Zakariaai

55:39

NFL free agency: Who’s going where and what to expect

After the NFL scouting combine, the beginning of the free agency period is the next major milestone in the upcoming season’s checklist. While it officially opens at 4 p.m. Eastern Time on March 15 when the new league year begins in earnest, teams are able to negotiate with the agents of upcoming unrestricted free agents during a two-day period before that point. Upon the beginning of the new league year, players can officially sign with new teams, trades become official and contracts come to an end. In recent years, spending has risen – the annual salary cap for each team has grown to $224.8 million per team in 2023 – and teams have been more aggressive with their willingness to part with draft stock for proven assets. And this year looks to be no different with some massive deals reportedly completed. All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey has reportedly been traded from the Los Angeles Rams to the Miami Dolphins and numerous quarterbacks have agreed to deals already – Geno Smith at the Seattle Seahawks, Daniel Jones at the New York Giants and Derek Carr with the New Orleans Saints. ut there are some huge dominoes yet to fall, which could shape the fabric of the league. Quarterback questions As the most important position in the sport, it is only right that the biggest questions surround some of the highest profile quarterbacks in the league. With a young and talented team, the Jets seem just a quarterback away from serious contention and Rodgers could be that missing puzzle piece. The majority of the interest surrounds two main names at very different points in their careers. By contrast, Lamar Jackson has a lot more of his career to come but, like Rodgers, could also be heading for pastures new by leaving his longtime home with the Baltimore Ravens. Having failed to come to terms on a long-term contract over the last two years, the Ravens applied the non-exclusive franchise tag on Jackson last Tuesday. That means that 26-year-old is free to negotiate with other franchises, but should he sign an offer sheet with another team, the Ravens will have five days to either match the deal or receive two first-round picks in return. The Ravens have made it clear for a while that they want to have Jackson, an MVP winner in 2019, at the helm for many years to come, but the two sides haven’t been able to reach an agreement on a contract for a while now. The non-exclusive tag comes with a salary-cap cost of $32.4 million for the upcoming season. While Rodgers’ decision appears to be remain in Green Bay or sign with the Jets, Jackson’s options seem wide open. Numerous teams across the league – Atlanta Falcons, Washington Commanders, Indianapolis Colts, Carolina Panthers, Las Vegas Raiders and San Francisco 49ers – are reportedly all interested. Both Rodgers and Jackson could transform franchises from outsiders to title challengers. But with as many as four quarterbacks projected to be drafted high up in this year’s draft, it throws into question whether teams prefer a long-term project or a short-term fix. For Aaron Rodgers, he likely has one big decision left in his career at 39 years old. Despite hinting at a divorce from the Green Bay Packers for multiple seasons, now seems to be the closest Rodgers has come to leaving, with the New York Jets pursuing the four-time NFL MVP with vigor. Defensive stars on the move Although offenses have been prioritized over recent years as scoring has gone through the roof, we could see defenses around the league bolstered with some big names on the move. The biggest move set to happen is Ramsey’s return to Florida after being traded from the Rams to the Dolphins in exchange for a third-round pick and tight end Hunter Long. The arrival of three-time first team All-Pro Ramsey transforms a Dolphins team from up-and-comer to title challenging outfit, whilst also continuing the Rams’ rebuild. Elsewhere, there are a number of key defensive players who are available through free agency, including two from last season’s Super Bowl runners up. Safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson and cornerback James Bradberry would all make excellent additions to new teams with their contracts with the Philadelphia Eagles having expired, whilst also earning themselves a pretty penny. Bobby Wagner, Lavonte David, Byron Murphy and Jordan Poyer could all be valid contributors too. Offensive weapons at a premium In terms of the offensive side of the ball, teams will have to be selective about the talent they decide to acquire. Many of the offensive weapons who were scheduled to hit the open market were given the franchise tag by their teams. That means a one-year tender offer of the average of the top five salaries at the player’s position for the current year, or 120 percent of his previous salary, whichever is greater. Running back Saquon Barkley will return to the Giants, tight end Evan Engram to the Jacksonville Jaguars, Josh Jacobs to the Las Vegas Raiders and Tony Pollard to the Dallas Cowboys. Elsewhere, firepower is in high demand and short supply. Odell Beckham did not play last season, Jackobi Myers is a solid No. 2 or No. 3 receiver and JuJu Smith-Schuster, coming off a Super Bowl ring, was quiet in the playoffs. The tight-end market could prove a little more fruitful for teams, with Dalton Schultz, Mike Gesicki and Robert Tonyan all available. Teams could also replenish offensive line needs with Orlando Brown, Kaleb McGary, Dalton Risner and Isaiah Wynn available.

