The Around the NFL podcast as downgraded Mark two questionable from the Chris Wesley podcast studio. It's Around the NFL. I am Dan hansis Greg Rosenthal here, Mark Cesler. Now you did take the serum? Is that why the injury designation? You were a downgrade? I don't know the reason.
These things are typically, you know, just dropped out of thin air onto my into my lap.
I did learn that. Do what?
How about that?
Like after a doctor tufflhammer rest in peace. By the way, Wow, breaking news.
Make it to today's show. Uh we lost the good doctor. That cough was as bad as it sounded. Baker Mayfield dealing with a really nasty case.
Of gigantism in the head right now, so hopefully that comes down by the opening of the legal tampering on Monday.
I also liked the Baker Mayfield learned from a reporter during the Truth Serim interview that he was about to be become a father. That seemed to catch him off guard during the actual interview.
I don't know it caught him off guard or maybe he just revealed that didn't care that much. He was just like got the ou pair, I got things, I got money, Baker's still in the Baker' zone, you know what I mean.
But I don't think he knew that his unfair significant other was pregnant. But based on how that interview.
I mean, he's got got his wife in those commercials too.
So this is this is a big spot for Baker gigantism there.
That's that's a tough one. I think he did say he expressed surprise. I think he said, oh really, I mean, she's like heavily pregnant. Right, So he's not very observant during the off season. He's off on his own doing his own thing, as you wrote, Greg, and you're one oh one right up. He's been He's gotten better with you know, quick decisions. Maybe he's so quick now he has not looked down and seen his wife extremely pregnant.
I I worry about how he sees the field.
Then that seems like traveling as troubling as his career, which like as one great year, one bad year.
You want him on the year with the.
One year, three million dollar contract, maybe not the thirty five million dollar contract.
What's going to happen? I keep hearing he had a great seasons?
See was it great?
He had great moments actually has been as strong, and we're going to get into all the free agents. With the franchise tag in the rear view and the transactions now largely done, you would imagine his teams really dig in this weekend to begin there or finalize their plan of attack for free agency, which will be all over next week shows Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, if necessary, Friday. A couple of years back, we did a Deshaun Watson lands with the Browns Friday emergency podcast.
Another time when I was you know, it went out to lunch and like thought that that would be a calm afternoon and then bang, like a nuclear bomb lands on your face.
Will also be taping the Face that Monday show from you know, right before the iHeart Podcast.
Yes, we're in the out and see if we win.
Hopping on a plane on Sunday and heading to the iHeart Awards. More and more, I think we're gonna win that.
By the way, really, I just feel like a sort of an energy like we keep we just assume we're gonna lose to the Kelsey's.
I think it's gonna go the other way. I'm predicting.
I think we're gonna win, like like dune style disturbance in the forest type situation.
I don't know what I don't.
I don't not a dune person, but like, isn't that No, it's not and you know it's not stupid.
That's a stread, all right. So anyway to talk about all that free agency stuff, we have one of the man, let's be honest, one of the biggest names in the game, Mina Chimes, who does it all over to ESPN and she's been on our show many times, and she'll be back on the show again in a little bit talking over Greg's list and free agency in general. But before that, let us get caught up on some news hopefully give us the.
Best chance to win the whole thing.
Gonna get a final let's ride for Broncos control of course, bostri Let's right, Eric keel Rut.
All right, So Russell Wilson, you've heard of this guy, right? Oh? Yeah? He now he no longer. He once upon a time was a huge star for the Seattle Seahawks. He went to the Broncos where he's expected to continue to be a huge star. That didn't work out, and now he is free to sign with any team. And the Steelers are on that list of potential teams. Beat writer Jerry Dulock, who's been there for a long time, reports that the team has interest in signing Wilson. Wilson, according to Duloc,
also has interest in the Steelers. We talk about right church wrong pew I said last week when we're talking justin fields with Rodo pat that it's the worst smoke screen in Pittsburgh since the then Redskins, well then then Redskins. Then coach Mike Shanahan said he was deciding between John Beck and Rex Grossman, and he's ready to stake his reputation up on it. That's how it feels like with the quarterback room in Pittsburgh right now. They have to
bring somebody in or we simply cannot take the Steelers seriously. However, Mark Sessler, I'm not sure if Russell Wilson joining the gang that leads us to take them seriously. But it would be an upgrade. Let's say that.
It's and that's sort of what everyone's come to agree on. It's an upgrade in theory over Kenny Pickett. It's like to me, I think it's a tough sell inside the building. It's a tough sell to your to us fan base that you know is not going to be have.
The wool puled over their eyes.
Like we've all watched Russell Wilson for two years and it's you can spin last season is like he was vastly improved.
Like No, he wasn't. Like he he.
Is a shell of what he used to be.
And I think it's a tough sell for Steelers fans to say we're going this direction or it's the only thing we're gonna look at, at least explore other options.
I disagree with that. I think he was much improved from year one in Denver in fact, and counting stats are they can mislead, but look at his counting stats with Hack getting your one. In Denver, he threw for over three thousand yards. He threw for twenty six touchdowns, just eight interceptions got benched down the stretch, so he could have flirted with a thirty touchdown season there in Denver, which we kind of don't even think about it that
way because it didn't look so great. The tape didn't quite match some of the good production, but he had runs where he did succeed, So yes, I think I agree with you Mark that it's a hard sell, but maybe maybe it's a bigger upgrade than we think, just because we're so down on Wilson and the Wilson experience at this point.
I'm closer to Mark here in the two polls, just because what's that saying, don't let perfect be the enemy of good? So that would be a reason. Okay, well, Russell Wilson's an incremental improvement. I would say, do do let perfect be the enemy of good? In this case, the whole point of a front office is to find a top ten to twelve quarterback.
That's it.
That's the most important thing that is in your entire organization. Until you have one, you need to have a shot to go find one, And signing Russell Wilson is giving up on that shot. To me, he's not a big enough upgrade to me from Mason Rudolph. To me, he is the Kenny Pickett of like veteran quarterback options, where Kenny Pickett was like this guy that no one really wanted to take in the first round and he's the twentieth pick in the first round. He wasn't like a
real exciting quarterback prospect. It was like kind of aiming for the middle, and that's Russell Wilson. There's no point in signing a mid level quarterback because that's gonna stop them from going after a great quarterback, which is what they need to do. Like they need to spend all their resources on that.
Think. I think you might I could have this wrong. But perfect is the enemy of good would mean that they are only going for the best possible. And because they're only going for the best possible, they're not looking at getting something good or close to.
Me, like, don't ignore better. I think Russell Wilson in theory is getting better. So I say that does not apply here.
I want the words flipped. No, I say what I've heard before is good is the enemy of great.
Well, that's it's all in the Saint don't know.
If you settle for Wilson, you're not going for the great, which would be the top ten quarterback. Yeah, perfect is the enemy of good.
It's all in the same idea.
I'm more side with Mark on this side of the poll.
This is going full Tare is the man who is most commonly attributed to So.
I wish I wish we could dig it, dig him up and ask him right.
I don't know where if bull Taire had Russell Wilson on his free agency reagons, but it's like, to me, it's not high, it's not enough, higher than then Russell, than h Kenny Pickett or or Mitchell Tribbat And well.
According to your race, you'd rather have Jacoby percent.
Oh absolutely, we'll get to that.
I mean, Russell Wilson also had one of the highest sack percentages in the NFL in each of the last two years. For attemph last year were actually down from the year before.
I like Jake Brisky, but I mean, is he going to be the new Teddy? Now We're gonna be talking about him twelve years from now.
