- 6/19/2025
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00:00As we said here, June 19th, we're roughly one month out
00:02where the majority of teams will be joining NFL training camp
00:06and away we go because you have to understand this, right?
00:08We're in June right now.
00:10Flips over to July.
00:11We do have preseason football in the month of July.
00:14So the fact that like July is football season,
00:17it's crazy how fast that's coming up upon us here.
00:19But other teams out here, Joe, are trying to make themselves better
00:23even in the late months here of heading into training camp.
00:26And that includes the Baltimore Ravens.
00:28Adam Schefter tweet came out yesterday.
00:30Compensation update, former Packers cornerback Jair Alexander
00:33signed a one-year $6 million deal with the Ravens.
00:36He turned out more to be in Baltimore with his former college teammate Lamar Jackson.
00:41Now, as it turns out, Joe, this deal is a one-year $4 million contract
00:45with a chance to earn some incentives.
00:47So the question that I say is I like the addition because it's a low risk reward here
00:53or high reward for the Baltimore Ravens.
00:55You didn't pay him two years $46 million and see if it works out.
00:59If this works out, this could be a steal.
01:01But again, you get what you pay for here.
01:04A cornerback in his prime that has made Pro Bowls and all pro teams being sold for one year,
01:10$4 million.
01:11Just to give you a look at that, like Darius Slay, who left the Philadelphia Eagles
01:15for these Pittsburgh Steelers.
01:17He got one year, $10 million.
01:19And he's in his mid-30s at this point.
01:21Number one, do we like the deal for Baltimore?
01:23But number two, why did he go for such a cheap price to Baltimore?
01:28Yeah.
01:28Well, again, it's, you know, he's one of these players that unfortunately, because of his injury
01:34history, I mean, he's missed 20 games over the last two seasons because of injury.
01:39He's also missed 38 total games in his seven-year career.
01:44So what led to him getting that $84 million extension in 2022 was the fact that he had
01:51a couple of years there where he was a pro ball.
01:54He was an all pro.
01:55He was one of the, considered one of the best in the NFL.
01:58He now, unfortunately, because of the injuries, has himself in a situation where he was released.
02:03He's going to have to prove it no matter where he goes.
02:06And at this point in his career, he's probably, you know, familiarity wins, Donnie.
02:11And having the star quarterback as a buddy of yours and former college teammate, it's
02:16worth taking a few last bucks to go ahead and like where you are at this point in his
02:23career.
02:23And I think he'll love it in Baltimore, especially with Lamar there.
02:28Yeah.
02:28The best part about it, too, is like, if you have a player that has, you know, struggled,
02:32I guess, within the locker room, if you will, and it just didn't work out in Green Bay,
02:36and we always talk about this, too, like really good players don't just get released
02:40like late in the, like the, let's just say, free agency era.
02:44Like you want to stay on that team.
02:45You want the Packers certainly didn't want to let him go, but maybe the risk for his reward
02:49for them was certainly lower.
02:51It's like, okay, well, he didn't want to renegotiate the contract and drop it down to
02:55get so low, but you're going to the Ravens.
02:57It's not as if you're going like a renegade franchise, like they just say the Raiders used
03:00to be.
03:00It's like, okay, he's having some issues.
03:02Now you go into a lawless environment.
03:04How's that going to work out?
03:06The Ravens have unbelievable structure here, and you certainly see it.
03:09Like Lamar Jackson really wanted him.
03:10Hey, you know what?
03:11You might have had some problems in Green Bay.
03:13Welcome to the team here.
03:14Let's see if we can make the best of it, and on the way, maybe pick up a ring or two
03:17and have some fun doing it.
03:18I was just surprised here to see that he went for that lower price, but again, maybe it's
03:22an absolute steal.
03:23The Ravens are a good team.
03:24The Ravens are expected to compete for championships, and as we look at some of the odds here,
03:27specifically in the AFC, who's the team that's favored here at the FanDuel Sportsbook
03:32to win the AFC?
03:33See, it's the Baltimore Ravens.
