Author: Brick Tungsten

Brick Tungsten was forged in a Ford F-150 during a Toby Keith guitar solo and baptized in the smoke of a backyard BBQ. A former bass fisherman, amateur theologian, and full-time enemy of tofu, Brick believes America peaked somewhere between the invention of the Budweiser tallboy and Reagan’s first cold stare into the Soviet soul. He doesn’t write columns. He delivers freedom sermons. Each one is a bugle-blast of righteousness straight from the front lines of the culture war—where gender is a science, guns are gospel, and facts are best when cooked medium rare. Brick doesn’t trust the government, but he does trust his gut, his Glock, and the guy who sold him raw milk out of a barn in 2014. He quotes the Constitution like Scripture, Scripture like prophecy, and anything on AM radio like it was beamed straight from Sinai. Every week, he unleashes verbal roundhouse kicks on WOYJO.com—targeting liberal elites, soy-sympathizers, woke kindergarten teachers, and anyone who thinks freedom is optional. His motto? “Live free, grill hard, and don’t apologize.” He has six American flags, one wife (Betsy), two kids named Liberty and Buckshot, and zero regrets.

  • DOJ Turns the Spotlight on Michigan Schools, and the Deep Soy State Starts Sweating

    ByBrick Tungsten

    You know that smell of burnt coffee and copier toner? That is the official cologne of bureaucracy. It is what you get when a room full of “stakeholders” tries to slow-cook your kid’s education into a casserole of slogans, then calls it “learning” like it arrived from Mount Sinai on a Chromebook.

    On February 18, 2026, the grill got flipped.

    What DOJ announced (investigations, not verdicts)

    The Department of Justice said its Civil Rights Division opened civil rights investigations into three Michigan public school districts:

    • Detroit Public Schools Community District
    • Godfrey-Lee Public Schools
    • Lansing School District

    DOJ says it is examining whether these districts included instruction involving sexual orientation and gender ideology, also described as SOGI, in any class for pre-K through 12. If so, DOJ says it will look at whether parents were notified about the right to opt their children out. DOJ also says it will assess whether access to single-sex intimate spaces, such as bathrooms and locker rooms, is limited based on biological sex.

    DOJ emphasized it has not reached conclusions. Investigations are where they gather facts, documents, policies, notices, training materials, and whatever paper trail exists.

    The part the suits hate: parents are not “optional”

    Here is the plain-English version. If a school is weaving ideological content into the day, DOJ is asking a basic accountability question: did you tell the parents, and did you offer a real opt-out?

    Because America is not a company town where the superintendent is the mayor, the sheriff, and the preacher. Parents are not background extras. They are the original administrators. Everybody else is supposed to be a contractor.

    DOJ also pointed to the Supreme Court’s 2025 decision in Mahmoud v. Taylor as part of what it says it will be using as a benchmark, alongside Title IX. And when Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon talks about parents directing the religious upbringing of their children, that is not some fringe concept. That is the American baseline.

    Title IX is not a feelings buffet

    DOJ says it is looking at policies affecting bathrooms and locker rooms and whether access is limited based on biological sex. That is a real legal question with real consequences. It is not solved by chanting buzzwords until everyone stops asking.

    What happens next

    No verdict yet. But the “trust us” routine is on notice. If you are a parent anywhere, take this as your reminder to do three old-fashioned things: ask, verify, and show up.

  • Housing Starts Jumped, But Your Rent Still Bench-Presses Your Paycheck

    ByBrick Tungsten

    I smelled it before I read it. That familiar scent of paperwork, hot toner, and government coffee that tastes like regret. Somewhere, a bureaucrat stapled something to something else and called it progress, while the rest of us stared at rent numbers that look like a dealership invoice.

    What the new housing report says (and why it matters)

    On February 18, 2026, the U.S. Census Bureau and HUD released the Monthly New Residential Construction report for December 2025. For once, the headline was not pure doom. It was a spark.

    • Housing starts: up 6.2% in December to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,404,000
    • Building permits: up 4.3% to 1,448,000
    • Housing completions: 1,525,000

    And yes, even the data had to fight Washington: the Census Bureau’s release page says the November and December 2025 releases were rescheduled to February 18, 2026 due to the impacts of a lapse in federal funding. Translation: D.C. played budget chicken and your housing numbers rode around in the glove box.

    The fine print: the year-over-year picture still bites

    Starts and permits rose month to month. Great. More homes getting built is like more briskets on the smoker. Supply helps.

