Free Agency Frenzy Day 1: Weekend Trades, Jimmy G to Raiders, and more

Baltimore Ravens just announcement they have released Clouds. Javon Hargrave he is going to the San Francisco forty nine and Broncos are signing Fenn Powers. Mike Bunglinchi is signing a deal with the Denver Bronco. Juwan Taylor now heads to Kansas City. Jason Kelsey has announced on Twitter that he plans to return the Chicago Bears. They are signing Tremaine Edmunds,

as of course, is on his own time schedule. He is in his own time frame and we are just gonna sit here and wait until he decides to do what you're gonna do. From the Chris Westling podcast studio, it's around the NFL Free Agency Frenzy edition. Dan hands us here with Mark Sessler, Greg Rostal and the great Colleen Wolf. They have stripped the need for us to literally do the show. They just just about the free thing.

I figured, we just talked for five minutes and then we're out here a little bit of a life back there. I mean, it's gonna be tough to top. John new Smith getting into the rundown right there at the top of the show is the biggest upset of the season. Sizzle for seventh round. Pick into the top of the show, he goes, don't have to talk about it now, former Titan, Now I get it. Welcome there, it is, welcome, Welcome,

Welcome to a big week on the NFL calendar. The the tampering period has begun started at one pm Eastern today. Was it was it a one? They caught the negotiating period they're trying to get rid of legal tampering nomenclature. Yeah, now you said it wrong too, one Eastern. Actually it was after Pacific and we have been tracking it for hours and hours, and obviously you heard that at the

end the the Aaron Rodgers of it all. Despite its seeming like it's a thing that's gonna happen between the Jets and Aaron Rodgers and the Packers moving forward as we're taping right now. That's not official, but it feels like it's gonna happen. I'm not even I don't even care. It's like, oh, Dan, why are you even saying that you're gonna jinx it? If it's not gonna happen, that's

fine too. Honestly, We're gonna pivot and figure something out as Jets fans, because if if this turns out to be Aaron Rodgers hasn't made a decision yet and he sent both of these teams into free agency without knowing the plan for Rogers. If he ends up chicking it out and retiring or whatever, or forcing his way back to the Packers, have fun. I'll deal with that. But it's just amazing that we couldn't just get the news and have a part of the show. But this is

part of the Rogers experience. It's he specializes in this type of march drama. And I mean just to be real. We were you know, we care about the news and itself, and there's there's a Jets angle to it with you Dan for our show. So it's like all weekend long.

It was like, if this thing happens wherever you are in your weekend plans, if you're with children, or wherever you were going to be dropping what you're doing to talk about Aaron Rodgers and so I just like it kind of created this weekend long tension where it's like, when does Mark pursue his own activities? When do I pursue my own passions and you actually not do anything you intended to do? Would absolutely say that that is

that is the case. He gave some examples. Well, I would just say, it's a Saturday afternoon, like what if I want to go do things around the city that would be you know, Mark esque or something that someone my age would want to go do. It's like you you have to sit around and wait to find out if this guy is gonna join the Jets. He was trying to stay as you know, clean and sober as Yeah, and then you know, so Aaron Rodgers in a way promoting healthy living, I guess, but I really appreciate it.

You know, there are a couple of times when Graver sort of stepped in and said, well, I need to be at a like an Oscars party and four pm on Sunday, providing a clear cutoff and then you know we don't have to do that was the only thing that was made clear by anyone over the weekend. Graver was like, I'm hosting an Oscars party, so FYI Sunday from about three pm Pacific onward is not going to work right, And we had no choice. We were hamstrung. Oh we would have made We would have made him

do it or found someone that could. I could have dropped everything for that. How about Greg? Greg on Saturday was just like I'm out Saturday. Sorry. I was our appreciated. I had a hotel room going to Indian Wells to watch the tennis, which was that every year I wasn't staying okay to have a life. I had Keith Hansas on retainer. If the Rogers thing happened over the weekend, we would have knocked out some type of reaction show

and then hit it harder today. But going back to the main point, we're still waiting, so that maybe it was going to happen. Once I saw all of the Jets players tweeting Garrett Wilson, I can finally enjoy my vay k now he said, y'all should see the smile right now that I have on my face. I think Sauce Gardner tweeted something else like a tipping point and then no speeding here, creating like it's happening. I've thought

all along, it's happening. Uh. That's why when Dan was sending out these fake trades for Ryan Tannehill and this morning was a little tough Matthew Stafford, which were suspiciously favorable to the Jets in terms of the terms. It's like, oh, we're gonna give you a John who Smith's corpse and like a seventh round of pick for for your quarter. I think a third for Ryan Tannehill is out of bounds and maybe not, but story Davis back to Nashville,

