Catching up on News and Huge Offseason Storylines

The Around the NFL Podcast is back in the Chris Westling podcast studio.

Hell yeah, we're back. I don't know the rest of the building.

The Chris Westling Podcast studio is still functioning, and that's great, and so is the Around the NFL Podcast. Dan hans Us here got heroes, Mark Sessler, Great Rosenthal.

Then yes, she also back. Charlie Shawnnie's the queen Queen. She is the Queen of NFL. Meeting soldier Colleen.

Hey, what is up? I can't believe we did it again. We both got here ten fifty one.

I mean it is again.

Science This one made me think there might be some Truman Show scenario is going around this morning.

We had a off after the super Bowl and we're all back together, and you know it was Greg and I actually spent the week together.

Oh that's nice time. Let's get to that next. But I want to hear everything. Like seven am, you know, we're sending out text an email, we're ready to get back to work, and all through the morning, I'm like, all right, I'm gonna get there. Maybe i'll get there an hour earlier that, you know, get settled in, and then some pops up and it's a half hour still, like eight minutes ahead of my typical ten to fifty one soldier schedule.

As I'm stepping out the.

Door, ups truck pulls up to deliver these big, heavy doors we're just putting in a closet in our house, and I have to help the man.

They're so heavy. I helped the man bring in the closets.

Wipes out the eight minute window ten to fifty one soldier and now it's starting to feel like a bigger conspiracy cess dog.

All right, ready, ups truck, go, ups truck. We're just directing the whole thing, right.

But your intention was to come here earlier, and my intention, okay.

To really said to what end? Would this be? A make you so up at ten fifty one? But what is the goal?

That's well, that's what I want to know.

We don't know, Like you can't look the fates are the fates are working your schedule, not you fate.

I mean, fate would be one thing, okay, but I'm I am thinking something bigger.

Literally always parking as soon as I pull in the garage behind him, like it's always orchestrated.

So it's not just me, So Colleen, it was coming from a totally different area of the South Bay. Is also the way the traffic patterns work, the stoplights, How is this happening.

Ex exactly raining today? That adds another wrinkle.

That's wrench but not not in this case.

So anyway, it's like it's the new eighth wunder of the world.

Really everyone wants to know about it.

Also, what I want to know about Mark Sessler.

You you come from a different area of Los Angeles, the right to work, and one of your early texts this morning was about something that's on your radar here in the office, and I could not wait to hear about it.

Well, uh, you know, it's disturbing to me personally.

I'd say it's developing a developing situation because huh huh, Well, i'd label it under the category of theft. So like one of the perks when you go to the Super Bowl and do all the work that we did and have the great time that we had, you come back in on your desk. They have a Super Bowl program which you can give to a child or something.

This has never happened to me.

Well, this is I don't this this is happening. You don't have a desk. Ye and the like does have a desk, but he's never said at standard there is a desk you could sit at near us.

So a super Bowl program neatly put on on on the desk and on top of it in a in a in a plaster in a cardboard box is a super Bowl ticket encased in glass.

It's a wonderful meto, especially in the past.

I'm gonna say about five years they went away the league from physical tickets taking it to the game, and now it's a digital situation. So this ticket, Like I took my buddy Greg from New York to the game, and he's a huge sports fan, had always wanted to go to the Super Bowl, and he was really bummed. And I said, guess what, they do have this ticket that they put in glass, and I'm going to give it to you.

I see. So it's a gift. You can give it to a child. Again.

Finds it fascinating anyone that didn't go to the game. And so I always look forward to it and I'm thankful for it. And my attitude has been, you know, pleasant towards the whole.

Situation, which I thought everyone was just buying these tickets and they're also no, they're also they're valuable.

So like there you know it is.

So I come in and I, you know, I you know, so our desk is like you know, smashed up against glass where all these tour groups come in and all these people are riff rapping in and out the door right behind my desk and everywhere, like Dan's desk super Bowl program neatly put out and his little ticket in the cardboard box.

Of course.

I look at Greg's desk and it's like to per he got, yeah, it's perfect, and everything's fine.

I I And then on my.

Desk, the super Bowl program has just been like ripped open to someone's like meeting a magazine.

No, and the ticket in the box are gone.

So someone literally went to my desk not only stole the thing, but then just sat and read read my super Bowl program, probably in my seat, and then said, fu, I'm going to take this valuable item and leave.

Mark. Of course it is a good read.

Judy Batista often contributes Steve Weiss.

The program is not my concern. I already have a program. So someone someone stole, like someone stole this precious item from simply and I walked around in like every desk, like Clockwork has this like perfect little program and a little you know, trinket.

Sounds like a case for Frank Signetti.

I think it does big based, so I don't know, it's you know, welcome back to work.

It's great to be back together.

As they say, that's wow, that's a major and that and I understand Mark, and it's especially it's annoying because Old Greggy and the Zoustag both have our programs and tickets and and yet it's almost like you were targeted.

Well it was also, and I'm not going to dig into this, there was a seating situation at the super Bowl where you know, Dane and Greg's guests got put up like an at lastment and I had to keep keep a little this but my seats were like yeah in Nosebleeds Central. So it's like someone is on the prowl to disengage me further from the entire miss your take.

You can have my ticket so that that takes care of that.

Well, that's very nice, but I actually think you could give it to Walker for instance, who would love it. And I would just ask hr, how do I get another one of these?

Yeah, that's great that's very kind. That is very kind.

I was also Walker's first Super Bowl. Yeah, it's kind of robbing Peter to pay Paul a little bit. I can't take that.

I don't think I've ever brought one of those home. I always give them to people.

I don't know. Your son went to his first Super Bowl.

I'm not a big things guy. It just feels like it weighs you down.

I think I'm not a big things guy either, and it's robbed from me.

Yeah, it's it's it's more the violation. Yes, nine, I feel like he would appreciate.

Okay, he would, But because we don't need to take it from Walking, Mark will get a ticket.

We're gonna get it.

Yeah, it's just a matter of First of all, Eric, can we pull the footage out of the newsroom? And sometimes I give Eric Arder tasks and a typical podcast producer, do we think, yeah, we need to pull the files. We need to find out who is sitting at Mark's desk, which, by the way, is a violation.

In its own right. Well, they should be fired.

Can we do that, Eric, We get the footage, look into hacking security, who's the guy that runs the and that guy's busy right now because.

Listen, beat Dog. This place is sinking right now. Yeah, we have problems.

There's there's cracks in the floors, there's ceilings that are caving in half, the electrics are shot.

Stop raining.

It's almost like they didn't account they built a ten million dollar building and then like, oh, but it doesn't rain in La.

They're driveacking outside bay.

It rains in LA in December and January.

It's like a building made of like amboles on top of a mesa and then oh, weather happened, and it's like whole places crumb and the.

Chris Westling podcast.

Maybe it's west wherever he is watching over us so far is still functioning.

What's everywhere around us? The place is.

Of NFL media safe from anyway.

That's terrible, mark. That would annoy me greatly.

Right, I was thinking it in reverse. I think you would be you would understand it, you'd be annoyed. It was like they targeted you, right.

It could be someone that doesn't have a desk and didn't never get a ticket.

Yeah, but also was like, oh, that's a good person to target. What about Roberts?

You first Super Bowl of Eric Roberts excellent work all week.

Thank you.

They give it a jacket to all the staff, the super Bowl jacket. Roberts needs a jacket. I will put a ball on this. I did end getting a jacket. It's at my desk somebody.

But it was like I've heard that it's I didn't take out the back because I got in started working obviously, and apparently it's a double X. It's a quite large jacket. Hey, hey, I'll take it. You know, I appreciate the game. I was there for the experienced guys. It was a great week. I'm not gonna let a jacket ruin my week.

So we got to get Kyle Yuschek's wife to modify your jacket.

Yeah's a nice jacket.

That's all. Been as bitter about it as I was. But it was a nice freaking jacket. Yeah, we get Robert's a large. Can we just get them a large? Can we get market Robert's a large? That's it?

All right, Welcome back, everybody, Thank you for hanging around. I hope in the interim no one listened to another NFL podcast and liked it. Not allowed. That's not allowed and I and that went without saying. But if you did. Shame on you and then you were also you found out, oh all their podcasts are bad. Well it worked in our favorite somehow we are nominated by the Way iHeartRadio.

We are nominated for.

Best NFL Podcast. The award show is in Austin next month, Best Sports Podcast.