    But the same report shows December 2025 housing starts were still 7.3% below December 2024, and permits were 2.2% below a year earlier. So the month got hotter, but the year-over-year thermometer still says the patient is not doing great.

    The real problem: the regime of scarcity

    We did not get here because Americans forgot how to swing a hammer. We got here because the red tape ranchers turned “no” into a lifestyle, and the scarcity profiteers learned to love tight supply because it makes existing assets fatter. Hovering above it all is the federal housing bureaucracy, forever ready with a new program, a new acronym, and a new grant that somehow produces more consultants than condos.

    Affordability needs building regular people can actually afford

    Not all building hits affordability the same way. What gets built, where it gets built, and how much the rulebook inflates costs all matter.

    Reacting to the same data, the National Association of Home Builders noted that total housing starts for 2025 were about 1.36 million and slightly lower than 2024, with single-family starts down for the year. That is the squeeze Americans feel when the “starter home” starts acting like a luxury product.

    So yes, I will take the win: starts at 1,404,000, permits at 1,448,000, completions at 1,525,000. Real activity. Real lumber getting nailed to real frames. But until the scarcity cult gets evicted from the driver’s seat, your rent will keep doing powerlifting with your paycheck.

  • Green Groups Sue to Bring Back the EPA Climate Leash, and the Smoke Smells Like Control

    ByBrick Tungsten

    I could smell it before I finished the first paragraph. That burnt-paperwork aroma, like somebody tried to slow-smoke a stack of climate binders and call it supper. It is the scent of a system that cannot win the argument at the ballot box, so it goes hunting for a judge.

    What happened: a D.C. Circuit challenge over the 2009 “endangerment finding”

    On February 18, a coalition of health and environmental groups filed a petition for review in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. The target is the Trump EPA’s move to repeal the 2009 greenhouse gas “endangerment finding” and unwind related vehicle greenhouse gas standards.

    That 2009 finding is not a random footnote. In plain F-150 terms, it is the ignition key. Turn that key and the EPA can build greenhouse gas rules under the Clean Air Act for vehicles, then use that same logic to justify a wider climate-control machine. Take the key away and the agency’s ability to freehand a national lifestyle plan gets a lot harder.

    Reporting described the coalition as 17 organizations, and the petition names EPA and Administrator Lee Zeldin as respondents.

    The cast list: familiar logos, familiar playbook

    The filing lists the usual suspects: American Public Health Association, American Lung Association, Sierra Club, NRDC, Environmental Defense Fund, Public Citizen, Union of Concerned Scientists, and others. These groups did not show up with hard hats. They showed up with billable hours.

    And notice the method. Not a vote. Not a referendum. Not your state legislature. It is courtroom governing: a stack of filings and a hope that the robe does what the voters will not.

    Duelling narratives: “largest deregulation” vs. “legal foundation”

    The lawsuit argues the rescission is unlawful and would unravel the legal foundation for major federal climate regulation. Meanwhile, EPA’s own messaging about the rule calls it the “single largest act of deregulation” and claims taxpayers will save more than $1.3 trillion by eliminating the endangerment finding and subsequent federal greenhouse gas standards for vehicles.

    The money scent: “compliance” as a business model

    Here is the villain I am naming with enough volume to rattle a DMV window: the deep soy state. Not a spy thriller, just an ecosystem of bureaucrats, consultants, lobbyists, and nonprofit litigation factories that feeds off rules the way ticks feed off a hound.

    And even inside the machine, the math is not one choir singing one hymn. Reporting noted an EPA analysis projecting that eliminating the vehicle standards could drive about $1.4 trillion in additional costs through 2055 from more fuel purchases, repairs, and maintenance.

    The real question

    Do we govern ourselves through elected accountability, with courts as referees, or do we get governed by lawsuits? Because today it is tailpipes and paperwork. Tomorrow it is whatever part of working life the lawsuit industry decides is next on the menu.

  • Trump Hits the DPA Ignition: Phosphorus, Glyphosate, and the Right to Make Things Here

    ByBrick Tungsten

    I smelled it before I finished reading: fertilizer dust, factory heat, and that Midwest hum where diesel sounds like a hymn. That is what a real economy smells like. Not paperwork about an economy.

    On Wednesday, February 18, 2026, President Trump signed an executive order invoking the Defense Production Act (DPA) to secure the domestic supply of elemental phosphorus and glyphosate-based herbicides. The deep soy state heard the starter turn and started fainting into its oat milk.