the Stafford one seemed a little outrageous. But when Trey Wingo sent the tweet out, and uh, we should move on to everything that has happened, because we're gonna do a full Rogers pot at some point, are we? Yes, we know anything. Everybody keeps on making a very good point on Twitter. It's like, what is the most Aaron Rodgers way for this to end? Probably to just hear draw this thing out until like August, here's a thing. Oh my god. I think those Jets players, Scott Pioli

will explode on the set somewhere. They were not happy about this today. They were reacting night. I believe off of Trey wingos report. And I don't know if they know Trey Wingo's history with reporting Rogers news, but we do, and I think he's proven he has he has the beat. He has, he is the Rogers beat. He had the news he was returning last year. He had the news last week that he was going to be able to

talk to the Jets. So that's two massive stories that this guy who never breaks anything, because that's not really breaks. I'm gonna trust that it is happening. It's two hours ago or was it two hours ago? Wingo had hearing Rodgers to the Jets is done. History about to repeat itself between New York and Green Bay. Time is indeed

a flat circle. And yes, I him plugged in enough on this that um Scott Pioli, who was They did a great job all through the morning on NFL Network with Andrew and Move the Sticks and Steve and Cynthia and Scott and they had a whole segment based off my hypothetical trade tweets, which was pretty surreal to be watching that on the couch happening. And then I was talking to Paoli in the newsroom and he was like, he's like so many other people that are just like,

I'm sick of talking about this guy. It's like a hypothetical this or that, like make a decision to move on. We get that. Yeah, I get that. I'm frustrated about it as well as everyone can imagine. And and I think everybody is now because everybody wants to kind of move forward. So we'll see if it. Greg No, I think this is this is happening. It's like they're figuring this out. That'd be my guest. I have to say,

Scott Pioli a real gentleman. Um. I sneezed twice over the once and then an hour and a half later, in both times from a you know, a couple of cubicles away. Uh, God, bless you, he said to me twice, Like no one else from a couple cubes away. I heard him ask Cynthia, what is that howling noise? Which was Dan howling and making all sorts of different noises. Justly, we had to we had to get them out of the newsroom to get them in here. Routine that I

sometimes go through. It's not totally something I can control, and I wish that can we get a little people would have sampling of it. I don't even know. I don't even know you're getting that, you're getting the energy energy chords that where we were having I just felt like an old school news day because you know, I was telling our newsroom now. It's very nice. It's very technologically sound, but it has a little bit of a third rate death star feel to it where there's little

weird energy. It's a first rate death star. Well, I mean it's very expensive rights blowing up other planets, and this is like basically just like in terms of their intentions against enemies, it feels just sort of like empty sometimes and then you bring in a soundboard that's called Dan Hanss the full slate of talent in there. Today it felt like a real news day for what you like. You finally got back at Scott Helie for drafting Todd Brady and all the pain that he brought you did he? Oh,

he was there. Good for him. I like Scott good dude. Um Eisen, by the way, Rich Eisen, who's also a well known Jets fan, pulled into the parking lot. I think he was going to his car to get something, and he sees me to pull in. I said, I rolled down my window. He's like, well, I wonder, what's this gonna happen? Rich, Maybe he's waiting for you to get on air. And he goes, Man, you gotta relax, no sap. He's like, Dan's gotta stop tweeting all this stuff.

He's spiraling out of control. Basically, it's a radar. It's hard. It's hard, all right. So that's the Roger situation. But let's dig into everything else that's going on in this first day of the legal tampering window. The league year begins officially on Wednesday. You're not gonna hear anything, or you shouldn't hear anything about Lamar Jackson before Wednesday because the other huge name, uh Lamar Jackson, of course, is without an agent. So and this seems weird, but I

don't even care. I don't want to talk about this stuff anymore. With the agent stuff, he can't negotiate with other teams because he doesn't have a representative formally, So all that stuff is going to really pick up, I guess on Wednesday hypothetically. So let's get into it now. Let's get into the things that we do know. Let's not about a quarterback for instance, that we have a clear idea. What's going to happen. Jimmy Garoppolo, He's going

to be a member of the Las Vegas Raiders. He gets thirty four guarantee, thirty four million guaranteed on a three year deal from Vegas to play for Josh McDaniels. Again, none of the stuff can become official until Wednesday, but this is going to happen. We having a good authority Greg starting right here, you can clearly make an argument that Derek Carr is as good or better than Jimmy G. But Jimmy G is also a guy that's had a good winning pedigree, and he's, let's face it, much cheaper. Yeah.