That's Sports Time.

Yeah hell yeah, And you know the competition is fierce, but also the competition is weak ultimately, and we are the greatest. And the award that we went over in the old UK speaks to that.

Yeah, as does the Stitcher award from thirteen and the Best.

New Podcasts Seamlessly Linked Together award for twelve.

So now people need to understand that.

So you've learned a hard lesson and wasted your time on any other NFL podcast Nay Sports podcast last week, But we are now back.

In today's episode.

In addition to getting caught up on everything that's happened since Super Bowl fifty eight, we're going to share, in our opinion, the biggest storylines of the twenty twenty four off season, in which we are now firmly Connie.

Oh ye planted.

There's a lot.

There's so many Mark has already come up with, like seventy four different options.

Now the season's begun. Football's back. No.

Mark had concerns about the Russell Wilson's in the news for selling his house. Mark asked, nicely, maybe we should take it out of the news because that might be the biggest storyline of the off season for when we get to that side.

I thought it lived in that world to some degree. But I'm sure we will spend exhaustive time during the news nugget item going down the road and explaining what it means.

Separately, Mark politely flagged this for you, right, and I'm derided for it by these two, and I see you get us.

No, no, no, no, we don't need this, we get it stuff.

I said, we'll take it out of the news if that is indeed your biggest.

Off because I already I already did an end around and he said it was on your list. I need to put it on the list because I knew it would be caused mental all of.

A sudden, we're in this marked vortext because we did. I said, we'll take it out. We'll take it out. No, it'll be all yours.

No, No, definitely the least necessary news item to be fair.

I think we don't change the show during the show. Now it's good. Now it's we're into let's do some news. So is that a wolf we talked about high el dark?

I think it runs the whole gamut. I mean, if you get into I'm not you know, I'm sort of an f fringe elf individual. Like the fact that I thinks some people thought it doesn't represent a tough, you know, football player.

Well, there's a lot of things happening with elves.

That could cause a problem for the Ravens or Steelers, I think, depending on some of their powers.

So you will leave it out.

We'll leave that right there at that.

In case you missed it from Radio Row.

That's Mark Sessler and they sit down with Denzel Ward and Miles Garrett of the Browns. I I, you can only tee these players up, you know what I mean?

Right?

And I thought you did a brilliant job there giving them a chance of platform to dig in on the elves and if they don't want to take it and run with it, they don't have to.

Well, so two things were happening real quick.

I realized I've already talked a lot on the show about personal items, but no go ahead, well, well no one that was That was the day that we drove into like Las Vegas, the right right to this and it was this was like eighteen minutes into the show where it's like and I had come in like with my health at like a one out of ten, and I talked about on this thing. I had no voice and I just felt medicated, and like at one point I'm looking over and like Miles Garrett was where dan Us,

It looks very amused, got the look on his face like I'm not gonna have to say much here.

This guy is doing great.

It got for me, It got better because I had two listed questions because this has happened to have been derailed before, is like serious questions or fun questions.

And I was like I'm gonna I'm not going to go down the wrong road.

And then like you're supposed to ask the sponsor question first, and I'm like eight questions in and realized I hadn't asked the sponsor question, and I asked in a weird way. And the note we got from you know, upper management, the next day was like you don't go off script on the on the sponsor, and then you were saddled with overly.

The rest of the week.

I'm very distracted right now because uh Lincoln Wrestling and Lakeisha.

Podcast.

Yeah, okay, Link is waving and it's melting my heart and.

The whole show is derailed. Wow, I forgot that Lakeisha's in town. Wow, we an incredible.

I'm not I'm not overly confide then, Like I feeling good that Link is in this building right now, I feel like we would be the most dangerous building in Los Angeles based on the.

He's going to come inside the arc here, We're going to get him inside the arc.

We saw that.

I saw them yesterday for a little bowling in dinner. It would have been Chris Wesleyan's fiftieth birthday, Oh day.

And.

Mine as well, and Roger Goodell's the treat the pillars like the Rams have Aaron Donald and Stafford. The weight bearing walls unbelievable.

Well did you turn.

I'm forty five, so I'm five five years younger. What's going big one? But uh, I think Chris would Chris would have been proud with no prep, no telling him what to do. Link just took that bowling ball and threw the thing down there for a three year old, like like an athlete.

Surprise.

It's in the westling DNA, I mean their ability to play parlor games and bowling and yeah, and things of that nature. In fact, that was I was last weekend or this past weekend. I was up in Big Bear where I go every year with my buddy Bob and his family and our family have a nice time together. And we happened to be staying at a house that we had rented that was directly behind the Motor Inn motel where in twenty fifteen, I think we figured out Mark West and myself did a weekend in Big Bear

The twinkle in Sessler's eyes right now, No.

Because it was. It was like it had many layers. It was. It would be hard to tell our story about.

All I can tell you is the night ends with us putting West to bed in one of the twin beds, and Mark and I going into this little kitchen and eating bad pizza and listening to counting crows. But We had an amazing like, as I walked, I have to cut. We cut through the house, through this parking lot and there it is. It's room number one, this motor lodge

So a fiftieth that is a crazy, crazy thing. All right, get on track. He's like this a football page. We'll get there. We'll get there.

The off season was like kind of bigun.

Yeah, it's like we haven't seen each other for a week. We have a lot of catching up to do. We just couldn't.

They don't. They don't really talk football. I would like to I like a real deep dive. Shut up this this feels quiet, little nerd. I love the listeners, right, and I.

Don't think anyone's thinking that taking your head.

Silence, silence, four eyes nerds. All right, let's get into it. Connie.

When we were in Vegas, yes, when we talked about the kind of subplots that are under.

The radar, that you know that like real football heads.

At which we are, we can be that and also have personalities and be human beings. What was your subplot going into fifty eight?

Was it? Did I have to do with Steve will Steve.

Will, I don't really remember what it was.

What it was that it could be a launching pad to greater it was.

It was a launching pad, all.

Right if he was able to get the defense together and have a good performance and beat the Chiefs and turn things around for himself, because the narrative all year along was that he wasn't a fan and there was the wrong plait and everything was name go.

Steve Wilkes was relieved of his duties three days after the forty nine Ers fell short in the Super Bowl against the Chiefs, a game where I didn't think their defense played overly poorly, but there were more elements at play behind the scenes.

Very clearly.

We talked about it on the show going into the Super Bowl that maybe something wasn't quite right.

Here is Shanahan at his press conference this morning.

I relieved Steve Wilkes of his duties. Gonna end up making a change here defensive coordinator, and really tough decision because really says nothing about Steve as a man or as a football coach. I mean, he's exactly what we wanted as a man. He is a great football coach, but just where we're going, where we're at with our

I'm not as surprised because Steve Wilkes came from outside, like the Shanahan Tree, didn't have experience with him before. Albert Breer wrote this thing that and it sounded like something he had heard from inside the building, that the management of the overtime period where you know, it was kind of like the last straw, but that he might have been on shaky ground even going into the overtime where you know, there's a third and six and they rushed seven, but the defensive backs are all back. If

A bit of a scapegoat.

It felt like an awkward fit all year and they did underachieve, So I think that's just the way it goes sometimes.

Yeah, I mean it's the old Like, you know, we saw a lot of mid season coordinator firings on good teams this year and like, but Shanahan had him come down from the booth after they were whacked couple of weeks in a row in the middle of the season, and I let his words, like shanaan Elie is going to be honest about stuff. He just said it was harder than it needed to be. And it's like, you're

They lost the Super Bowl because of the offense.

They won.

They played defense more than well, and like if the offense played to seventy five percent of their average game in the Super Bowl, they win it. I pointed out in that postgame pod, the first nine drives the Chiefs had thirteen points. That's an entire game, So that the forty nine Ers offense kind of lost that Super Bowl. If if we're doing blame here and Steve Wawks would not have been fired if the defense had a great performance in the Super Bowl, which it did until the

But also the players didn't totally buy in.

It felt like like the star players, like the guys like Fred Warner and Nick Bosa. Even after the game, Nick Bosa said that the defense was not prepared well enough to defend Mahomes and the Niners do run their defense like a very specific way when Robert Sala came in and did it for the three years, and then Demico Ryans was promoted from within to run it that way, and Steve Wilkes his whole background is mostly with DB's and so that's where a lot of his energy and

I had that thought too, And it's kind of like a peak.

