The Aaron Rodgers trade that needs to happen, plus details on new contracts given to Geno Smith, Derek Carr

Welcome to the Tuesday edition of the Pick Six newsletter!

I don't want to say that we're getting Christmas in March today, but we kind of are because the franchise tag deadline is here. This is easily my favorite day on the NFL offseason calendar. Just kidding, no it's not. It's not even in my top five, but we're still going to cover it. 

As of noon on Tuesday, there have been four tags used and there could be at least two more used by the end of the day. We'll be covering the latest on those tags, plus taking a look at the contracts given to Derek Carr and Geno Smith. Oh, and we'll also be going over 10 trades that need to happen this offseason. 

As always, here's your weekly reminder to tell all your friends to sign up for the Pick Six newsletter. To get your friends to sign up, all you have to do is click here and then share this link with them. All right, let's get to the rundown. 

1. Today's show: Recapping the NFL Combine

The final day of the NFL Combine was on Monday, and now that it's over, we decided that today would be the perfect day to recap the entire event. For today's episode of the Pick Six podcast, Katie Mox and Will Brinson were joined by CBSSports.com NFL Draft guru Chris Trapasso, who answered some key questions about the combine. 

Here's what Trapasso had to say about several topics (You can read his full takes here). 

Q: What was the biggest storyline coming out of the combine? 
Trapasso: Anthony Richardson exceeded the immense expectations he was facing. I was in the vast majority that believed the former Florida quarterback would rock in Indy. Admittedly, I don't think I would've predicted quite as ridiculous of a combine as Richardson ultimately had. For as sensible as Young's decision to sit was, it clearly was an intelligent choice for Richardson to showcase his otherworldly athletic gifts.

Q: Who had the most impressive performance?
Trapasso: We've mentioned the absurd efforts from Anthony Richardson and Adetomiwa Adebawore, so let's give Old Dominion tight end Zach Kuntz some shine. This former Penn State tight end measured in at 6-foot-7 and 255 pounds with 34-inch arms and ran 4.55 in the 40, and led the way in all the major drills at his position: He had highest vertical (40 inches) and broad jump (10-foot-8) and, stunningly, the quickest three-cone at 6.87 seconds.

Q: Who is currently your No. 1 QB and why?
Trapasso: It's C.J. Stroud. Stroud has shades of that Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert athleticism in that he's not a freaky, designed run-game type, but he's just explosive and naturally gifted enough to elude rushers to extend plays and find open receivers in scramble drills. 

If you want to listen to Trapasso recap the highlights of the combine, you can do that by clicking here. You " target="_blank"can also watch today's show on YouTube by clicking here. 

2. Franchise tag deadline is today

The franchise tag window has now been open for two weeks, but it will be closing at 4 p.m. ET today, which means any team hoping to tag a player only has a few hours left to make that decision.

If a team uses a tag on a player, the two sides will have until July 15 to work out a long-term contract. If a long-term deal can't be hammered out, then the player will go into the 2023 season on a one-year deal that pays them at the franchise tag number for their position. 

Here's a look at the players who have been tagged so far, along with their one-year franchise tag salary for 2023: 

Raiders: RB Josh Jacobs ($10.09 million) Cowboys: RB Tony Pollard ($10.09 million) Jaguars: TE Evan Engram ($11.345 million) Commanders: DT Daron Payne ($18.937 million)

Although that's only four tags, that number could get bigger today. As we get closer to 4 p.m. ET, there should be a few more tags handed out. Here's a look at players who are likely going to get tagged before the deadline: 

Ravens: QB Lamar Jackson ($32.416 million OR $45 million). Jackson will get the smaller number if he's hit with the non-exclusive tag. On the other hand, he'll get $45 million he gets the exclusive tag. The only difference between the two tags is that teams are ALLOWED to negotiate with Jackson if he's given the non-exclusive tag. If a team were to sign Jackson, the Ravens would get two first-round picks in return.  Giants: QB Daniel Jones ($32.416 million)

One person who is NOT expected to be tagged is Chiefs left tackle Orlando Brown Jr.. Since he was tagged last year, the Chiefs would have had to give him a 20% raise over his 2022 salary if they wanted to tag him again this year. That number would have been roughly $20 million and the Chiefs apparently decided that number was too rich for their blood. The loss of Brown means the Chiefs now have a gaping hole at left tackle. 

If you want to know who will end up getting tagged, then make sure to click here and bookmark our franchise tag tracker, which will list every player who gets tagged when the deadline hits at 4 p.m. ET. 

3. Contract details for Derek Carr and Geno Smith

In a span of just six hours on Monday, the Saints and Seahawks handed out a total of $255 million in contract money to lock up their starting quarterbacks. 

So who got the better deal? Let's take a look at quick breakdown of each contract, starting with Carr's (Numbers via PFT). 

Carr's total money. This was reported as a four-year, $150 million deal, but it's highly unlikely that Carr will ever see all of that money. The final year of the contract has a $50 million base salary and that money is NOT guaranteed, so Carr will almost certainly never see that money (If he plays well, the Saints will restructure the contract before it gets to the final year). However, the fourth year allows the Saints to spread out the cap hit of Carr's signing bonus over all four years.  Guaranteed money. The contract includes $70 million in guaranteed money. Not only does Carr get a $28.5 million signing bonus, but he also has a base salary of $1.5 million in 2023 and $30 million in 2024. Because his 2024 salary is fully guaranteed, that essentially means the Saints are locked into Carr for at least two years.  Carr could be around for Year 3. The third year of the contract (2025) has a $40 million base salary with $10 million of that becoming guaranteed in 2024, so the Saints will have to make a quick decision about Carr's future next offseason. 