No great options, But my point is you'll get me started.
Tyrod Taylor in your top eight we please.
He's top eight free agent quarterbacks.
He played great last year in his limited time, so he's a great back walks of the limp backups are worth something. But ja Kobe, to be fair, would kind of be in the same bucket for me where you're not really trying for a great quarterback either. I think it'd be a better option. But the point is you need to be putting bigger resources into taking a big swing. You're not gonna win with defense and running.
In that division two. Please all right?
So yes, as we talked about at the beginning of yesterday's show, the decision to trade for Russ Wilson and Denver and then give him the massive contract will have continue to reverberate with that organization for years because they have eighty five million dollars in dead cap money. A It not to bum out, you know, my neighbor or whatever, but.
It sounds like he's already going some things.
They have no chance to win the Super Bowl in the next two years in my opinion, and and I think deep down they know too. So is it affecting some roster decisions now as they look ahead to the next season. The Broncos release safety Justin Simmons. This man was a second team All Pro in four of his last five seasons. He's been to the Pro Bowl multiple times. He's not young, but he's not old. He's turning thirty at the start of next season. Had another productive season
last year, but the Broncos move on Greg. I think A. Simmons got to be in a good place on the one oh one and b Is this a direct correlation to Russ.
I think it's a close correlation to Russ. I think they viewed Simmons. It was written by one of the Beat reporters as a luxury that they could no longer afford. I think it's a little more compated in that he's turning thirty one this year and he's coming off probably his worst season. I know he got that second team All Pro that might have been off a little bit off reputation if you talk to some people, so like you saw some decline and he's getting older at a
cheap position. Would he have been released though, if they just had like eighty million dollars in cap space, No, probably not. So this is a rare case. I think it is a cap cut. But if he was playing at his very best level, he wouldn't be cut every time these cuts happened.
Like some people point out to see, the cap is real. All you people that say the CAP's not real, it's real. I get that.
But there's always like context to it, which is these players still never get released if the teams really want to keep them. I don't think they really wanted to keep Justin Simmons. They didn't really view him as a difference man.
Yeah, just against the combination of his age, his position, and the fact that they like they lived like legit did need to make some tough decisions with the Russell Wilson situation and fourteen point five in cap savings, is that matters well?
And to Dan's you know, good point yesterday, take all the medicine you can now. So it's like, we're not winning the super Bowl this year. Justin Simmons at most probably has one more year left with us based on this contract. It's like through the Patriots thing where maybe we'll risk getting rid of them a year too early, but it's probably not and just moving.
Because they can.
They can have it be a fifty three million dollar price tag this year, and they'd have to make some more cuts, but it's like they can they can make it not just split down the middle for Russell right right, and Russell's part of it, but that would have that affects the rest of their financials.
But I'm I'm I totally agree with Dan.
It's like, use this year to get as healthy as you can for next year.
So they I'm with you, they can't win a super Bowl in the next two years kind of of course, But I don't think it's not just because of Russell Wilson. It's just because they had He's inheriting a pretty bad roster. It is crazy to me, and this is an anomaly. Last year the Bucks had seventy six million dollars in dead cassy seventy six.
The Rams had over seven. They both made the playoffs.
The next two teams on that list were the Packers in the Eagles, who had nice seasons, you know, because they ate a lot for Aaron Rodgers over fifty five. So I think there's a route to being competitive. Not winning a Super Bowl is certainly not this brother. Were those teams again, the Rams, the Rams and the Bucks established star quarterback bucks, sure, but over under like win total was the lowest. I guess what I'm saying is when we're a surprise.
Why I'm especially strong on that with Denver is not only did that move backfiring kill you? Financially, you're starting over again at quarterback, so it's like unless something falls into your lap, it's it was a five year mistake.
Their route is the Baker in there.
It's the Baker route where they the Bucks stumbled on Baker for that amount of money, got decent quarterback play.
Could they do that certain Yes with Sean.
P or a rookie.
I mean they could do it with Baker, right. The problem is the rest of the roster. I'm with you, the Bucks, the Rams. Now, in hindsight, the Packers had a lot more going on.
We also spent about four off seasons in a row suggesting that the Broncos looked like an AFC title type roster and it never panned out. None of these guys ever panned out across the board.
Uh.
That always bothered West. West was always kind of big on the Broncos. They just looked loaded in the automate Joe Flaco Broncos. He was like, thinking they might might turn it around.
Yeah, I think we're done with a off season hype pieces around Jerry, Judy and Courtland's so yet, I think we got a little tired. Yep, it's time. Uh you know what else, It's time for mark Ezra Cleveland update Bang. The Jaguars signed the Guard to a three or twenty eight and a half million dollar contract. Rap sheet says that deal includes fourteen and a half million in guaranteed money. So the Jags who got Cleveland from the Vikings at the deadline. They lock them up before he reaches the
open market. Bullyed to them, and I'm sure bully to you know, Trevor Lawrence.
A lot of guards are gonna get paid.
I don't think Jaguars fans are too excited about this, but this is an indication that a lot of.
I've spoken to several and they are over the moon. Greg.
I'm really thinking John Shipley, who is a great reporter and his he didn't seem too excited.
He's a reporter, not a writer.
But I think I just say, listen, I just root for good storylines. Okay. I mean when I was a kid, you know, when I was a teenager, yeah, I had favorite teams. But then I grew up and you know, I'm not out of here rooting for laundry, I feel, and you know, but the storylines that that I root for, I root for the I root for the players. You know. I root for certain players that are good guys, but root for a team. Why can I ask you one question?
Why do you take this so well? They do what they want?
Are you asking me or that guy?
I'm asking you? As the portrayal of that person. Every time someone's coming up with a viewpoint that you don't quite agree with, they like suddenly barely passed high school from Hackensack, New Jersey.
I'm saying that's that's just a very standard block and tackle. Yeah, I mean explanation.
I feel I feel a little attack because I almost feel like at this point I have to I actually have to pretend I'm more of a fan of the Patriots than than I am. Just dissatisfied Dan's cravy.
No, you've got a little bit of the diet, you got a little bit of the Sessler in you where, yes, your true feelings betray how you're trying to put out sometimes depending on how the Pats are playing, and you have a little more energy about them still when you talk.
Absolutely I'm going to be following them and more into them than any other team.
But it's just laundry.
But it's just the volume is so far down than where it was that it's just it's tough.
Well, you're you're not a child at that.
I don't.
I'm a grown man. I don't root it. Colors on, Oh, I like their colors.
Forget child.
Oh, I'm just a front runner, because it's like I was just as big a fan in sixteen and an eighteen. It was just like, okay, we've we've accomplished at all. What's the point.
You can't be taken seriously in this business unless you really take a step back. I can't take him seriously in this business.
That's how he performs.
I also feel bad, though, Dan, because sometimes I realized I put the news run down in the wrong order, and I and I did edit in our slack channel.
I did not intend to have Ezra Cleveland.
That that's true.
That's I moved it back down and later edit. But I don't think you you saw that that probably should have been. That was just that was an odds and ends on me. It's in our pot now it is. There's the latest UH Bill's news.
UH. We talked about Jordan Poyer being cut yesterday. I don't think this falls on the wrong side of the vengeance scale. But there was more to come from Buffalo starting yesterday. They also cut cornerback T Davis White, big name Mitch Morse. They rework Von Miller's deal. We talked about how that was a mistake that they were living with UH and they also bring back Mitch t I mean that in all this like news to get to Mit, gotta get gotta get Mitch lockdown before the open market.
