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The New York Jets just pledged $30 million guaranteed to Justin Fields, which makes it unlikely that New York will select a quarterback at No. 7 overall in the upcoming NFL draft.
There is one wrinkle to that assumption, however, and it involves the most polarizing of the draft’s top 10 prospects.
If for some reason Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders isn’t selected by pick No. 7, the Jets could be presented with an advantageous opportunity.
According to ESPN’s Rich Cimini, the best move for the Jets at that point would be to draft Sanders and then trade him to another team that desires him greatly, thereby acquiring multiple draft picks in exchange for the young QB.
“Best-case scenario for the Jets … if Shedeur Sanders falls to (No. 7), and you trade down, you could really parlay that into some decent draft picks,” Cimini said on a new episode of his “Flight Deck” podcast.
“That’s what the Jets should do. They need extra draft capital.”
Cimini makes an excellent point here. Besides the fact that Sanders isn’t a sure thing at the next level in terms of turning into a franchise quarterback, if the Jets actually drafted Sanders to keep him, they’d be adding unnecessary noise around Fields, whom they by all accounts hope to develop into their long-term solution at QB.
By drafting and trading Sanders, however, New York could become better equipped to fill out some of its other positions of need as they build for the future at the start of a new era.
None of this will likely come to pass, however, as Sanders still being available at No. 7 is a long shot.
Even if the Cleveland Browns pass on Sanders, there has been plenty of talk coming out of the Big Apple that the New York Giants wouldn’t be opposed to snagging Sanders despite adding both Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston in free agency.
More must-reads:
- The four most interesting new college football coaching situations
- NFL Draft intel: Big Ten QB's elite arm turning heads among scouts
- The 'MLB franchise home run leaders' quiz
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Report: Michigan, Alabama, Tennessee emerging as favorites for top-10 RB in 2027 class
National outlet attempts to point out a downside on Tennessee Vols' new deal with Adidas, but it's completely misplaced
Tennessee made waves in the college football world on Thursday when the school announced a new deal with Adidas. The move is one that will provide Tennessee with significant NIL money as part of the agreement, a move that should be very strong for the university's sports programs. However, two media members don't think it's a perfect move - at least when it comes to the fans. On3 Sports' Ari Wasserman and Andy Staples raised concerns about the quality of the merchandise for the fans and the uniforms designs for the school. "If you're a fan, you know Nike is better than Adidas," Wasserman said. "And now you have to go to your bookstore or your team shop or go online and all your Tennessee gear is gonna be Adidas. That's the biggest drawback of this whole thing. And there might be some people who say 'you're crazy, Nike sucks' or whatever. I don't know if there's a political reason to hate Nike right now. I'm sure there is. But Nike's stuff has just been the best, period." "Adidas has a checkered history with the apparel and the uniforms," Staples added. "I guess pun intended - checkered, checkerboard end zones, Tennessee. But Adidas has put some historically vaunted programs in some hideous uniforms. Let's take a look at Nebraska, the ones they made them wear a few years ago. That is an abomination. Whoever approved that uniform design should be fired." "It's not even the design - they don't even fit right," Wasserman responded. "It looks like someone had a bad day learning photoshop (regarding a prior Michigan uniform)." First, both points are off base. The issue with the fan reaction to buying inferior products is misplaced because Adidas isn't going to be the only game in town selling Tennessee Volunteers apparel. The university has licensing agreements with many companies outside of Adidas and Nike, so fans can still shop in person or online to their hearts' content to find a design or fit that they like. Next, Tennessee isn't going to have to face that same issue of wearing some of the absolute clown suits that other schools have because they will retain control over the design and look of the uniforms they wear on the field. So, while Adidas will be producing them, they will be made in connection with parameters and discussions from the university, which will only be a good thing for uniforms down the road as compared to the sins of the past at other schools. As such, it's hard to see the switch over to Adidas as pretty much anything but a benefit for the university and its sports programs - and therefore Vol fans - down the line.