1 year ago 73 views

35:21

Why Home Mortgage Rates Are High Relative To Treasuries—And When They Will Fall

The interest rate on home mortgages is running much higher than usual relative to the interest rate on long-term treasury bonds. Mortgage industry professionals wonder if the spread will return to normal—meaning lower mortgage rates so long as treasury interest rates remain stable. That will probably happen, but not in 2023. The spread is wide by historical standards. Before the pandemic, the average spread over all available data was 1.69 percentage points. February 2019, for example, 10-year treasury bonds paid 2.68% interest. The average 30-year fixed rate mortgage cost the homeowner 4.37%, The difference was right at the long-term average of 1.69%. Most of the time the spread ranges between 1.5% and 2.0%. The home buyer goes to a mortgage originator—usually a mortgage broker or bank—who quotes an interest rate. Then the originator sells the loan, usually to a government sponsored entity such as Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. Like any middleman, the mortgage originator is paid for this service. The originator is paid a cash equivalent to the value of pushing the interest rate up. The first week of 2020, for example, the average mortgage interest rate was 3.72%. Fannie Mae’s average interest rate paid to investors was 2.61%. What happened to the difference between those two rates, the 1.11% spread? That paid the mortgage originator for his services. That payment can be thought of as the retail mortgage spread. When Fannie or Freddie sells a bundle of mortgages to investors, the interest rate is based on supply and demand, of course. Investors generally think mortgages are inferior products compared to treasury bonds. Although both are deemed safe, the U.S. treasury will keep paying interest for the term of the bond. But homeowners have the option to refinance when mortgage rates drop. The option to refinance means that when interest rates drop, homeowners refinance. The investors no longer own an old mortgage with a high interest rate. Instead, investors now have cash that they have to reinvest at the new, low interest rates. Investors don’t like this. When interest rates are rising, investors also have a problem. They are stuck with old, low-interest mortgages that nobody will pay off early. They would like to get their cash back and buy some of the new, high-interest mortgages, but that’s not happening. The option for homeowners to refinance their mortgages makes mortgage-backed securities an inferior investment option. So investors will buy them only if they offer a premium over treasury bond interest rates. That is the wholesale mortgage spread. At any moment in time, the total spread is the sum of the retail spread and the wholesale spread. The total spread widened a good bit in the first half of 2020, when the Federal Reserve was pushing interest rates down while the government sent out stimulus checks. Homeowners refinanced their mortgages to take advantage of the lower interest rates. Apartment dwellers started shopping for homes, enabled by cash in their bank accounts plus low mortgage rates. The mortgage originators were swamped with business. They could not handle all of the mortgage refinancings that the public wanted, at least not right away. While they were adding staff and training the new hires, they boosted their profit margins. The retail spread rose a great deal, and the wholesale spread just a little. This was documented by William Emmons of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. The wide total spread between mortgage rates and treasury bonds in early 2023 seems to be due to the wholesale level. Bond traders cite volatility of interest rates as the key factor. Remember that rising interest rates mean that mortgage-backed security owners receive few prepayments they most want them. Falling interest rates mean that mortgage-backed securities owners receive most prepayments when they least want them. So the prospect of interest rate changes in either direction spooks investors away from mortgage-backed securities. At the retail level, some spread widening would be expected due to the mortgage originator’s interest rate risk. The borrower gets an interest rate quote, but then walks away if rates fall, leaving the first originator in the lurch. But if interest rates rise, that borrower holds the originator to the quote. In a more volatile interest rate environment, both spreads increase. Over the last 52 weeks, the volatility of mortgage rates doubled compared to the preceding 52 weeks (measured as the standard deviation of the absolute value of the weekly rate change). When does this wide spread return to normal? The key factor will be when interest rates stabilize. That will be after the Federal Reserve has finished its tightening, and then eased back to a stable path for future interest rates. As of March 2023, it looks like more tightening is in store. And at some point, probably in 2024, the Fed will drop rates to get the economy going again. Once they get rates to a level that can continue for years, the spread will narrow. For prospective home buyers looking at their likely mortgage expense, or for new homeowners looking to refinance, the actual mortgage rate will fall when the Fed starts easing, or possibly earlier in anticipation of that easing. Mortgage rates would fall even if the spread remains wide. The narrowing of the spread, when it occurs, will add more downward pressure to mortgage rates. So mortgage rates will decline, probably gradually starting early in 2024 and continuing for two years or so.

1 year ago 282 views

Jake Paul vs Tommy Fury Post Fight (reaction)

17:31

YOU WON'T BELIEVE THE CRAFT ORGANIZATION IN MY CRAFT ROOM ! DIY DOLLAR TREE FLORAL TREE😱

30:20

26:00

51:10

Cris Collinsworth & Gronk Return! PLUS NFL Franchise Tag Day | Up & Adams

Kay Adams returned to host the latest episode of 'Up & Adams' LIVE on FanDuel TV! Kay kicked things off by discussing the NFL Franchise Tag day, all the repercussions coming out of it and what might be next for Aaron Rodgers. Then she's joined by a pair of bug guests starting by Cris Collinsworth of NBC Sports and PFF to talk about a number of NFL storylines. Then Rob Gronkowski returns to the show to give his thoughts on Aaron Rodgers, NFL players hosting SNL and so much more.

1 year ago 15 views

🚨HUGE MADDEN NFL 23 UPDATE!🚨 New Superstars & X-Factors, Ultimate Team News, Gameplay Changes & More