LeBron James is now a Laker!
On Sunday, July 1st, 2018, LeBron James brought some complications to my life. I have been rooting for the Los Angeles Lakers since the 2008 Finals (Finals which they lost 4-2 to the Celtics). I'm a Laker fan because of Kobe Bryant. I became a fan of NBA because of Kobe Bryant. When I first saw him play, it was against the Boston Celtics in the 2008 NBA Finals. I watched Kobe Bryant and the Lakers lose to the Boston Celtics pretty badly. No, he didn't get swept by the Celtics, but Kobe and the Lakers were no match to the Celtics. It was surprising how Kobe and the Lakers managed to win two games against the Celtics. In a losing effort, Kobe Bryant taught me a lesson. He taught me to never doubt yourself. To never quit on yourself or on your teammates. His play and effort during those Finals convinced me to never stop trying and always look for ways to win against tough situations. As soon as the 2008 Finals came to an end, I said to myself that Kobe Bryant will lead his Lakers to a championship in the following season. Kobe and the Lakers won back to back titles in 2009 and 2010.
To me, Kobe Bryant is Michael Jordan. According to many, he was the Michael Jordan of the era from 2004-2013. After LeBron James won his first title in 2012, a whole lot of fans and media people shifted their attention to LeBron's side from Kobe's. A year later, LeBron won another title, and lots of reporters and NBA writers started to claim that LeBron James was better than Kobe Bryant. After the 2016 NBA Finals in which LeBron James led his hometown team, the Cleveland Cavaliers to its first NBA Championship, he was considered to have reached Jordan's level. To some, like Nick Wright, LeBron James has already surpassed Michael Jordan. I will admit that I don't like LeBron as a player. He is a great player and can pretty much do anything on the court. It's just his mindset! When he struggles to win against his competition, he ends up leaving his team for another team to join forces with other superstars. LeBron James has proven that he needs at least two All-Star scorers to win titles. How can I root for someone who switches his teams when he fails to get them to glory?
Now LeBron is a Laker. He signed a four-year contract for $154 million with the Los Angeles Lakers. He now plays for the team where my favorite player played for twenty years. My favorite player gave all of his blood and sweat to the Lakers while trying to win titles for them. Will LeBron do the same? Or will LeBron go back to Cleveland two to three years from now? No one knows what will happen, but I sure hope NFL superstars don't start the trend that LeBron James has created in the NBA. I hope professional football players, who are the superstars and the leaders of their teams, don't start switching teams every now and then just to win titles. Can you imagine Tom Brady leaving the New England Patriots for the Indianapolis Colts, after losing to the New York Giants in the Super Bowl for the second time in four years? Can you imagine Ray Lewis leaving his Baltimore Ravens for the New England Patriots, somewhere in the mid-2000s, in order to win multiple rings? Let's just do scenarios of some current NFL superstars leaving for other teams with more opportunities.
Von Miller joins the Vikings.
If Miller wants to remain one of the best players in the game, and if he wants to be at the top of jersey sales, then he will have to leave the Broncos before their ship sinks completely. Where could he possibly go and compete for multiple championships? I think the Minnesota Vikings will be a good fit for him. The Vikings' roster is loaded with talent and it has a great coach in Mike Zimmer, who is also a defensive genius. Last year, the Vikings finished as the number one scoring defense. Can you imagine what that defense would do with Miller in there? That defense will take over the league instantly if Miller joins the Vikings. Just picture a defense with players like Everson Griffen, Anthony Barr, Danielle Hunter, Harrison Smith, Xavier Rhodes, and Von Miller. All the NFL offenses will beg for mercy. Miller to Vikings sound great, but do we really want to see him in purple? I just can't imagine Von Miller in any color but orange.
Chris Harris Jr. goes to Jacksonville.
Unlike Miller, Chris Harris Jr. was picked up by the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free-agent. Chris Harris Jr. and Von Miller were two key pieces of the scary Broncos' defense that won Super Bowl 50 in 2016. For the past three seasons, he has been the Broncos number one corner. Him and Aqib Talib were one of the best cornerback tandems in the past four years. As I mentioned earlier, the Broncos have missed on the playoffs for two straight seasons since the 2015-16 season. A lot of players on defense have left for other teams, including Aqib Talib. The AFC West division, in which the Broncos play, is getting tougher and tougher. I don't see the Broncos going to the playoffs anytime soon. So what should Harris do, who is twenty-nine and who is in his final years of prime? Maybe go to Jacksonville and be a part of something special?
