Daddy is Instructive: FA Winners & Losers (with Bill Barnwell)

the show knows. I'm like the baseball fan of the podcast. I'm watching this World Baseball Classic, which I never have in the past, and I've been struck by how like kind of the level of juice it has, both in the sellout crowds and how much the players care. Salvador Perez is the catcher for the Royal and is kind of like a grand poobah for a lot of the Latino players. Um, it's from Venezuela, I believe actually, and

he um he said this. The game he played against the US that the US went on to win meant more to him than Game seven. Of the World Series, which he played in a few years back. And then it did get me thinking, boys, I was walking the dog, not paying anyone. That's your time to think, go into a hole and poop in the dark, right, just walking the captain thinking about it because we've had so many issues with the Pro Bowl and the NFL and and how to kind of get the players invested and and

find something that the fans can enjoy. Is there something too? And baseball is a global brand in terms of players or come from all over the world here that you know, Latin America, the Far East, greg Japan. Massive football is getting there internationally in terms of popularity. But the players, it's like what ninety eight percent ninety nine percent American players, Yeah, getting somewhere would carry a lot of weight on the

international team exactly. Um, but is there something to regionalism? And our country doesn't need more tribalism? I understand that, But is there something to some type of competition amongst football players that reflects where they come from in the country. So what if there was some type of event where it's like all the Texas football players, whether they're from

Texas or they went to college in Texas. They can choose, just like Americans in the WBC can choose to play for America or where their heritage is from Florida, California. Maybe there's a Midwest team and there's something Is there something there for from that or is this a terrible idea? I would say you probably have a soft version of that with college football because a lot of recruiting is more localized than you're if you're on the East Coast,

you're getting everyone from the West. It's like, it's probably a soft version of that. On my one issue because I've heard some grub only grumbling. I heard about the baseball part. There was a major injury. That gets injuries, there's been as you add any any time you're attached to an NFL team as a fan or coach or whatever, and you're watching your players even play pick up basketball, you're sitting there with you like your fingers crossed. So sure,

that's that's the thing. It's too physical, and you're adding, what when the schedule be you got these players like oh Maryland, Verse, like Oregon. Well that's cool, except if you lose like player X for the next twelve is different than basketball and baseball and that injuries are a much higher risk. But in terms of getting the players juice, the way these guys all is completely different than basketball just throwing it out there. Is there anything even if

it's a skills competition, I don't know. I see why you're being people. People are very passionate about where they're from. I don't know if it would be as much in terms of the states, but it would because people, you know, players really cape for like the states that they're from.

But it's such a physical sport. It's like, I don't think anyone, even football players who love football, never want to play and expose their body and hit that hard unless like it really matters, and switch for a Rhode Island by the way, I mean, like you'd have to Northeast in general would be we want to do well the natives of the Northeast. I don't think in that, but it would just basically California, Louisiana, Texas, and Georgia. Let's just have a semifinals and start and then everyone else.

How about everyone's Ohio Twitter, It's like Ohio and you have provided more people West. I guess for me as a fan, I don't I'll start to disengage when it's like a bunch of people from Texas shouting at a bunch of people from Ohio. Where do I play in? This might be something that other sports have on have on the old American football, But you know, okay, Henry is working on it. We're building players, we're building communities. We got players coming from Africa, we got Europe, you

know Asia, it's coming. But we might have to wait. We got a job seventy years, so we'll be quite old at the point. Our buddy fa Obada got a gig. He's back because they're one. Should we update the keeping Up with bow Ringer to keeping Up with Obada? I mean, the only thing is that we'd have to find a song that is already Really regret bringing up Mobo because I didn't mean it in any derogatory. Well, Henry's listening here.

It just doesn't like it. It's really in your head here, isn't he You're like, you're pring his campaign, You're scared to offend him, and it's gone. He lives rent free in your head, Greg, I hate that. Hate what people say that. Um, all right, this is around the NFL good show today. We're gonna talk to Bill Barnwell, one of the uh great football writers covering professional football. He's with ESPN, of course, and with a free agency. Basically

one weekend, where do we stand? Who's looking good, who's looking bad? I do hesitate a little bit, boys in terms of the timing on this um. It's it's so early in the process. But at the same time, hey, listen, we booked Barnwell, let's talk. That's what are we gonna do? Just those kind of like things have slowed down enough to the point where, all right, let's let's take a stock where we are. I think maybe a disclaimer, like to the teams that we're going to talk about with

Bill that we're not as high on. Don't like crush us or do it if you want, but understand that we're gonna we're doing this segment. We're not going to rule out these teams from being successful in the shorter long term. It's just kind of where things stand. A week. Who had a bad week, not a bad week. I had bad weeks. We've had good weeks for a bad weeks. I think if you don't like what we do, you can tell us all you want and see how we respond to that. Um. Yes, who is the great defensive

tackle that jumped from Philly to San Francisco. Did you guys know before we get to the news that he shares a nickname with a certain person behind the glass? That's right, I did learn that over the last week. How do you feel about that person behind the glass? About what? Sorry, there was a great moment that just happened, setting you up. That was the great moment. That was the all time set up for the drop. Oh right, oh,

I know what you're talking about now. Yeah, I don't know I'm even going to finish the show at this point that there's no coming back from that one. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I don't know who was first here, because Dan, you came up with this nickname for me? Yes, and I was For the record, I was unaware that this player was connected to the nickname. But he's a prominent star in the NFL. Um, I'm sure he's had the nickname for some time. I was unaware there's another player in

the league. I think that that calls himself this nickname. Another thing to tackle somewhere. I nail it that time. Nice. I mean, if we don't know, that's if none of us really knew that was Javon's nickname. Is he doing you know, considering we have someone in our in our show here that has seven or eight nicknames and they're all well branded known, like Javon Hargrave is not doing

a great job with the grave Digger nickname. Yeah. I think maybe he doesn't need to do the branding his hard because his play on the field and maybe just yeah, it's not he doesn't. It doesn't hinge on that for him. Um, all right, DJ Reader also has sometimes been called the grave digger. Get the hell out of here. I mean it doesn't even I mean Hargrave has grave and then hell out of here with that. It's disgusting what you're trying to tell us. That's a disgrace. Reader. I'm not

gonna talk again this episode. No, that was good. You give us good differ. Let's do some news chains on Hugh blow shout out, Hublow, Gucci, Um, yeah, no man, Me and Gucci partnered up this past year, so we do a lot of things, and anytime I got something special going on, they want to make sure that they got me fitting and stuff. So as soon as the trade happened, um, they hit me and my team up and was like, I gotta wear Gucci. I was like,

