Tag: Value

Wisconsin is one of the most valuable NCAA football programs according to Forbes

Wisconsin is one of the most valuable NCAA football programs according to Forbes

The Wisconsin football program broke the Top 25 of a recent Forbes list of the most valuable NCAA football programs.

The list, as tweeted by FOX College Football, listed Wisconsin at No. 23 with a valuation of $86 million. It is the seventh-most-valuable Big Ten program, coming in behind Ohio State at No. 5, Penn State at No. 13, Nebraska at No. 10, Iowa at No. 21 and Michigan State at No. 22.

Related: Wisconsin S Collin Wilder to miss Las Vegas Bowl with injury

No. 23 is up one spot from where the program was when the list was released in 2018. Big movers in that time include Georgia vaulting up to No. 8, Clemson entering the Top 25 and Texas tieing Texas A&M for the top spot.

Contact/Follow us @TheBadgersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin news, notes, opinion and analysis.

NFL draft analyst believes Mac Jones is a risk worth taking in first round

Alabama quarterback mac Jones will likely be the second consecutive Crimson Tide signal caller to be drafted in the first round. Where wi…

Mac Jones surpassed all expectations given to him heading into the 2020 college football season. Instead of being a “game manager,” as some have put it, he was a star that likely earned himself an NFL job by way of the first round.

Though he’s not the strongest, fastest or most mobile quarterback in the loaded 2021 class, Jones has a skillset that has proven to be valuable in the NFL. He can accurately throw the ball and can read multiple options.

CBS Sports’ Ryan Wilson, who covers the NFL and the NFL draft, believes Jones is a risk that teams should be willing to take in the first round.

Wilson has produced mock drafts that have Jones going as high as No. 4 and No. 8.

“Jones’ accuracy and anticipation are among the best in this draft class,” writes Wilson. “His ability to consistently throw the deep ball is also noteworthy. He’s one of the smartest players — at any position — in this class, and while he’s not mobile in the Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen or Kyler Murray sense of the position, he moves well inside the pocket.

“We’ve also heard former teammates DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle say they both are taking Jones over Tua Tagovailoa. That says more about Jones than Tagovailoa, who was a top-five pick in the 2020 NFL Draft and started nine games as a rookie for the Dolphins. It’s also worth mentioning that many of the questions surrounding Jones — arm strength, throwing to wide-open receivers — also applied to Tagovailoa a year ago. And you could even include mobility since Tagovailoa was coming off a serious hip injury. (And while Tua appears to be close to fully recovered, he’ll never be mistaken the aforementioned, Jackson, Allen or Murray when it comes to out-of-the-pocket athleticism.)

“So, yes, Jones is a risk in the first round but no more so (and arguably less so) than Tagovailoa, the No. 5 overall pick in last year’s draft. And though his ceiling may be low, his floor is high — higher than Tua’s and a handful of quarterbacks in the 2021 class as well.”

There is no telling where Jones will end up in the 2021 NFL draft. It seems like the only quarterback in this draft class with a definite landing spot is Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence.

It will all come down to style of play, as Jones, Justin Fields, Trey Lance and Zach Wilson all have different aspects to their game that can each help out a different system.

Chiefs WR Sammy Watkins undervalued in fantasy football projections

Watkins’ current value in fantasy football drafts should have Kansas City Chiefs fans and others clamoring to draft him.

Kansas City Chiefs WR Sammy Watkins restructured his contract this offseason to stick with the team that helped make him a Super Bowl champion. In two seasons with the Chiefs, across 22 games started, Watkins has recorded 92 catches for 1,162 yards and six touchdowns. He added 464 yards and one touchdown on 24 catches in the postseason in Kansas City.

Watkins’ week-to-week success and injury history has perplexed fantasy football players for the past two years. He already sat out of training camp for a few days with a groin injury. It seems like Watkin is a player who has hot streaks and cold streaks, with a lot of standout moments in the postseason. That has turned Watkins into one of the most criminally underrated players in fantasy football. Just yesterday I was able to draft him with the 169th pick in round 15 of a PPR league.

Here’s what our friends at The Huddle had to say about Watkins.

“Watkins remains the slot receiver and just renegotiated his contract low enough to stay. Despite two years with Mahomes, Watkins only averages around 600 yards per year and scored three times in each. He’s capable of the big game on occasion, but he just as likely to turn in just a few fantasy points in any week.”