03:34They made themselves better yesterday, and in the landscape of the AFC, which should
03:38be fun.
03:39Why not?
03:39The Ravens, for me, Joe, always a fun, bettable team in the regular season.
03:44Just when we start to get to the playoffs, they just haven't proven it yet.
03:48So for me, you add Jair to that Ravens squad here, I'm up on the Ravens.
03:52Matter of fact, I'm always up on the Ravens in the regular season.
03:56Well, listen, they are committing a lot of resources to that secondary, and they need
04:02to, because last year, they were ranked 31st in the NFL in passing yards, allowed a game,
04:09over 244 yards a game here.
04:12And this is, keeping in mind here, I mean, they got Kyle Hamilton and Marlon Humphrey,
04:17two pretty good cornerbacks and safeties back there.
04:21They've got a couple of key guys.
04:23Awuzie, I think they got in free agency.
04:26They've drafted a couple of guys in the cornerbacks spot.
04:31And now, of course, they added Jair.
04:33So there was obviously a commitment on the Ravens to get better in that secondary against
04:38the pass.
04:39And if he stays healthy, they did just that.
04:42No, they did that, just that.
04:44And also, you're just adding extra pieces.
04:46Derrick Henry, certainly worthy of a new contract, gets an extension there.
04:49He's happy.
04:50Even the good vibes around Mark Andrews have one of the biggest drops and the biggest
04:53moments that you will ever see in the NFL.
04:55What's Lamar Jackson do?
04:56That's my guy, man.
04:57Welcome back to the team in there.
04:58So sort of like you could have hung him out the dry.
05:01They didn't do that.
05:01Zay Flowers out on the outside, Rashad Bateman gets that new deal.
05:05The defense you always know is going to be up to par.
05:07It can't hurt, right?
05:08Like Wiggins is a really good young cornerback.
05:10If he progresses, you already have Marlon Humphrey on that team, a very good quarterback.
05:14You throw in Jair Alexander if he can step his game up.
05:17And what I mean by that is not play great when he's on the field.
05:19Just be on the field at this point.
05:21You have all the makings of a team that can make a run and you should be high on them.
05:25But again, every time I say to myself before the season, let me take that future on
05:30the Ravens here to get to a Super Bowl or win a Super Bowl, we wind up in the playoffs
05:34going like, Lamar, this isn't what we see in the entire season.
05:37Or even a worst case scenario, when you have the Chiefs dead to rights in your own building
05:41to go to the Super Bowl, you go, you know what?
05:44Let's turn Lamar Jackson to Dan Marino and throw it all over the place when we know we
05:48could win if we just keep the football on the ground and play sound football.
05:50The Bills, the Chiefs, the Bengals, the Texans, the Broncos, they're not crazy, unbelievable
05:55teams.
05:55We know the Chiefs and their promise they're out there in the West.
05:58They're always there at the end.
06:00They got Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid.
06:01The Buffalo Bills, with a slightly easier schedule this year, could they be the number one overall
06:05seed?
06:06But one of those teams I always find myself with, Joe, the Baltimore Ravens on a week-to-week
06:10basis, it's hard to fade the Ravens in the regular season.
06:14It is.
06:15It absolutely is.
06:18And ironically enough, it's not necessarily the defense that lets them down in crunch time
06:25in the postseason, Donnie.
06:27It's play calling.
06:29It's the offense.
06:30It's Lamar.
06:31It's guys not shot.
06:32You know, it has not been a defense, but they recognize the weakness.
06:37And that's the great thing about the Ravens organization is that they do what they have
06:41to do in order to improve and give themselves a shot.
06:44They're going to be there.
06:46But again, so are the Chiefs.
06:48So are the Bills.
06:49And if we haven't figured that out by now, it's the same players are going to be there
06:55when it matters the most this year.
06:57Yep.
06:58Add a veteran in DeAndre Hopkins there on the outside.
07:00So the team technically should be making a Super Bowl run.
07:03They will win double-digit games in the regular season.
07:06They will be in the playoffs.
