Giardi: NFL Notebook - Wide receiver market fluid, but Patriots need to make something happen; plus, are the Bears setting a blueprint for NE to follow?

When news broke that D.K. Metcalf had requested a trade and the Seahawks would explore it, social media, radio, and TV became dominated by the subject locally. 

'The Patriots have to go get him.'

'He answers all their problems.'

Yadda yadda yadda.

Not to be the wet blanket, but folks overlooked a critical note at the end of Adam Schefter's tweet: "Prefers a contender."

Despite big dreams and big promises, the Pats aren't that — not yet. They've lost 26 of their last 34 games and, even with the new regime, have a lot of work to do (just look at the roster).

There's also this, which I'm sure you've seen or heard by now.

Metcalf was asked on a podcast with Katie Nolan if he would be interested in playing for the Patriots. 

“No,” he said. “It’s not a desirable place, in my opinion. Great organization, though.”

Are there ways to convince him otherwise? The Pats attempted that with Calvin Ridley in free agency a year ago and then with Brandon Aiyuk via a trade. Neither was willing to take the cheese. In fact, Aiyuk wouldn't even take the head coach's phone call.

But could an extension for $30+ million a year assuage Metcalf's concerns? He is entering the last year of his contract and is set to count over $31 million against the Seahawks' cap. A pre-June 1 trade would save Seattle nearly $11 million ($21 mil dead cap), whereas a post-June 1 swap would result in $18 million in savings and the ability to spread out the dead money over two seasons (2025 $13.8 million, 2026 $7.125 million).

I made some calls about what the next team (this team?) would be getting.

"He's not a true #1," said an NFC West exec. "He should be. He has all the measurables, but he's never taken that next step. And for someone as physical as he is, doesn't consistently win those 50/50 balls."

"He's not a $30+ million wide receiver, even with the rising cost," said an AFC exec. "He carries himself like he is, but Seattle showed you what it thought about him in the second half of the year. They were all about JSN (Jaxson Smith-Njigba)."

There's also this to consider: Seattle has the financial flexibility to pay Metcalf if it wants. It doesn't, which is why the trade request was made and why the Hawks said they'll explore it. They know him better than you — better than anyone, and they don't think he's worth it. That should carry some weight when it comes time for the Pats' brass to decide to go all in for Metcalf or wait for someone else.

NOT DEAD, YET

Don't shovel dirt on Tee Higgins's availability just yet. Despite the Bengals desperately wanting to take care of both Ja'Marr Chase and Higgins, reports this week suggest Cincinnati isn't close to long-term deals with either. And Maxx Crosby's whopping extension with the Raiders only complicates matters. 

Wait, what?

Crosby got $91 million guaranteed from Las Vegas, making him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history. Guess who wants that honor? Chase, and he's made it clear to the Bengals for months now, and they claim they're willing to do it.

“Ja’Marr is always going to be our priority," said GM Duke Tobin. "He’s a fantastic football player; he’s going to end up being the No. 1-paid non-quarterback in the league.”

Add Metcalf's availability and potential to get his own mega-deal - and how that might impact Higgins - and you understand why life gets increasingly complicated for this bungling Bengals front office, who are trying to work these deals on "parallel paths," according to Tobin.

By the way, they must because the two players share the same agent. No funny business allowed, and while I'm certain Higgins would be more than fine playing in Cincy on a long-term contract, getting tagged for a second straight season is not something he's pleased by. 

The bottom line is: never wait with these contracts unless you have serious reservations about the player's health or there are off-field concerns. Otherwise, the price just goes up and up and up, and the Bengals are now risking making their roster a) far too offense-heavy and b) if they can't satiate both players, pissing off their franchise quarterback, Joe Burrow.

GOOD ON GODWIN

The most likely scenario, per league sources, is that the Pats go all-in on Chris Godwin. It's going to cost you.

Godwin is, in many ways, the perfect Vrabel/McDaniels player. He is a versatile player capable of playing both inside and out, has long been terrific after the catch, is sure-handed (0 drops before the injury last season), is an asset in the run game (he is a willing blocker), and is a tremendous locker room guy. What's not to like? Oh sure, there's the dislocated ankle thing - the medicals are important - but at 29, Godwin should have a couple good years left in the tank. If the build goes the way the Pats want, they'll be a desirable organization by then and that suck tax they have to pay now should no longer exist.