The Huddle’s projections for Watkins this season are a measly 510 yards and three touchdowns on 40 receptions. In his last three games, during the 2019-20 playoffs, Watkins had performances of 76 yards, 114 yards and 98 yards. He added a touchdown in that middle game too. That’s over half of Watkins’ expected production for the entire 2020 season by The Huddle’s estimation.

Additionally, many are crowning second-year WR Mecole Hardman the handcuff to Chiefs’ top wideout Tyreek Hill. Hardman had a productive year on limited opportunities in his rookie season and he’s been working hard all offseason. He should be due for a big year, but is he really the handcuff to Hill? When Hill was out with an injury in 2019, Watkins played over 90% of snaps on offense in Kansas City in each of the first four games before suffering an injury himself in Week 5. Hardman didn’t have a snap share higher than 78% all season long.

Both Watkins and Hardman will get their share of the targets in Kansas City, but if Watkins continues the tear he was on in the 2019-20 postseason, it’ll be hard to keep him off the field. At his current value, he could be a late-round steal in your fantasy leagues.

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How Budda Baker’s market-setting contract impacts Marcus Williams, Saints

The New Orleans Saints might not be able to afford Marcus Williams, a top 2021 free agent, after the Arizona Cardinals paid Budda Baker.

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The New Orleans Saints have one of the more complex salary cap outlooks that you’ll find around the league. Their books are in order for the 2020 season, sure, but things get complicated once the clock strikes midnight and the NFL rolls over into its 2021 fiscal year, which will feature a depressed salary cap valued as low as $175 million.

It’s worth considering which Saints free agents might be left on the outside looking in next spring. Marshon Lattimore and Ryan Ramczyk won’t be going anywhere (the Saints triggered their fifth-year options as soon as NFL rules allowed), and the Saints have already gotten the ball rolling on an extension with Alvin Kamara. Demario Davis, the defensive captain and the team’s biggest hit in free agency since Drew Brees became New Orleans’ quarterback, feels like an easy pick as the next priority. With rookie draft pick Adam Trautman already making a strong first impression at training camp, Jared Cook’s succession plan appears clear.

It leaves Marcus Williams on an island. And with the Arizona Cardinals making Pro Bowl safety Budda Baker the highest-paid player at their position in NFL history, Williams is only going to see another boost to his value. He was already estimated to be worth $14 million on the open market before Baker’s record-setting contract extension, but now Williams might earn $15 million next offseason. And the Saints may not be able to afford him, especially if the Seattle Seahawks get the jump on them and raise the bar higher in a deal with Jamal Adams.

Kamara, Ramczyk, and Lattimore are each going to demand contracts that rank among the top tier at their respective positions. That’s going to take up a huge chunk of the salary cap, which, again, will be lower than anyone expected due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Saints G.M. Mickey Loomis and his team led by cap specialist Khai Hartley have made magic happen before, but they’ll have to use every trick in the book just to get the Saints under the cap. Adding too many new deals to the equation will be its own problem.

Whether Williams is worth a record-breaking contract will receive some skepticism from Saints fans, but that has to be dismissed right away. He’s one of the best single-high safeties in the NFL, and a legitimate ballhawk — he just started playing in 2017, but leads all Saints defenders in interceptions from 2010 to 2019. Last year, he was the only player on the team to intercept multiple passes (4). His highlights outnumber the low moments.

And for his part, Williams spent his offseason training to erase his weaknesses. He put on more muscle mass to help with his tackling, and spent more time studying game film to see what went wrong. Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football spoke with Williams’ personal trainer and position coach to detail that process, and the results have been encouraging early in training camp. Williams has set himself up for a big year in the final leg of his rookie contract.

The question has to be whether the Saints will be able to afford him. Williams played just as well as Baker, Eddie Jackson, Landon Collins, and the other safeties at the top of the salary rankings. But if they’re (rightfully) prioritizing long-term deals with Kamara, Lattimore, and Ramczyk, then the slice of the pie left for Williams probably won’t match what he can earn on the open market.