Uh really gets the size up where he fits in. UH. And Tell Rap also signed by Buffalo, So a bunch of moves there. And you know this is a team very clearly managing their salary cap and also Mark looking to take things in a slightly different direction next year. You know the coach is going to be there. You know there the play caller, you know, the quarterback, and but there's a lot of other things. You get the idea that Buffalo is a team to keep an eye
on how they attack this offseason. After yet another really painful playoff Ouster.
Yeah, you saw this coming because this was another case where we left the building and then the Bills, you know, flooded the newswire with additional cuts. But they were like when we finished our show from in terms of over the cap, like in the worst cap situation in the league, they shaved thirty seven million off of that.
That helps.
There's more work to do, but it is interesting because reading some stuff from people in Buffalo right now that like Sean McDermott who is has not nothing but success if you go globally compared to what the Bills were before. Sean McDermott seems to be about on as big of a hot seat as there is right now. I think, like fans are going absolutely crazy. He just seems to be under a lot of pressure.
I know, and I get it. There are some things about him that are frustrating to me. And you know, the nine to eleven story and how he runs that team pointed out some of his weaknesses. But I also think like you got to give teams credit that are right in the mix every year, Like that's the whole goal.
Right, he succeeded.
I know, we're in the season after the only super Bowls matter. It's like, no, that twenty seventeen season was magical when they first made the playoffs, and then in the last four seasons they've been right there and it's very frustrating. But this was a I think a necessary day for them where they had to change eras a little bit. Poyer was part of that era. Tredevious White made some All Pro teams, but he just tore his achilles. He had a torn acl Like this is a move
they would have made in any season. Mitch Morris I thought was interesting because he's played like twelve hundred snaps the season for four or five straight years, and he's a solid center, but just maybe a little overpaid, so that was a cap space thing. And then von Miller only is keeping his job because he had all this guaranteed money, and I was curious he actually took less money in this deal. Why did that happen? That's that's weird.
Just and someone inside the league text and me he could get suspended and this will the way they structured it, He's going to get guaranteed that money. So he took like three million dollars less, but if he does get suspended, he'll end up with more. So you know, it works out for these players with a guaranteed.
I know that football is completely different than basketball, but I don't feel that Sean McDermott hot takes on nine to eleven notwithstanding, should be on the hot seat. I'm going to use my own fandom parallel in the NBA when Patrick Ewing and Charles Oakley and John Starks and whether it's Doc Rivers or Derek Harper could not could not get over the hump against the Bulls and Michael Jordan, and I don't remember anybody in that in that media market ever saying we got to fire pat Riley because.
But pat Riley had won like five titles.
What I'm saying like it was it was I understand that, but it's sometimes my point being you get good at the wrong time, and buffalo running into the teeth of the Patrick Mahomes era is really tough, and I understand that, Like you could say, well, then you got to bring somebody in that could figure out how to beat Pat Mahomes and maybe that time will come. But I'm just giving McDermott and the Bills fans in general, and Eric Roberts behind the glass, this is just a very frot.
I've been there in different way as a fan, Like it's so frustrating to be here at this moment because if there was no Mahomes, yeah, the Bills probably get over the hump once or even twice by now, but they haven't been able to.
I guess Also, what I was noting was that like Bills fans in that region. I'm not saying, you know, high thinking Bills fans from you know, other parts of the country, but it's like there isn't a level of agitation. I don't know, how do we how do we decide if he's on the hot seat or not. He just I think there's a fair amount of pressure and a tightening vice around the Bill's experience.
And he he adds to that because he's just as about as tightly wound as ever. I'm feeling basketball reference closer. I consider the Bills, the Lob City Clippers and Patrick Mahomes Steph Curry in the War yea, like you.
Can't even get out of the West.
They never even write they never even got to a conference final. But that that's fair. I I was thinking about, uh, my Celtics right now. We've had a ton of success.
Fall is completely different than anything.
Sort of a championship has got to be disappointing when you're the big there the sign BRender doctrine. You must win the finals at this point this season, which is which is not a great place to be. It's not it's not great because if they lose to the Nuggets, it's like, that's totally understandable.
And yet you know who found I.
Also sound like an idiot and that clip, by the way, I don't think so. Football is completely different than basketball. That is an embarrassing sound.
But it's fine. It's fine, You're fine. Now. I forgot what he was gonna say, but it was probably trenching. All right, that's what's happening in the news. We'll take a break and then we'll welcome in Mina Chimes. Welcome back. Sausage fingers getting a lot of use on the acts recently cause we've been having a lot of great guests and that role continues for Around the NFL. Back for another appearance. Oh, it seems like so long ago that Mina Chimes was coming into our old studio in Culver City.
We had stopped at a gas station and got us some hip hop themed potato chips, and it began a wonderful relationship the ESPN Star and the NFL heroes. So what's up, Mina Kimes. Welcome back to around the NFL.
Hey know, if that was the beginning of our relationship, I don't even know if that was my first close.
I think it was your first appearance.
And also I believe you'd had a rough and tumble time at that seven eleven before picking up those chips.
That is true, that is lore now in our relationship that I was so determined to make it that.
I mean, you'll you'll find out Dan likes to create narratives, which over the years, you know, just start forming into total fictions that create narratives.
This is just storytelling me. You know, pop quick pop quiz. What was the the hip hop star who was on those potato chips?
I think it was Cardi b.
Oh incorrect, Greg, Well, I don't know if I'm right. This came up. We were talking about it.
You spoke complently about it. I thought it was mean egos chips. That sounds potentially right, right, No, but you spoke with confidence when we talked about it last time.
One of your listeners, you guys have a very active, engaged fan base. I'm sure one of them. Good call and you know and remembers your can dip go back into the archives.
Oh you got that right.
Let us know who is correct? All right, Mina. You have taken some time out of your busy schedule, and thank you for that to help us dig in on the updated rankings. And by the way, just to put it on your radar, Mina, because you're a major national personality. Mark Sessler and I are going to be putting out our free agency two thirteen at midnight on Tuesday. So just let's let if you want to us on one of your programs. Yes, still working on it. Where where available?
Uh, Tuesday seems like a bad time for it. So it's like kind of all that happen.
Don't need it, don't need it here from are we? Anyway? Greg's one oh one is updated? So Greg, why don't you get us going here? How do we want to attack what's going?
All?
Right?
So I want to I thought it'd be fun we go through by position. Now that all these free agent tags have been you know, put on, we've had some interesting players added to the list, like Justin Simmons is now in the in the top fifty.
Uh, and maybe go through by positions?
Good, just to a quick run through of like a top ten by positions and then you guys throw out what you don't like or any sleepers, any bus and he fits that you like. I think defensive end is probably still the deepest, even though the top of the lot got taken away. So at defensive end edge, I have danil Hunter out there at number one. Jonathan Garnard
you boy Mina at number two. I don't know if he's your Broy, Bryce Huff, Chaise Young, for Zideria Smith five, Andrew van Ginkel six, Genevian Clowney, josh Uch Dorns Armstrong, Marcus Davenport. I mean, even guys like Shaq Beart and Leonard Floyd Whor are good, good players, are not on the list. This is a position where you can still
find some players in free agency. I think Grenard especially had a nice week that he's kind of the only guy in the sweet spot that is hitting free agency at this time, and there's going to be a bidding war, and I think the Texans are comfortable letting him go for whatever reason.
