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Nico Collins gets a renegotiated deal with the Texans, while the A.J. Brown trade to New England remains in limbo ahead of June first. Vegas sweeps Colorado in the NHL playoffs, and Carolina takes a 3-1 series lead over Montreal with another overtime
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Welcome to The Sports Hangover Daily, I'm Michael Benatar. Today on the show: Nico Collins gets the bag in Houston and what it means for that receiver market, the A.J. Brown saga is still simmering with June first right around the corner, Vegas completes the sweep over Colorado, and Carolina takes a three to one series lead on Montreal in overtime. Let's get into it.
Let's start in Houston because the Texans just took care of business with Nico Collins. Adam Schefter reported yesterday that Collins and the team agreed on a renegotiated deal — nine million dollar cash influx in twenty twenty-six, eight million dollar bump in twenty twenty-seven, and both years are now fully guaranteed. That's a team saying we're not messing around, you're our guy, here's the money to prove it. And honestly? Collins earned it. He was one of the best receivers in football when healthy last year. The Texans clearly looked at the receiver market — guys getting moved, guys holding out, guys demanding new deals — and said let's just lock this down now before it gets ugly. Smart move. This is how you keep a young core together. You don't wait until your guy is upset. You don't let him see A.J. Brown getting traded and start wondering about his own situation. You get ahead of it. Houston's been one of the better-run organizations in the league over the last two years, and this is another example. CJ Stroud, Nico Collins, that defense — this roster is built to win now and they're acting like it.
Speaking of the receiver market, A.J. Brown is still an Eagle. For now. The expectation is he gets moved after June first when Philly gets that cap relief, and the Patriots are still the presumed destination. But there's no agreement in place yet. We keep hearing New England, we keep hearing Vrabel reunion, but nobody's closed the deal. And with June first less than a week away, you'd think the framework would be done by now. Maybe it is and nobody's talking. Maybe there's a hang-up on compensation. Either way, if you're a Patriots fan, you're refreshing your phone every six minutes waiting for the Schefter bomb. And if you're Philly, you're trying to maximize the return on a guy who clearly doesn't want to be there anymore. The longer this drags, the more leverage shifts to New England. Philly knows it. Everyone knows it.
Over in Arizona, Jacoby Brissett is supposed to be the starting quarterback but he's not at OTAs. Contract dispute. He wants a raise that reflects his starter status, and at thirty-three years old, I don't blame him. But the Cardinals have options. They signed Gardner Minshew this offseason and drafted Carson Beck in the third round. So Brissett's leverage isn't exactly through the roof. Show up, play well, and earn the extension. Holding out when your team has two other quarterbacks on the roster is a risky play. And Alvin Kamara's situation in New Orleans is worth watching too. The Saints want a pay cut heading into his age thirty-one season. Kamara said last year he'd retire before playing for another team, but that stance has softened. Translation — he doesn't want to retire, he just doesn't want to be disrespected. Somebody's gonna blink first.
Over to the ice. Vegas completed the sweep of Colorado last night, two to one. Mark Stone and Cole Smith scored, Carter Hart was solid in net, and the Avalanche just never found an answer in this series. Colorado started Blackwood for the first time in the series and it didn't matter. Vegas was the better team in every game. Mitch Marner has been unreal this postseason — twenty-one points in fifteen games, fastest Golden Knight to twenty points in a single postseason in franchise history. He's been worth every penny of that contract so far.
And in the East, Carolina took a three to one series lead over Montreal with a three to two overtime win. Andrei Svechnikov scored at fourteen minutes and six seconds of overtime to break it. Jakub Dobes made thirty-five saves for the Canadiens and was outstanding, but Carolina just kept coming. They outshot Montreal thirty-eight to thirteen. Thirty-eight to thirteen. Dobes kept his team in it through sheer willpower and it still wasn't enough. Carolina is now five and oh in overtime this postseason. At some point that stops being luck and starts being identity. That's a team that believes it's gonna win every close game, and right now they're proving it.
Here's your Hangover Take for today. The Brissett holdout in Arizona is gonna end badly for him, and it might end badly fast. Look, I get wanting to be paid like a starter when you ARE the starter. But the Cardinals drafted Carson Beck in the third round for a reason. They signed Minshew for a reason. Brissett is the bridge, not the franchise. And every day he's not at OTAs, Beck is getting reps. Minshew is getting reps. The playbook is moving forward without him. Holdouts work when you're irreplaceable. Brissett is very much replaceable. If he doesn't show up by mandatory minicamp, don't be surprised if Arizona just moves on and hands the keys to someone else. You can't leverage a team that already has your backup plan on the roster.
That's your hangover. Go hydrate. I'll see you tomorrow.