Tennessee's groundbreaking Adidas deal a game-changer for college sports in NIL era
The Tennessee Volunteers are going back to Adidas as its primary apparel provider after a decade of wearing the Nike swoosh. On Wednesday, Adidas announced a $100M, 10-year deal to be the exclusive apparel provider for the school's sports teams. The deal is set to begin on July 1, 2026, following the expiration of the current agreement with Nike. On the surface, it's just another apparel deal between two popular brands, but in the era of NIL (name, image and likeness) in college sports, it's a game-changing agreement. As part of the agreement, Adidas will establish a fund for NIL deals between the University of Tennessee and student-athletes. The German-based company will provide Tennessee with at least $10 million annually for the NIL deals, which, as of now, is about half of the $20.5 million that schools participating in the revenue-sharing model are allowed to give directly to student-athletes. That figure will almost assuredly increase with each passing year, meaning both current and future Tennessee Volunteers will benefit directly from this deal. Adidas will aim to make top student-athletes brand ambassadors by giving them national marketing campaigns and signature shoe lines. With NIL deals becoming a centerpiece of how college athletic departments attract top recruits, this deal is a bellwether for how apparel deals will be renegotiated across the world of college sports. Of course, at the center of this deal is football, as it remains the most popular sport in the country. According to The Athletic, the Volunteers' football program is estimated to be valued at $1.37B, the ninth-highest valuation in college football. It's only natural, then, that Adidas wants to get its logo back on Tennessee football jerseys. Adidas sponsored the team for 20 years before the university switched to Nike in 2014. While some fans were hoping Tennessee would re-up their partnership with Nike, fans who remember the 1998 National Championship team will probably feel good seeing the Adidas logo on the jersey again. Adidas also sweetened the deal by providing assurances that Tennessee athletics can design its apparel in-house, in collaboration with the company. Aside from nostalgia and big business, Tennessee and Adidas both know that for the school to remain one of the top programs in the country, they'll need star recruits. Before the ascendance of NIL deals, recruiting top talent was a mix of promising top-of-the-line facilities and flaunting the pedigree of the program. NIL money has changed that equation and already impacted Tennessee. In April, star quarterback Nico Iamaleava shocked the school by not reporting to spring practice and transferring to UCLA. Reports suggested part of the disagreements between Iamaleava and the school was over his NIL deal. How Iamaleava plays this season will make Tennessee wonder if it should've allocated more NIL money to keeping him happy. If that's the case, it's safe to wonder if Tennessee will tap into this deal as much as possible to keep future stars away from the transfer portal. This deal with Adidas certainly opens new doors for athletes to maximize their branding and will test the NIL distribution system over the next decade. Expect these types of deals to become the norm, too, as universities seek every competitive advantage against one another.
Pete Alonso gets awesome gift from Mets after breaking HR record
Pete Alonso is officially the New York Mets' all-time home run king, and the team has pulled out all the stops while crowning its slugger. Alonso hit the 253rd and 254th home runs of his Mets career in the team's 13-5 win over the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday night. He surpassed previous franchise record-holder Darryl Strawberry, who hit 252 home runs with the Mets from 1983-1990. Prior to Thursday night's game against the Braves, the Mets presented Alonso with a custom painting that was made from 253 baseballs. The portrait shows Alonso in the home-run trot from his 253rd homer. That was not the only gift the Mets had for Alonso, either. They also gave him a new Ford F-150 truck. Alonso entered free agency last offseason but did not generate as much interest as he had hoped. He wound up returning to the Mets on a two-year, $54M deal. The second year is a player option, and Alonso is widely expected to opt out. One Mets player suggested that Alonso's new home run record could inspire the 30-year-old to re-sign with the team, but New York would have to pay up to make that happen. Alonso entered Thursday batting .272 with 28 home runs and an MLB-leading 98 RBI. His relationship with the Mets seems strong at the moment, and the gifts may have helped solidify it even further. That does not mean Alonso is going to offer any type of hometown discount.
Jimmy Garoppolo's pass to Davante Adams draws attention for wrong reasons
Jimmy Garoppolo and Davante Adams have been reunited on the Los Angeles Rams, and the star receiver may have nightmares over one throw that came his way on Thursday. The Rams and New Orleans Saints held a joint training camp practice on Thursday. At one point during an 11-on-11 scrimmage, Garoppolo floated a pass toward Adams into traffic over the middle of the field. Adams did not make the catch, and for good reason. He was between three defenders and was fortunate that hitting was not allowed. Otherwise, he probably would have gotten throttled. It is possible that Garoppolo threw the pass knowing Adams was not going to be hit by a defender. The veteran quarterback would probably think twice about making a throw like that during an actual game — or so Adams hopes. Adams was one of the players featured on the Netflix documentary series "Receivers" last year. During one of the episodes, Adams was shown ranting about Garoppolo when the two were teammates on the Raiders. Adams was heard saying he needed to get out of Las Vegas "before I lose my (expletive) life." The six-time Pro Bowl receiver also said he had "never been hit this many (expletive) times in my career." Garoppolo is now the backup with the Rams and has been taking first-team reps while Matthew Stafford nurses a back injury. Adams said in an interview last month that he loves Garoppolo and chalked any previous issues up to everyone being "pretty miserable" when the Raiders were losing. The Rams are hoping Stafford will be fully healthy by Week 1. If he is not, Garoppolo may have to play. The quarterback had better get those so-called "hospital balls" out of his system in training camp.
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