NEWSLETTER
Here is a link to the best thing I read yesterday:
"Everything about Harold’s is Black and everything about Harold’s is really Chicago. It’s like the best of both worlds for someone who has that specific identity." — Arionne Nettles, veteran Chicago journalist https://t.co/P9CrFso0AA
— Eater Chicago (@eaterchicago) June 7, 2022
Harold’s Chicken is a Chicago institution. And I would strongly encourage you to try it if you haven’t already done so.
When you order, it should sound something like this: “Six wings, fried hard, salt and pepper, with mild sauce on it.”
Say it like that and you’ll thank me later.
• Days after reports surfaced that the Broncos were finalizing a sale of the club to a WalMart heir, the deal became all but official. ESPN’s Adam Schefter and (with the story by Jeff Legwold) was burning the late-night oil out east last night:
Broncos announced they have entered into a sale agreement with the Walton-Penner family. pic.twitter.com/Dsa1WxaDCi
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) June 8, 2022
The $4.65 billion sale price for the Denver Broncos is a record for a North American team.
And it is expected to take 60-90 days for the purchase to be approved and the deal be closed, per sources. No issues are expected.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) June 8, 2022
• Worth noting here is that David Tepper spent $2.3 billion buying the Carolina Panthers in 2018. Four years later, purchasing the Broncos cost the Walton group nearly double that amount. Maybe getting less than $5 billion is a disappointment to some who were thirsty for cash, but this is a hefty sum of money changing hands for a football team. With a new ownership group in tow, I’ll be curious to see what the trickle-down impact is for a franchise that now employs Russell Wilson slinging it around Denver. The AFC West will be a slobberknocker.
• No word if Hank Scorpio or Homer J. Simpson are silent partners in the Broncos ownership deal:
• The Bears resume OTA practices on Thursday. Today was a scheduled off day, but yesterday wasn’t. In case you missed the news, the Bears were stripped of Tuesday’s OTAs practice for violating non-contact rules during practice in May. In the grand scheme of things, the OTA ban isn’t a big deal. Missing one practice in June won’t break the season. But the Bears are now on the respective radars of the NFL and NFLPA after landing in their crosshairs for having practices with too much contact. It’s not like they’ll be walking on eggshells, but Matt Eberflus and company need to be cognizant of their moves.
• To be clear, this isn’t the first time this has happened in NFL circles. The Jaguars, 49ers, and Cowboys were pegged for their practice misdeeds lat year. Two of those teams made the playoffs despite their offseason practice infractions. The third was a Jaguars team that had a bevy of issues throughout the 2021 season. Let’s not repeat the Jaguars thing, OK?
• Orlando Brown Jr., a stud left tackle on the cusp of playing the 2022 season under the Franchise Tag, chose a creative way to say “sign me to an extension or risk the consequences” during an appearance on NFL Total Access with NFL Network’s Mike Granola and Shaun O’Hara in which he shared confidence that a deal would get done:
“Very confident. Very confident,” Brown said Tuesday on NFL Total Access with Mike Garafolo and Shaun O’Hara when asked his level of confidence in regard to a deal getting done. “Especially simply based off the things that have come into effect within our division, the type of defensive ends that have been brought in, the type of players and all of that type of stuff. It’s not the year to go into the season with a backup left tackle. So, I’m very confident that the Kansas City Chiefs will get that done.”
In other words, sets your sights elsewhere. if you were hoping Brown would make it to free agency and possibly follow Ryan Poles from Kansas City.
• OK, but where do I sign up for this?
The #Bears WR room of Darnell Mooney, D.K. Metcalf Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Velus Jones Jr. is gonna go wild in 2023.
Trading for D.K. might be unlikely, but I’d be aggressive in surrounding Justin Fields with weapons this offseason. Stack that WR room deep.
— Jacob Infante (@jacobinfante24) June 7, 2022
D.K. Metcalf, who didn’t show up at Seattle’s mandatory minicamp due to a contract squabble, is set to be a free agent after his rookie contract expires when this upcoming season comes to a close. And while the Seahawks still hold the leverage by being able to wield the Franchise Tag, we saw how the Packers used it as a placeholder before a Davante Adams trade was pushed through. All things considered, this situation is worth monitoring.
• The Raiders are often a mess. And yet, quarterback Derek Carr comes off as a leader whenever something newsy comes about. His commentary after Colin Kaepernick’s workout in Vegas is worthy of a tip of the cap (via Paul Gutierrez):
“I don’t want to speak for everybody in that kind of sense — I don’t want someone mad at me for saying, ‘I think it would be great,’ — but I know him and I would get along great,” Carr said.. “I know we have in the past, and I think we would again. I think for the most part, I think he’d get along great with our guys.”
• FWIW: Both Carr and Kaepernick have a history that dates back to when they were standout signal callers in the Western Athletic Conference. Carr was a Fresno State star, while Kaepernick was the stud QB at Nevada. Maybe the WAC is where teams need to go to find a new quarterback?
• If the Bulls are to make a splash in the big-man market, I hope they target DeAndre Ayton:
If Deandre Ayton Is “More Likely” Headed to a New Team Next Season, Will the Bulls Get Involved?https://t.co/4M2pcYyZhr pic.twitter.com/IudCvGHWOL
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) June 7, 2022
• The Blackhawks should be casting a wide net in their coaching search:
How About David Quinn as a #Blackhawks Head Coach Candidate?https://t.co/c1jwxBpS0r pic.twitter.com/hJiQv412N7
— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) June 6, 2022
• Albert Almora Jr. is a name I’ve not heard in a long time:
Albert Almora Jr. Can Still Do the Defensehttps://t.co/t8xET92bhU pic.twitter.com/rcGOgewQpQ
— Baseball is Fun (@flippingbats) June 8, 2022