You think he's gonna take a step down and go back to be in a DC. It's seventy two years old.

People are also like his first call to be to Bill Belichick. I'm like, I mean, that's interesting, why not call?

We talked about it, like with this podcast. No reverse gears in this deck?

Can Belichick or Carol would they ever go and not be the leader of their own staff? That seems unlikely, but it doesn't mean it doesn't make sense.

Carol kind of fits just because I don't know if he's head coaching again, and any point there's like Mike Rabel's out there too, but he's too big and too tall and too strong, apparently to work inside any building.

By the way, it also kind of poked a hole in what was a plug and play narrative going into the season that anybody that was DC that would be a launching pad because Sala demigo and he was also a victim. Wilkes of the success of those guys as it turned out, because they were dominant under Ryan's last year, and this year they weren't bad. They finished third in points allowed seventeen point five, but they are underlying numbers

Kyle Ganahan can't fire Shanahan, so he had to fire.

Although they're looking outside like I don't think they have a they didn't have like a logical replacement that built from within guy like Brandon Staley's an option.

They doesn't seem like they know who they're.

Going to they wanted Vic Fangio last year and get him.

Jimmy Garoppolo's NFL career has taken another twist. The former forty nine Ers in current Raiders quarterback has been suspended two games for violating the NFL's performance enhancing substance policy. It is related to Jimmy G using a prescribed medication without having a valid therapeutic use exemption from the league. Jimmy G will not appeal the suspension, so he'll miss

That's next month.

So Jimmy G, who just signed a three year, seventy two point seventy five million dollar contract that never felt right even when it happened. I think everybody's like, I don't know that included nearly thirty four million guaranteed.

I don't know if the suspension messes with that at all, but it does.

But Josh McDaniels was the team's head coach, Dave Ziegler was the general manager. None of that is the thing anymore. So that's how Jimmy G ends up back. I don't know where he is on Greg's free agency one on one if it gets to that, but it can't be very high because I feel like he's at a low value point right now in his career.

Yeah, he'd be a good backup one BEE type, see a good maybe one O one, probably a little higher, he would be higher. I think it's a good point because he's not on my list. I kind of forgot about him because he is still on a roster right now, but I will, uh well, I don't need to put him on now because he's not a free agent, but I do want to be mentally prepared where to put him.

That is pretty brutal.

He has made one hundred fifty million in his career and has one season where he started every game. I think that his starting days outside of a disaster are done. Like you kind of want to go somewhere and kind of ride it out as a well paid backup. Maybe the Texans, because he's been in that offensive system, not having to learn a new system from scratch.

But who can pitch him as a starter at this point. We've seen it, we've been there, we've done that.

I wonder where the Raiders are going to go now too, because Antonio Piers said that he doesn't want some like band aid situation at the quarterback position. They're at thirteen? Do they end up trading up at some point? They don't really draft quarterbacks early, they never really have traditionally. But Antonio Pierce does have a connection to Jayden Daniels from LSU, the Heisman winner, so they go back.

Pierce recruited him at ASU.

He gave Antonio Pierce a shout out in that acceptance speech and he was also in the Raiders locker room after that like win against Denver. So they have that connection going, so that could maybe be an option for them.

Good nugget, Good nug Speaking of Antonio Pierce, he was on Max Crosby's The Rush podcast recently and.

He had this to say about Patrick.

Mahomes And you know, of course the Raiders during the interim run that Pierce had that got him this job in a full time capacity with the Raiders. They shut down the Chiefs on Christmas Day. Here's what he said on the Rush podcast.

Got the Jordan rules, and I'm calling down from now on as long as I'm here.

The Patrick Mahome rules.

So you remember when Jordan was going through with the Pistons, all those guys in the eighties before he came Michael Jordan, Air Jordan, the Pistons used to whoop it anytime he came to the whole elbow. So filling them glove taps, we touched them when they had mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually, I'm touching you. So I'll show those guys Jordan and whoop and.

He get more of that at his Twitter handle. The Rush with Max a little different. I'm just saying there's some Rex Ryan vibes with Antonio Pierce, which could be good or it could be bad.

I'm very dubious of that.

Higher it feels like one a late season run by an interim coach that I don't know if it's gonna be repeatable in the regular season. I like, from a content standpoint, someone going after Patrick Mahomes is saying we're gonna We're gonna whip on you, but you're just giving Mahomes more reason to whip your ass twice next year.

I don't know why you need to verbalize that on the podcast, But like Dan, you've been on the beat, the the suspicious Antonio piece, Piers beat from and.

I know Raider fans don't are kind of every time I mention it like they they're unhappy about it. But it's okay for someone else to have a different opinion about this guy. And I just don't know he's a perfect interim coach. I just don't know if this is gonna translate want so.

Bad that I'm like so all in on He's He's always come crashing down on me.

He's in a tough spot being in the division with Harbaugh and Andy Reid and Sean Payton, but talk like I do like that. It's why we liked Robert Sala I think when he first got the Jets job, because he was good on the mic and said, Cirin, what happened to that guy? Like right, certain confident things. That's why we like Rex Ryan. It's like, I like coaching

I think it got him like, oh, I have your contract. I think that was it. I think that was the win that did it. It was in Arrowhead too, is yeah all right?

In other news you mentioned Rex Ryan.

This was a good little uh media internal battle over in Bristol because the Cowboys before they made it official that they were hiring Mike Zimmer as their new defensive coordinator, replacing Dan Quinn, who got a head coaching job, Rex Ryan had interviewed for the job, and when Adam Schefter reported on I believe it was the NFC or the title Game Sunday that Zimmer was going to get the job, Ryan, on live television on ESPN, refuted Adam Schefter's report.

No, no, yeah.

As far as I know, you know, this is is not as a this is not a done deal like I'm in I'm in it. Well, sorry, Rex, because the Cowboys did indeed go with Mike Zimmer, so he takes over here is Zimmer at his introductory press conference last week.

We're not trying to reinvent the wheel here. I mean, they've been pretty good, you know. I know there's been some situations where things haven't happened, but that happens in coaching, you know, what happens a lot. So we're gonna look at the players, try and figure out the best way to use them, put the scheme together, and again, you know, we want to take the good things that they've done and maybe add a few more other things that we've done good in the past.

I'm happy that zimmers back like a good, cantankerous old coach, and he's grumpy, and if things go sideways in Dallas, whenever they give him the mic, he's going to be there's gonna be some entertainment there.

Zimmer, the old grump is back.

I think Zaddy had an interesting comment because there's a lot of them just you know, slapping each other on the back. But they faced each other a ton, and he said that, you know, when he'd get together with Aaron Rodgers that they both identified Zimmer as in his defense in general, as the kind of the thorniest thing they'd run into each season. I mean, that's not how it ended in Minnesota for Zimmer, where I think one of the reasons he was flushed out was like this

And Jerry Jones knows exactly what he's getting with Mike Zimmer because he was with the Cowboys for a long time as a defensive.

Assistant ten years.

I think of them mostly as a Cowboys guy exactly.

He was there in the nineties when they were just like a powerhouse. Through Bill Parcells.

Yep, he brings drama.

I mean, even this negotiation to get the job brought drama because the flip side of what you said to Rex Ryan was at some point, I think it was the Monday after the Super Bowl, for like an hour, Adam Schefter actually reported this Zimmer job that I had reported was done is maybe not, you know, as locked in as we thought, and Rex Ryan is now a strong candidate. Within an hour, it was Zimmer's job. So it was basically Jerry Jones and company saying like, all right,

We are going to hire Rex Ryan.

We're going to tell you by putting it through the thing like take the job. We want you to take the job. And then he takes the job.

All right, let's pause right here for a minute and take a break and then get back to the news. All right, we're back in other news, the Buccaneers and Mike Evans. It's looking increasingly possible he's played his last game in Tampa. It was reported the Bucks had a soft deadline to get an extension done with Evans. That told yesterday, and both sides, according to Jordan Schultz of Bleacher Report, are far apart. So Tampa Bay will take on over seven million in dead money if they don't

Yes, which would be fun.

I think the tag for him would be twenty eight million dollars, which just seems a little wild, even for a one year contract, which is always nice for the team. And yet now they they're already paying putting seven million dollars on the books now, as you mentioned in dead money, like even if they do resign him, they're gonna have dead money from not having resigned him by this week, which it.

Does make it a lot more likely that he's gone.