This deal is basically two contracts in one. If Carr doesn't play well, the Saints can dump him after just two years and $70 million. If Carr does play well, then it will turn into a three-year, $100 million deal and the two sides would likely negotiate a new contract before the deal reached its final year. 

The fact that the deal is essentially a three-year, $100 million contract is interesting, because Geno Smith could end up making about the same amount of money from the Seahawks. 

Smith's total money. This was reported as a three-year, $105 million contract, but like Carr's deal, it's unlikely Smith will ever see all of that money. According to NFL.com, this deal is actually a three-year, $75 million contract. Smith can make up to $30 million in incentives on top of the $75 million, which is why $105 million was originally reported as the total contract number.  Guaranteed money. This deal includes a total of $40 million in guaranteed money with $28 million of that coming in the first year of the deal, according to NFL.com. This means the Seahawks could let Smith walk after one season after paying him $40 million, but due to the structure of the contract, he's most likely tied to the team for at least two years. Getting Smith at $25 million per year is a bargain for the Seahawks because their other option would have been to use the franchise tag, which would have cost them $32.416 million for 2023 alone. 

Through the first 10 seasons of his career, Smith only made a TOTAL of $17.5 million, so whether he ends up getting $75 million or $105 million, this is quite the raise for him. 

Both teams are now set at quarterback for at least the next two years. Also, Carr and Smith have now set a middle ground for QB contracts by taking under $40 million per year and you can bet that other teams were thrilled to see this. 

4. 10 NFL trades that need to happen this offseason

If this offseason goes anything like last offseason, then this could be a crazy year for trades around the NFL. Last year, we saw Russell Wilson, Tyreek Hill, Matt Ryan, Davante Adams and Deshaun Watson all get traded in a span of eight days. 

We might not be able to top that list of trades, but we could get close this offseason, especially if Cody Benjamins' predictions come true. Cody came up with a list of 10 offseason trades that need to happen and we're going to cover three of them below, starting with the Aaron Rodgers trade that needs to happen. 

Aaron Rodgers to the Jets
Jets get: Aaron Rodgers
Packers get: 2023 second-round pick, 2024 conditional first-rounder
Cody's take: "If Rodgers doesn't retire, a split from Green Bay after 18 seasons really does make sense. The Packers are primed to get an extended look at Jordan Love, who flashed true arm talent in limited work last year, and could use the relief of resources that would accompany a Rodgers trade."

Kirk Cousins to the 49ers
49ers get: QB Kirk Cousins
Vikings get: 2023 third-round pick, 2024 second-rounder
Cody's take: "Reuniting Cousins with Kyle Shanahan would allow both Trey Lance and Brock Purdy to be patient in rehab and/or actively shopped down the road. As for the Vikings? Freed of annual re-commitments to Cousins, they could explore a trade up in the draft and/or a cheaper placeholder (old friend Teddy Bridgewater?) as they restock premium positions on both sides of the ball."

Derrick Henry to the Dolphins
Dolphins get: Derrick Henry
Titans get: 2023 third-round draft pick
Cody's take: "No one should be in the business of paying big bucks to a nearly 30-year-old bruising running back with almost 2,000 career touches, which explains why the rebuilding Titans are reportedly shopping the former All-Pro. The Dolphins, meanwhile, have no real answers under contract in the backfield, and they've already signaled they're in win-now mode by adding Tyreek Hill and Vic Fangio for very different but equally important roles the last two years. He'd also lessen the burden on QB Tua Tagovailoa."

To check out all 10 of Cody's proposed trades, be sure to click here. 

5. Derrick Henry might be on the trading block

If you read the section right above this one, you may have been surprised that Cody included Derrick Henry on his list of trades that need to happen, but as it turns out, the idea of Henry getting dealt isn't that crazy.  

According to Mike Silver of Bally Sports, the Titans were actually shopping Henry around at the combine to see if any team was interested in a possible trade. Although a deal didn't get done, that doesn't necessarily mean that Henry won't be traded. The Titans were likely using the event to gauge the interest in a potential trade for Henry in case they want to make a deal. 

Why make the move? New Titans general manager Ran Carthon has been busy dumping big contracts that were put in place by the prior regime. Over the past few weeks, the Titans have cut ties with several veterans, including Taylor Lewan, Robert Woods, Zach Cunningham and Randy Bullock. They're also expected to cut Bud Dupree.  Trading Henry would free up salary cap space. The reason the Titans have made so many moves this offseason is to free up cap space and trading Henry would be no different. The Titans would pick up $6.26 million in cap space if they're able to trade him. Under the terms of his current contract, Henry is scheduled to make $10.5 million in base salary in 2023, which is the final year of his deal.  What the Titans might be able to get for Henry. It's hard to say what the Titans will be able to get in a trade for Henry. For one, he's almost 30 years old, which is usually where running backs start to fade during their career. Also, teams aren't usually willing to pay a high price for a running back. The Panthers couldn't even get a first-round pick for Christian McCaffrey, so it's not going to be easy for the Titans to get a huge return for Henry. 

Henry has been arguably the best running back in the NFL since his rookie year in 2016. Not only has he led the NFL in rushing yards twice and rushing touchdowns twice, but he also had a 2,000-yard season in 2020, which makes him one of just eight players in NFL history who have topped 2,000 yards in a single season. With those numbers, it's possible that one team out there will get desperate and make a huge offer, and if that happens, then Henry will likely be leaving Tennessee. 

6. Rapid-fire roundup: Aaron Rodgers talks with the Jets

It's been a busy 24 hours in the NFL, and since it's nearly impossible to keep track of everything that happened, I went ahead and put together a roundup for you.

Packers QB talks with Jets. It appears Rodgers might actually be on his way out of Green Bay. According to The Athletic, the Packers QB spoke with the Jets on Monday. This is notable because it wouldn't have happened unless the Packers gave him permission, and

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