07:07It's just a matter of their healthy and also just in the biggest moments making the right
07:11reads there for Lamar Jackson.
07:12But everything they've done this all season makes a lot of sense.
07:15To even cut a distraction with Justin Tucker as their kicker, the last thing you wanted
07:18is, well, the kicker's on the downside of his career and have to answer questions every
07:22week.
07:22Is the guy going to get diluted?
07:23Is he going to get suspended by the NFL?
07:24So bringing in good talent here, also having good talent, a good coaching staff, and a good
07:29organization, that's certainly going to make some moves here.
07:32No doubt about it.
07:33But also, when we talk about the top of the AFC with the Ravens, let's spend a little
07:36love here in the NFC.
07:38Certainly up for grabs as well.
07:40It's the early line.
07:40Talking football in June.
07:42Yeah.
07:43Love it.
07:43Ah, feels good to talk about the NFL.
07:46It does.
07:46We are so close here as we sit on January the 19th.
07:49This is a Thursday.
07:50One month from today, training camps will be open across the NFL.
07:54And just about a week, week and a half after that, the preseason game season will open up.
07:58And that's with the Hall of Fame game.
08:00Fantastic.
08:00I can't even believe it.
08:01Like, it feels like, Joe, we were just watching the Philadelphia Eagles knock off the Kansas
08:04City Chiefs.
08:05And here we are in the summer break.
08:07We're supposed to be a quiet time until the training camps start to ramp back up.
08:11But we're close.
08:12Next week, late June, end of the season here in the NHL, which just ended.
08:16The NDA season is going to end.
08:17Major League Baseball takes center stage.
08:19Then football takes over, Joe, in a big way.
08:21I'm excited for that.
08:22Yeah.
08:23Calm before the storm, Donnie.
08:25We say it every year, right?
08:28The dog days of summer get here where it's just Major League Baseball.
08:33And we're basically, at that point, kind of counting down the days until football and, more
08:40importantly, even college football gets started.
08:43So, enjoy the calm before the storm because it'll be here before we know it.
08:48It certainly will be.
08:49And also, just take a look at the AFC.
08:51The Ravens rule the roost as a slight favorite here over the Bills, Chiefs, and the Bengals.
08:54We take a look at the NFC.
08:56It's the Philadelphia Eagles, the reigning world champions here at a plus 370 price and
09:00a little bit of separation before the team in second in the odds market at a 5-1 price
09:04with the Detroit Lions.
09:05Let's start here.
09:06It's not even with the Philadelphia Eagles.
09:08It's the Detroit Lions.
09:09Ultra-talented team, Joe.
09:10But they lose probably the most innovative offensive coordinator that we've seen over
09:14the past couple years taking the job with the Chicago Bears.
09:17That's Ben Johnson.
09:18Also losing Aaron Glenn, the defensive coordinator, who took the job for the New York Jets.
09:23It's still Dan Campbell.
09:24It's his team.
09:25But let's start Detroit.
09:27How much of a step are they going to might be taking back because they just don't have
09:30those coordinators left on the team anymore?
09:33Well, listen, the truly great ones adapt, right?
09:38We've seen Harbaugh and Baltimore go through how many DCs and OCs, right, over the years.
09:45Same thing with Andy Reid.
09:46Same thing with Bill Belichick.
09:48We've seen this.
09:49The great ones have other guys ready to step in in their place and get the job done.
09:55So it starts with the top.
09:57And we're going to find out.
09:58This is the first time for Dan Campbell, right?
10:00Where mass exited, so to speak.
10:03You know, we're going to see exactly if this is truly a culture thing.
10:07Is it him?
10:09Is it the organization?
10:11If they don't nail the coordinators, I think we're going to know rather quickly this season.
10:16Yeah, we'll see.
10:17Jared Goff, certainly a rebirth of his career, making big money now that offense is a machine.
10:21They've got wide receivers.
10:22They've got offensive line.
10:22They've got great running backs here.
10:24And maybe they'll be healthy on defense.
10:26But it's a little surprise last year.