And I think part of it is they want to use that franchise tag on Antoine Winfield would be my guest. Baker Mayfield's also free agent. They have other free agents and they really might say good but I wouldn't totally roll it out like that. They just step up and give them. But it doesn't make financial sense, like why, you know, why would they have dead money and then sign them for even more money?

Mark, and the tag doesn't make a ton of sense because it's like this isn't they won a playoff game and like that they had a nice season, and it's like you got a lot of moving parts with Baker and the rest. But it's like, this isn't a one year super Bowl window team where you bring them back and the enough to do this next offseason. Yeah, but I don't love watching Mike Evan just go out the door either.

This is great news mark for fans of teams in the AFC North that are not the Pittsburgh Steelers fans.

Jerry Dulac is a Dullek, Dulach, Dullock, duelik Old. It could be all of them.

Jarry d of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette had this. He wrote this recently in his reporting. In fact, there appears to be some internal division that maybe Mason Rudolph should be the starter after the way he finished the twenty twenty three season, winning the final three regular season games to gain entry into the playoffs. In any event, Duloch went on, the Steelers are not interested in bringing in

Actually, I'm serious about that.

And I think think the environment could change depending on you know, who becomes available and there are you know, there was some whispering during Super Bowl week that Ryan Tannehill was maybe on the radar of the Steelers. But if this is their plan, I you know, there's such a shrleott consistent organization always haven't. But then also you get stuck in your own thinking here this is about as uncreative a solution to a quarterback problem.

Quarterback problems get people fired.

And like Mike, Tomlin's in a better position than most coaches and most coaching staffs. But you're in a division with Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson and in theory to Sean Watson, but also the Browns and Ravens defenses. Right, it's like, you're gonna You're gonna tell Steelers fans in mid February, we're going back in with the same two dudes.

A quarterback.

You don't wait till year three or four to find out if a rookie camp play Conneye. It seems impossible.

Yeah, well you cut your and then Mason Rudolph is an impending free agent, so you don't have a backup to Canny Pickett, Like, what what is your plan?

Exactly like that.

That's they assume that they'll want Mason Rudolph more than any other team, which is a pretty safe assumption for people in the building to want him to start. They also are probably looking at Mason Rudolf, not as you didn't saying we know who he is, Dan looking at him, but.

It made it a different way than I do. Right.

They they're looking at him as a guy that you know, didn't play for two or three years, and then when he did just play at the end of last season, they saw maybe a they believe they saw a different guy, and they're going into it. It seems insane and I don't quite buy it because Arthur Smith has no history with these guys. He's the offensive coordinator. Like, I like, it's funny that they used the like the first hours of the offseason to cut Trubisky. He's just like, it's

And let me preface this by saying, there are many teams who are worse than the Pittsburgh Steelers in the NFL right now. Hell, they did make the playoffs this year, but there is not in my opinion, there is not a more boring team in football right now, a team that I look less forward to watching on game pass than watching I.

Give you that New England Patriots. I mean, it's February, but bad world though.

Yeah, and I understand you have a personal connection to them, but I'm saying, like when I put it on unless you you know, you get juiced watching their defense make plays and TJ. Watt and I get that. But in terms of offensive football, the Steelers are with especially they have players, they have players, and sometimes you see it, but it's such a slock. It always feels like it's raining and it's just like it's.

Just to watch. There's no number of months though at least there's no son.

You know that old story about the girl that gets locked in the closet when there's the one sunny day on Mars.

You know that old fable or whatever that tale was. No, I'm interested, cousin. I'll look it up. I'll find it. Mars.

I feel like I'm the I'm the little girl locked in the closet for the one day of sunshine and every time I get out, it's raining again at the old Hinz Field and I'm watching a slog of sixteen to ten game. I'm just sick of it. Steelers fans, you hear me. You might even know what I'm talking about about the girl that never got to see the sun.

Connie, you search, No, No, I'm just right that Dan is the little girl locked in the.

Kind of feel like it might have been a Mars. Yeah, I don't know. Let me look into it. Go ahead, let me tee you up on another item, and then we're going to get out of the way. Russell Wilson is selling his stint for home Mark after a disastrous two year run with the Broncos that appears at an end, and also the player he once traded for, Gino Smith. The Seahawks go ahead and guaranteed his base salary this year, paving the way for another season.

There, go ahead with a.

Home was worth about twenty five million. Let's start right there, then let's end right there.

It's rich, the most expensive property ever sold in the Denver area.

Just two years ago.

So oh my gosh, Well, I'm not so he's gotta sell it.

You're not.

I get that, you're not gonna you know Airbnb that that sounds difficult.

So you get out of ten, you're gone.

And I do think the one reason I thought about putting this into our storylines it's more from the Broncos side, because like they're gonna need obviously a lot at quarterback, something to keep Sean Payton happy. There's ways that go go depending where they are on the draft. But the financials saddled to Wilson are insane.

I mean they're like you.

Can get any I feel like any team get out of these things, but they will essentially have them eighty five million in dead money.

There's a pretty strong case that it's the worst in NFL history that it's and it's right there with Herschawalker and all these other and the GMC for what they got, what they gave up, the money that you're saying is now even hurting them into this year, and you got like one disastrous season in one season where he was like the nineteenth best quarterback in the league.

Out of all that.

It's crazy and I don't I don't see the home for him because Pittsburgh, like Chadow Chowsinko's on his podcast saying he's been here in all week that Russell Wilson and Steelers, that's a match that wouldn't match up with the report we just talked about though, And that report from do like almost felt like a response to all this Russell Wilson stuff because it was going around quite a bit in Vegas. He's like, the Steelers are the

And finally in the news, the tag window has opened.

Greg. What do you got anybody a little tag talk?

You want to do a tech I want to do a little tag talk?

Yeah talk? Did you not think by the way it was interested?

I did what I mentioned, just that they guaranteed him the base salary, which was pretty low. But almost immediately the shifters of the world put out that the Seahawks thought, look, he's he has a low price and that whether we keep him or trade him, we want to he's a good at like he's basically an asset. And I was like, oh, well, that that would indicate to me they're thinking about possibly trading him. How the off season goes, Yeah.

They're a new offensive coordinator, was the Washington Huskies head coach Ryan Grubb. And if you think that maybe they could keep Gino because it's I think this is the opposite of the Russell Wilson words like he's an affordable quarterback at that price. But Grub was like the guy who was attached to Michael Pennox Junior, who is like a rising name at quarterback, and maybe Gino works as a keep him around, yeah for one season and let Penix Junior be your dude or fill in the blank rookie.

It just struck me as a when when I saw that from the shifters of the world, it's just like they're not sure yet. They're gonna see, like what's maybe shakes out, see how they feel in a month or two, but they would be they'll be happy enough if they have Geno, like that's a good option, but they might be looking at it, or maybe they'll do something with Pennix.

Like that's fine.

But I'm still stuck on the fact that Russell Wilson has fewer wins in Denver than he had bathrooms in his house.

That he's a yeah, that's statistics, that's up there. He's never got to pass it.

That's a good like rich people mansion story that's up there with when mc hammer went bankrupt and like, did you know he had gold plated law sits in his bathroom.

Yeah, probably shouldn't have done that.

Patrick Mahomes and the Andy Reid also have more wins in Allegiance Stadium than any Raiders coach quarterback Combo. That's a fun one, all of it together. Wow, Touffy, that's a take.

Okay.

So the tag it's open. It's a big, big tag day. February twentieth.

Everyone. I don't know how you're celebrating. You can.

You can apply the tag. You got a couple of weeks to do so made a quick list. I think Antoine Winfield, I think he gets it over Baker, over Evans.

Yeah.

T Higgins almost certainly is gonna get it after that, a little fewer less less locks than normal. Josh Allen, I would say with the Jaguars W T.

Higgins, I thought it was kind of a foregone conclusion he was going to reach free agency.

Did something change there?

I think they're going to let Tyler Boyd go do that, But then you could lose two guys and you got to pay Chase too.

Because it's the Bengals, they keep things in house in terms of sourcing and reporters better than just about any team. No one really knows. I just think it'd be kind of crazy to let te Higgins go to that.

I agree with you.

I to figure everyone's been already like putting him atop the free agency board.

Yeah, and now I think Burrow.

Came out like basically said that he needs him back.

We have the cap space.