    What the order does (and why it matters)

    The executive order is blunt: elemental phosphorus is tied to national defense supply chains, and glyphosate-based herbicides are tied to food security. If you cannot get inputs, you cannot make the stuff. If you cannot make the stuff, you do not have an economy. You have a subscription plan.

    Trump delegates DPA authority to the Secretary of Agriculture to prioritize and allocate materials, services, and facilities related to these inputs, in consultation with the Secretary of War. That sentence is basically America remembering it has muscles.

    • The order says there is only a single domestic producer of elemental phosphorus and glyphosate-based herbicides.
    • It also says the United States imports more than 6,000,000 kilograms of elemental phosphorus annually.

    One producer and millions of kilos imported is not resilience. That is a national security trust fall onto concrete.

    The supply chain is the story

    Elemental phosphorus is not boutique nonsense. The order ties it to smoke, illumination, and incendiary devices, and to manufacturing for semiconductors used in defense technologies like radar and sensors. It also flags modern lithium-ion battery chemistries as part of the picture. Politics comes and goes. Chemistry does not.

    The order also references that phosphate was designated a critical mineral by the Department of the Interior in November 2025. Brick translation: America finally checked the parts list for modern life and realized it has been outsourcing the bolts.

    Roundup lawsuits: the litigation machine revs too

    One day earlier, on February 17, 2026, the Associated Press reported a proposed $7.25 billion settlement involving Bayer to resolve thousands of U.S. lawsuits alleging Roundup caused cancer and that users were not adequately warned. AP reported the settlement would cover certain exposures before February 17, 2026, and that it was filed in Missouri state court in St. Louis.

    The science and liability questions are contested. AP notes Bayer disputes that glyphosate causes cancer, and the EPA has said glyphosate is unlikely to be carcinogenic to humans when used properly.

    Still, farms need weed control tools, and the order says there is no direct one-for-one chemical alternative to glyphosate-based herbicides. It warns that a lack of access could jeopardize agricultural productivity and pressure the domestic food system.

    The order also includes language about immunity under the DPA for compliance. If the government is going to order priorities, it cannot leave producers legally exposed for obeying those priorities.

    My bar-stool conclusion

    Make the inputs, make the nation. I would rather live in an America that produces than an America that litigates and imports until the flag looks like a customer service logo.

  • Fed Minutes Say “Not So Fast” on Rate Cuts, and Main Street Is Still Paying the Tab

    ByBrick Tungsten

    I could smell the burnt coffee and printer toner from here, the sacred incense of America’s unelected priesthood. The Federal Reserve dropped its latest minutes and the rate-watchers read them like scripture, while Wall Street nods along like a dashboard bobblehead in a lifted F-150.

    Fed minutes: patience on cuts, and hikes still on the menu

    On February 18, 2026, the Fed released minutes from its January 27 to 28 meeting. The message was not a fireworks finale. It was a slow tightening of the leash: they are not in a hurry to cut rates again, and they want the public to remember that hikes are still possible if inflation stays above target.

    The committee kept the federal funds rate target range at 3.5% to 3.75%. The minutes indicate most officials think they are near what they call “neutral.” In Fed-speak, neutral is the place where they get to act like the economy is a wild horse and they are the only ones allowed to hold the reins.

    The pause is the point

    Almost all members backed holding steady. Two members dissented and preferred a quarter-point cut: Stephen I. Miran and Christopher J. Waller. Two guys in the room saying, “maybe ease up,” and the rest saying, “nah, we like it right here.”

    The minutes also say the vast majority judged that downside risks to employment had moderated in recent months, while the risk of more persistent inflation remained. Translation without the cardigan: they are less worried about jobs cooling and more worried about prices reaccelerating.

    AP’s reporting on the minutes highlights that many officials are hesitant to support more cuts until inflation declines further. That is not just a stance, it is a posture: arms crossed at the grill, telling you the burgers are “not ready” while your wallet is already catching smoke.

    Inflation is cooler, but the Fed still wants the keys

    The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported CPI for all urban consumers rose 0.2% in January, and prices were up 2.4% over the last 12 months. Shelter was the biggest driver of the monthly increase, and energy fell 1.5%. So inflation is cooler, but the minutes still lean on the idea that tightening is not off the table.