Last year, the Jacksonville Jaguars' defense was a top-two defense. You could argue that they have more talent on defense than the Vikings do. You could also argue that they have the best cornerback tandem with A.J. Bouye and Jalen Ramsey. The Jaguars were pretty close from beating the New England Patriots in the AFC Title game and going to the Super Bowl. If Chris Harris Jr. comes to Jacksonville this year or next year, the Jaguars will become favorites to win the AFC. If Harris does join the Jaguars, he could create No Fly Zone 2.0 in Jacksonville. Harris with the Jaguars will have an excellent chance of winning his second Super Bowl and finishing his career with a better legacy.
OBJ leaves big blue, goes gang green!
One of the most exciting players in the NFL today. Odell Beckham Jr. is extremely talented and he his definitely a superstar in this league. Most of the people would say that he is the best player on the New York Giants' roster. However, those people would also say that he doesn't belong to the New York Giants' locker room. He doesn't fit with what the Giants do. The Giants are one of the most prestigious franchises in the NFL, and their focus is all on winning games. What is Odell Beckham Jr. all about? He is all about drama! OBJ is all about 'look at me, how talented I am!' Became wants attention. He is more about him dominating games than winning games. The owner of the New York Giants, John Mara, is tired of OBJ's antics. A lot of Giants' fans are tired of Beckham! So what should Beckham do? Well, he should grow up and learn how to find ways to help his team win. Would he do that? No! Then what? Maybe, he should consider leaving the New York Giants and join the New York Jets!
OBJ and the New York Jets are a perfect match for one another. Both of them want attention. Both of them prefer dollars and ratings over winning championships. Jets' fans will welcome Beckham with their open arms. Since 2010, the Jets have failed to make it to the playoffs for seven straight years. They have simply relied on big free-agency signings and lots of trash talking to receive ratings. Bringing in Beckham, who is a superstar, will help them get more games on national tv, and it will also help their young quarterback in Sam Darnold. Woody Johnson, the owner of the Jets, wouldn't mind Beckham's on and off the field issues. As long as OBJ is wearing a Jets' jersey, Woody Johnson will be happy. Beckham will get a lot more freedom with the New York Jets. However, it will be a shame that if he doesn't get to finish his career with a storied franchise like the New York Giants.
Aaron Rodgers goes to Hollywood Rams.
Ten years ago, Brett Favre asked to be traded by the Green Bay Packers. If the Packers don't give Rodgers the necessary help this season, he would want to leave too. Aaron Rodgers is right now the best quarterback in the NFL, but his resume is just as good as Drew Brees. Since 2011, Rodgers has been carrying a pretty awful roster of the Packers to playoffs every season. Last year, the Packers failed to make it to the playoffs for the first time in ten years. It was because Rodgers suffered a season-ending injury before midseason. Aaron Rodgers knows that without him, the Packers might barely win six games a year. The past three seasons have been very frustrating for Rodgers! He managed to get his Packers to only three playoff wins in three years. I don't want Rodgers to leave, but if he wants to be a champion again, he will need to. Los Angeles Rams should get Rodgers!
Since the Rams moved back to Los Angeles from St. Louis in 2016, they have been all about making flashy moves. First, in the 2016 draft, they traded up all the way to the number one pick to draft Jared Goff. A year later, they hired the youngest head coach to turn the team around. Another year later, they made trades for star players like Brandin Cooks, Marcus Peters, and Aqib Talib, and in free agency, they signed one of the most dangerous defensive tackles in Ndamkung Suh. If Rams can somehow trade Jared Goff for picks and get Aaron Rodgers, they will be the favorites to win Super Bowl as long as Rodgers stays there. If Rodgers does decide to go to the Rams in 2019 and sign a two-year deal, then by June of 2021, he will have three rings on his fingers.
Conclusion:
If these four superstars leave their current teams for new teams to win championships and get more fame, then a lot of fans will lose their interest in the actual game of football. Even though NFL is a business, but it is also an ultimate team sport. It's a sport that brings in lots of people together, to cheer for their favorite players on their favorite teams. Seeing Aaron Rodgers in a Non-Packer uniform will be unacceptable for millions of fans across the country. NFL superstars should always find ways to win championships for the teams where they became superstars.
Please, don't do what LeBron has done in the NBA!
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