10:27It's like, okay, it's supposed to be Detroit and Philadelphia in the NFC Championship game
10:30in Detroit.
10:31And we all saw Washington go in there and blow the doors off the Detroit Lions, which
10:35then the Eagles beat up on Washington, made it to the Super Bowl, and ended up in a victory
10:39over the Kansas City Chiefs.
10:40We look at the Philadelphia Eagles at that plus 370 price.
10:43You know, lost some players on defense, which again, you're going to have attrition.
10:46When guys are good, they're looking to make more money.
10:48They win the Super Bowl and they leave town.
10:50And a couple players did that.
10:51Zach Vaughn was re-signed.
10:52You know, Cooper Dejean is still back at this point.
10:54They had a pretty good draft here.
10:56And now you line up the Eagles at a plus 370 price where they do have the targets on their
10:59back.
11:00But understand this.
11:01The Eagles play the NFC North here as a division for the NFC East.
11:05Tough.
11:06They also play the AFC West.
11:08Very tough.
11:09That schedule for the Eagles is incredibly hard.
11:12Now, are we saying they can't win double-digit football games and make a playoff run?
11:15No, we're not.
11:16But you do benefit from the fact of getting a number one overall seed or a number two overall
11:20seed like we saw last year where the ability to host playoff games in your building
11:25makes a big difference.
11:26If you win 11 games, and let's just say the Rams or the 49ers or the Packers win 12 games
11:30because your schedule is hard, that's a detriment.
11:33Talk to me about the Eagles coming into this season at a plus 370 price as the favorite show
11:38in the NFC.
11:39Yeah, it's, I mean, listen, you're the champ until somebody beats you and says you're no
11:46longer here.
11:47But the Eagles, the way this team has been built, the way it was built through the draft
11:51and free agency, the guys that they have locked up, the Eagles will always be, to me, a defensive
11:57first team here.
11:59And that defense is going to be just as good as it was a year ago here.
12:04We know what they are offensively.
12:07And kind of, here we go, come and stop us.
12:10And nobody's been able to do it yet, Donnie.
12:12And I'm not sure another offseason is going to slow this team down any.
12:17Not with that defense.
12:19I think that's where it begins and ends with the Eagles.
12:22Yeah, and I agree.
12:23And you'll find out, you know, opening night here where they're going to host and be like,
12:26you know what, let's get this season off.
12:28And by the way, I don't know if it's a bad omen or not, but the ring ceremony for the
12:32Philadelphia Eagles has been pushed back multiple times already because the jeweler doesn't
12:36have the new rings ready to go yet.
12:38So we're still in the month of June.
12:39Nobody's seen that new Eagles ring.
12:41It was supposed to be on June the 4th.
12:43Now we don't know when that actual date is going to be.
12:45So a delay in that, but certainly not a delay on the NFL season, which would open on a Thursday
12:49against those Dallas Cowboys.
12:52We'll get to them in just a moment.
12:53How about the Rams, though, at a 9-1 price?
12:55Feels like everybody's going to start to fall in love there.
12:57Young, fresh defense with a great pass rush here.
13:00Talented starting running back, which is trying to get a re-up here to get an extension to keep
13:04him happy.
13:05Puka Niku, one of the best young wide receivers in football.
13:07Devontae Adams out of that team.
13:09Matt Stafford, a quarterback, rejuvenated head coach in Sean McVay.
13:12How about those Rams squad out there on the West Coast, Joe?
13:16Yeah, I mean, I think that's also going to be very interesting.
13:20You know, once again, we thought it was very top-heavy last year, Donnie, with Philadelphia
13:25and then, all right, who?
13:27We didn't, injuries mounted.
13:30What happened to the 49ers, right?
13:32And, you know, the AFC was the one where it could have been any one of four teams.
13:36I don't know that that's the case this year.
13:39I think the NFC, the gap is closed, and I think we're in for a battle down the stretch
13:44with the AFC as well.
13:46Yeah, it should be fun here to watch it play out.
13:48Like, the 49ers don't have that tough of a schedule this year.