I'm gonna wear a Gucci anyway. So I got y'all Jalen Ramsey and you know, early in history press conference with the Dolphins, I was thinking that we, uh, we don't have a outfitter for our show, not yet. There might be a time where we have some type of media engagement together, and maybe that's something we need to get ahead of. I don't know if Gucci is going to approach us, maybe the maybe there's a Sears brand

that I meant. We did get a suit from the NFL where they put our names inside the jacket and they misspelled your name and then you had had it fixed. The tailor was killed. The tailor was murdered. Yeah, he is, but I did get it. He was like, how was I supposed to know how to spell the new old blue eyes? Um? All right, let's get to the news, starting with Brandon Cooks. He is on the move. He is the first player. I don't know if this is

an achievement or what you guys can decide. Since Eric Dickerson to be traded four times in his career, Eric Dickerson retired like thirty years ago, So yeah, and he's in the Hall of Fame. Take anyway, Absolutely, Cooks has been traded to the Dallas Cowboys. The teams will swap some late round picks and Cooks slides in to that spot that they've been looking to upgrade. And we had Cede Lamb on our podcast super Bowl Weekend. He talked about how they need more weapons. Brandon Cooks Mark is

that guy. We'll see if they add more to it. Um. I think there's some reporting out there that this likely takes them out of the market for Odell Beckham, but who knows what Beckham's market is right now? We shall see. But Cooks is an upgrade over the version of Michael Gallup they got last year. There you go, yeah, and I like it better than Noell Beckham. And they got the Texans to pay six million of the salaries, so

that Cowboys are on the hook for twelve. It was a year ago that Dallas had to essentially trade Amari Cooper away or chose to for next to nothing because of their own cap issues. So a year later they get Brandon Cooks, and I think if you're traded this many times, someone's ready to move on from you. And I think that with Brandon Cooks, the obviously contract issues

with the Texans, wanted to be traded last offseason. Seems everywhere he's been it's kind of gotten to a point where there's been a little bit of a back and forth. It's not turned into a major blow up, but Brandon Cookes has kind of wanted to move on, have a different role X, Y and Z. So he's movable, but there's always someone that wants him. And I think this is the Cowboys saying, look, we get it, like we

need to do more around Dak Prescott. There is a lot of this is on Dak Prescott too, but Brandon Cooks can still play, and it's not like you've gotten this guy beyond the pale. I think you've still got a year or two with Brandon Cooks, who's actually only like twenty nine years old or something. Right, He joins Jalen Ramsey might come up a little later as like sneaky young. I would not have guessed Brandon Cooks, who's been racking up thousand yards seasons. I know that's not

the perfect metric for wide receivers. It's not doesn't tell you everything, but he's been racking up thousand yard seasons since he got in the league. I'm hesitant to give the Cowboys too much credit because they are the Cowboys and this was a problem with their own making. They sat last year without Mary Cooper and twenty million dollars in cap space for no particular reason. But this was a great use of their cap space, the fact that they got the Texans to pay six million dollars of

his salary. This was a contract Nick Kasserio gave to Cooks just last year. So this was kind of a problem of the the Texans turnover their own making that different coaches and everything. He was not happy there and they felt like they just had to get rid of him for fifty cents on the dollar. They got a fifth and a sixth round draft pick back, so I guess they're sort of pain for that draft pick. That was probably where the negotiation was bought. I like it

a lot. Gallup should be better. There is something to the idea that a year more removed from surgery he'll be better, and then suddenly Cooks and Gallop that's a reasonable two and three. Yeah, I think it's okay. They're winners between that and Gilmore and then bringing Donovan Wilson back. It was a nice season, got a nice little off season. Not too flashy, but it's nice. Sor right. I would have liked them to keep Dalton Sheltz around and he's still never know. They still maybe have a lot of

cap space. And I'm feeling a lot better about things. Uh, but Cooks, you know, I don't. He wasn't great last year, but he also was very unhappy. Not a Texans team that had a mess in. The Texans have done business with Laramie Tunsel again. Three year, seventy five million dollar contract extension per rap sheet and includes fifty million guaranteed sixty million in total guarantees. See I say that stuff,

and just like, what what am I even saying? It's fifty million fully guaranteed and sixty million in total guarantees. What's a guarantee? I think it gets a little muddled. It's very problematic that guarantees are not guaranteed. That should be that whatever million worth something. It should be something different than guaranteed. And then you could don't use guaranteed twice because then it completely eliminates any meaning for the word. There is no meaning, because what it is is an

injury guarantee. Uh that like he gets ten million dollars next year if he's injured and they want to cut him. So it's like it's a language that we need to for some reason, his play fell off a cliff, they could cut him, and it's not guaranteed anyway, it's a good I would say, nothing has any meaning. It's a good deal for tunsl who in twenty twenty uh signed a three year extension that made him the highest paid

tackle in the league. And now he is once again and now Greg will point out this he represented himself. We don't know what about the same individual. There's there's it's kind of fascinating the backstory on that that there's a Saint Omni guy who the league sent a memo out last year. He is not a certified agent. You cannot be represented. Do not talk to this man. But

there apparently Florio wrote about this. There's this there's this underground fight club culture of of agent representation where they you quote unquote represent yourself. And I'm not saying this will happen with Tonsol. I'm just saying this is something

that Florio put out there. But you could have a guy that's not technically your agent, but he basically um portrayed is you in written email type conversations that go through negotiation without the team, Like so when so he was backing Roquan Smith, he's like a ghostwriter, a ghost agent basis, and he takes over an email account. Yeah, we need a story on this and so, and this is what Florio pointed out, but that the Bears started to their radar went up during that whole k fluffel

with Roquan Smith where he wanted to be traded. That Roquan Smith was out on the practice field when they received an email from Roquan Smith, and so that caused some like there's certainly a third party here, and so Laramy Tunsel is not his own he is his own agent, But it was Saint Omni who announced this deal to Ian Rappaport, right, so we could asking about it. But there's someone else involved. It's not just lay his own offseason Ian Combo. Sure little, this is how the SA siege.

It's very strange. Gets then again, I think the insiders and the agents are on the same team and they don't like the same situation. I mean they have motivation to make mister Saint Omni look bad. Good job by a tunsil uh and saying Omnie apparently h reset in that market again and he's only gonna be thirty one when he gets back on the friege and market like that name, Saint Omni. Yeah, it's a great fake name. Just go buy it. Um, don't need a first name.

I'm saying Omni. Adam Feeland has a new home. The Panthers signed the long time Vikings wide receiver h three years, twenty five million, fourteen million and guarantees he's gonna answer his page thirty three his age thirty three season. So you know, the Panthers got to start somewhere and rebuilding their wide receiver room. They didn't have a lot of depth to start with him, and they traded their clear number one DJ Moore to the Bears to get that

number one pick as part of that deal. So Feeling, I think he makes sense as long as he's in the right spot within that team. He can't be their lead guy. Hes a guy that if you looked at if you pop the hood on his UH play. The last couple of years, he's been in regression and the stats back that up. I mean you have Terris Marshall Junior. I think you got something there. She's Smith and like

you're having a rookie quarterback. So Adam Deal and Hayden Hurst like keep your running backs like they're still interested in DJ Chark according to Scott Fitterer. So it's like, I would do anything you can between now and drafting quarterback X to just put players around him and see what sticks. Deal and not sneaky young Uh he is turning thirty three before the season. More of a red Zune guy. Got a lot of money in the first

year of that deal, ten or eleven million dollars. A little surprising, but he's he's the classic like article that's going to be released in August of how he's teaching the rest of the room how to be a pro and that what he's worth to the team is worth a little more than just producing. I got another coach on the fat. I kind of think there's there is something to that. I don't think that's total BS, but

he's getting a premium for that. Greg. It's like having another coach on the field because that's what you want. Josh Daniel's running her out there catching a kind of slott. No, I don't want to be a snitch, but like kind of cheating too. Yeah, you're that's that's two positions. Maybe we shouldn't be sold. So I've watched approximately seventeen minutes of CJ. Stroud tape, and I'm like, my god, this guy's amazing. Let's go Stroud. Okay, let's go Strout. I

