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It's the Ringer NFL show part of the Ringer Podcast Network, Comcom and Car. Got a big show today because I think that this week is one of the most pivotal weeks really in the modern NFL.

The collective bargaining agreement will be voted on this weekend and no sport changes with the CBA as much as football, the way teams are built, the way players are valued, the level of paid, changes with each CBA.

We sell that in 2011, we sell it in 2006 and we'll see it this year, beyond that, obviously there could be a 17th game. There probably will be another playoff game.

And so the rules of the sport are essentially being rewritten this weekend. And then beyond that, if that wasn't enough, next week brings for agency where I got like Tom Brady might be available.

So this is really a week where everything could change. And so to put that into context, we have two very smart guests, Shield Kapadia, Senior Writer at the Athletic and Andrew Brandt, former Packer's Executive Current Agent, Sports Business Guru, two really smart guys to have some good discussion with. Let's start with Shield.

All right, we're joined now by one of my favorite writers in sports media, Shield Kapadia from the Athletic, what's up buddy? What's up, man? How you doing?

I'm doing okay. I'm doing okay. We're riding out the Sepaco lips here. That's right. Yes.

With some for agency talk. That's right. I just moisturized after using hand sanitizer. You got to do the one to combo. Very important. So that's my advice for the listeners.

Well, we're going to be very optimistic and talk about the things that are going to happen five years from now when everything is going to be fine. And that's for agency because starts next week.

The CBA vote is this weekend. The franchise tag deadline is kind of a mess in the sense that right now you can use two franchise tags. And if the CBA passes, you can only use one that impacts teams with the Cowboys who certainly would like to tag two guys.

But I want to talk big picture because you and I have both sort of talked about this in last year and you wrote up a column about it a couple weeks ago about free agency in general because I think that when you still talk to these old school coaches or even some of these old school GMs, there's a lot of teams of you for agency as a bad thing.

And it's up. You're just paying for somebody else some mistakes or there's a reason that these guys are free. And that's not really the case anymore. There are players who do bet on themselves. Obviously the franchise tag.

I mean, the franchise tag is ludicrous. Basically, you control player for eight the first eight years of his career and by the time he's 31 to 32 and he reaches the open market, he may not be valuable. But there are enough guys who reach free agency to where it's a real team building method. And the cap keeps going up $10 million a year. And essentially, you know, that that would only spike once the new CBA happens. And so from my point of view, if you've signed a lot of free agents, you could be doing the right thing.

Not always, but, but definitely it's a team building tactic. When you look at free agency right now in 2020, she'll, how do you view it and what do teams need to do to not screw it up?

Yeah, there's definitely a middle ground. I think you're right, probably maybe 10 years ago, it was you would have these flashy signings and teams would be crowned the offseason champs. And then you had this other faction that would say, you know, kind of make fun of them and say you got to sit out free agency. Don't even dip your toe in the water. And I think both those teams are going to be able to do it.

And I think both those things are wrong, as you said, I think that the dream team Eagles set for agency back a decade.

I think you might, you might be right about that. But I do think there's a middle ground, as you said, where you have to use it, you have to explore every avenue to make your roster better. Don't make dumb decisions. I think the big, I guess if there's like a big theme to it, it's that you want to maintain sort of flexibility down the road. You know, the last thing you want to do is make signings and free agency.

And then whether it's next off season or the off season after that, you're stuck with these players who didn't pan out. They have guaranteed money. You can't really get out of it. So I mean, there's a number of different rules probably to follow.

You know, I think the a lot of it is don't do with the jets did last off season. That's a pretty standard rule for most, you didn't have to say last off season, shield.

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