The Pats won't be alone in pursuing Godwin, but this is a clear case where the price should not matter. You have the money; you're not going to find enough takers for all that money, so just write the damn check and make it happen. Again, assuming the Buccaneers don't lock him up before then.

DID SOMEONE WAKE UP THE JONES BOYS?

After promising to be "all in" last year and doing jack diddly squat in free agency, the Cowboys have awakened from their slumber — or did they?

Owner and GM Jerry Jones and his son Stephen re-worked the deals for Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb, freeing up $56.6 million in salary cap space (take your cap and shove it). That's gotta signal something coming down the pike, right?

"I'm not looking at free agency as a place to fill voids," said Jerry, even after Lamb took to 'X' to let everyone know Dallas needed to add.

Some of that money should be earmarked for Micah Parsons' gigantic contract. Parsons is scheduled to play in 2025 on his fifth-year option ($22.06 million). By doing an extension now, the Cowboys can lower his cap hit for the upcoming season and do what Lamb asks. But the Jones family sure acts like they know better than most, even though it's been decades since they won a Super Bowl.

They did prevent defensive lineman Osa Odighizuwa from entering free agency, signing him to a four-year deal that guarantees him $52 million ($80 million in total value). But that doesn't change their overall state. They now find themselves chasing the Super Bowl champion Eagles and Jayden Daniels' upstart Commanders.

BUILDING A WALL FOR THEIR QB

A year after the Carolina Panthers dumped a ton of money into the interior of their offensive line, the Chicago Bears are following the exact blueprint, striking twice before free agency gets underway.

On Tuesday, Chicago swapped a 6th-round pick for LA Rams guard Jonah Jackson. The very next morning, they were at it again, flipping a 2026 4th-rounder for old friend Joe Thuney.

The Thuney trade initially shocked a fair amount of front office execs - my favorite text from someone out West was "WTF." But after sitting on it for a minute or two, it made all the sense in the world. Yes, Thuney is coming off back-to-back first-team All-Pro seasons, but he's 32 years old; the Chiefs just slapped the franchise tag on the opposite guard, the younger Trey Smith, and still must find the money to upgrade at tackle, plus retain some of their free agents, including linebacker Nick Bolton.

Ronnie Stanley is a name that emerged as a potential left tackle solution for KC. Yes, Baltimore has publicly said it would like to retain the veteran. Still, the closer we get to the legal tampering period, the more likely it is that Stanley will get to market and realize there's a plethora of opportunities for him. He has played on a bunch of winning teams, and the sense I got from talking to execs at the Combine was that Stanley is more likely to forego an extra million or three to get that elusive Super Bowl ring. Is that with the Chiefs? Remaining with the Ravens? Somewhere else?

Meanwhile, like the Panthers with 5-10 Bryce Young, the Bears have a smaller quarterback in Caleb Williams (6-1). Last year's top pick in the draft had a nasty habit of holding the ball too long, and there was some thought from the previous regime in Chicago that he didn't always see the field as well as he did at USC. So, the first fix was hiring Ben Johnson as head coach/elite play designer/play caller. The next is to reshape an offensive line that was too leaky, and Johnson admitted the Bears' goal was to re-tool the whole damn thing.

"Yeah, I think it's been done before, right?" he said at the Combine. "I mean, there are a number of teams that did that last year. The Panthers come to mind when they went out in free agency and got a couple of top guards, really changed the dynamic of their offense. 

"You saw them clicking there in the second half of the season once they really started to gel. There's no question that you can change the dynamic of the room just like that. That particular room, it does take time for five guys to come together. Especially if you have to deal with attrition and injuries for five guys to be working on the same page."

Thuney is, on paper, an upgrade over Teven Jenkins (a potential Pats candidate), while Jackson is a bit of a dice roll but someone Johnson is very familiar with, having coached him in Detroit. Jackson inked a three-year deal for $51 million with the Rams last off-season but played in just four games because of a shoulder injury. After coming off IR, he played one game and got benched. Sean McVay was complimentary of Jackson for handling the situation, but it was clear that LA wanted to move on and did so quickly. Jackson, like Thuney, has primarily been a left guard but has also dabbled at center and on the right side.