can see the offensive line. That's because there's a weirdly in Vegas. Now. Stroud is the favorite because there's there's sort of reporting, but no one actually knows. We're just guessing. But I'm kind of surprised how he's been a little undersold. Let's do some odds and ends, ends, odds and ends. Everybody tell your friends Je It's it's getting into a dark place. I think we might have unwittingly tapped into

a dark third dimension. Like we're opening up this portal and all the demons of Hell and beyond they're going to pour into our universe. Yeah, and it will be our fault because of a tiny box stitty right. I don't know like how this even happened, but it had a very Trent Rezner Social Network soundtrack vibe to it, where like this is the beginning of the end for our society, kind of kind of all right, let's hit it,

all right, this is an easy one. Nick Scott, the defensive back, signed a three year, twelve million dollar contract with the Bengals. Greg like that one. Bengals needed to get a safety's cheap. They're good at these little myth tier signs. Yes, they've proven it. The Steelers add to their offensive line signing Isaac Sayamalo. They need help on

offensive line. They have the now. The tenth rank guard from a year ago played every game for the Eagles, was injured in the seasons before that, but alongside Mason Cole, start to have something on the inside. I do need it, no right, how about Greg Gaines, a defensive lineman, Buck sign him formerly of the Rams one year deal? Greg, Rams have no players left on defense? There enough they might come up in a little bit. And finally, in haircut news, Kevin Bayard another dude that's been a a

player with the Titans and an important player. Well, if he refuses a paycut, that's another guy out the door. It's they're downtime. The reporting is the Titans asked him to take a pay cut, and he refused. There is no word yet whether the Titans will actually release him, which would be pretty surprising if they did, but they would save about six million in cap space. Be a big dead cap hit. You can't And then he says no,

and then they just said don't do anything. They're like, Okay, well, graver, why don't you tell us about the other Titans news that you ought put into our messaging client. The Titans also signed Sean Murphy Bunting, who won a Super Bowl with the Bucks a couple of years ago. Okay, pretty good little piece on the offense. I want to I want to be snarky and give you a hard time about how bad the Titans might be this year, but I've been there, so I'm not going to do it.

You know it's coming. I know what's coming. I think. I mean, they've made a few signings that make me think they think they'll be more competitive than they will be, but I still don't think they'll be all that competitive. All right, Well, let's hope season. Let's take a break, and then we will welcome in Bill Barnwell, welcome back. Everybody joining us now is one of our favorites. The

only reason I have an ESPN Plus subscription. A Northeastern alum fellow and one of the great greatest damn football writer in this country, Bill Barnwell, Welcome back to Around the NFL. What great intro. First, I get some sultry music. It feels like I'm in a mid nineties R and B song about to come in with here. Then I get I'm interest one of the best damned sports writers and think I forget exactly how it was phrased, but

all of that I'm in. I'll take I actually said you were a former member of the Best damn Sports Show former panelist. Yes, Yeah, that was me and Tom Mardol. Happened on and I bdss that that show that was on every single Fox SPORTNT affiliate four about fifteen years, so unfortunately it was never invited. Happy to go back on. Mark Grace was tremendous on that program. Yeah, that musical selection that we selected for you. Is that sort of the vibe that you would think that you carry around

town when you're out on the streets. Yeah, you know, I feel like late night, but not like a sketchy late night, like a late night, like a noir a late night Like maybe you're at a jazz club and it's in between sets and you're like, oh, let me read five thousand words about these offensive lines transactions. That's what I want out there for me and my fans. I I do like to imagine Bill as a member of the mid nineties R and B group H Town

saying that would be good and little know. In fact, I once applied for a job at the best damn sports show period as a researcher. Really I did not get I did not get that job, denied what was there. I have to admit, it's been a long time. I don't know. This is not really relevant for sure too. That's what we're talking about, a show that was on neither of the network. I work for the networks. This is our show in general. Yeah, well, I have to ask was there a lot of research going on on

the I never got to find out. I was working weekends one day a week on Fox Baseball and football and like in the highlights department, and was trying to get more of a full time gig. I heard about this research job, interviewed, didn't get it all. I know Chris Rose, who works on this for this network now was a host of that show, and he speaks very fondly of the program and what they achieved together. So

that's that's my insight on it. Dude, any anyone who can host a show that's on the air of that long did something right. So like you know, like like no no bones about that. I just you know, it's kind of like a you know, a back and forth. I felt like kind of like a you know, a

taky sort of show. I didn't recall like extensive research segments happening right, and maybe it was a little ahead of its time, and like research is the guy who lets tarm Arnold know like who's on what team right before the segments and speaking of like late nights and we're gonna get to some way premature winners and losers of free agency with Bill Um. I do want to mention super Bowl Week in Arizona. Um, we were hanging out. We got dinner with Kevin Clark. Yeah, and Clark's plugged

in with the ringer. Gagna sent they sure, So he invites us to the Cimes Gathering, which you know is top of the food chain within this whole world, and uh, we did go there. Greggy and Gravedigger was with us as well, and um, I was remarkably or surprisingly, I was intimidated to the point where it's like, there's too many Ringer people here. They're all best friends. Here's Barnwell in the corner, just like lording over a group of bros.

I didn't even go say hi to Bill because he was said he was he was the bell of this ball. I had a drink and I excused myself, but it was it was basically walking into like the cool kid's wing of a high school. It was like, just be careful here, this little treacher you irish goodbye out of that a little bit, a little bit that contact would have loved to stay hello. I don't know which bros I was lording over. I'm not an especially tall person. I don't see myself as like a like a Nate Tice.

I would say it was lording out. You were comfortable, though, Bill, you were in your element. I could I could see that, and I said, I don't want to roll over there and do some awkward hellos. I'm gonna let him enjoy this time with his colleagues. Well, very nice of you, not not necessary at all. Please the next time you see me on the street, stop me, grabbed me? Oh, st no problem street. But the time's gathering at the

super Bowl. Okay, I liked that themed it now that you actually did Bill a favor so that he stay in element and I had some great conversations that night. But yeah, you had to you had to wait it out. Yeah, you'd be like, all right, Nate, we remember you were that Russell Wilson's backup. Okay, let us let us speak. That's not nice, that's not true, mate, mate, mate, I've never had a conversation with Nate about football. Um, gathering

soccer and pro wrestling and zero percent football. Um, all right, let's talk. Let's talk football. Okay, let's do it. So the they don't want us to say it, but we're bad boys. The legal tampering period started a week ago today, and there's been a lot of activity. Greggy, how many top one on one free agents from your top twenty are still remaining? Now? Oh, I've got even more than that.

Three from my top twenty five. Three also from my top twenty eleven, of the top fifty and twenty eight I believe are twenty six of the top one on one and not that many left. Okay, there's still deals to be made, and teams can still get much better

if they make smart moves. But I'll start with you on this one, Bill, when you survey the landscape so far, what's a team that's jumped out to you, Because we'll do the good and the bad here, what's a team that's jumped out to you that's made itself better in the past seven days? Yeah, you know, I'll start with the team I know is near and dear to your guy's hearts. Although I have I do have a question that does concern me about them, But I think overall

mostly a winner the Detroit Lions. I think a team where they had a very obvious concern on their on their defense dead last in ESPN's total QBR metric last year. Secondary that was a bit in shambles, a lot of work to be done, and you saw it. They went out and upgraded at multiple spots. Camp sudden comes in, Manuel mostly comes in, and most recently, Chauncey Gardner Johnson signs on a one year deal. That's a rebuilt secondary. We don't know what Jeffrey cood is going to do.