Gernard, I don't know if he's my boy. He's kind of like an NFL Twitter sweetheart, right. He is well last Obo Camaranquo was Jonathan Grenard before Jonathan Gard and incidentally on the same team. He's like, I'll watch the tape and you see how good he is, how complete he is a good player. Though he is a good player. I agree with you in Houston, especially since you got Will Anderson Junior. They do have a lot of cap space, so I like this group, it's a lot of one
bees and two's hunters. I think the only like real superstar, a guy like Bryce Huff is someone who you guys know, you know, small sample size all star question. Did New York just have too much depth obviously they like to rotate their pass rushers or did they feel he wasn't an every down player. That's the kind of question the acquiring team will have to answer. Just looking at this list, I think that Andrew Banking was like surprising great last year.
That's a player that I feel like could be had at a reasonable price.
H He's a Mark favorite is.
It's not just his name. He sounds good, came from a child's fable, but like at the same time, like I feel like it's years in a row when you're watching the Dolphins and he pops up once a game or twice a game doing something completely different. It's like Greg notes in this that if Bill Belichick was still in New England, he'd be going to the Patriots like today right now.
But I think he can help.
He's a kind of free agent pick up I like because you don't have to like blow your budget for him. But he always seems to make a difference.
I think Huff is a guy you want to take a swing on. I think as a jetsman, I saw how constant he was in terms as a pass rusher, and yeah, like they didn't trust him against the run. So that is you know, you got to watch your tape and make a judgment on you on your own outside the building. But twenty six years old with like win rates that are as good as like almost any player in the league, if you can get him, he's
gonna be expensive. But if you can get him in a little bit less than you know where the top names are going, you might get the most productive, you know, sax specialist of any of them. So I understand why the Jets might be going walking away, But I also could see it ended up being a big mistake.
It matters so much like when you hit free agency, because like josh ushe coming off last year would have been ye towards the top of the list, and then the Patriots like, you never just played him that much and he's still a good pass rusher, but do you trust him? I have a little bit of like Chase Winovich. I don't know if fatigue is the right word or just remembering how poorly his post Patriots career went, and he was kind of a similar type player.
But it is a position.
You need three edge players essentially in the NFL, three good ones, and and these guys can all be number twos. There's guys who aren't even on the list, like you know, Engakway is still out there at Panessa, Charles Harris like that are decent. It's deeper than other positions. You can actually find guys unlike receiver. Let's talk receiver.
Wait, can we just I have one last idea for Jadavian Clowney, who's coming off a really good year in Baltimore. Can we you know how what's the name of the event on NFL network where we come back to camp, back to training camp or something.
Itc inside training camp.
But like the big launch day, I think it's like, we're all back together. I get back together.
Saturday together that's what you guys call you.
Yeah, so we're never actually back together there. We're just stealed here.
Everybody, but atn back together Saturday. But you you, Jadavin Clowney is at the event wherever one of the camps and you get a big wheel and whoever it lands On gives him a one year, seven million dollar contract.
Mmm.
Bang, I feel like he'll sign that and everybody wins.
I would not mind him for my Seahawks reunion with Mike Mack, who I thought got the most out of him. That was a tremendous marriage of defensive coordinator with his skill set because he's so versatile, he can cover, he's so athletic, already has a jersey, right if you kind
of forget to David Clowney era in Seattle. But yeah, either that's something that they need to augment, and that strikes me as like you said, like that one year, single digit millions maybe high within tis kind of deal, but the coach already knows how.
To use in best good good news for you under my Plan one and thirty two chips.
Right.
That is the way the value is an agency.
It's like you're not going to get stars at good prices, but you can get especially these older defensive linemen or older defensive players in general, and you get them on one year contract. The Browns loved it last year with him in Zadarius Smith. Let's talk receiver where there won't be cheap contracts. The top ten now has been decimated and now Calvin Ridley's the best receiver available. In my opinion, markis Brown, who I heard MINA you and our friend
Patrick Claybonn dismissing on your podcast. It's a whole atn Mina Times Crossover this week because you have our regular Patrick on your show and we'll have to check that out.
You know, when you have a player that you and a friend or a colleague, the media are obsessed with, and whenever they do something good, you text it's I'm sure, like Greg Rosenthal and Stephen Luiz anytime Gino Smith did everything, I'm sure you guys got in touch because he's your guy.
So Marky Sprown is like the opposite for me in Playbo, and I think it's because we were kind of Lamar Stands and we were constantly let down by his drops, and every time he would have a drop, instantly I would pull up my phone and one of us would text the other and upset be angry about it. I look at the scrip of receivers and I look at the draft, and I just don't see why you would pay a significant amount of money for them.
I think that you got the.
Guys at the top, you're Higgins Evans, They're probably gonna you know, India has money and they can keep Pittman Junior. We'll see for how much. But beyond that, guys, wouldn't you rather have a rookie on a cost controlled contract given how well they've played in recent years.
Yeah, So the rest of the listen, they are candidates to get overpaid. Gabe Davis.
I have third Curtis Samuel, who will never give up on it somehow, still only twenty eight years old and is a great role player. Actually probably won't cost that much, so I think he's not a bad pick up. Darnell Mooney, kJ Osborne, Odell Beckham, Tyler Boyd, Michael Thomas, who we're going to get to a little later for Flaming. It's a bunch of malcontact, Jeff Duncan, Kendrick Bourne, who I always think is good, and then Josh Reynold did it falls off for there, So it's like a bunch of
role players. Brown Ridley and I think Gabe Davis are probably going to be that guy you're talking about mina where they get paid a ton of money without you know, having had a ton of production.
I like Marky's Brown, Like he's like you have to keep him happy.
Though it's like it's like, no matter what situation he's in, like you're playing with one of the best quarterbacks of our generation, and by the end of it, he's like tweeting stuff and he's, you know, just an adjutant. So it's like, you can't. You gotta be careful if you're gonna go give him a ton of money.
Is this the year where Odell's market finally kind of matches up with where he is or where you know where is that he's still even another year later and he's still only he's thirty one. Like what we did see some things mina from Odell, but then he was also losing playing time down the stretch in Baltimore and Greg as you pointed out, and you're one on one right up, which I agree with. I wonder if they, if they could do it over again, would Baltimore get
new Hopkins and maybe things are different there? But that's the past. Where do you think Odell's market is this offseason?
I think this is the year that it drops off because last year it was mystifying to me who Baltimore was bidding against when they paid him, what was it sixteen million if I remember correctly, it actually almost felt like like a Lamar cost to get the deal with Lamar. That's total speculation, but you remember at the time when they signed Odell.
Then it was worth it.
But yeah, it was worth it. They might have been they might have been negotiating a little bit against Aaron Rodgers, general manager of the Jets back then. He was reported connected to them a lot. And then Baltimore went and got him. That's how I remember that.
Maybe he'll be a Jet, but yeah, I just again like I don't there were moments where you saw with the ball in his hands, still looks really good, but he's so he was so inconsistent for Baltimore. And then at the end, you know, you did just games where he wasn't used at all.
Here at NFL Network, they've got paintings all up and down the hallway of NFL Legends and at one point they've painted initially and this got on my radar, Salt the yarn Well Odell Beckhan was painted as a Cleveland Brown because that's when we kind of landed here in theory.
And then you know, by the end of the season, someone, some painter to come in and change him to a ram and then they just stopped changing the outfit because it's like he's going to be on his you know, multiple teams since then.
So they made the mistake. They should have just used the image on the wall of him doing the one head to catch the giant and away we go.
