Thursday’s #PFTPM had a through line that won’t make it any easier for the various teams to get through the opening to the vault that contains the public money.
The salary cap is up significantly, again. Which means revenues are up, again. And franchise values have increased to the point that the 49ers are considering selling up to 10 percent at a record valuation of $9 billion — less than two years after the Commanders sold for only $6 billion.
But teams still want free cash to replace their perceived clunkers. Mainly because politicians keep coughing it up, like the contents of a wallet during a mugging.
Really, who wouldn’t want free money? No matter how much money you already have, free money is free money. Building a house? Why pay for it yourself if the government can be persuaded to kick in half?
After the news that the Texans are exploring a new stadium to replace a home that’s less than 25 years old, we made a list. Checked it twice. At least eight of 32 teams are actively looking for significant public money for the construction of a new stadium or the renovation of a current one.
That group includes the Texans, Browns, Bengals, Chiefs, Broncos, Eagles, Commanders, and Bears. Currently, the Bills, Titans, Panthers, and Jaguars are getting new venues or expensive stadium renovations with public contributions. That’s 12 of 32 teams that are either getting or trying to get updated or new places to play. With significant taxpayer money sought or included in each one.
So when and where does the faucet close? For years now, public sentiment has been turning stronger and stronger against subsidizing multi-billionaires. Last year, the Chiefs couldn’t parlay two straight Super Bowl wins and the presence (and involvement) of stars like Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce into enough votes to extend an existing sales tax that would have paid for a new stadium.
And while the transfer of the site of RFK Stadium to the District of Columbia came at no taxpayer expense, there’s no way the Commanders will build a stadium there without a taxpayer contribution. Good luck getting it, given the current slash-and-burn climate in and around D.C.
Sports owners ask for taxpayer money because it works. Because no politician wants to be responsible for a local team leaving. And if/when some other city or state will cough up the free cash the team’s current home won’t, that’s why a team will move.
As long as one viable city will give an owner the combination to the Kitnerboy Redoubt, the process will continue. If/when no one will, that’s when it will be game over for the league — and when the owners will have to pay for their own stadiums.
And then they’ll pass along the costs by jacking up the price for tickets accordingly.
But if anyone in a given community is going to be digging deep to pay for a new football stadium, shouldn’t the money come from the people who attend the games and not the people who don’t care about football at all? Strange as it may seem, in most cities where NFL teams play, the people who don’t care about the NFL outnumber those who do.
The annual two-week franchise-tag window opened two days ago. To no surprise, no tags have been issued yet.
And, in many respects, there’s no sense having a two-week tag period in a deadline-driven league. The opening of the window doesn’t matter; the closing of it does.
But there’s one exception. With the Scouting Combine a/k/a Tampering Central coming next week, applying the tag before heading to Indianapolis operates as a “do not touch” message to the rest of the league. If the player has been blocked from the open market with the tag, teams that will otherwise line up potential free agents won’t waste their time.
Then there’s the fact that the window closes right after teams get back from Indy. Yes, deadlines drive action. Racing to comply also sparks screwups.
Remember the Elvis Dumervil fax-machine snafu? The failure to accomplish a trade of A.J. McCarron from the Bengals to the Browns as the trade deadline arrived? Waiting too long can lead to unforced error.
Notwithstanding the above, there aren’t many no-brainer candidates for the tag this year. It might be only Bengals receiver Tee Higgins. It could be none at all.
Some crimes are very difficult to solve. Some aren’t.
The seven members of a Chilean gang who found themselves facing federal charges earlier this week in connection with burglaries at the homes of multiple pro athletes were brought down in part by taking selfies with their loot.
Via Tod Robberson of ESPN.com, a 20-page affidavit attached to the criminal complaint and unsealed earlier this week explains that three of the alleged burglars appear in photos taken with watches apparently stolen from NBA player Bobby Portis Jr. The photos were uploaded to a secure Apple iCloud account. Authorities secured access to it through a search warrant.
The Portis burglary resulted in the theft of property worth $1.48 million.
The FBI also used higher-tech methods in cracking the case, including license-plate reader data and cell phone tower data that matched one or more of the defendants’ phones with cars they had rented.
To date, arrests have been made of both alleged burglars and two alleged fences in the New York/New Jersey area. The first wave of apprehensions has been called the “tip of the iceberg.” It remains to be seen how big it is, and how deep it goes.
Contract extensions have been a big topic of conversation around the Bengals, but the first member of the team to land one is not one of the players whose status has been talked about the most.
The Bengals announced that they have signed punter Ryan Rehkow to a two-year extension on Tuesday morning. Rehkow is now under contract through 2026 and no other terms of the deal have been announced.
Rehkow signed with the Bengals after going undrafted in 2024 and was set to be an exclusive rights free agent this offseason,
Rehkow punted 53 times during his rookie season and he had a net average of 43.3 yards per kick.
The Bengals have heard Joe Burrow’s message. Loud and clear.
Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports that the Bengals will attempt to sign three key players to long-term deals: receiver Ja’Marr Chase, receiver Tee Higgins, and defensive end Trey Hendrickson.
Trying and doing are two different things, of course. Last year, they tried to sign Chase. And while the dollars made sense, the structure did not.
So the real question is whether the last, best offers made by the team to any, some, or all of them will be good enough.
For Chase, it’s likely going to take at least $40 million per year in new-money average. With a structure that includes sufficient guarantees and cash flow. It won’t be easy. It would have been easier last year, before Chase led the league in catches, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns during the 2024 season.
For Higgins, on whom the Bengals reportedly “likely” usethe tag absent a multi-year contract, the starting point for any negotiation will be the value of his tag. He can play under the tag, make $26.8 million, and hit the market next March. The Bengals will have to offer him a multi-year deal that will cause him to trade in the tag.
If, for example, the contract offer contains no full guarantees (or practical guarantees) beyond year one, why would he take it? The first-year payout would have to be a lot more than $26.8 million to get him to take a deal that carries only one year of true guarantees.
For Hendrickson, his $16 million compensation package is currently less than half of the market-leading price for his position. They’ll need to get a lot closer to Nick Bosa’s $34 million annual new-money average for the guy who had 17.5 sacks in each of the last two seasons.
Until the deals are done, the team’s goal might be simply to make Burrow think they’re trying. Because if he thinks they aren’t, he potentially inches closer to the Carson Palmer DEFCON 1.