He might be a trade candidate could figure in there as well. But I just think given their needs, given that the offense did look so good at the second half of last year, given that they do have, you know, plenty of picks to work with this year's draft, I love them focusing on the secondary, getting that taken care of squared away. Now they can focus on rebuilding and continuing to rebuild that front seven. Here in the draft.

I feel like they're in great shape heading into heading into season, except for one thing, but we'll get to that later. I thought the Chauncey Gardner Johnson signing was a nice turnaround after losing Jamal Williams. I thought brought so much fire and personality to that team. It's my one thing, yeah, because I think, like we all, we all we met Jamal at the Super Bowl and like loved him and thought that he was just as a reason in a beating heart behind the Lions. But Gardner Johnson,

Aaron Glenn's known him since high school. Dan Campbell worked with him back with the Saints, so did Aaron Glenn. So it's like they went and got a player they knew exactly how to use. And he turned around and said to the Eagles. I'm just going to Detroit the deal that we had in place, forget about it. We're not doing that. I think he had to be disappointed

by the market. I don't know if he read the one on one, but he could have said I'm a I'm a freaking top five free agent a week ago at this time, and he didn't get the contract he wanted. I believe that he was probably offered, you know in the reporting is that he was offered a much better deal from the Eagles, but the money went away. They ended up spending it on Sleigh and Bradbury. Jesse Bates got paid, but very few of the other safeties really

got paid. Jordan Poyer didn't get paid, Julian Love didn't get played. There were a couple of mid market deals with like Von Bell and Donovan Wilson. But understandably, Gardner Johnson saw himself better than that. It's kind of like James Bradbury year ago. He bet on himself. I think his agent probably cost him a lot of money. But if he plays well for the Lions, and I think it's a great sign that people that know him so well want to bring him in, then he can cash

and hopefully next year. And I like the Lions making Aaron glenn um look good and possibly pivot from their strategy which has really been about resources in the front end and they were really weak in the back end. And I love the Sutton signing, especially Mosley is just like another guy to have around in case, like they are really setting up Aaron glenn for success to potentially be a future head coach. Is it possible, Greg, because I need to be, unfortunately the official pushback guy of

your agent assassination tour this spring. Is it possible that the agent was suggesting he took the deal, he'd take the deal of the Eagles were offering, and he said he thought he could do better. I think that it's possible, but I think anyone signing now um a one year deal like that had ended up like misreading the markets, and that's the agent's job. That Michael Steel was very heavily backloaded too. Maybe he was looking for something structured differently.

But I am with you, Dan, that blame me the agent, not that you're doing this. Greg, Just like this time of year that you're just getting like destroyed left and right, and it's like sometimes the player are people around the players saying no, no, you can do better than that, and then it didn't happen for him, and then but how can you do better than being unaligned? I mean the lines of historically you could well that. That's my

concern here is that you guys alluded to this. It has there been a vibe shift with Jamal Williams leaving for Johnson makes up he replaces a totally different vibe that jose Gardner. Johnson's vibe is I may fight you at any time you get getting you to fight me with no warning at any time. Yeah, that's not Jamal Williams. Jamal Williams, I was like, Hey, let's watch anime or play video games for twenty straight hours and eat really

good takeout. Ask Michael Thomas about Gardner Johnson, Yes, exactly. Um, all right, who is that? Who is the Bears player who punched him twice in the helmet? I can't remember? Yeah, there he is a spicy character. He's a spicy meaning the Bears wide receiver four. It's gonna bother me the rest of the show. Now, I'm sorry. Justin Graver the Grave Digger is going to be on that. I want to talk about someone a near or something near and

dear to your heart. Barnwell, Yes, hulagiman Um. I see them as a winner, and this extends more than just the last week. I liked the way they got the business done with Daniel Jones. Maybe you could say an overpay, but he's He's in the building. They believe in him, and I think that's good enough when you have Brian Dabile there, se Quon Barclay's back. Love the Darren Waller move for obvious reasons. I think that's a very high

upside move, and we talked about it last week. It ended up being a kind of a Cadarius Tony for Darren Waller swap. I could live with that. Paris Campbell joins the wide receiver room. He gives them a chance to upgrade their receiving game. You know, Odell Beckham's out there tweeting at Saquon that he has work to do. I believe something along those lines, something insane. In general,

I feel like Isaiah Hodgens also coming back. I feel like Bill, this team's going in the right direction, and obviously they I think they overachieved to a certain extent or played well considering their schedule now, I think adding pieces around Jones is necessary, and they're they're doing that.

I'm not especially thrilled. Okay, how the Giants approached this offseason, and I guess part of it is the big decision about Daniel Jones is one part of it, and then kind of everything else fits into the other side of it. I know you guys already talked about Daniel Jones, so I'm not gonna get too far into this, but let me ask you this one question. If Daniel Jones plays exactly the same as he played last year, do you

think that turns out to be a good deal? Like, does he have to improve to justify this contract or can he just be the guy he was last year and that's good enough for the Giant. The whole deal, in my mind when it went down, was this was built under the idea of the premise that he's just starting to reach his potential, which made it an unusual contract in that sense, but also internally, the Giants believe so much in Dable and Jones. That's how I saw it. So yes that he has to get better if he

If he plateaus, it's a bad contract. Does he have the pieces around him to get better. Well, I think that's my question, Like, like you know, I think, yes, I love the Darred Waller move. I think it's a pretty not risk free because you're giving up a third round pick and that is valuable, and you're you're using ten million dollars if you're cap space. But I think

a very logical risk for the Giants to take. I don't love the wide receivers like guests bringing in Paris Campbell, a guy who's been hurt most of his career and who averaged like ten yards to catch last year, Like I have no doubt Daniel Jones can find a link with a guy who's going to catch the ball and

fall down. But right now, the only deep beard on this roster is Darius Slayton, and that's a guy who this organization, much like Jones, didn't want last year, who kind of got the opportunity because everyone else in front of him either got hurt or they didn't want to play. So I like Darius Layden personally. I think he's a good player. I don't have a real issue with the contract, but I was sort of hoping for more, something more significant when it came to the receiving court. They still

have time to be fair. But the Bobbio Karaka signing I wasn't especially thrilled by. That's the guy they spent the most on this offseason. As much as attention as Waller got, they spent the most. Right, I add a position where look, they were maybe the worst and the slowest in the NFL, so they needed an upgrade, but they spent a lot to fix it. It seems like a team that could use Darius Tony that was that

was something that didn't work out a year ago. But I do think with Brian Dable and the draft ahead that I liked in general, what's happened with the Giants over the last five hundred days. They finally seem to have a plan. I have no problem if you if you don't resigned Daniel Jones, who fills that void, and then you're starting over with a different quarterbacks. So I don't mind it as a two year see what you got and there's more pieces to come. I'd hope around