    Trump wants cheaper money, Main Street wants a break

    Donald Trump has argued that if inflation is cooling and jobs are steady, borrowers should get relief. The Fed’s vibe, in writing, is basically: we heard you, now watch us do what we want anyway.

    When the Fed holds at 3.5% to 3.75% and keeps hikes in the conversation, it filters down fast: credit card APRs stay nasty, auto loans stay heavy, and small businesses living on lines of credit keep paying like they are renting money by the hour. The minutes say policy is not on a preset course. Fine. Neither is a mortgage payment.

    So here is the takeaway, cooked low and slow: the Fed just told you they are in no rush to help borrowers, and they want everyone to remember they can tighten again if inflation gets cute. Are you buying the Fed’s patience, or are you tired of paying for their “credibility”?

  • Gateway Tunnel Cash Thawed: A Judge Flipped the Burger and DC Still Wants Credit

    ByBrick Tungsten

    I smelled it before the first talking head cleared their throat. That classic Washington stink, like cold coffee and paperwork left too close to the grill. The kind of air where “public interest” somehow means “you pay, we posture.”

    This time the smoke drifted up from the Gateway Hudson Tunnel project. After a court fight, the Trump administration released the last chunk of previously frozen federal reimbursement money. The swamp took a victory lap like it invented concrete, when all it did was stop stepping on the jobsite’s air hose.

    What happened (facts, not fundraising emails)

    • New York Attorney General Letitia James says the remaining nearly $130 million was delivered on February 18, 2026, completing the release of funding that had been frozen.
    • Her office ties the movement of money to the lawsuit New York and New Jersey brought against the Trump administration.
    • She points to a temporary restraining order issued February 6, 2026 by U.S. District Judge Jeannette A. Vargas, and describes reimbursements restarting in pieces, including $30 million on February 13 and another $77 million earlier this week before the final release.
    • Senator Kirsten Gillibrand says the Department of Transportation released $235 million total to the Gateway Development Commission, including $205 million for work done from August through December 2025 and $30 million for January 2026 work.

    That is reimbursement for construction already performed. Not a bonus. Not a gift basket. A bill.

    The judge grabbed the tongs

    According to the Associated Press, Judge Vargas ordered the administration to restore the funding after the states requested emergency relief, warning that a shutdown would cause irreparable harm and cut against the public interest. Once the order landed, the reimbursements started moving again.

    Also yes, construction is expected to resume next week. Which is a fancy way of saying: “the grill is back on after somebody stopped turning the propane off mid-cook.”

    The sideshow (renaming rumors)

    Reports circulated about claims that funding was being linked to renaming transit hubs after Trump. The AP noted the allegation was out there and also that it was denied or disputed. I am not carving that into stone. True or false, it is a distraction from the main event: Washington can freeze cash, then pretend unfreezing it is statesmanship.

    The bottom line

    If the government promised reimbursement for work already done, pay it. Do not punish workers and schedules to play power games. And do not act like cutting the check only after a judge steps in makes you a savior. Build the tunnel, stop the theater, respect the taxpayers.

  • The Climate Church Filed Its Lawsuit, and I Can Smell the Lawsuit Money Burning

    ByBrick Tungsten

    I walked into The Red Hat Saloon and the air smelled like hickory smoke, hot brake pads, and pure bureaucrat panic. That special aroma you get when a government form catches fire and the whole room feels ten degrees freer? Yeah. That was the vibe, because the Climate Church did what it always does when regular Americans get a little breathing room: it ran straight to court.

    Public health and environmental groups sue Trump EPA over the endangerment finding repeal

    On Wednesday, February 18, 2026, a stack of public health and environmental groups filed suit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency after the Trump administration, with EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, finalized a repeal of the 2009 greenhouse gas endangerment finding. They filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, because that is where these fights go to wrestle in the mud.

    The endangerment finding, issued in 2009, has been a foundational legal step behind federal regulation of greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act, especially for cars and trucks.

    What EPA says it did on February 12, 2026

    The Trump EPA final rule, signed February 12, 2026, rescinds that 2009 finding and also repeals greenhouse gas emission standards for highway vehicles and engines. EPA is calling it the single largest deregulatory action in U.S. history and says it will save Americans over $1.3 trillion. It also eliminates credits tied to the start-stop feature on vehicles, a feature that has annoyed drivers from sea to shining sea.

    • EPA argues that without the endangerment finding, it lacks statutory authority under Section 202(a) of the Clean Air Act to set greenhouse gas standards for new motor vehicles and engines.