Right well, see today have a lot of that should not be in the lock. I used to do it as a column, as a lock. It's close to it. But Josh Allen, I think is the lock. Brian Burns is probable. Justin Mattabike for the Ravens, good chance, Christian Wilkins for the Dolphins, good chance. So these again all all the best possible free agents. Jalen Johnson, I think

Sesson. That's it. That's why insane or.

Lagarious Sneid, who I think is going to become, if not the highest paid cornerback in the league, close to it. That's trick trick always.

I was thinking about that right after the Super Bowl because I ran into Spags on the field and he was, hey, did he was crying, like and when I asked him about like just you know the win, obviously, he immediately went to this is never this is this group is never going to be together again, and we're never going to have these players experience this. And it was more like from a place of sadness than it was celebratory tears.

And that really hit me. And in that moment, I was like, Chris Jones, Chris Jones.

And would they really just like let him walk? To me, the best way to do this probably would be to tag Snead and get that deal done with Jones before free agency.

Somehow he's going to cost the chill. This was money, like.

At the at the celebration, and we'll get like Jones like verbalized that he wanted to be there for like multiple more years, and he certainly had had a few beers, but I think that's that leads to more truth truth, and that time.

A few beers.

They were though also like we're gonna if they're gonna pay him, and they and let's say it's a little bit less and he goes to some hideous team that has a ton of caprom like the Commanders or something like why not win.

Multiple super Bowls for just a little bit less money?

Yeah, yeah, I think that's what Mahomes did with his contract bar or less.

I love that not all about the green Backs. He's he's already making so much money he wants to have.

I think the saddest thing is like when he wants super bowls and then goes to a terrible team and it's just like the one guy on a terrible team.

He needs like the three year guaranteed money.

But he should get that.

If you're bored by the steel I don't want to see him on the Panthers or like no, no, no, Like that's what I'm saying.

Yeah, life is it's just not about all green Backs. Yeah, it's not.

I mean, for I'd say for the ninety percent of doing the show, we knew it was not all about Greenbacks, and you know gets closer to that all the time.

And Barkley, by the way, to a couple of other big news is less like Barkley, Derrick, Henry Tyrant Smith. I think they're all unlikely. No, no, put it in Kirk Cousins and Daniel Hunter who you might look at like, oh, why they on the free agent's list. Both of them cannot be tagged because of their they have that in their contract, so the Vikings will not be using their tags.

Well done on those Good job by the agent.

Patrick Queen though also in Baltimore, like he's you think they're I.

Just don't think.

I think that's I just see him listed at Yes, I.

Personally don't think they would put that much money on another inside linebacker when they have Roquin Smith. But maybe they would surprise me, especially when you have a mattabk as an option.

All right, we're caught up. That's what's happening in the news. Here we go. Are you ready? All?

Summer in a Day is a science fiction short story by American writer Ray Bradbury, first published famous March nineteen fifty four. The story is about a class of students on Venus right Tron pew Markie, which is in the story a world of constant rainstorms where the sun is only visible for one hour every seven years. One of the children, Margo, moved to Venus from Earth five years ago five years earlier, and is the only one who remembers the sun since it shines regularly on earth, she

It begins to rain again, and the.

Children start crying once they realize they won't get to see the sun again for another seven years. The children run back inside as the sun disappears and it starts storming.

At this point, one of them remembers Margo. They let her out of.

The closet and stand frozen a shame over what they have done. Now that they will find and that they finally understand what she had been missing.

That's what it's like watching the Pittsburgh Steelers.

I know, I mean, it's an incredible vision that you've created for us, I think like Raymond Bradbury, U right, obviously testing the limits of various substances and was on the child gang beat well before other people. And I've you know, I've been on that beat myself that these child gangs are a problem.

For about fifteen.

Seconds there, I thought that was like a live ad read.

Dan Is Margot of.

Like for audible, I don't know what it would be for Let the American viewing public out of that closet of Pittsburgh Steelers at least let us see the sunshine. Yeah, okay, okay, that's uh yeah, that's it.

We'll be right back.

And when we return, the biggest storylines of the off season at first and Golden Mahomes, Wings, hist Hartman, jack.

Pot, Kansas City, and this was the Andy Reid special.

This was the Andy Reid special we talked about. He was saving all day.

He's gonna fake emotion to go across and at that moment he turns and goes back Hartman.

Who they didn't have, right and they go get.

Hardened and bring him back and the game winning drive of Mahoon's career.

He's been waiting for his winser goals, but he's never had it, and in overtime he is the best. He is the standard where Michael Jordan wins it again.

There it is the call of the touchdown to me Cole Hartman from Patrick Mahones in overtime. You know that was I thought about it on the flight home from Vegas. The first time in NFL history. Now second overtime game, but that obviously Falcons. Oh my god, Kyle, Yeah, was the overtime both of those. That's crazy. That's a tie game. Obviously when you're running back. Was it James White goes in the end zone?

Uh?

That That was the first time in NFL history where the Super Bowls decided one team's winning when the play starts and the other team wins when it's over. That is crushing to the very last play, and I still can never I'll always remember sitting at that great spot we had that perch where our studio set up, was all of those Niners fans right below us, like they in the Even though it was creeping death, there still was a chance if there's a Malcolm Butler type play.

Or something could happen. Hopeful that a man the well.

Right in front of us. There was a lot of anxiety, which is understandable. The center for the Chiefs all game was bad snaps over and over and over again, their former first round pick holding up hope, but hope was not going to be rewarded.

That feeling of them coming down the field, to quote Dave Damage, like that's living.

To me, Like, there's a lot of that's living.

Most of it's in your life with people that matter to you, that you love, doing things and stuff.

But they're to me, that's why.

I love sports, feeling emotions.

No, I'm saying in a in a in a moment like that where you've built the entire season too, just like it's all gonna happen in these next couple of moments. There, to me is a heightened sense of life, of reality where everything you're your not you notice more in those spots. You see a little more in those spots. And it's one of the reasons why this job is so great too.

M the guy, the guy that I'll always think of, was directly below me. And when Moody hits the field goal to put them in head and overtime, he is seated with his head down. He can't even watch, and I think his wife and his buddy like past him on the back and he made it. He made it, so you can imagine where he was minutes later. So it's a great sports man.

I also have this memory of cause, you know, unlike other Super Bowls, we were on the East Coast and you come back to like the hotel and there's like eight people awake because we were there to like two in the morning. Like you go back to our hotel in Vegas and it's like, we haven't even begun this evening,

Dame.

We where we were, our green room in the stadium shared a wall with the Chiefs locker room, so for two hours after the game, we could just hear everything that was happening. And so everyone that like works on the Super Bowl, the whole crew just stays and drinks afterwards and like hangs out on the field. But it was so interesting to like sort of all like huddle around with our like little like red solo cups trying to listen to the chief speech through the concrete wall.

Very cool, That's amazing. Like that game.

I had this theory like the way that game, and it really was a great game in terms of strategy and and everything that went on in the last like quarter and you know, over time and a half essentially. But it reminded me of a great tennis match when in a previous life when I used to, you know,

Terrible win probability charges off.

It goes like from like all you need is one more part like minus eight hundred to win, and then two seconds later you're an underdog. And that's what the Super Bowl felt by because there were a couple match points. The forty nine ers coming out of that two minute warning. All they needed was a first down that was essentially a match point. You only needed four yards the whole

But the quarter into overtime was some of the best Super Bowl Oh my god drama that we've ever been in person yet and I really agree with you at the end, you could just feel like this building a tension in the building, like rising.

A few other Super Bowl takeaways before we look at to the offseason. First of all, shout out Colleen Woolf, who was the in stadium.

Host of the freaking Game.

We mentioned it on Super Bowl Sunday, but Connie All throughout the pregame, including her thunderbird birds going up in the the get watch that with astonishment in the stadium, including the iconic shot of you in the suit with the giant American flag.

In front of you looking back.

You missed it live, but I was glad you put.

We did a great job explaining it on Radio Row, but actually seeing it was I was blown away. And then you did an awesome job all throughout the game that then went into overtime.

Did you get paid extra when it goes into overtime? No?

So people know, like when when you're in commercial break watching the game, Colleen is with a co host, who is it?

Uh?

There was a few.

There was a few.

I play Mike, Rob Steve was there Smith.

Basically talking things, talking through the crowds to seventy thousand people, like what's going on, sharing different thoughts.

It was very cool and.