two quick things and then someone else go one. Darius Slayton, to Bill's point, was a healthy scratch in Week one this year, so that's kind of where his journey has gone and he gets a new two year deal too. I've never heard anyone use the five hundred day marker before Historic you had to go like from January to

here and next summer. You know, it's good, It's just it's unusual, and I like it because if I said three hundred and sixty five, I have no idea what was happening literally one year ago today, or who I was, or who the giants were. So that's a weird days in summer. One of the movies where um, I enjoyed it the most in the theater too, I probably understand it's a bad movie now ratio like it's really high in that race. It's in the Garden State Club, right, I can't I can't say I didn't enjoy it. I

enjoyed the hell out of it. But now it was cute. Yeah, anything di Chanelle is gonna maybe an age not so hot. I'm gonna jump buff and do a winner because it's it's related a little bit to your giants, which is that because I think they're gonna draft just look at me and say your giants, Uh, well, your giants choice bill is a weird, like negging giants fan like, he's never happy with him, he never wants to totally own it. So, yeah, what if they were this year. I'm not gonna like

like they're bringing the band back and adding Bobby. I'm not thrilled by that. Okay, Okay, I'm with you. They're logically gonna fall back, and but wing Martindale and Brian Dable and Joe Shane for that matter, actually give me enough confidence that, like they'll help push the tide of what is probably gonna be unrealistic expectations. Um, maybe this would be bad for the Giants because I think they're almost locked into taking a receiver in the first round,

or that there should be good value there. But I'm gonna say some of the winners of this last month are the receivers in this draft, because there there was so little spending on these sort of second tier receivers that were available. I maybe I misread the market in terms of artificially like putting these guys higher on my list just thinking they were gonna get money and that

they were like decent players. Guys like Jacobi Meyers in Juju and Lazard ended up getting a lot of money, but a lot of players didn't and there wasn't much of a premium placed on these players. They ended up getting paid less than what I would have expected. And to me, I think it's because, first of all, this draft class isn't amazing at the top, but there's still a good group of players that I think could be taken in the first round, and maybe now they're gonna

get pushed up a little higher. And the other thing is, I think the receivers now looked at as a premium position that these free agents just didn't qualify that you need to get those receivers in a trade or you need to draft them. And the hit rate on these draft receivers is just so incredibly high right now that it almost feels like gmproof. That's like, Okay, don't take to Kobe Myers and pay them fifteen million dollars, draft your receivers, don't take Jujo, don't don't overpay for any

of these guys. Maybe give up a second for DeAndre Hopkins, but like, not even more than that, Let's just draft these guys. Because the contracts are so low for the draft picks in the hit rate is so high that to me, it's it's almost getting treated a little bit like defensive end and quarterback like other premium positions, and they didn't. It didn't happen for them in free agency. But I think they're gonna look at this draft class and people say there's not like a true one in it.

That's fine, but I think it's going to push these draft receivers up the board that not many teams really solve many of their receiver problems in free agency. Well, you know, I look at the DeAndre Hopkins situation. I'm writing about this for ESPN this week. It's not easy to find a landing spot for DeAndre Hopkins right now.

There's a lot of teams that either don't have the cap space or a set at receiver or half an offensive coordinator who appeared to be in a blood feud with DeAndre Hopkins before treating him in a very ill fated trade that costed his job. But there's not like an obvious spot where you're like, okay, that is where

DeAndre Hopkins is gonna go. So you know, I sort of wonder if the league as a whole, like you said, Greg is sort of looking at the receiver success rate and say, okay, as long as I'm not weirdly of all people, how he Roseman drafting Jail and Rager like it's gonna work out pretty well for me all things considered.

So I agree, you know, and I think something that is very like we all know it but we don't talk about it that often, is just how valuable it is take players of premium positions in the draft, and wide receiver right now is in a tier with left tackle and edge rusher, where that is a position where you get a significant surplus value over the first three

years of a guy's rookie deal. If you draft land even an average receiver, let alone someone like a Justin Jefferson or a Jamar Chase, I'm gonna throw it out.

I think last year was obviously the year of Geno Smith, but like my Geno Smith won b or Gino Smith light for at least the first half of the season was Jacoby Brissette, And so I'm gonna go a little more player focus win because I kind of think of all the places where Brissette could have gone, where it's like, had he gone Indianapolis like Gardner Minshew, It's like, well, they're clearly going to draft someone in the ideas that

you don't play Gardner Minshew. Ideally, if the rookie's up to stop, Jacoby Brissette, I think has a chance to continue what he did last year in Cleveland and be another example of a late blooming quarterback that last year. I mean it could a little bit of Kevin Stefanski, but the offense completely changed when de Shaun Watson get in there. It devolved in all the wrong ways, and I think that's a credit to some degree about Brissette.

He's also talked about. I know that Ron Rivera would rather just have a veteran run the show fit until the end of time, but Brissette is a lauded teammate. Kevin Stefanski said it was one of the in terms of coaching teammates, one of the best he'd ever been around his career. I think that's a great thing for a Washington team that always seems to have its vibe off a little bit. They're just to obviously ownership on down. There's a lot of um evil smells coming out of

that organization. Jacoby Brissette can change things. There's weapons around him. I think he can have a good season and continue to kind of advocate for himself as a spot starter and someone that might get a better chance in this if he can fend off Sam Howell, who was spicy in week eighteen. I did hear a fun conspiracy theory? Yeah, nfluk Hank throughout this. Sure, Henry Hudson fast going around here.

Uh what if the new Washington owner comes in and that's the one who goes over the top for Lamar. That would be beautiful because there's there's this talk that Dan Snyder that it might be it might be imminent. You come in with that Amazon money, you know, you pick up NFL media, you know, take care of the around the NFL podcast here, and then signing Lamar. You're a hero to the whole. The Ravens want to send Lamar Jackson. There's just gotta spending insane amount of money

and not give him a choice. It would be that. I'm totally Whitney seed. I don't really think and I think Jacoby has a nice spot with the enemy and all those weapons. I agree with slices me off a piece of that, Jake Bristey, I think that would be great. Washington fans would be head over if they had new ownership and Lamar Jackson. Everything's different, Sava said it, and the whole world's on fire. But the Ravens are not gonna want him anywhere near what do they call that area?

What's an area? It has a name, the Baltimore, Maryland. You live there, Bill, what is it? The DMV. But he's already in the DMV. So I'm confused as to like the distinction being made between you don't want to stay and you don't want to you want to get him out of the V's not gonna be on your team. Yeah, you know, you know, you know about You live in the middle of one of the toughest rivalries in sports, Washington versus Baltimore speak out. I have never honestly like, oh,

this is very juicy. And then I was like, I don't know a single person I've ever seen like a Ravens friend friend of mine argue with a Commanders fend friend of mine. Yeah, it doesn't feel like giants jest put it that way. And in fact, the nastiest thing that ever happened in the DMV in terms of like the sports teams is when the Ravens won the Super

Bowl and then Angelo. So the Orioles said no, we have a we have a baseball game, and you can't even host this week one game in your building and they had to go on the road after they won the damn Super Bowl. That that was some DMV dirt um. That game was the game where I remember watching with West and we always talk about that. Owen Daniels had the like slowest um like move to try to like make someone miss that we'd ever seen. I don't know

why Thames or something in that game. Jake Brisket point, So let's say he was very good in his starts for the Browns before Watson came and didn't play well. Brisket I'll played him. Let's say that's his close to his ceiling this year. Does that make Washington a power player or make them much better than they were? I don't. I just think he's a guy, and that's why I see this team just right now kind of stuck in

the mud. Even with Brissette there. As much as I like him, well, I don't think he's a difference maker. I would say it's a win for I said it about Jacoby Brissette. I think it's a win for him to go see what he does with it. If I'm Washington. If I'm a fan of the Commanders, I like Brissette. I can't can't be the final plan here, and it can't be for the eighth year in a run year on a run RIVERA like a veteran who might be average or better than average. How about a bill I'll

go ahead. I just want to point out the Commanders last year with Taylor Heineke, Carson Wentz and Sam Howell at quarterback, we're eight eight and one. They were realistically what a game away from making it till the postseason. They wouldn't the gotfar probably, but you know the Saints are selling out to try and win nine games and be in the playoffs. The Commanders weren't an okay quarterback away.