    • EPA emphasized this action is about greenhouse gases and does not eliminate rules for traditional air pollutants.

    • EPA also described the repeal as removing regulatory requirements tied to measuring, reporting, certifying, and complying with greenhouse gas standards for vehicles.

    Who is suing, and what the fight is really about

    The lawsuit names EPA and Zeldin. Plaintiffs named in reporting include the Sierra Club and the Natural Resources Defense Council, plus public health groups like the American Public Health Association.

    The lawsuit crew says the repeal is unlawful and dangerous. EPA and the Trump administration say the old setup was regulatory overreach that piled massive costs onto the economy and consumers. The courts will decide what survives, and this is not a done deal. But politically, the split is bright as fireworks over a county fair: deregulation and affordability versus rule-by-lawsuit and climate clipboard control.

    So let them sue. I will be at the grill, listening to AM radio crackle, watching this administration keep doing what it promised.

    Live free, grill hard, and do not apologize.

  • No Ronaldo in Mexico? Portugal’s Side-Eye at Estadio Azteca Delays

    ByBrick Tungsten

    I’m sitting at The Red Hat Saloon, smelling hickory smoke and hearing the fryer pop, when a headline hits like a dropped toolbox: Portugal is reportedly looking at Mexico City’s legendary Estadio Azteca and wondering if it’s really going to be ready for a big-time friendly. That is not just sports drama. That is deadline drama with cleats on.

    What’s happening with Estadio Azteca, now Estadio Banorte

    Fox News reported on February 17, 2026 that Portuguese media have raised concerns about renovation delays at Estadio Azteca, which has been renamed Estadio Banorte. The worry is tied to a Mexico vs. Portugal friendly scheduled for March 28.

    Organizers have insisted the stadium will be ready, but the uncertainty has sparked talk of a possible venue change for the match. It also kicks up anxiety about future World Cup-related fixtures if key phases are not completed on schedule.

    Portugal’s concern is about safety and logistics

    The Portuguese outlet referenced in the Fox report is A Bola. The report describes members of Portugal’s coaching staff and federation officials as uneasy about whether the stadium will meet required safety and logistical standards in time.

    • Safety: mass crowds, emergency readiness, and basic venue readiness.
    • Logistics: the unglamorous machinery of a major match actually functioning.

    Yes, the Ronaldo angle is real, but not confirmed

    This friendly is expected to draw global attention partly because Cristiano Ronaldo could appear, which would be his first appearance in Mexico. Could is doing a lot of work there. The Fox piece does not confirm he is playing, and international rosters can change fast.

    Mexico’s message: first phase ready, the rest later

    Emilio Azcárraga acknowledges setbacks while pushing calm, conceding the project’s complexity. The gist: not everything can be completed immediately, some work will finish after the World Cup, but the first phase should be ready for Portugal’s visit.

    The dates that make this bigger than one friendly

    Fox notes there have been no announced changes to the venue so far. The friendly remains on the calendar. And the 2026 World Cup opener is still scheduled for the same stadium on June 11, 2026.

    Backup venues have been mentioned in the conversation, including Estadio Akron, Estadio BBVA, and Estadio Olímpico Universitario. Ticket demand is already described as soaring, which means any late shift is not just embarrassing. It is expensive.

    Light the grill, respect the clock, and demand leaders who can actually finish the job.

  • Scranton’s Crime Reality Check as Mayor Cognetti Eyes a House Seat

    ByBrick Tungsten

    Scranton’s Crime Reality Check as Mayor Cognetti Eyes a House Seat

    I can smell political panic like a burger left too long on the grill. Scranton, Pennsylvania, Joe Biden’s hometown, is staring down ugly crime headlines while Mayor Paige Gebhardt Cognetti tries to swap City Hall for Congress, challenging freshman Rep. Rob Bresnahan Jr. in Pennsylvania’s 8th District.

    Fox News framed it plain on February 17, 2026: a “crime crisis” narrative dogging a Democrat mayor as she eyes a House seat. In a district this tight, narratives turn into ballots fast.

    What Scranton has lived through

    This is not just vibes and yard signs. In 2024, Scranton endured an ambush-style shooting where Detective Kyle Gilmartin was hit twice in the head on January 11, 2024. Aiden Gabriel Deininger, 20, was charged with multiple counts including attempted homicide of law enforcement officers. Gilmartin survived.