There’s a chance he’ll settle for a below-market deal to stay with a team that wants him, as Cameron Jordan has done throughout his career. But that sort of hometown discount is rare in the NFL, and it shouldn’t be expected that Williams will do it. It’s just as possible that the Saints will hammer out deals with Kamara and Davis, and issue the franchise tag to Williams for 2021. This far out from the 2021 deadline, it’s just too tough to say. The only certainty is that Williams will see his value go up the longer the Saints put off contract talks.

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Forbes rates Chiefs as 45th-most valuable franchise in sports

The value of the franchise increased by $200 million following the 2019 season and so did the team ranking.

If you’re wondering what the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl LIV win did for the value of the franchise, we now have a pretty good idea. Forbes has published its annual list of the 50 most valuable sports franchises and the Chiefs remain among the most valuable sports franchises in the world.

Last year’s list saw Kansas City worth $2.1 billion and ranked No. 47 with no increase in value. The year prior the team had seen a 12% increase in value and was ranked at No. 43. This year Clark Hunt’s team has ascended in the rankings with a 7.7% increase in value to $2.3 billion and a No. 45 ranking on the list. When you consider that the Chiefs only cost Lamar Hunt $25K back in 1960, I’d say that’s a pretty great return on investment.

Perhaps the most surprising thing here is that the franchise value didn’t increase more coming off of its first Super Bowl victory in 50 years. Still, Kansas City is considered one of the smallest NFL markets, so to even be recognized on this list is a huge win each year. What’s disappointing is that the Chiefs will likely take a hit in value with the COVID-19 pandemic impacting things like ticket sales during the upcoming season.

The Chiefs also continue to be the least valuable franchise among the four teams in the AFC West. Here’s a look at where their rival teams rank:

  • Denver Broncos – 25th – $3 billion
  • Las Vegas Raiders – 26th – $2.9 billion
  • Los Angeles Chargers – 38th (tie) – $2.5 billion

The Raiders jumped quite a bit in their move from Oakland as they were ranked 34th last year. The Chargers are the least valuable sports franchise in Los Angeles, despite moving into SoFi Stadium with the Rams.

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Projected contract extensions for big-time Saints 2021 free agents

The New Orleans Saints have the resources to get a jump on contract extensions with key 2021 free agents like Alvin Kamara and Demario Davis

The New Orleans Saints freed up a ton of salary cap space by releasing Larry Warford earlier this month, but so far they’ve only used it to pick up free agents on one-year deals, at near-veteran’s minimum salary.

Names like Margus Hunt, Ty Montgomery, Anthony Chickillo, and James Hurst may not move the needle, but their impact could be felt in training camp later this summer. Having players with their NFL experience rounding out your roster instead of a crowd of undrafted rookies speaks volumes about the quality of this year’s Saints depth chart.

But at some point New Orleans is going to dig deep into their pockets and start planning for the future. That’s what they did last year by getting a jump on looming free agents like Wil Lutz, Cameron Jordan, and Michael Thomas. The Saints correctly identified each of those players as critical pieces to the locker room and rewarded them with new deals well ahead of schedule.

Here are several big names the Saints should consider, with projected contract extensions. Because this new money will be flowing in on top of preexisting deals, the Saints will have the option to restructure current-year cap hits and create more spending-room as they go along. It’s a tactic they’ve used often before.

And with even more lucrative contracts on the way for Marshon Lattimore and Ryan Ramczyk (who each had their fifth-year options picked up as soon as the Saints were allowed to do so), getting these deals inked now lets the Saints know exactly what they have to work with in the future. It’s like ordering a drink before choosing your steak.

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Santana Moss says Washington ‘stole one’ with Day 3 pick of Antonio Gandy-Golden

Santana Moss was one of the last great Redskin receivers, but he thinks the team might have added one more by drafting AGG.

Historically, the Washington Redskins have had some of the best wide receivers in the game, dating back to players like Art Monk, and Bobby Mitchell, and Charley Taylor.

As of late, though, the production from the WR position has fallen off a little bit. We got to watch as Terry McLaurin burst onto our TV’s in 2019, but if you were to name the difference-makers who have popped up over the last decade in Washington, it’s hard to name more than a few — Santana Moss, Pierre Garcon, DeSean Jackson, and Jamison Crowder.

That might be changing going forward, however, as one of those difference-makers thinks that the Redskins added a potentially transcendent player in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Santana Moss is a fan of Antonio Gandy-Golden.