You know, they were six in the NFL in points purpose session allowed on defense without Chase Young or the version of Chase Young. We hope it is going to be back this upcoming season. And Jacoby Brissette, like he's not a superstar, but he doesn't turn the ball over since he got into the league. I think the only quarterback with with a better interception rate than Jacoby Brissette.

The only quarterbacks are Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers. So I think there's sort of a there's sort of a Jets thing happening here where it's like, Okay, we have this great defense. It's young enough that they're probably gonna be good again next year. If we can just get a competent quarterback in here, we're a playoff team. And for Washington, given how depressing this franchise has been for two and a half decades, that kind of feels like

a victory. Yeah. In fact, when the Rodgers thing was very hazy with the Jets, as if it's not hazy now, Brissette felt like a fallback plan for the Jets. So yes, for the commanders, a sensible one for the commanders. It would keep them in the mix for sure. I just hope, I mean the woman now you got my head thing with the Lamar thing, even though it's not going to happen, they really needs something like a whole new breath of fresh air for that order ownership would be enough. I

think they would be excited. Bill. We don't like to be overly critical, given you know, it's so hard to tell what's good and what's bad at this point. In fact, sometimes it's the opposite is the team that spends big that ends up not doing well. Although the last two years I saw this on network on the lower third before I stepped in the studio today, the last two years, the team that spent the most in free agency made the playoffs. Okay, so maybe it is great. Maybe if

you can win free agency that last year. Who would have been the year before? I don't know, it might have been another It might have been the Patriots who made it. All right, let's pause right here. We got more to do with Bill Barnewell, but first to break all Right, we're back. Who's a loser? So far? To you? Bill, the loser was tougher, you know, ID a bunch of winners.

I felt good about a loser. Maybe the Broncos. I mean just in terms of teams that spent a lot of money and I look at those moves and I'm kind of confused. Like Michael Clinchy, I understand wanting to improve the protection around Russ. Mike Clinchey is a solid player. He has the second largest contract of any right tackle in football, and he has never played at that level in San Francisco, So tough for me to believe he's gonna suddenly be a top five right tackle for the Broncos.

I mean, I like the Zach Allen move, but even Zach Allen one year of playing at the level he played at in Arizona, Guys like Alex Singleton, Jared Stidham, these are replacement level players. These are guys who, even if they played well when you saw them last year, Guys so you could have got for very cheap last season who you can probably find another version of very cheap this season. The Broncos are paying a premium to

either retain or bring in to their organization. So I don't hate the overall plan, but I think the pricing, especially in the market where teams have been very reasonable with what they've spent. I don't love how they spent their money in Denver, right, and they spent it on Ben Powers too, was another like premium guy that a year ago would have had like a one year, one

million dollar deal. It just was like paying for guys that the rest of the market didn't really look like that, Like backup quarterbacks didn't get paid, we could throw them out as a loser. In general, backup quart like Jacoby Brissette did the best getting eight million. The backup quarterback market weirdly is like worse than it was six years ago. I don't really like when Chase Daniel was cashing seven million dollar checks for never playing and now you get

like decent players for four and a half. That doesn't make sense. And you're right, yeah, Denver spent on a guy like ben Ben Power is a good example. Like I don't think Baltimore was remotely interested in spending that sort of money on a guard. I feel like Sean Payton at least is trying to make a case where you're I like the theory that you're stripping excuses away from Russell Wilson and if if you want to go deeper and say McGlinchey and Powers aren't going to save

your offensive line. But like we tried to, we just add stuff around him and like if if he flames out, like I think, I think Russell Wilson has like twenty twenty three Bronc a stripping excuse ten games to become the other Russell Wilson, or do they'll bench him for Jared'stnamer whoever else? Um, I'll throw out one and this loser is way too strong, But it's more like hmm okay, the Super Bowl teams. Uh, the Chiefs obviously they they

didn't want to pay Orlando Brown juniors. So I can't like say, like, oh, they're losers because they didn't decide that he was a marquee left tackle. But they're a little vulnerable there. They they signed right tackle Juwan Taylor. He might play the left side. Uh, Bill, I think you wrote about this, um so I'll credit you on this. He hasn't taken snaps at left tackle since high school.

Um So, it bat a couple a couple in college, but he wasn't like a start right So I mean now and now your job is to protect Patrick Mahomes's blindside, arguably the greatest quarterback of his generation. I don't know if that's their plan, but that's potentially their plan. They also lost a key guy in want Thornhill to Cleveland. The Eagles. The Eagles and the Eels. It's a trickier situation for them because of the economics and how loaded

their roster was. And they've done a good job with keeping certain guys in the building Jason Kelsey, Darius Slay, Bradberry. They they got Fletcher Cox back who stayed. They did lose though, Now that you'd take a look after Chauncey Gardner Johnson leaves for the Lions, I saw that they've lost five of nine players on defense who played at least seven hundred snaps in twenty twenty two. I mean, it's a big chunk of their You talk five hundred,

I got seven hundred here, Mark, that's data points. So it's not going to be the same defense. It's not gonna be the same team, and that's the economics of the business. But both champions. I feel like a little lesser right now, isn't it? POV Because I could find Howie roseman as a winning figure in the sense that, like he was, he was facing a really tough potential outcome, and you find a way to keep Bradberry, Slay, Brandon Gamp, Brandon Graham, Fletcher Cox. I love the Rashot Penny signing.

It's like they didn't just go null and void and everyone hit the exit sign Like Howie rose always seems to find a way, and I trust that he'll continue to and make more trades around the draft like he did last year. It's like he's always working. Oh, he's definitely working. I mean the Rashot I don't like the Rashot Penny move as much as any everybody else. And I like Miles Sanders better, and he's out the door as well. What do you think on that one, Barnwell,

I mean, I see why you would say it. But for the Eagles, it kind of felt like they had to meet some cutbacks. Like it wasn't really a scenario where they could go and say, Okay, we're bringing the band back and we're also somehow paying Jyllen Hurts fifty million dollars a year, like it's just not gonna work. They had to make cutbacks. With the Chiefs. The decisions they made were more of their own volition, right, Like, you know, it's not like Orlando Brown signed this enormous,

other worldly contract. I don't remember the exact specifics, but it's not like the Juan Taylor deal was for much more. Might even being a little bit more together, but you look at a Taylor's deal might be better. Yeah, Ryan, So you know, like like that is to me a more conscious session. Okay, we're gonna cut Frank Clark, We're gonna move on from Carlos Dunlap, We're going to move on from one Thornhill. We're going to let Andrew Wiley leave.