13:50Brock Purdy gets the massive deal.
13:52They're saying Christian McCaffrey is healthy.
13:54Brandon, IU will see he's healthy now.
13:56Saul is back.
13:57Yeah, and, you know, some guys upset with their, like, how they're getting used in that
14:01franchise.
14:01We'll see how it plays out.
14:03But, again, they'll be all seen at this point.
14:04Change is going to be to the Raulsters as we line up.
14:07Injuries will happen in training camp.
14:09The Green Bay Packers at a 10-1 price.
14:10The Commanders at a 10-1 price.
14:12How about the Minnesota Vikings getting a lot of respect at 11-1 when they're going to
14:15de facto have a rookie start at quarterback for them, even though it's the second year
14:19for J.J. McCarthy.
14:21The Tampa Bay Buccaneers at a 13-1 price.
14:23We'll see what Baker Mayfield does there.
14:24The Chicago Bears getting a lot of hype.
14:26Why?
14:27Ben Johnson goes over, and that team has a lot of talent.
14:29They sit at 21-1, Joe.
14:31What do you think about the Bears quickly here coming into the season?
14:34Yeah, no.
14:37They are going to burn your money.
14:41Don't be backing the Bears.
14:43You've got to see it before you buy into it.
14:46Tough scene out there.
14:47The Arizona Cardinals, the Atlanta Falcons, the Seahawks.
14:50It's going to be fun to go day to day and wait for the start of the NFL season.
14:54The question is going to be also, who is the MVP?
14:57Who's going to win the MVP?
14:58Find out next.
14:59We'll talk about it right here on The Early Line.
15:02Right back out of here on The Early Line.
15:04Hour number two in full effect, the NFL.
15:07Yeah, the topics are hot.
15:08Yes, there's a little bit of a delay here until we get to the regular season
15:11and the training camps and the preseason games.
15:13But it's never too early to set the table on anticipation of some players, Joe,
15:18having fantastic regular seasons.
15:20And regular season's the key word here.
15:23If we look at the MVP market at the FanDuel Sportsbook,
15:25are we surprised that the NFL MVP favorite is Lamar Jackson at a 5-1 price,
15:32followed by Josh Allen at a 6-1 price?
15:34Patrick Holmes also tied with Josh Allen at 6-1,
15:36as well as Joe Burrow at 6-1.
15:39Jaden Daniels, Justin Herbert, Jalen Hurts, and away we go.
15:42Sometimes you can pinpoint.
15:44It's like an NBA.
15:44Like, we know the good players are supposed to be barring injury here.
15:48Lamar Jackson as the favorite, Joe.
15:50Your initial thoughts on that?
15:53Yeah, well, of course he's the favorite.
15:55I think he's the favorite every year, is he not?
15:57It's him and Josh Allen.
16:01I'm a little more curious down the board here a little bit as, you know,
16:06what do we get from C.J. Stroud?
16:09Is it a bounce back?
16:10Does Justin Herbert now, with a year under the Harbaugh system,
16:14does he all of a sudden elevate his game with the Chargers?
16:18And, of course, Jaden Daniels on his sophomore year coming up here,
16:24and Washington poised to make some noise in the East.
16:27I think there's some value down the board.
16:30Is it just Lamar and Josh, and that's basically it?
16:34What has the AFC become then?
16:36Yeah, it's interesting, too, because Patrick Mahomes at 6-1 price,
16:40he's always going to be there.
16:41But I don't know if that offense is the same as, like, it was years ago,
16:44whereas Tyreek Hill, I'm going to throw 50 touchdown passes,
16:47come chase me down.
16:48Like, they play great defense in Kansas City,
16:50a multitude of different ways to beat you.
16:52And also, as Kevin Walsh always points out,
16:54it's an ugly brand of football.
16:55Like, Casey's like, ah, we'll score when we need to,
16:57as opposed to stretching you out 28-0 in the first half,
17:00like they had the ability to do just a few years ago.
17:02Joe Burrow at 6-1, you also have to weigh the price points, too.