When I was writing that write up, I actually was thinking about, you know, a theory which seems obvious enough, but as I get older, I think it's more and more true, Like how much money would have how much money less would Odell have made in his career if he wasn't so good looking? This is coming up on you, you know, your pet project love his Bland. I think I think it really. I think if he was like an unattractive guy all along, he would have made like less money.
Okay, he's attracted a lot of attractive guys in the NFL, but he also has I think I just mentioned the catch. The catch gave him a he made him electric catch.
Yeah, it's the marketing aspect of the catch, but again but.
That all contributed to it.
Good theory, Greg, great, Greg, though, I feel like is as much of a looker and he might get iced out here. Although if you know, I think the Big Data Bowl is over. But if someone who goes to MIT Sloan wants to test Greg's theory and see whether pretty privileged exists in the NFL, obviously Jimmy G's gonna drag up those averages, but beyond that you might be onto something well.
And even Saquon maybe he wouldn't have been as big a star coming out of college. You wouldn't have had as much hype, like all feeds into it up, Let's talk running backs while we're here that, by the way, I mean it.
Can you come back a Saturday night live show at Jockxers Daily in Culver City. Greg's gonna unveil his top ten babes of the NFL. If you could join us for that show, get a babysitter.
And you know, I'm looking at this free agent now wondering who is going to be the pretty privileged pick of this class.
Kirk's done pretty well in this career or two?
Okay, top ten running back Saquon Derrick, Henry Josh Jacobs, Tony Pollard, Austin Eckler, DeAndre Swift, JK. Dobbins keeps going Devin Singletary, AJ Dillon. I'd go even Zach Moss is in my top ten. I mean outside the ten is Antonio Gibson, Gus Edwards.
This is one where.
The the veterans seem like they're better than the rookie class. So not like they're gonna get paid because there's so many of them, but this is the year. For instance, I would like to get Tony Pollard. That would be the guy if I was a GM out of that group, and maybe DeAndre Swift would be a close second of Like he's not gonna cost that much, but Tony Pollard a year removed from that injury. People didn't really give him much leeway for coming off the injury a year ago.
I would go after Tony Pollard.
No, I don't know. I like your one B like you have like I don't know.
Like for instance, the Patriots, they could they could put a one B with Ramandre Stevenson and that's a nice one two punch.
Increasingly amove the mind that that two track sort of approach to running back is the way to do it. You get a veteran who's kind of a mid tier running back contract, so not that much and then you draft your running back in the mid to later rounds. So what Miami has right with with Mostert and a Chan for example. So yeah, if you could grab like Apollard on a reasonable deal to pair with a rookie Henry and Spears and Tennessee this past year as another
team that did that, I think that makes sense. I don't think any of these guys are going to command huge contracts because as you said, there's so many of them and the draft is not great.
Can I throw out one prediction there are some guys that are going to up getting paid a little bit more than we're expecting. I think Saquan of the guys on this list, there might be a general manager to that view him as a little different and with a higher ceiling, and then right offense they should it could be better looking a little different Bronx state of like that.
Maybe he can be somebody that gets a bigger deal, not a monster contract, but a contract where it's like, oh he got an extra year, it's some more guaranteed than we expected. He's different.
I we mentioned this yesterday, Like, I love the idea of him on the just plug him into the Houston Texans who have like the most second third most cap money in the league and are to come out of this.
Like some reporting they're not into him.
But I think they're gonna That team is gonna come out of this like March to May process as like the Darlings, the uprising Darlings. But because the NFL probably is just a sigh up, of course Saquon Barkley will wind up in the the Dallas Cowboys them.
The nerd numbers actually liked Saquon more than I thought this year. Obviously super frustrating offense to watch. There were still games this year where Sequon would just take over right and it was very obvious he was still the best weapon in New York, but bad run blocking. The
basic numbers were not good. The next gen stat metric that I like, return over rushing yards over expected, which accounts for locking and the position of the defenders, still had Saquon as I believe, the top ten back amongst the high volume backs, which was actually better than anyone else. I think of these free agents when I looked it up, so different. Yeah, yeah, so I think he's not one of those guys. But I'm saying, who's like all fluff
and all fame and looks. I do think he's still a really good player.
I think he's better in some ways than he was as a rookie and is a smarter runner, like takes what's given.
I thought he ran really well last year.
Actually thought Josh Jacobs ran well enough in the last month of the season that you were like, ooh, that was Josh Jacobs again. That I was that he missed the last month concerned or his last his last games of the season. He finally started making people miss it like he used to.
Okay, let's take a quick break here with Mina and we'll be right back with more discussion of the Greg one oh one, all right, welcome back.
Let's let's go to safety.
I want to that's this is the deepest position, just because teams don't care about it. There's so many players available, it's kind of crazy. I have Chauncey Gardner Johnson at one I feel like. So I did check out the rankings of other places after I put mine up, and people are way down on Chauncey Calder Johnson. Now he's no longer like in the top fifties in any of these other lists.
So I guess I'm on a limb.
There, Zabry McKinney, who's great, Cam Curl who's great, Julian Blackman who quietly had a really nice season. Then Justin Simmons, Jordan Fuller, Jeremy Chin, Gino Stone, Jordan Whitehead, Lowhee, Gilman. It goes on and on, your boy, Kwandrey Diggs. Maybe he should be on this list too, mikel Hyde. We're not sure if he's going to retire. There are a million safeties out there. Mean a pick, pick something you don't like about my list. I just that's what is
my love language. I miss Wes used to just at this point in the show, just tell me what I had wrong.
Yeah, I mean CJD Like, I think you're right. People are probably too low on him because because last we saw of him when he did come back from injury was very late the season, and he wasn't quite himself. Still a really good player, but I don't I would put him outside of the top five, to be honest. I mean, these are some really good safeties, Like Justin Simmons. I know he's thirty years old, he still plays at
such a high level and he's so versatile. You look at I really think he could probably play in any defense. But I mentioned on Twitter today that you know, the Packers are team that are going to be linked with a lot of safeties. They're switching to new scheme with their defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley, more single high. Simmons is a guy who can play the post, he can drop down into the box. He's still a really really good tackler.
He's really really smart. He called the defense to me, Maybe McKinney and Curl I would put above him just because they're young and also very talented. But if you're a team where you're just like McKinney's really good, if you're just like a safety away though, and you're kind of filling out the roster like Green Bay, I would love like a Justin Simmonsons.
And Simmons is like a like Walter Payton Man of the Year locker room guy, like is the that you just anchor your defense around and like you plug it into the screen.
Bay team that's on the rise.
I like that Green Bay does not have a safety really on their roster oh right now, because the and they struggled last year at maybe they think they don't need one right and the ones yeah, yeah, go ahead.
What doesn't it feel like that defense just they keep throwing draft, first round draft picks at it and it just never clicks. And there's always these coverage busts. And I know they hate Joe Berry defensive coordinator, but the problems precede that. Doesn't it feel like they need that
veteran cerebral presence. I know Gile Alexander is forever my honorary captain of that defense, but a guy to really be the leader of the defense't like for me, like a guy you have a lot of youth, bring in that sort of veteran presence, super smart player, a guy who's seen it all. And I feel like this roster is so close.
Right they they should do what the best thing to do in free agency is, which is just get role players like that. That's the best free agency is to fill role players like lower level starters. You just it just made me think, though we're everyone's gonna be so high on the Packers this year, I just really I'm gonna I'm going to be because there are pretty easy
fixes here. The coordinator on defense, the safety position, like stuff you can actually do to fix this team and so many good things that every they are going to be the trendy, like they make the Super Bowl team in in September.
Let let's do.