I think also one cool thing because like we it's it's commonplace for us to watch you just go star like this, but we were lucky enough to bring like guests and like we're like, oh, that's our friend, like down on the field, Yeah, like announcing to the entire stadium and flying around and jet to like, that's your friend.

It makes it feel like a home game.

You and Cynthia also had a couple of segments where voicing stuff in the pregame and I'm just like, wow, our friends are just like voicing the freaking super Bowl.

I think you put it well on the on the super Bowl wrap up show, Greg, it feels like our world has gotten a little smaller for a game that big, which is Oh.

That was actually Greg, I do.

I was gonna give it to you if you needed it after the ticket fiasco on your desk.

Thank you.

My kind of takeaway after it because again, we were watching the game in person. Our vantage point isn't always great. We don't have access to replays. And then we go when we do an hour and a half on the right after the game talking about it. So getting to read and watch things I thought what it was a

He's the one that goes over all these scenarios, all these big time situations yep and a half and a game rule changes. He's the one that comes up stands in front of the team, when he comes in front of the TV or everybody get fired fur then sure enough, he goes over these kinds of situations. I'm pretty sure we went over the overtime rules three times four times in the two week span that we were in like the play it like in the actually the overtime rules.

And in San France, I mean, hold on though, somethansee phrase can walk away knowing that Travis Kelcey obviously was listening to phrage.

But then you've got the narrative that Mikol Harmon didn't even know that the game was over, so someone's not paying attention.

No, you can only do so much.

Well me cole Harmon that it didn't stick into me.

I think he was just yeah, I don't know if he didn't know the rules as much as like he was just in the moment.

Also, like how catches had he even made to that point when he was with all season long before that.

I think he was just like focused on, Like, I'm.

But do you think the Niners don't have a guy like that that would about?

No, I don't, but it was enough reporting around the game afterwards that they don't.

I don't think Kyle Shanahan had a good feel of it either. He came back the next day and then said, well, actually, our plan was we wanted to get the ball third, Like if we matched, then we wanted to get the ball third. And I was like, I don't believe you. You've lied a lot in public situations. You lied about that Steve. You were going to keep Steve Wilkes the day before you got rid of and I understand why

Said, pulled on himself again when he said that, because I think Kelsey or some I think Kelsey also said the Chiefs plan written in stone is that if the other team scores a touchdown, we get the ball back. We go for two if we score a touchdown, right, So, no matter what, there wasn't a third possession coming for the Niners. And he wasn't prepared for that as a

Well, you got out coached in that place.

It's when we go in critique, like Bengals teams under Zach Taylor of old were like they couldn't adjust the offensive line in game and Burrow's getting killed. It's like Brock Perdy, like, actually, we didn't blame him after the show, and we shouldn't. Like he faced a ton of like just pressure where no one was unblocked, like pass rushers coming right, there were nine.

He had a game, Chris Jones, Johnny Rush so that on that third down that right.

It's funny though, how Super Bowl sometimes get decided a little bit. John Feliciano, he's not like a great player, got hurt in the first half of that game. He was replaced by Spencer Burford, who after the game had to own up on Monday to being the guy who blew that protection only because his own teammate Feliciano, who had gotten hurt, came to the right Tackles defense on Twitter saying like, that's not Colton mckivitz's fault. Stop blaming him.

I just like McCall harbon is just stuck in my head because it happened in the end zone that was like right in front of us where we were standing. And then Rick Berkholder, their head trainer the Chiefs, like ran over to me on the field because I used to work with him when I was in Philly, and he's like grabbed me and was like, oh my god, Michael Hardman, look up how many catches he had in this game.

It was only like two or three and that was the one that won it for us.

And then just like ran off like it was like a fever dream of sorts.

He didn't say like, how have you, how are you doing? How things been for you?

He was like, go talk to go find.

Him anything else game wise, pigways, And we should mention.

So we haven't mentioned yet.

There's the parade that happened in Kansas City after the Super Bowl was marred by an active senseless violence, a shooting where over twenty people were shot. A person was killed. All the other people who were injured have been released from the hospital, which is great news. And you know, I don't have to say much of this. I don't know what you guys say other than this stuff sucks, but it doesn't surprise me anymore in this country. And it's sad gun violence and these type of mass shootings

And it just sucks.

Yeah, like half the wounded we're under age sixteen. I mean that stands out because I think this is meant to be in you know, Kansas City's had a bunch of these, but it's still special event for your fan base, many who can't afford to go to games. It's like they were the players, and like there was a report that like Andy Reid was actually like helping children that

Enough with that nonsense.

Stop taking like money from the National Rifle Association politicians, and like do something about it. Like at what point, because I think you're right, it's like it's a news story then like if it you know, when when the first time it happens, like when it's Columbine, like the nation is stunned, and it's like a two year, three year long story. Now it happens and it's in it's gone off the news cycle in two days because we're surprised by it.

No, and.

We try to like we want to focus on the positive, and you focus on the heroism of the day, and you do respect that to the end degree, and how the chiefs have reacted and how everyone in that city reacted, and yet it's like, not the it's the least surprising thing ever. And so when we're talking about like American exceptionalism or worse, it's like, this doesn't happen anywhere else.

This is just us.

Yeah, I mean, it's it's awful. There's nothing else to

And shout out to Patrick Mahomes and his wife, and Taylor Swift and Travis Kelsey and everyone else who you know gave money to try to support the victims and.

The people that tackled the others too, the fans that just like went ahead and put their lives on the line too.

All right, let's take a break and when we come back, it's dig into those off season storylines to come.

All right, Okay, welcome back, Big Beefy Show. We were away for over a.

Week and we couldn't couldn't help to get out in front of.

The bike and talk tutes ago. So the honking, it's been heavy honking, but I think it's been a nice ep so far. Absolutely, I got nowhere to be really, I mean I do, but well.

We're here, not right.

I have a to day with Cynthia.

Okay, and quite frankly, I'm a little afraid to step outside the studio at one false step the temple of doom that we now have it here, so hopefully we'll be safe in our ways back to our car anyway, before we do that. It is the twenty twenty four offseason. Officially we have free agents. In fact, announcement Horn, you know that old announcement, Horn, I don't like that one.

I like this.

It bills anticipation about stuff. Greg's free agent one oh one list is dropping later this week and on Thursday or something close.

Enough, Monday, Monday. It's due this week.

It's due. Yeah, they got to edit it for the old edit at the end of the week.

But on Thursday we will be talking about it and Mark it just did dawn on me and we probably play a little catchup.

But I don't doubt our ability.

Do we want to roll out maybe a free agency one o two this year?

Well, you had talked about, you know, on our last show or a couple of shows, that you wanted to maybe take the job from Greg.

And outright say I've abandoned that plan. I enjoyed my days offen.

Yeah, he announced that would have to happen during your vacation. Yes, I think that we you know, we've customarily come come up with our own list, and I think we were cap Maybe we just go we don't gone necessarily, we go we go eleven, go two hundred, three hundred deep if we need Oh, you want to go out, I mean like kind of be like then the viewer who's new to the exercises, like, wait a minute, those guys worked harder than that guy.

How many free agents are there but I know.

But after, but after you get to like like two hundred, three hundreds of random name generator.

How many like eleven? How many?

How many like a dues paying union members connected to the Good Players Association are eligible for free agency? Because I'm saying, we just get the whole ran, the whole right list, right, we'll do We'll do twelve hundred. It's that many. I know it's not that many, but if it is, let's find out. Eric, once we get that footage from upstairs, can we find out how many free agents are there? Or maybe put in a big funk on that one, probably like gotta be what three to five hundred?

I have no idea though big funking his girlfriend.

I'm not coming home today.

Sessler's list will be three to five.

Hundred, then well, Sessler, and like Dan Ran and Market, I felt better about the eleven, but.

I think it sets. It sets the barn and I like your ambition.

It blinds me with the greatness of it and the lofty, the loftiness of it.

So let's do it. So the free agency three oh one, let's do that.

Mark and Dan dropping at some point We're gonna at some point sneak attack on the old rosendog here. But Gregg's one on one is coming next week on dot com. But we're gonna talk about it. Uh so you have free agency that's coming. Of course, the draft is coming, you know, like move the sticks guy, he's already up to mock two point zero.

Oh, Mike, all ready.

So with that, with that in mind, let's let's get into it. And Colleen, do you want to get us going? How strong do you about? How Jeremiah?

I feel great.

I feel great.

It feels like I can't miss.

This is very easy.