“I think we still stole one this year,” Moss said via NBC Sports Washington. “When you look at Gandy-Golden, I have high hopes for him.”

Many of the Redskins’ fans feel the same way, knowing that they may have gotten a Day One contributor at the WR position on Day 3 of the draft. Gandy-Golden was selected with the 142nd overall pick, and many draft experts say that in any other year, where the WR class wasn’t as deep, he would have been a second-rounder, easily.

“I really think that we got the diamond in the rough,” Moss said. “I heard some NFL execs talking draft day saying ‘The Redskins stole one.'”

If Moss is right, and the Redskins did indeed find their next playmaker, the ability to pair him with Terry McLaurin will be something special to watch over the next few years.

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Redskins RB Antonio Gibson named one of biggest steals of 2020 draft

The Redskins found Antonio Gibson in the third round, and he has a chance to be a huge difference-maker.

The Washington Redskins had an easy selection to make in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, but it’s the second pick that they made last weekend that really got the respect of the public.

With the No. 66 pick, Washington built off the success of Chase Young by drafting RB Antonio Gibson, a dynamic offensive weapon out of Memphis. Heading into the 2020 season, Gibson will instantly be implemented into several packages in the offense as Scott Turner looks to get him the ball out in space.

Now that we’ve had the chance to revisit the draft a week removed, many think that drafting Gibson was one of the better picks of the entire draft. At USA TODAY’s Touchdown Wire, they named Gibson as one of the biggest steals of the draft.

Limited sample size had Gibson, the Memphis alum, dropping to the 66th overall pick in the third round, but there’s no denying his explosive ability as both a receiver and returner. Last season, he broke 16 tackles on his 33 rushing attempts, and 17 tackles on his 38 catches. Imagine DK Metcalf also playing running back, and you’ll understand his athletic potential in the right system. Washington head coach Ron Rivera has intimated that the Redskins could use Gibson as the Panthers, Rivera’s former team, used Christian McCaffrey as a do-it-all weapon.

There’s no telling exactly how the Redskins will use Gibson just yet, but we know that he will likely be heavily featured throughout the gameplan.

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Antonio Gandy-Golden was one of the most valuable picks in the 2020 draft

The Redskins found a massive steal in the fourth round with Antonio Gandy-Golden, making him one of the most valuable picks in the draft.

With their fourth pick of the 2020 NFL Draft, the Washington Redskins selected Antonio Gandy-Golden, a wide receiver from Liberty.

Fans may have heard the name in mock drafts and brief scouting reports in the months leading up to the draft, but few people may have actually know exactly who the Redskins were adding to the team. Now that a few days have passed, it’s clear that Washington got one of the bigger steals of the draft, and someone who a few analysts are saying could be one of the most valuable picks in the whole class.

NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah came out on Monday with his list of the best value picks from each round, and he had AGG jotted down as his choice from the 4th round, picking him over players like TE Harrison Bryant (Cleveland) and LB Troy Dye (Minnesota).

Jeremiah broke the list down using a simple scale where he took his overall rank of each player, subtracting it from the pick they were eventually drafted at. Gandy-Golden — who was drafted No. 142 overall — had a +63 rating, as he was Jeremiah’s 79th rated player in the draft.

Washington will now be able to add him to a deep receiving corp where they already have Terry McLaurin leading the way, whom they found max value with in 2019 as well.

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Instant analysis of Redskins selection of S Kamren Curl in seventh round

The Redskins got yet another versatile defensive back in the seventh round of the draft with the selection of Arkansas S Kamren Curl.

With their selection of S Kamren Curl in the seventh round of the 2020 NFL Draft, the Redskins picked up yet another defender who can play in multiple positions and make his presence felt across the field.

Curl had an impressive career at Arkansas, where he became a jack of all trades type player in their defense. Alongside fellow rookie LB/S Khaleke Hudson, Curl will be able to provide depth to the defensive secondary and fit in where need be if someone goes down with injury.

Curl started at strong safety over the last two years in college, and he will likely slot into a role learning behind Redskins’ Landon Collins, which is about as good of a situation a young player can find himself in.

According to multiple sources, Curl had a breakout year in his sophomore year at Arkansas, but he was suspended for the final game of the season because he was flirting with the opposing teams’ cheerleaders. It looks like confidence won’t be an issue here.

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