Let's do uh, let's do quarterbacks. So Kirk's actually gonna become a free agent. I do wonder if Denver is sitting out there as the team that like is getting no buzz, which is often the team that actually sign makes the big signing because they keep it in house. And I just think Denver Atlanta, in my mind, are the two most likely places now with Minnesota, then it's Jacoby Brissette, Baker, Tannehill, Russ Jamis Winston, Minshew Tyrod.
I got Josh Dobbs and Sam Darnold.
There's a lot of people out there, Drew Lockes and even Mason Rudolph.
There's a lot of backup quarterbacks available.
Do I have your Do I have Russell Wilson in the right spot here, like I Dan, I think.
I would put him over Tannehill. Tannehill was really bad last year.
It's fair really bad.
I mean Jacoby over Baker is so spicy Craig.
That just stood out to all of us.
He just skated over.
He's like, yeah, then I got Jacoby, Then.
I got Baker.
Though we've been trying to reason with Greg for years on this, I.
Don't think you totally disagree who has been better when he I.
Mean I kind of think she does based on the way she reacted.
Just I don't believe it. I don't believe it.
I would rather have Jacoby at the contract that I think you'll command relative to Baker. In a vacuum, I would probably go with Baker. I thought he put together some really nice performances last year. But Baker at like thirty five versus Jacoby at ten. Give me Jacoby all day long.
I want to ask you a question, do in your world do you think it matters at all that Kirk Cousin's wife is from Georgia.
Uh. This was a concern with Mike mack by the way in Seattle because his wife is from Georgia and Seahawks Hans are very concerned about the Falcons, the lure of Atlanta, I mean less so than that. To me is the Zach Robinson offensive coordinator, the ramsification of the Falcons. It just seems like Kirk Cousins is such a natural fit for what they're gonna want to do on offense, and they have the money to do so. I feel like they have They're the obvious leader in the clubhouse
of Minnesota. Doesn't bring him back. You mentioned Denver, I think, I mean they would have to go full Saints cap to try to make that work. Pittsburgh, to me, makes way more sense than I don't think they're gonna do it because it seems like they don't want to take a big swing. But that to me makes a lot more sense than any other team.
But Atlanta. I'm trying to wrap my head around. We were just talking about how Denver just really screwed the pooch with Russell Wilson. That's messed them up in a lot of ways. We're gonna get now. We're gonna break the bank for a thirty six year old quarterback coming off in Achilles.
Okay, I don't if.
I'm a dinner Van. I don't know if I like that. By the way, the top eight of this list of quarterbacks Cousins, Rossett, Baker, Tannehill, Wilson, Jameis, Winston, Gardner, Minshew Tyrod Taylor, what about this guy?
Come on?
You know vic Fanjoe in the secondary as well, he's been trying to just piece this defense together as besty cats plant. You can't take down Sam right. Oh he makes a guy miss Thousan in space now excel rates still going inside ten for the record, Arnald, that is all Sam Darnold.
I'm still so mad we were robbed of Sam getting a real start in Sam Francis goes the few days where it looked like that might happen.
Thank you mean him, that's all. I wanted me to just give him one shot and see if he could light it up. And I got these bozos saying shut up about that. He stinks. If he had a chance in San Francisco could have been different maybe, but another year, another chapter of frustration for the Donald Hive Mark.
The discourse would have been.
Like they're out there, though they're all there, they're a sleeper cell. They're waiting men as part of it. I've noticed or Lavsky, Daniel Jeremiah.
They're all out there.
Waiting, and that means there's some in front offices somewhere, so you might you might get your wish, but can't.
You just put it clearly a shot against me that you couldn't just put him at eight that that felt definitely personally.
He doesn't have pretty privilege. No offense to say, but he doesn't. I think I'm stealing some love. Somebody pointed out he looks like a lego policeman, and I've never that's pretty good. But he does have a pretty pick privilege. I mean, you just saw Mitched Trubisky resound with Buffalo. I had a lot that in pretty pick privilege.
Yeah, that's a real thing. That is more of a.
Thing than right.
We didn't We didn't get the dinosaur. I would have liked to see that, just I would have been curious. We didn't get the Teddy starting ted in Detroit, which I wanted.
Fine with up just.
Just one last one linebackers, very deep. We'll do the top ten at that position. Frankie Luvu. I went with number one, Patrick Queen.
Who I see.
Patrick Queen's been so up and down in his career that I don't even feel good about my own ranking there. I got to bring Roquan Swift with this one, I know, but then his coach, so maybe if he if he's in Seattle, great, but I don't know Roquan smith Man. People just forget he was getting benched like a before
Roquand showed up. Jordan Brooks, Levante, David Aziz, al Shaier who are old producer Justin is really high on how he played in Tennessee, Drew Trankll, Devin White, who a couple of years ago was an All Pro, Bobby Wagner, Willie Gay, Josie Jewel.
You can get a linebacker.
There's like a million two to three round linebackers down linebackers. It didn't even include Blake Cashman or Tyrol Dotson or Kyle Vannoy if you want to call him at linebackers. So there are a million linebackers out there and none in the draft. And the the top guys on this list, at least the top three. I think we'll get a decent amount of money. Who would you take out of that list as your number one?
MINA Well, I.
Probably would have put Doddson and Cashman in the top ten. I think they're both really good ascending players. Lou Vu to me like he is the other like NFL hipster Fave. You gotta have the right defense where you're asking him to rush the passer and you know, cause he's got kind of Swiss army knife type player. I don't think he's a guy you just PLoP down and you're like, all right, you're the mic, you're leader of the defense. We're gonna build around you necessarily. I am. I think
you got the rankings correct. It really depends on what your needs are on defense. But I really like Patrick Queen. I thought he played so well this year. And it wasn't just when rokwand first came in. It was like, okay, great, now Patrick Queen is this incredible athlete. We can just point and shoot right. He can play fast, and he can just get out. He can just play with his hair on fire. But this year I think you saw him take another step in coverage, diagnosed, diagnosing routes, reading
the quarterback, reading the run so well. He's sort of on that trajectory now we're seeing with linebackers where it takes him three or four years to really learn how to play the position.
I want to know what Mark Mark's questions for me are. Mark is a is an ultra preparer. He makes well pages and pages and I know it might not have to do what the group we're talking about, but I want to hear these questions.
And also Mina You should know that Mark usually goes with Levi his UH jacket of choice, but he was wearing the blazer today, which is kind of out of season for him. But I think it connects to you and the level of steam that you bring.
That's not untrue.
But we are also leaving on Sunday for Austin, Texas, and so I'm just wearing I have to think I have to wear this in Austin.
So I'm just going to drive home. And that's the move.
You're going to drive home all the way in a blazer?
Well, I mean to where I live in Los Angeles, but yeah, yeah to that home.
Sure, I'll do that.
You want to take it off before the getty in there.
I don't know, like you're it was a decision. I made it, Like, so we have suits to this thing.
Well that's it.
I'm not I'm not order driving a blazer. Then it's all stiff and you.
Stick it over the top of the passenger seat and then when you get out of the car you put it back on.
Do you think we're nominated for Best Sports Podcast? Where the iHeartMedia Awards are going to Austin on Monday for the show. If we don't win, Mina, do you think we should do a like Kanye Taylor Swift? I mean it's bad. It might be you. It's Kelsey Brothers are involved like every other.
It's hard Kelsey Brothers, it's we are this I think probably the least listen to of the group. Pardon my take, I think is one of them.
This is this is really the titans of the industry.
We do have the We have pretty privilege, though.