Although last night it was sexiest storylines and then this morning it was huge storylines, but that's okay. Storylines are storylines and it's the same thing.

So nice try though that I did not give you a mixed cross signals.

No, he's sexy, huge story right right.

So I feel like the number one thing for me is where does Kirk Cousins land, Because for the quarterback, the quarterbacks in general, like between him and Baker Mayfield, I need to know what happens. But with Kirk Cousins, he's obviously he's going to be thirty six this summer. He's coming off the torn Achilles, but he did say he didn't say he would take a hometown discount, but he said that he's not worried about the money at

He was on our show too last at Radio Row and he made it very clear like he is all about testing that market too. Kirk knows how to get paid, So I don't know if I buy into like that he likes the money.

But okay, so Justin Jefferson said he's not signing a new deal until he knows that Cousins is coming back art, so he's got that leverage going for him. And then Quincy Adonna Mensa their GM expressed his desire to keep Cousins and he had already redone whatever the extension was before, So it's not like those two are completely disconnected. They already have they've already worked on a deal together before.

So that makes me think that he could potentially be back. But I mean, it's been a while.

Since he tested free agency and we know what happened when he did.

Yes, So there's reporting out there. I think PFT reported that the Vikings aren't necessarily willing to give him an all guaranteed contract. Our own Pell Raiser reported that the Vikings want Cousins back, but this is interesting. Could go after a cheaper veteran like Sam Darnald if Cousins is too expensive, hoping the veteran referring to Sam Donald would be quote this year's Baker Mayfield while also buying time to develop a rookie.

So you have your players.

Sam Donald Baker Mayfield. Argument to Bed, You're just trying to get him to be Baker Mayfield.

At this point. Well, so here we so they believe a good point.

Well, the point being is that up people see Sam still as give him an actual chance, and he could do what Baker did last year. That's that's more buying into the old Zeusser's point that Donald has a market because people see a playmaker.

Still, that's beside the point.

Back to you, Sam Donald, Yes, back to.

You, Colleen.

So the Vikings want him back, but they want to do it their way, and if he does end up hitting the open market, it is like Aaron Rodgers is the big off season quarterback story. Cousins could help a lot of teams in a profound way, very big one.

But how will he even be coming off that Achilles at his age?

Right?

I too?

I he is such an interesting case. I thought when he became a free agent last time, like he was going to do better than people thought, and he did, ultimately getting the fully guaranteed contract from the Vikings. This time, I'm not totally sure, cause he's coming off in an Achilles and you just go through the teams that would

Fifty And then the Steelers come in right.

I don't think the Steelers are out there, ain't anyone.

Oh let let um, let me out of the closets.

That would be a good match.

The one thing like Sean Payton during the Superowl week, like went out of his way to talk up Bager Mayfield a ton too, like I would just I think that bigger And that's a whole different conversation. But it's like he's I think he's gonna go after a veteran if they don't want to trade up to try to get.

It's just not that many teams because you know the number one overall pick that takes U the Bears out of the mix. Basically you figure Washington's probably out of the mix, although you never know, in a in a weird world, they could decide to trade that pick. You know, the Patriots, they're a little like that's taking some there's only so many spots here.

The forty nine Ers, I don't think they would do that. Oh that would be.

That is such an a note that that keeps coming back over and over the hand.

Kirk Cussling's that would be.

Because if it was any other year in the Shanahan era, I think it would have happened, but this year won't happen.

I'm with you, all right.

So Cousins atop the quarterback discussion list, right next to him, I would say, is justin Fields. That is another huge storyline right here. The Chicago Bears, of course have the number one pick thanks to the Panthers and the trade that they made. And this one's interesting because well I mentioned move the sticks.

He says in his latest mock.

He's got Caleb Williams, the USC Star going to the Bears.

That's an option that they have at number one. They have a bunch of options.

Another option is that they keep justin Fields and either use the number one overall pick or on something else or maybe even a quarterback, or trade that number one pick down, or maybe you keep justin Fields and you trade that pick and they take a quarterback later. They have so many choices, or not take a quarterback at all. This I will tell you though. Here's reporting. Good job by Jenna Lemonchelley of The New York Post. Notice that Justin Fields no longer follows the Bears on Instagram.

Alert. I'm not doing that rupe alert. I mean not doing what he did it. I know it just it's like, now.

Would you guys unfollow NFL media, like during your negotiations.

My contract's coming up, So I'm just wondering would.

They even notice? I would do it?

If right, who's tracking? It's just a sad jenn.

In this case, we're tracking there on the Lemon Shelley Beach. He might report like, we also have a contract come out. I don't even know if I am following it. Let's let's maybe try it. You know that's fair. I'll do it at once.

Anyway, And that is a famous trouble alert now with players that are unhappy for whatever reason, unfollowing the team that they're on.

I thought it was notable at the very least.

That means he's just kind of annoyed that most likely he hasn't been given a firm answer one way or the other. There's also you could look it is maybe he was told that this is they're going in a direction that involves Kate Williams or whoever else, and he's already now looking forward and he's like, I'm done with the Bears.

They told me they're done with me. Anyway.

There is so much intrigue around this, and it has such a big butterfly effect, Gregy. Whatever the Bears decide, because not only if they their decision changes the trajectory of their franchise, it also if Fields does end up hitting the trade market, that changes the draft for whatever team ends up going for him.

I mean, it's very it's a big story.

He's a very unique player to be available in a trade. I can't think of many that are quite like him, that are young, promising, have a lot of tape. You

I don't. I'm sure they.

Would, like like they go through the process of thinking about it or whatever. But I've never thought he had a realistic chance at staying because there are great quarterbacks in this class, and there's why would you keep Justin Fields over that?

So at college quarterbacks in this class. That's part of this, Like, you don't know, I get it, but I just don't think they would look at it like that.

I think they would look at it like we've seen him for this long and we're not totally sure.

I'm just saying they're not.

Whoever it is is not a guarantee either, just like Fields wasn't a guarantee.

It's not.

Of course, it's not like Kirk Cousins or Justin but he he can drafted Justin Fields highly.

Right, but here we are so not nearly as highly. He's not even in the same ballpark that Kayla Williams or Drake May we're coming out of college, or maybe even Jaden Daniels. So I do think that that the players himself mattered, But I think he's going to have a bigger trade market than people think.

Well, I think.

I think people with you because I think his gifts, especially when you talk to like defensive coaches, they are all in on like the mobility of a quarterback. And I think he's just that dangerous. And I think you could look at the Bears and say, nice end of your season, like we've seen growth in Justin Fields, but we don't really trust that you know how to maximize the quarterback.

We do.

We're gonna take a chance on this guy, and I don't know what you'd get for him in terms of a trade.

That's the thing.

I've I talked with people about this and it was like, well, if it's a third, sure, I don't know if I want to give up a second. I'm like, Justin Field is a pretty good option for Atlanta, for the Raiders, who have his offensive coordinator from a year ago, for maybe the Vikings, maybe the Bucks, maybe the Patriots, like he's a pretty big upgrade. I think they're getting like a second plus. Maybe I got a com for you.

Met We mentioned Darnold when he was traded from the Jets to the Panthers. He was a former number three overall pick. The Jets got back a twenty twenty one sixth rounder and a second and a fourth round, and.

He's stuck with the Jets.

Well, that's what I'm saying.

That's other teams thinking we can make we can do by.

What I'm saying, people do that. I think that's a baseline what fields could command. Could he get a late first round pick? Maybe I don't.

Here's I don't think that's a crazy thing to do.

One other thing that complicates this And why I know you you're you're certain of it, Greg, And I think the way it's trending is he's probably starting over somewhere else. I thought he was pretty good last year. I thought he really showed growth last year. I think the locker room loved him. You heard that constantly. Everybody wants him back. They gave him a number one receiver and DJ Moore

Helps his value, but also from a financial standpoint, they're gonna want to restart on a rookie contract so they can continue to reach I get.

That that's part of Yeah, that's a good point because that's part of the business model with these teams, and they treasure that. But man A Fields goes to the Giants and becomes a superstar. The Bears are going to be happy if their guy is a stud. But it's a big risk. He's shown enough where it could really backfire, and they moved him. And that's what makes it a really fun interesting storyline.

Gregory, how about you?

Okay, I am I overarching one. As will any big name wide receivers get traded? And you know who will it be? And we've seen it happen enough that, like I now believe, oh well, this is one of the things that you can either expect or as possible. And well this offseason there was some buzz I think last

Did he get to Minnesota?