I think it's forty seven in the first two years of this contract, and they owed car close to set D and so two for forty seven is a little less than Geno Smith money. It's threading that needle. Thirty four guaranteed, and like all these I want to see what that guaranteed really means. It might just be a one year contract, kind of like Derek Carrs was a year ago with the Raiders, where it's one for twenty four. It's like right in between that. To me, they're very

much in the mix to draft a quarterback. They're reporting out of Vegas is that they will draft a quarterback. Now. If the right one doesn't fall to them at seven, maybe they won't be as anxious to trade up for a quarterback. Maybe they'll be taking a guy in rounds two or three. We've seen McDaniels do that over the

years too. But they have a guy in Jimmy G who I always thought and it's really stupid because it's based on like one start, practically the second start of twenty sixteen, when Tom Brady was suspended and West and I went nuts for this game he had against Miami. That was like Jimmy G throwing a perfect game, and he looked so good in that system that maybe he's going to be better in the Josh McDaniels system. He just probably won't stay healthy because he never stays healthy.

I mean, there was you know, the Raiders and Aaron Rodgers. Thing went quiet pretty quickly, and I think that if you want to, i'd want to know what exactly Josh McDaniels and company thought where they thought they'd wind up when they let Derek Carr fade away. I don't think this is too far from what this is it? This is it. I don't I think Tom Brady. Tom Brady

would have been an option. I think there was there was whispering and reporting around that it being there's interest, but this was one B. And I don't think it stops you from drafting anyone, because I think the whole reason you don't go chase Aaron Rodgers I think, I do you want to develop someone and this gives you a it's a it's a stop gap to some degree. But I think it's easy to hate on Jimmy g where I thought he looked good with the Niners last year.

I do wonder though, because yes, he fits with Josh McDaniels, But any quarterback under Kyle Shanahan, what do you what version of that quarterback do you get when you go to the next system. This is probably the next best fit for Jimmy G. Yeah, Jimmy G. I mean, look, the Raiders they also lost their backup quarterback, Jared Stidham, so they need to put more into this position and almost every other position on the roster because they have so many needs. But the familiarity I think really helps.

And if Jimmy G did not have the season that he did with the Niners last year, if Trey Lance did not go down and get hurt, we I don't know would be having this conversation because Jimmy G got the opportunity to show that he still can be valuable to an organization. Now how much that has to do with Kyle Shanahan and what he does to this offense

to manufacture points, that's a totally different story. Yeah, I think it makes all the sense in the world, Greg, what you were saying, like, to get a quarterback in this draft, be aggressive, perhaps add a high level backup. I just think with Garoppolo, it's like, yeah, the best case scenario is how he played in San Francisco, and it wasn't just Shanahan, it was incredible weapons and to his credit, when he was on the field. Most of the time he was good and sometimes even looked great.

So I don't think you're going to get that level of production. And he can't stay on the field, he's gonna miss time because we've seen enough evidence over the years that this guy is not a starting quarterback that you can count in. When Tom Brady was suspended, he didn't make it through those four games. They have to bring in old Jake brisk and I just wonder if and I understand the not to reletigate the Derek Carr

of it all. I understand at a certain point the organization decided it was time to kind of transition and go in a different direction. I just don't know if this is going to work out the way they hope it will, because I just don't think he's somebody you could trust as your QB one. And also, look at the defense that Jimmy G was playing with in San Francisco. This is vastly different in Las Vegas. I mean, do you think that Jimmy G is an upgrade over Derek Carr?

I actually do in this system, and I actually think he could be an upgrade over Jimmy G. In San Francisco. Not pure numbers wise, but I think with McDaniels, what he does well, he could play a little better. But again, the ceiling on that is like thirteenth best quarterback in the league, and you still might want to be I worry less of injury prone, his ability to produce, and more about his ability to play. I mean, I worry more about where the waters are right now. Just in general,

I think you're gonna you can. He could play at the same level, but you're in your environment compared to San Francisco's is a minus. They need to be very active and they will be. They haven't yet. They're not jumping into free agency, but they have a ton of money available, a ton of needs. And I think this was a perfect kind of thread the needle. Keep it cheap, Hey, Grave Digger. I was just thinking the breaking news drop has been in a bit of a slump on the show.

Wouldn't it be the ultimate slumpbuster for the Rogers news or something else huge to come across the wire over the next hour or so. That's something to be excited about. That would be you guys should check our messaging client frequently in case something happens. Thank you. That's what I'll send it in. Well, Graver has provided something which we can get to down his Titans asks. Yeah, but thank you. Oh um, here we go here so we know the ah, there you go. I thought you're gonna use the colleen

related drop in that realm. That would have worked too. Um. Do you know what I'm talking about? That sounds kind of like a porn There you go. So we know the Raiders. The Raiders good may or may not be in the business for a quarterback still in the draft, but we know the Panthers are in business. I mean we didn't know already, but now we know. NFL Networks