We also don't know who's there's no proof for investigative knowledge of who's voting for this. It's not just out there in the public. And that that probably hurts us because it's like.
You like, you're kind of like the Lions of.
Sure that I like that, and we're hoping that if we attend, maybe they're like throw them the bone. Hey, do you have questions? Romina?
I want to talk about one team that I think has a lot to do this offseason and with yes, we know about the Dolphins, and are Blake Jeff s Reebeck, who writes for The Athletic about the Ravens. I want to read this paragraph. The Ravens unrestricted free agent class is set to include their twenty twenty three touchdown leader, their top two backs, their most accomplished wide receiver, they're two starting guards, a Pro Bowl inside linebacker, excuse me, their return specialist two.
And there's just a list of so long.
Two of their three leaders in sacks and the asc leader in interceptions. It's like the Ravens typically always find a way, and I just assume they'll plug these pieces in with other players and go, you know, ten and seven again.
But that's a laundry list. How do you attack that?
And it's our you know, with the brain drain and coaching too. It's one thing for us to say, well, you know they're bringing defensive veterans and they you know, Vanda Away has a career Clowney has a career year. But you lose not only Mike McDonald but also Anthony Weavers now the defensive coordinator for Miami. You know, they promoted internally, but there's still some change there that make things hard. I was just pulling up their cab because I wanted to see what they could do from like,
you know who, they can already restructure. I think Ronnie Stanley has a pretty big contract because they tag them that a weekend, and I think that They're going to try to get something done with him. It seems like I haven't really heard his name come up in trade requests, and in doing so, they might be able to create some flexibility there. Oh yeah, okay, yeah, you can restructure some of these lamar. Anyways, I think though, that the bigger thing, more than the defense to me is the guards.
Simpson is because this offensive line has sort of like kind of flown under the raider. What a strength that they've been for this team, particularly in the run game, and I feel like you got to at least bring one of them back.
Right Both their starting guards are available, and John Simpson is a guy that, if I heard from people, that is going to get paid. Kevin Zeitler is one of sneaky all time bag getter. I think he's gonna hit his fourth good free agent contract, which is or fourth good contract in the NFL, which is almost impossible.
Got a little bit for Lefel players.
They they could have a surprising cutter two here before Monday. I don't know who it would be or else it wouldn't be surprising. I guess Marlon Humphrey would would be one that, like.
I'm playing with the spow Trek tool right now. If you guys ever used this to where you restructure the contract, it's so satisfying.
WHOA really? I mean, I use pow track all the time. I'd only like it like that.
Ronnie Stanley could be another surprise cut. Something could happen there. Let's wrap up one last position. We'll get you out of there. Cornerback, it is hard to get a cornerback and free agency. A couple are off the board already. Kendall Fuller is sort of my number one by default. He's a good player, but he's twenty nine, and he's probably better in the slot than outside, so it's not
like a number one corner. Stefan Gilmour is a good example of what I was talking about before, where like the best values in free agency are these short term deals. He's still well, but he's thirty three. Kennymore, Chadobi, a woozier who coming off a bad year, Steven Nelson, Christian Fulton, who I'm not going to give up on, who I just think has some good ball in him, Adorri Jackson, Kashawn Nixon, who's an all Pro returner, a Kella Witherspoon in Tradevious White coming off of injuries.
It's not a good list.
This is the worst group. Looking at your list, Oh my god, looking at I mean, I think Gilmore's the best player, but you know you can play obviously man coverage. You don't want to sign him to like a multi year deal though, probably so your hope is that he's
going to ring Chase and maybe. I mean seeing this list, my only talk takeaway is the Chief should probably trade l Jerious Need because some team is going to give up some ridiculous for him because he's so much better than most of these players.
They and they will, I think they will.
It seems like they are certain like that they're just allotting for Chris Jones to get resigned and then them to trade. But just corn if everywhere, if all cornerbacks are bad, then they're not all and then like guys like Steven Nelson are actually good because they're just like not the worst thing ever in the It's just so hard to find cornerbacks.
All right, Mina, We're gonna let you go because you got a lot to do. You get any plugs in there?
You got NFL LA what's with Ron Rivera?
My NFL Live in fifty minutes with Ron Rivera, as we discussed check out the latest episode of the Minichime Show featuring Lenny, featuring the great Patrick Claiban, who is always a delight talking about free Agency. Yeah, you can also watch it on YouTube. Thank you so much for having you guys.
Thank you, Mina. Remember Mark and I have our Free Agency two thirteen coming out midnight Tuesday. If you need us, let us know. Mina times everybody there, She goes, thanks, Vienna, thank you best that seeing that cornerback route, my god, well let's take a break and when we get back,
we'll wrap things up. It will come back. Yes, you just heard the great Menac Himes and seeing that cornerback group reminded me that it won't be long before Zuzzar will be putting together his graveyards twenty twenty four roster. And it is always the back end of the defense that I feel I most worry about. And I'm I'm feeling like I'm gonna be in a position where I'll have I don't know, Antonio Cramarti in the slot at this point on you once the bones are picked from that group.
This is an old group. This is an older group of I mean, you know that's how free agency works. Not going to be twenty two.
But it just shows you how it's so hard to find cornerbacks, Like it just feels like it's like an impossible position. I think about it too, when they do the combine. They're the best athletes. I mean you could make an argument for the defensive ends or or the tight end like in different ways.
But I think if it receivers, I think if you're.
Judging just total athleticism, and it's I think it's the hardest position. It's sort of an impossible position. I think they are the best at.
That's what I played in high school. By the way, there you go under back. You played a little line too, is that running back? But then they then it became we would just take anyone that is of a certain size and stick them at corner.
You like the corner like some cornerbacks they get they you know, stick their nose in it, and other cornerbacks is like, oh, they don't really want to know.
I was the cornerback that they would do it all all things under heaven to not put on the fields.
I'd love to play a little fly on the wall with the coaching staff of camp happy and is high and just be like, you know hear them, be like with Sessler's athleticism, we got to get them in an impact position, number one corner, shut down half the field.
No, they were like, we've got to get them on the ridgefield press beat instead of the actual playing beat as fast as possible.
Speaking of Michael Thomas, by the way, we mentioned that he's you know, he's going to be out there and the Thomas Saints marriage had some really high highs. Second round pick in twenty sixteen, three times Pro Bowl or two time first team All Pro. I mean, this is a guy that once had one hundred and forty nine catches in one season, he got the bag because of it, immediately suffered an ankle injury his first game in the following season, and really ever since that moment has never
been the same. A bit of a I don't think he qualifies under locker room lawyer, which is always something I love, but I think he does qualify under the column of pain in the ass and also a guy that has opinions. I saw that Jeff Duncan, I think, who had a report out there that the Saints were done with Thomas. Michael Thomas's reply under one of my favorite Twitter handles. Of course, can't guard Mike. I will read this verbatim and understand in terms of lawyers out
there somebody looking to sue for libel or slander. This is Michael Thomas, not Zuzzar. Jeff Duncan is a hunt trying to stay relevant, So let's speak on it. The Saints leak information to him to try to ruin players value. But see, I'm not broke, so I can speak on it. He has broke, so he needs clicks. Go look at all his articles that never end up being true now
and Thomas's defense. You know there there's a lot of business being done by Beat reporters to get favors and and and saddle up and cozy up with front offices for for work down the line. Now is is he I don't know that for sure. Is he broke? We don't know Duncan's financial situation.
So I doubt it.
I mean, perhaps gainfully broke his strong a little pot calling kettle black because I'm not sure the reporting, specifically the one about mister Duncan being ah can be probrated without triple sourcing it, well.