Greg Right, Stefan Diggs brought it out and they did the trade for the number one, but.

Another name I think that fits in.

So there's this group. Jefferson is the least likely, but you know it's a G.

Brown.

I never would have thought a Brown would have got traded. Diggs is another one. Uh, Brandon Ayuk. There there's you know he wants more money.

Now.

DeVante Adams I think is gonna stay at this point because it doesn't financially it hurts them to trade.

It right anywhere.

So he's another one and I would just throw it is Tyreek Hill, like the craziest person ever. Again, these guys bring back such a huge draft haul and they cost so much money. Just like which if any of these guys gets dealt, and the way that Ayuk is putting it out there, and it's the same way that

Thirty four minute I had I had specifically.

Stephan Diggs because I think the bills are like one, like because they were wiped out like a month ago. At this point, you kind of forget how dark that season ended, and like where that team kind of sits, And like Gabe Davis has been verbal about the fact that he wants to test free agency. He could be gone. He could get much more money than the Lels want to pay him. Stephan Diggs ever requested a trade, you

The reason why they felt a player short this year is because Stephan Diggs wasn't Stephan Diggs anymore last year. Yeah, that was that makes as you're saying, was that one of your storylines? Because like, what is Diggs's market coming off the year he just came off and he's another year old.

I think he get paid though for just like I don't know, do you think he's.

Falling off I mean, what's his contract. He's under contract, So like, like, what would a team give up if he were put on the market as one of those players you're referring to, Greg.

Not as much? Uh? Would you?

Could you get a first round pick still for Stefan Diggs? Also, the I personally think that's not crazy. Again, I look at it like the Rams, I would not. What if your round picks equal twenty to thirty for the moon Years.

Number thirty two, Right, that's that's not a first round The Chiefs can like, that's better than anything they're going to.

Get every year. Patrick Mahomes another.

In general though, also like you mentioning Jeremiah again, so you know, it just shows wow, the level of we're of all charity. Yeah, like the Patriots have the more offensive Patriots. He has Marvin Harrison Junior going there, and if Harrison is as good as everyone says, yeah, you got to use a premium pick on a wide receiver. But you also these drafts keep churning out big time players that wide receiver first round, second, third round, fourth round. Do you really want to give up a top tier

Like it's this sised to.

Be an incredibly good wide receiver class. I think Dane Brugler of the Athletic had like seventeen in his top one hundred.

Wide receiver classes are just going to get better.

Malik Neighbors and Rome Dunze like those are top seven, like three receivers are probably going in the top seven or eight pick. So that does that does throw a little bit of a wrench into this. But I wanted to throw that out there because I don't know what the name's gonna be, and yet I feel like someone's got someone weird is gonna shake loose that we end up talking a lot about in March.

And Aaron Rodgers runs the Jets, and if he tells Jode and Woody to pick up the phone and call the Raiders, I still want to be stunned if Adams ends up there, just because Rogers has that much power to say, get it done now with the Raiders.

If they want to answer the phone.

That's another conversation, right, And if Ayuquant's thirty million a year and they can get a monster deal back for him, like do they make a decision of him under Ebo and all that stuff go ahead?

Mark, what do you got?

It kind of segues into my one because I obviously, like the ones that you mentioned are all obvious ones too. But there are a couple teams that just ended the season in chaotic corners where it's like you're kind of everything that you thought about them has changed, and I would list like and I think this is the off season could change everything you think about even a junk team.

There was like the time, I'm not.

I'm more saying of late though, they're like the smartest team around. They're drafting the player that no one else can can develop, and like we're in a weird place with them. We're in a weird place with the Cowboys, Like can the Cowboys like actually get us hopeful and excited about their season again versus just the monik around them?

And it all feels like those three teams.

But there's others I throw in there that are mysterious, like a Harbaugh Greg Roman offense with Justin Herbert, Like I can't wait to see what pieces they add to that and what that offense looks like a couple months now.

But like these teams that are like in a.

Dark spot, will it get any better or is it just gonna crescendo even worse into.

Ugly terry team ors that had either ugly seasons last year or disappointing ends what they do.

That's interesting that you mentioned the Cowboys too, because I think about Dak Prescott and his absolutely insane cap hit that's coming up this year. He goes from his cap number is fifty nine point four million dollars and like the highest cap hit this past season was Patrick Mahomes at thirty seven. But like the way that Dak's deal is done, Like remember how difficult it was to get his deal done last time and all of the negotiations

So I think of the things that I'm most certain about this offseason, yeah, is Jarah and Dak doing business together? Because yeah, I have to know, like we might start to have doubts about Dak's ability to really lead a team all the way. But I don't think Jarah has any doubts. He'd fire everybody else before Dak.

In my opinion.

So yeah, they kind of have to they will, and they've got a lot going on in.

Terms of cap issues. Tyron Smith void deal just foided. He played at a high level there. The Eagles to me, are the team though that I expect will look very different a month from now, whereas the Cowboys I think are just they're kind of locked in. They're gonna add some they'll they'll do things on the edges. They've got some important players coming up. Whereas the Eagles, you know, there was that report that Hassan Redick might be traded, but they have all their older guys are kind of

They're gonna do a lot. I thought you were gonna bring up a J. Brown is the famous trade from the Titans. But he was by all outside reporting and stuff coming an unhappy camper there. And they're trying, I would imagine after the last year ended, Connie, they're trying to change the culture, freshen things up a little bit, put a new code.

Of paint on.

I think they need more than that.

Or Smith like he would you know, the Slim Reaper. People would love a little divide mark.

The Slim Reaper didn't just change the culture like in three weeks.

Like, no, I didn't even know what that means.

Trades.

Some of the guys that are they believe are contributing to a bad locker room.

Yeah, well, how many games ended with a J. Brown? Like, I don't.

Know what I still go back to my like, no one knows, no one knows what happens.

Oh, you're right right, things just happened. That show seems to be well beloved.

We love Abbit Elementary.

Okay, all right, we're having two different conversation.

Sorry, sorry, how long this has been. I would love to put a moratorium. And everyone's stressing about how long our podcast is.

I didn't say anything.

It's if the conversation is good and it's fine.

All right, well, then in that case, Bill Belichick and Tom Brady two more people to throw in the season story.

Tom Brady actually announced the game.

Also, we only have two shows this week, so we're giving the people, you know, little housekeeping. We're going to be Tuesday Thursday this week, so you know, it's less than.

We want to come to us and tell us the podcast is too long. Then we'll have to maybe start talking. I haven't heard anyone people like you change the show. If like a rando from like no, if there was some type of deep call with people saying our show is too long, there's too much honking, we would it would make sense to have an internal conversation.

It was hurting our data points, right, I don't sense that. Stop stressing about it. I think I'm just I think it's more concernable.

That's different when you tell HU you have nowhere to be, then it's like, then there's no railings on what could happen where you got to go?

I got all sorts of places to be. This is the only safe place. No, it's not.

It's Noah's Ark, it's Wes's Ark.

Well, people eventually got off nos Ark. It didn't just die on the ship and it's sunk. They got off the ship and started a new civilization according to the theories, according to the theories, like, I'm not you know.

David for the theology.

Anything anything in terms of footage from the newsroom about the missing Super Bowl ticket.

Nothing at the moment.

I've heard that the water leaking from the ceiling may have flowed the process.

I since you are very earnestly investigating that.

I'm digging through emails a big funk.

Any updates on how many free agents will be on marketized right up? Which I'm saying one hundred and fifty words each on the blurbs. Oh, at least we'll just split it up, teck Connie in there a little bit, sure, get Connie ou about one hundred blurbs.

After extensive research, I've realized I'm not that good at math, and so it's gonna take me a little while longer. I'd say upwards to three hundred plus free agents. I've seen like five lists that are like top two hundred free agents.

That doesn't help you. You need to find out all of them.

That doesn't scare us. They're picking and choosing, all right, bunk, Are you around on Thursday.

I am all right, we have to have a conversation, but all conversations can only be had on microphone, So until then, naturally we say goodbye. We say goodbye to the audience.

We didn't even get to hear about the week together. Maybe next Thursday.

Come back Thursday, big, big funk conversation. Also Greg and Mark private time, no microphones, no, no needed.

We'll dig in. Connie, you've said it all. There's a drop until Thursday. Heed the call. You good to be back.