We're gonna let Orlando brownlee, We're gonna replace him with the right tackle who, like like you alluded to, it's really not played left tackle since high school. Like that is a more tangible decisions we're made in Kansas City than were made in Philadelphia, or Philadelphia was more about just we have, you know, people at travrod Harger's leading. We have no choice. We're losing the linebackers. We have

to we have to make some cutback somewhere. But I think it's more difficult because they had to do something. The Chiefs didn't really have to make these changes and did, and they might be better for it, who knows, But I think it's more questionable there. They're putting a lot on on spags, like their entire defensive spending is Chris Jones, Eric read. I guess they brought in a Mena who was like a free agent one year deal, but other than that, it's like all rookie contracts are like low

cost veterans. It's like that's that's sort of the other side of spending on offense. And and maybe he can handle it. It's like a better version of what the Rams are doing. Hell, I'm thrown out a loser. Raheem Morris. I mean they're setting up. They're setting up rad he Morris to fail. They're basically saying And Jordan Rodriguez reported on this look Sean mcvayson, offensive coach. I think I

don't think they're done. They've been disappointing and Jet, if you're a Rams fan, it's been a terrible offseason because I thought they would be a little more aggressive and doing something that I think maybe there are some moves coming, but it really feels like it's coming on offense and they're just gonna be like, look, we got Aaron Donald still and we've got a good coordinator and Raheem Morris like,

let's just throw stuff against the wall. There's more variants in defense and hope we come in twentieth because like their second best defensive linemen now because they've lost Greg Gaines, Leonard Floyd Taylor, rap looks like he's out the door. Scott Um, Bobby Wagner, Jalen Ramsey. This is just on the defense. Ashan Robinson, their second best offense defensive lineman, now is probably Bobby Brown. Um, they're best linebackers, Ernest Jones.

I'm not sure who their second one would be. Their their cornerback one is dari Dcobe Durant Gooby Durant, good guess, a fourth round pick from a year ago. It is as talent poor, like a side of the ball, as almost you can find in the NFL. And that's crazy because Aaron Donaldson out side of the ball. It's just like, I mean, I had them. I had them as well, and mine was more like some of this kind of comes off their plan right now. And they know what they're doing. They got a ring, but it feels like

a half measure right now. And and I don't know, they haven't committed totally to a tear down, but they're also put themselves in a much weaker position heading into the new season. And you have a thirty seven year old quarterback who just guarant locked into a guarantee of money that's gonna make sure he's on the roster. I just don't know kind of where the Rams are right now more. Matthew Stafford feels like an odd fit there. I just start right, that's a very strange landing spot.

For him. Yeah, I mean, what would you guys do if you were the Rams. Do you lean further into this and you do trade Cooper Cup? Do you try to trade Aaron Donald? Are you trying to just get as many picks as possible, which ironic given the T shirt, but um, get any picks as possible and just lean

all the way into it. Or do you think this is more of like a transition or were they They get rid of a lot of salary, they have a bad year, they get a high draft pick, and the next year they're back in signing players, going back into you know, full on we're gonna win in the year

and Donald Darren Mode. I think that's a plan. I think they kind of box themselves into a corner last year when they gave those contracts, the Stafford Cup and and who else Donald, Like all those got twenty two contracts. I mean they got and their guaranteed money is still guaranteed this year, so they sort of have no choice, That's right. It's been very quiet on the Alan Robinson front,

very frosty market, not a not a stunner. I think they were hoping someone would pay like half his salary and that like that was the best that they could hope for a little bit like the Brandon Cooks deal, but maybe bad tape though. I mean that's yeah, it never got better really for him. No, anybody out you got a bill, you said you had more winners? Do you want to do kind of like a oh, did you have a loser? Mark? I mean, this is I'm not trying to gang up on a team that I

continually um hammer. But I think a loser is Jonathan Cannon who goes to Arizona and is watching a team just be torn down before his eyes. Because you lose Marcus Golden, Byron Murphy, Zach Allen, JJ Watt retires, DeAndre Hopkins solved the door. You've got Kyler Murray, who to me stands out as the one quarterback that you've got to be concerned about his mood, his mental landscape, and if he if he's the kind of guy where things are starting to burn down around and he's watching players leave,

he loses DeAndre Hopkins at some point here. It's just an ugly set up for a first year coach, even if he was told behind the scenes, we get it, it's gonna be tough this year. That's not how fans react. It's like this is this was a playoff team two years ago. I mean a bit of a bit of a false god on that front. But at this point, the idea that they are this bad this quickly, Uh, it's really depressing. Kyler Murray is in this big contract

and they're rebuilding around him. I don't like it. I can attest to that because I was at that Cardinals Rams playoff game with Zamalt and it was one of the grizzliest affairs I've ever watched in person in terms of like just disparity between two teams. That's their organization's

a mess. That that was the false God game. I think now for perpetuity, I mean, I think they're sort of in the same boat as the Rams where they know they're not having Kyler Murray for a good So they lost forty seven seventeen to the Rams in there like high point. As an organization, that's a tough spot. It's a tough spot, yes, to be fair, also true, but I think they know Kyler is not going to be healthy or a good chunk of this year. Wouldn't be shocked if they just say, hey, Kyler just take

the year off. You're good. We don't need you this year. Their roster is a mess, their cap situations and mess. They need to do this, like like, yes, they are losers in terms, so if they are not going to be a competitive team this year, it's not going to be fun to watch them. Their fans are going to be mad. But I think they have to have this happened to reset. They have to do the thing the

Saints aren't doing or the Rams. You know, the Rams are kind of doing in last a lot of times, but like that reset of Okay, our CAP's gonna be fresh. Same think the Falcons did, same things the Bears did. But we have a quarterback we know in twenty twenty four, we bring Kyler back, we have cap space, we have some young players to work with around him, we'll feel pretty okay. I think that had to be what happened

when he came in. And I think sort of similar to what's happening in Tennessee right now as well, with the choices they've made with their roster. Now, he's making me think the Cardinals might kind of be long range winners. And I'm starting differently about the whole thing. Well, I don't know about that, Like they haven't. They haven't treated like a first year head coach this poorly. Since they stuck Steve Wilkes with Josh Rosen and Steve Kimeez is

GM that was a tough situation. Can we throw out one more winner? I at least want to get my biggest winner. I mean, I really am drinking. I don't know, I don't know why I'm drinking that Dolphins kool aid. I love it, Okay. I just feel like everything they did was smart. I think they had to give the fifth year option. We hadn't you know, officially talked about that on this show. I think they had to for

two it's a low enough number. I just think they made the smart moves around the margins, Like the Jalen Ramsey move non quarterback division is to me, like the most impactful move any team would make this offseason. Vic Fangio with Jalen Ramsey, to me, is just beautiful. Vic Fangio from Josh Boyer is such an upgrade. I know that's not free agency, but just look at the group that he's gonna be coaching up and then you look

at the David Long signing. I really liked, and I like kind of just the moves along the margins, just like just little ones. Mike White like that as a backup, like Malik Reid, Deshaun Elliott, Barrios, like the guys who are just just take swings on, guys who at one point had like a medium starter level of ability. And they're coming off a bad year, but they've shown they can play at like an NFL level, and it's just

relatively cheap bringing Moster and Wilson back. Don't spend too much at running back, like that's at a low level. They just they knew they didn't have a first round pick because their owner, uh you know, invited Tom Brady onto a boat and tried to hire him and Sean Payt, And I feel like that's weirdly underrated. I think of the scene in Street Leo Welcome him, the FBI agent on the boat tossing money out at the end, same s they do not have a first round pick because

of that. But but based on that, I feel like they set up this roster right now to like be a championship contender right now. I love him. Do you think Stephen Ross looks back and thinks that was worth a first round pick to have Tom Brady and kind of I could see the the the attraction to that well in retrospect, though it didn't quite bear much fruit for the organization. Anti fruit. I'd like to think that Steven Ross time feeling a lot of remorse over that.

