Inbox: Calling the audible was a no-brainer

[Cheesehead]

Clipton from Pasadena, CA


Do you know why the NFL gave up on the combine this year? It's a revenue generator and I would think it would be far easier to manage the COVID risk there with no fans as opposed to the Super Bowl. Plus, having innumerable pro days would seem to create more of a COVID risk than a single well-managed event. What am I missing?


The combine collects every non-player who's anybody in the NFL (coaches, scouts, personnel executives) plus 300 draft-eligible prospects and countless media in Indianapolis for a week. No fans aside, the volume of league personnel dwarfs what converges on the Super Bowl. Managing the COVID risk would be a nightmare of gigantic proportions. In addition, the most valuable aspects of the combine to the teams are the medical checks and in-person interviews, which couldn't be conducted in the normal fashion while mitigating risk. So calling the audible was a no-brainer.


Joshua from Houston, TX


I haven't heard a lot about players retiring besides potentially Drew Brees. Have any big names announced anything yet?


Philip Rivers, Jason Witten, Greg Olsen, Thomas Davis, Anthony Castonzo, and Vance McDonald are all notable names who have retired since the end of the 2020 season.


Terry from Rothschild, WI


As a diehard sheepshead player and Packer owner/fan, where do I get my T-shirt? "Better to be bumped once than forever labeled a mauer." Do you know if any of the players or coaches play sheepshead?


One year my seat on the plane was at the very back of the "staff" section, right in front of the first segment of players, where Rodgers, Kuhn, Mason Crosby and Masthay would play sheepshead regularly (I can't recall if they had a fifth player, or if they played four-handed). It wasn't my place to intrude, but overhearing the banter brought back a flood of college memories.


Rex from Laramie, WY


For the first time in years, thanks to the pandemic, I got my taxes off to my accountant early. The question about where the players pay taxes got me wondering, though. Who keeps track of that? Do the Packers have an accounting team for the players, or is each player responsible for his own preparation?


Well, the payroll department breaks out my wages in other states from road trips on my W-2, so I would imagine the players get the same info. My income level is such that I don't always have to file in those other states (shocker, right?), but when I do, I'm on my own. I'm sure the players have their own accountants or their agencies manage it.


Matt from Waunakee, WI


To Ron from Waukesha: We could be paying Kirk Cousins 20% of our salary cap.


Or Jared Goff.


Terry from Canton, MI


Wilson and Watson are both reportedly at odds with ownership over direction their teams are taking. Not sure how dissatisfied Rodgers is, doubt anyone really know except Aaron himself. My question is, are we seeing the beginning of a major change in player/team relations? Elite QBs are realizing their power and starting to exercise it. Last change that big in player/team dynamics, was free agency, before that maybe players hiring agents. Just a thought.


I want to see how these Wilson and Watson situations play out before pronouncing we've reached a dynamic shift on the scale of the advent of free agency. I can appreciate any QB's frustrations. But every team makes personnel mistakes no matter how good faith their efforts are to build a winner, and uncontrollable injuries factor into any team's fortunes or direction. By the same token, every club's margin for error is also narrowed by the size of the contract the QB commands, and every QB in his heart knows this, whether he's making other demands of ownership or not.


Dan from Middleton, WI


The question about quarterback cap hits got me to thinking. Do you think there would ever be a time that the quarterback gets pulled out of the overall cap hit and ends up with some other salary restriction to allow for more freedom on contracts? For example, instead of a $180M cap, the cap drops to $150M with a quarterback cap of $40M, and some sort of incentive to maximize the amount you are under the quarterback cap.


In a word (or three), not a chance.


Gary from Sheboygan, WI


Good morning Insiders. If you had to trade player X, would you prefer an extra second-round draft pick this year with minimal footage or evaluation of this year's class, or a second-round pick next year with a more complete evaluation of players available next year?


My choice wouldn't have to do with the potential depth of evaluation. It would depend on which team's pick, and where it the round it sits relative to a guess as to where it might sit the following year.