    Local reporting also pointed to five homicides in the first five months of 2024, compared with three in all of 2023. People do not need a consultant to explain what that feels like on a front porch at night.

    Cognetti has argued the “crime spike” narrative is overcooked. In a 2025 mayoral debate, she swatted away New York Post numbers, saying the Post is not a crime database and telling people to use official databases. Fine. But you cannot data-talk your way out of the sound of gunfire.

    Why this race matters beyond Scranton

    PA-08 is tight enough to make a man’s jeans feel tight. Bresnahan flipped the seat in 2024 with 50.8% to 49.2%, a margin of 6,252 votes. Cognetti is a declared candidate for 2026, and the FEC lists her as a Democratic House candidate for PA-08.

    Governance is cops, cameras, and consequences

    Fox reported Cognetti’s camp says she expanded the police force, added 51 new police vehicles with smart tech, and deployed hundreds of cameras, including more than 230 CCTV cameras around the city. Local reporting has also highlighted major public-safety investments, including dozens of new police vehicles since 2023, upgraded body cameras, equipment, and funding tied to a federal grant.

    Fox also referenced a 2020 interview with the Black Scranton Project where Cognetti discussed an aspiration for a future where officers would not need firearms. I cannot locate the full original interview video or transcript in public archives right now, but Fox using it tells you what the opposition plans to hit.

    In the Fox piece, Bresnahan’s campaign manager, Peter Brath, accused Cognetti of downplaying gang violence, wanting to disarm police, and claimed she was “caught partying” in New York City days after the December 2025 machete killings. That New York City detail is presented as a campaign allegation in the Fox story, and I have not seen a public document in the reporting that pins it down beyond that claim.

    But the December 2025 horror is real. On December 9, 2025, Scranton police say two women were killed and another woman critically injured in a machete attack at the Hotel Jermyn Apartments. WVIA reported the suspect, Michael Willie Marquis Woods, 38, was charged with two counts of criminal homicide, attempted criminal homicide, aggravated assault, and aggravated cruelty to animals.

    My bar-stool sermon is simple: stop treating public safety like a campaign prop. Run the city. Measure what works. Tell the truth about what people are living through. Live free, grill hard, and demand grown-up governance.

  • Mike Evans, Free Agency, and the Only Budget System Anybody Respects

    ByBrick Tungsten

    I like my news the way I like my steak: hot, simple, and not explained to me by a pastel infographic made by somebody who thinks a brisket is a personality type.

    So here comes the headline with real American clarity: Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans is coming back for 2026, but he is also going to test free agency. That is not drama. That is the marketplace. Everybody claims they are “just looking” until the bidding starts.

    What we actually know

    • Fox News reported on February 17, 2026 that Evans will play in 2026 and plans to explore the free agency market, based on his agents telling ESPN.
    • This would be the first time in his career he hits free agency, and he will turn 33 in August.
    • Retirement speculation floated around because his 1,000-yard streak ended in 2025 after 11 straight seasons, with hamstring and collarbone injuries in the mix.
    • Fox News reported he missed nine games and finished with 30 catches for 368 yards and three touchdowns in eight games.
    • Tampa Bay missed the playoffs in 2025 for the first time since 2019.

    Why he is not “just another free agent”

    Evans is not a novelty bobblehead. Fox News notes he was a six-time Pro Bowler in the 11 seasons before the injury-heavy 2025, helped Tampa win the Super Bowl in 2020, and led the NFL in receiving touchdowns in 2023. That is a franchise landmark wearing shoulder pads.

    The salary cap: the last honest budget in America

    Here is the part that makes me want to stand up on a bar stool and preach. The NFL has something most politicians only cosplay with: a cap. A real ceiling. Real consequences.

    Fox News points out Tampa may need to open cap space to keep him, citing Over The Cap putting the Buccaneers at nearly $24 million in cap room this offseason. And OverTheCap’s contract page for Evans shows 2026 as a void year with a $13,074,000 2026 salary cap charge. Dead cap is like burnt propane: money already spent, still stinking up the place.

    Rules are rules, not vibes

    NFL.com reported Evans’ agent, Deryk Gilmore, said Evans is opening it up, and that he will definitely play a 13th season, possibly in Tampa, possibly elsewhere. That is the whole sermon right there: adults make choices, the rules stay put, and math does not care how emotional anybody gets.

    Mike Evans is going to test the market. Fine. Let the rest of the country try testing something radical too: accountability. Live free, grill hard, and make budgets mean something again.

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