I just think he doesn't roll that way. Maybe you know what I'm looking forward to, um Josh Allen and Aaron Rodgers torching a over the hill. Jalen Ramsey and his head as he walks off the field clearly in decline. How old is Jalen Ramsey that this is like quick Todd Gurley Award for like Todd Gurley's twenty six and I'm shocked he can walk down the streets talked about they barely barely beat Skyler Thompson and the Dolphins. Forget

about the defense too, It'll just be that offense. I think Mike White is a great pickup as a backup, because you know, we don't want to need it, but you're probably gonna need a backup in Miami that could keep the offense functional. But yeah, I think Xavien Howard and Jalen Ramsey on papers like oh, that could be the best cornerback duo in the league, Javon holland Brandon Jones. They had some injuries at safety, like the secondary secondary.

Don't be surprised if you're seeing a lot of head shaking from Jalen Ramsey and complaining to ref freeze this fall. That feels on brand. That was a little cold water on it, Greggy. Sorry, that's fine. I know that's the one team other than the Patriots that you just can't do for Bill. I got him in the top ten in the power rankings from Graver it was Javon Wims,

Johnson way back wins, So that got him. Throws individuals, you go through a punch, through a punch, thought about it for a second, hit hit him in the helmet, and then I believe through a second one, which this, yeah, not a good IDEA. Second one's got to be once you your hands stinging and I know there's adrenaline pump, and second one's got to be a body blow. You gotta go to the solar fla somewhere else. Yeah, um, Bill,

did you have anything else you wanted to add? Any other like winners, little speed round Barnwell or did we exhaust your list? I like the little Falcons. I think. I like Falcons are doing to rebuild there. I thought the Raiders have done an okay job. Raiders off season's usually pretty bad, so either standards, this was a step in the right direction. Okay. And I'm a little concerned about the Panthers, Like I want to see what the other moves that fill in that roster are around that quarterback.

But I'm not excited about Adam Feeling wide receiver one for my rookie quarterback. We'll see how it goes over the rest of the off season. Yeah, you got They're the team, Like I wouldn't say they're the perfect connections to the Jaguars because Lawrence is entering a second year, but they're the team this year that has added a ton of guys, so you might reflexibly back. Oh yeah, best off season, best free agency they've added, but we'll see if it works out. They added Miles Sanders are

running back Feeling as we said, hayden Hurst. They signed Von Bell at safety. They got Dalton as their backup to whoever they take at number one, a quarterback, Shy Tuttle a d tackle, So they've done a lot. Will it make them a lot better. I have one question for Bill. Do you think that the cults are that these theories are floating out there with some of the cuts? Do you think that they're gearing up for a bona fide jim it swing at Lamar Jackson. Is that the

team that might be the final home for him? Uh? I would say that Jim earsay contains multitudes, and I think it's more likely that whatever cuts or roster moves they're making, or space they're clearing out, it's more likely that Jimmerson just wakes up one day and was like, oh, Lamar Jackson, I'd like one of those and just falls and just just calls them signs into an officer sreet without anybody else in the organization being consulted or making

a decision. So, I think applying logic to what is going to happen with the Colts, it is maybe not the degree of how how they've handled things in the recent past. So I could see the logic, and if it was another team, I'd say sure, But with the Colts, I just don't know if it is. It's an exciting thought that that Bill puts out there, because imagine if what happened in twenty twenty two, with the cults as unpredictable as they were way jeff Saturday situation station went

down in the quarterbacks and everything around the cults. What if that was just the beginning of of ownerships ride into a whole other realm, like a precursor to this more enticing madness. What if that's not the outlier season. What if it's just starting and we get another like five years of total madness the sun like kind of living out his father's legacy, like he tried to run from it, tried to stay out of the mix forever. And uh, sign up, daddy is Uh, Daddy is instructive.

Daddy's in the Mayflower truck. Um? All right, Bill? Do you guys? Do you guys have names for your podcast episodes? No, we're always hoping. I mean there are titles. Could we call this one Daddy is instructive? Please? Well, you are our guests. If we usually have quite boring nicknames, it probably would have been free agency winners and losing how about this? But I feel like Daddy is instructive. That would be more fun. And see, I think we could do.

I think we could do. We could achieve everything we want Daddy's is instructive colon free agency winners and losers. I thought you, I thought you were gonna say Daddy is instructive. That's also in play Bill. You've said it all. Thank you so much. Check out all Bill's content over at ESPN, including a new calm. What is the hook of the latest colm that will be up maybe when people even hear this depends on whether Aaron Rodgers gets traded.

There may be something that's been in the can for a couple of weeks, but if not, any finding some fits for the remaining free agents and trade candidates who are available only at esp and you know that's going to be a banger Bill. Thank you very much. Thanks guys. All right, there he goes Bill barn Well. I think you should have approached him that night in the eatery slash wherever you wear a bar room. I mean, it

seems like he's one of the most approachable individuals. There was a little more like kind of a context to it. We had gone out to dinner. We went to a Mexican restaurant. I think Daddy had a couple of tequila sodas. We thought we were gonna get a little later part of the night, Daddy earlier there was a delay. The party had moved and it was a little later that said you left within about ninety seconds, M and I stayed. Uh. I stayed for a while and got to got to

talk to all the people I wanted to. You've neatly pumped yourself up as a real night owl, Greg as as we all know you are. I did stay for one drink. I talked. I talked with Harmon a lot. I talked a little bit with because she she came over, which was nice. Uh. Maybe maybe there were a couple other people. But then Bill was he had a little corner. I'm telling you he had a nice time. I remember, well, I would have joined you, but I was a little

bit late getting to Arizona and hadn't. But I had flown in sitting next to Mena Kimes and had a great conversation like I had my own, like, m, what a night, what an evening. But She's like, we had a fantastic convers I'm saying, like we I guess we heard all the bases. We hit it all. I didn't see Bill Barnwroe, though, but I would have gone up and given him a big hug. I think big bear hug. Yeah, missed opportunity. Yeah, all right. We'll be back on Wednesday.

Connie Fox will join us and we will talk more about what's happening in this league coming up a little later this week. By the way, I'm excited about this. The New York Posts Andrew Marshawn when we take a look at what is happening in the booths, what's happening in the media world of the NFL. We like that. It's like a media media segment with Andrew Marshan that time of year. Yeah all right, thanks everybody. That was a good showing by Rosenthal, having that you had the

drink and close down the bad boys. He the call