17:05Like, the expectations typically for an MVP are great season by your quarterback,
17:10great season by your football team.
17:12But what constitutes a great season?
17:13Is that Lamar Jackson going 13-4, putting up great numbers?
17:16Or how about Joe Burrow throwing for over 5,000 yards this year,
17:2045-plus touchdowns, but his team is fighting around 500
17:23and doesn't even win the division because Lamar Jackson
17:26and the Baltimore Ravens win that division?
17:28When you take a look at a guy like Joe Burrow at 6-1,
17:30you can anticipate a great statistical season,
17:33but does he get the extra bump if we don't think Cincinnati
17:36is as good as we think they are because they're losing games 35-34?
17:42Ultimately, it's all going to be a popularity contest anyway.
17:47Who garners the more headlines?
17:49And the interesting part with Burrow and Lamar is that, you know,
17:53we're going to get to see them go head-to-head a couple of times again this year.
17:57And usually that influences voters one way or the other, like it or not.
18:03So a lot of it can play out.
18:05I'm not tying up any of my money long-term for any of these,
18:09certainly 5-6 to 1.
18:12But maybe if you want to take a bomb there
18:15and think that a Stroud or Jared Goff or somebody,
18:19and if you like Detroit to win it,
18:21then who's the MVP if Detroit wins and runs the table?
18:25Correct.
18:2615 different players on that team, probably.
18:28Like, ah, the wideout, the quarterback,
18:30the running back at this point here,
18:31which does make it tough because it is easy to say, like,
18:34of course Lamar is going to be there.
18:35He'll probably run for close to, I don't know, 800, 900 yards,
18:38whatever he does.
18:39He'll throw 30 touchdown passes.
18:40The Ravens will be good.
18:41And you can, similar with Josh Allen,
18:43you know he's going to put up big statistics.
18:45He says, okay, well, let's find that value.
18:47It's like, well, do I want to take Saquon Barkley to 50-1?
18:49Like, is he going to rush for 2,000 yards again?
18:51If he didn't win MVP last year, how's he going to win MVP?
18:53Is he going to run for 2,500 yards to do that?
18:56You know he's not going to do that.
18:57He's a Matthew Stafford out there on the West Coast.
18:59Like, yeah, he can bounce back.
19:00But you look at his numbers last year.
19:02They weren't fantastic.
19:03I guess the team was good,
19:04and they almost beat the Philadelphia Eagles
19:05in the divisional round.
19:06But it wasn't as if he threw 50 touchdown passes.
19:09He was well short of that pace.
19:10Is it going to be a guy that you don't see coming,
19:13like a Drake May at 60-1?
19:15Tua Tagovailoa was at 50-1,
19:16the chance to put up big numbers.
19:18Trevor Lawrence has a career right now.
19:20It's like, hey, kid, we paid you a lot of money.
19:21Are you ever going to step up?
19:23Liam Cohen coming to town,
19:24maybe that improves the offense.
19:26But the point is, like Joe and I are trying to say,
19:28well, who do you want to pay money on?
19:30J.J. McCarthy, 75-1.
19:31It just feels like it's a small, tight-knit community up top,
19:35and that's where you've got to spend your money.
19:38Or how about this one, Donnie?
19:40What's Saquon Barkley?
19:41I'm just curious.
19:43What's his number?
19:4550-1.
19:4650-cent.
19:47It's not going to be a quarterback.
19:48Where is it going to be?
19:51It's going to be a running back.
19:52If they outlawed the tush push,
19:54you might get the ball in the goal line.
19:55Think about this.
19:56If the Eagles didn't institute the tush push,
19:59you throw an extra 5-10 touchdowns on Saquon Barkley there,
20:02see what he would have done last year?
20:04That would have been interesting to find out.
20:05But it's the NFL.
20:06We'll see what happens.
20:07Injuries play a big part of that process.
20:09And can somebody surprise in that MVP race?
20:11Or will it just be the old guard,
20:13Lamar Jack,
20:14Josh Allen,
20:15Patrick Mahomes,
20:16and away you go.
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