slot.
30:21
A Buka show last year, he can play all three receiver positions
30:28
That 2021 Super Bowl Rams team didn't operate
30:31
under traditional receiver roles.
30:34
Beyond Cooper Cup, they had Van Jefferson
30:36
as their second leading receiver on the team.
30:38
They had Odell Beckham Jr. for eight games.
30:41
They had to Sean Jackson, which I completely forgot about
30:44
because he only played in seven games
30:46
and he had eight receptions all of you.
30:48
And then they had Robert Woods for nine days.
30:51
You mean to tell me that that receiving crew
30:55
that had just two guys over 800 yards on the season
31:01
is more talented than what the bucks have under contract
31:04
right now, right this minute, no shot.
31:08
Absolutely no shot.
31:12
And I get it, Robinson's offense isn't a carbon copy
31:16
of what McVeigh does, but it doesn't have to be.
31:19
The foundation of the offense is rooted
31:21
in what he learned under McVeigh with some tweaks here and there.
31:26
But this is an offense that can thrive
31:27
with exactly what they have in house right now.
31:31
This isn't me saying that you should let Mike walk
31:34
or that the box wouldn't love to have him
31:36
or that he wouldn't add even more potential
31:39
to what this offense can be.
31:41
What I am saying is what I've been saying
31:45
and been brutally attacked for on social media
31:50
and in the comments sections.
31:52
And it's this, if you have to choose
31:56
between paying a receiver at age 33, $25 million a year
32:02
or spending that on the side of the ball
32:05
that truly needs the help, that truly needs the upgrades.
32:10
Then it is better for the overall success of the franchise
32:15
both this year and in the future to spend that money
32:20
where it's needed, not where it's the most sentimental,
32:25
not where it's going to make the fans happiest
32:29
because somebody is returning to the team
32:33
because this scheme with these receivers is still going
32:38
to be able to push Baker towards 4,000 yards
32:41
and over 30 touchdowns again.
32:45
That just isn't going to do any good
32:47
if the defense can't stop it.
32:51
That's going to do it for this episode.
32:53
Coming up tomorrow, we will be joined by Evan Koski.
32:56
He has plenty of thoughts on Trey Hendrickson
32:59
and he's got some bold predictions for everyone.
33:02
In the meantime, check out everything on Twitter,
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at Locked On Bucks, at JRco underscore bucks,
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Hope you all have an absolutely outstanding day.
33:40
Stay safe, stay healthy, fire the cannons.
33:43
I want to thank you so much for joining me right here
33:45
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