The NFL Gambling Debacle Continues: Another Player Under Investigation

PLUS: Vikings Dalvin Cook Nearly Traded, Chargers Justin Herbert Contract Talks "Ongoing"

Good morning!

In today’s newsletter:

• NFL Player Under Investigation for gambling

• The Vikings Dalvin Cook Trade That Almost Happned

• Justin Herbert Contract Talks “Ongoing”

• Random Stat/Question of the day

The NFL Gambling Debacle Continues: Another Player Under Investigation

Sports gambling has boomed in the United States over the past few years. The NFL has been a major benefactor. Money is flowing in like never before. 

NFL broadcasts are now jam packed with sportsbook ads. It feels like you can’t go one commercial without Kevin Hart trying to convince you to sign up for DraftKings. 

There’s one thing the NFL is worried about and that’s NFL players placing bets on games. Roger Goodell does not want fans thinking that players are throwing games. 

It’s honestly not crazy to think that something like this could happen. 

If money is on the line there are some that are willing to do crazy things. Goodell and the NFL are going to do everything in their power to make it clear to NFL players that there are major consequences for violating the NFL’s gambling policies. 

Yesterday news came out from ESPN that Colts cornerback Isaiah Rodgers is being investigated for allegedly breaking the NFL’s gambling policy. According to a report from ESPN’s Stephen Holder and David Purdum, an associate of Rodgers opened the sportsbook account.

“Approximately 100 bets were placed on the account over an undisclosed amount of time, including on Colts games, the sources said. Most of the bets were in the $25-$50 range, although there was at least one low four-figure bet.” 

Rodgers responded to the news and said that he takes “full responsibility” and that he knows he “made mistakes” and an “error in judgment”. From what I’ve seen there has not yet been a conclusion to the NFL’s investigation.

We’ve witnessed multiple players this off-season get lengthy suspensions for breaking the NFL’s gambling policy.

Four Detroit Lions players and one Commanders player were suspended this off-season: Jameson Williams (6 games), Stanley Berryhill (6 games), Quintez Cehpus (at least 1 year), CJ Moore (at least 1 year), and Shaka Toney(at least 1 year).

Not only can players not bet on NFL games but they are not allowed to place wagers on other sports if they are in their team’s facilities. Sportsbooks are working with the NFL to monitor accounts and the location that they are placing bets. Roger Goddell is always watching.

My guess is that any NFL players contemplating placing bets will be scared off by all of these suspensions. It’s just not worth the risk. 

Vikings Dalvin Cook Was ALMOST Traded To The Dolphins

News came out yesterday from Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated that in March a trade for Dalvin Cook nearly went down. 

“Minnesota and Miami came very close to a trade that would've made Cook a Dolphin back in March.”

There’s been speculation circulating this off-season that the Vikings want to move on from Dalvin Cook. He had another productive season in 2022 rushing for 1,173 yards and 8 touchdowns, but he’s not as explosive as he once was. 

Even though the trade with the Dolphins didn’t happen, the fact that it nearly did shows that the Vikings aren’t sold on Cook.

My guess is that the Vikings would rather roll with 24 year old Alexander Mattison who was arguably just as productive on a per play basis as Cook last season. Mattison ranked 2nd in RB success rate vs Cook who ranked 51st, and he had a higher PFF grade than Cook in 2022. 

He also carries a much more reasonable cap hit of $2.4 million vs Dalvin Cook’s $14.1 million cap number. I’d still take Cook over Mattison if the price was the same, but that’s not the case. 

Chargers Justin Herbert Contract Talks Are “Ongoing”

Justin Herbert is going to break the bank in the not too distant future. 

That’s what happens when you throw for more yards in your first 3 seasons than guys like Andrew Luck and Peyton Manning. Herbert is special.

 In April the Chargers exercised Herbert’s 5th year option which means he will get paid around $29 million in 2024. In 2023 he’s only slated to make $4.23 million on the 4th year of his rookie contract. That’s a steal for the Chargers. 

On Monday Chargers Coach Brandon Staley said contract talks are “ongoing” per Lindsy Thiry of ESPN. 

Negotiating NFL contracts is no small task. If Herbert wanted to ensure that he received a new contract before the 2023 season there are tactics he could use to make it happen. We’ve witnessed players hold out and say “pay me my money or I’m not going to play”. 

I don’t think that it would get to that point with Herbert and the Chargers.

Is it possible Herbert would be willing to hold off on his contact and allow the Chargers to have more cap space to operate with in 2023? I’d say it’s possible, but if I were Herbert I’d work to get the new contract done before the year starts. 

You never know what can happen with injuries, so Herbert and his agent would be smart to secure the bag before the 2023 season kicks off. 

Random Stat Of The Day

Ladanian Tomlinson has as many career touchdown passes as Johnny Manziel (7). 

Random Question Of The Day (Using Online Question Generator) 

“What time do you normally go to bed?” 

Since I made the decision to start sending this newsletter out each weekday morning my bed time has changed. Now I aim to go to bed at 10pm so that I can get 8 hours of sleep and wake up at 6am.

I wish I was someone who could operate on 6 hours of sleep but my body functions the best with 8. I’ve been spending about 2-3 hours each morning working on this newsletter, which consists of reading different articles and coming up with the most important things to share. 

That’s all for today! Have a great Tuesday.