How do you feel about it? How you feel about it?
I don't know what what he is upset about because the article is only for digital subscribers. But the news, you know, they gotta make money, shout out to nola dot com. But the news was just that that the Saints were releasing him, which I gotta admit is a is a pretty big fly in the ointment for the old top one to one because Michael Thomas has been there at one on one this old time and I
was like, release him. He's a free agent, and apparently they had this insane contract where there was sat insane contracts and his agent was quoted saying it's a one year deal, always has been. That's one hundred percent how its structured, no two ways about it. He's an unrestricted free agent like everyone else in March. But apparently he had some bogus void year that was like eighty million dollars in it and it was just like total fantasy. So technically he wasn't a free agent yet and Jeff
Duncan releasing that. Maybe Michael Thomas thinks like he's putting that out there to almost make him look bad that they're not releasing him he was always a free agent all along. I don't know if there's more to it than that, other than he has been, you know, down talking Derek Carr's quarterback too for much of it.
Was nice of Michael Thomas at the end of that tweet to say, you know, not just he needs clicks, but go read. I believe he said, go read all of his articles and find out if they're true.
Like that's actually gonna help.
Jeff Duncan say, well, you got to, like if you're a paywall person, otherwise, you know, tough, that's gonna be a tough road.
He did put out an article and this might be what he was upset about about a month ago, where he said it's time for them to move on from Marshawn Lattimore and Michael Thomas with some sort of vague, you know, inside the locker room stuff, and and uh, that brings up Latimore, who, by the way, is like quietly one of the more interesting stories in the NFL. I think he's going to be traded, and yet no
one is reporting about how he's going to be traded. Uh, and that seems to be more of a Dennis Allen it.
Maybe you know, people don't want to be called a.
Marshall.
Lattimore is totally separate. He hasn't had it too well. He hasn't had any major issues other than there has been reporting that, you know, him and Dennis Allen don't get along, and Dennis kind of like this the Chauncey Gardner Johns.
Every off season, Dennis Allen has stuff of falling out with a key member of the secondary.
The difference is Latimore is a top tier cornerback and if he truly was available, very intriguing and I would think would should get a high draft pick.
Mm hmm, absolutely, especially in this market. Haamanahamana. All right, good week of shows, huge week of shows coming up next week. Like we said, we'll be doing beginning of the week in Texas, but we'll be very quickly coming back to LA and doing a mixture of shows from Texas and mostly from here in Los Angeles in the
studio starting on Tuesday. So we'll be all over the free agency picture as it unfolds and how your favorite team's fair in what is sometimes an unfair process free agency as a fan, because you get yourself excited and then, like I said, it don't always work out, but the excitement of the signings, you could always spin it in the moment, is a beautiful thing. And then draft season comes and that's hope season, and everybody's staring at a
playoff roster at the beginning of June. We're not there yet, but this is the first step toward that.
I mean, it's ripe ground for heartbreak, and like only at this point if you're above a certain age in life or station in life, you'd have to be almost an ultra rube to fall for some of these signings, because if you look at the vast majority of them two or three years later, their roadkill.
They get well, they can help, They can help you out as like.
Roll play, Mark, You're right, you're a technical lighthouse.
Some of them, like the top tier, like yes, like Siju Zama probably got a little too much pop a couple of years ago for well blocking tight end to the offense.
But there's a lot of good role players that you pick up.
Mark. Let's close the week with something that we touched down on Wednesday Show, I believe, or maybe it was Monday Show. You had an abrupt announcement retiring from Twitter. The nature of the tweets seem to be an attack at the of the analytics community, as I recall, followed by an abrupt I believe the word only pull it up? Is it still alive?
I'd rather I we loss over the actual wording. Well, it's in the it's in the discord people can go find.
You couldn't delete it, Oh it's still there.
No, I didn't. I didn't need to delete it. I don't need to read the thing. But the final I just the reason why I'm saying this. Uh, you ended it with this is my last tweet ever and I believe in you. So that was February twenty eighth. That is now March seventh. I don't see another tweet. Is it is need over then?
Yeah, because like it's a personal thing for me. I think if you go read the guts of the tweet, or at least part of the guts, it's more a little bit about how I feel that sports in general has lost its I'm I think that numbers and analytics are fine. If I could edit it a little, I would have make taken some of that acerbic out of it. But like the like sports writing and everything is just lost. It's like beauty from the old days a little bit.
And I know Greg would sayble you then go write a sports article that tries to bring that back.
But it's like, I just think.
That that is definitely not like the general environment has become like so you.
Walk some dramatic music underneath this, go ahead.
And here's the second part to it. Like I've noticed that, Like you know, I'm a fifty year old adult that's like gets every week they give you that charge light and that thing on your phone about how many hours you spent just sitting on your phone.
And it's like when it comes to things like.
Twitter, I no longer feel joy when I tweet something where I just sit around and find out who likes it and who responds to it for the vast majority of those tweets, to the point where I'm like, I'm kind of just post it in my life. Other people enjoy it, use it, have fun, people can find community on it. I'm not saying everyone should follow me or anyone should, but I myself am a post like sitting around looking at likes. I want to carve that out of my life and it's gone.
I think I'm excited about this as Mark's friend. We have been on the end of many a text in the last ten years, furious about what other people are tweeting.
So it seemed like it was an unhealthy thing. Not even so much whatever you wrote, but or when I was tweeting was, but more like what you were reading from other people.
So if that is going to make your life healthier, h and be out in the world more. Yeah, interacting with the actual world, I think that's a good thing.
I like Twitter.
But you know, yes, I agree with everything everyone said. Mark.
We don't have to agree with me.
No, yeah, yeah, this is your journey right right, and it's just simply like it's a personal decision.
Could I have maybe crafted a more graceful I.
Just hope you're not it still reading all the tweets that annoy you.
No, only I would only go on if there was like some something I had to link into that I'd been.
Told is for the show or something like that.
You know, well, good luck on this journey, thank you, and I believe in you. What did you write?
You wrote, Well, it's I ended with a puzz note like I could have if there were an edit button, which people have always asked for, Like I would have probably made a few changes there, but I'm not going to go delete it.
Five minutes later they did. They did add an edit button, but you have to pay for it. I'm not doing and then everyone can read your edits. Here's the thing that's if you can read the edit, yeah, it actually makes it work. You look and then you just check what the edit is and it's just stupid.
I this morning retweeted a post from Adrian Grenier, or the actor from Entourage. Nice, and I think people should This is a good way. This might be a good way to go out of here. This exactly with the photo, so it's a picture of the guy from Entourage. Haven't been posting because I've been too present distracted by the moment. Sorry, but thank you. That's kind of what you're getting at
in a way. I don't know, like that's I mean, go full Grenier is all I'm saying, Like, do a goodbye post where you say that that's that would be.
My Also, you'll miss out on opportunities to do things like we can retweet. Our friend John Gonzalez just launch his own daily basketball.
Podcast transition, so but he can't do that.
To check that out. Yeah, I'm doing it now that I see it in my feet, I'm going to do that right now.
Yeah, I'm going to do it myself.
I could invite back to your the soccer owner friend that you have like and he probably thinks I'm not thankful, but I am.
If he were to dig this.
He's a listener. As I said, Chill, I think he would understand that he's aware that you actually can't reply right per ethics off the hook with him. Yes, all right, thank you everybody. I hope that clarifies everyone, though, who's wondering about that tweet? All right? Till Monday, in the beginning of free agency, here we go. He a call