Ian Rapport had it and it is official. The Panthers acquired the number one overall pick from the Bears on Friday Night, one of the great Friday News dumps of all time, in exchange for DJ Moore. I don't think that was the intense anything. They probably are annoyed they

didn't get much pop from it. Um an exchange for wide receiver Dj Moore, a very good player, number nine overall pick in this draft, the two thousand twenty three second round pick, a two thousand, twenty four first round pick, and to two thousand and twenty five second round pick. So Mark, that gives Frank Reich the chant he's the new head coach of the Panthers, the chance to hand pick anyone from this college class. And I know, Mark, a lot of people were saying, oh, what a trade

by the Bears, and it was. It was a great trade for the Bears. They get all those draft assets we talked about, and you get a potential Pro Bowl level wide receiver and more to play with justin fields. But if you've been tracking our league the last few years, you know the Panthers been dying. Every time they try to get a quarterback they want, people say no and it doesn't work out. They made this trade so they could get who they want and nobody could tell them no. Yep.

I mean, I guess if you are like David Tepper, you swung and missed on Matthew Stafford and watched him go win a Super Bowl somewhere else. They were in on to Shaun Watson and that didn't work out for them. They have been on it. Well. I think you could argue at this point, yes, but they but they put themselves out there and they kept being like not they were not able to seal the deal. So it does the trade to me look a little bit um desperate

and bears rich. Yes, but I think if you're again, if you're David Tepper like you are, you have Frank Reich. You cannot settle Frank Reich with like the third or fourth best choice. And now it's like you can. You can scout these quarterbacks all you want and have total buying on who you pick. And so from that angle in terms of being aggressive, and there's a lot of a sense around the league and quotes for multiple reports that it's c J. Stroud, but that they can change

their mind. If that's not the case, they can pick their guy. It seems crazy they don't know who it would be. Well, I think you'd have to, but I think it's c J. Stroud is who they're point out to. I'm not conspiracy theorist. That's Mark's um corner on this spot, is it. I'm not maybe not this conspiratorial. Just what I'm gonna say is here here is one conspiracy. I do buy that the NFL doesn't want the number one

overall pick out there. Oh of course, and uh, well this info get out in the in these streets, right because he'd be insane not to know who you want to take with the number one over I'll pick. Was that a rock with a message tied around it with rubber band thrown through Frank Reig window? Find out? Yeah? I don't know. I don't blame the Panthers. I'm saying, like the league, you know, like, hey, let's let's not let this get out there. I'm cool a little mystery, Yeah,

I'm fine with it. I don't like And the purple effects of this, too are so interesting. With the Texans sitting at number two, they thought that they would have their pick of any quarterback that they want, and now they don't have to make that decision because the Colts are going to take that with the first pick. The Panthers. Yeah, yeah, the Panthers. Also, that's what I think this is about, because the Panthers are kind of putting it out there too that like we could even trade down right, and

we're still evaluating. And I think that's where they're gonna see what information they can get between now and then, and there's like an outside chance they could feel confident enough if they're not taking Bryce Young that that okay, let's make the bear let's make the Texans trade up for Bryce Young and we end up picking up an extra pick, and we still get our guy at number that being an option all the way up to the final hour. I think it will be now. I kind

of think it will be. Um and Mark you said that you know, could look or perhaps is a little bit desperate by Carolina. I agree because they did give up so much, including a star player and more. But if the guy that they get turns out to be a decade plus answer or whatever. Wait, I looked at the other trade run that were similar Ish Wentz, you know, near the top of the draft trade lands near the top of the draft RG three. This is they're all like the same. They all just they just copy each other.

It wasn't anymore. If anything, I would say they paid maybe less like the forty nine ers paid essentially the same just to get up to the number three pick. I think for the Bears is the number one pick all the way from nine in terms of the timing for the Bears, because absolutely you needed more wide out power, more star power around fields, and to have DJ Moore,

Chase Claypool, Darnell Mooney and Cole Commet. That is a nice four pack of targets, and it came during a free agency period that is not wide out rich in a draft class that is not necessarily strong at wide out. So it was for Ryan Poles. I think it was a home run to have DJ Moore be part of the deal. That's a great haul for them to get. I mean, Dj Moore, he has more career receiving yards

than any player in Bears history. Like they're getting al Yeah, that's more career receiving yards than any player in the Bears one hundred plus year history. He's played like five years and he's not even one of the top fifty wide receiver. It's still still it's still crazy. I would rather have Dj Moore at his salary and he's under contract for three years fifty two million dollars than a first round pick. And that's how they looked at it.

By the reporting afterwards, it was like they looked at it like he is as good as a first round pick, if not better. And so then you look at it, you're basically just trading back eight picks. You still get the number nine pick, you get a first, you get two seconds, and you get DJ Moore. And I think Claypool might end up being a little bit of a bust for them, but if he's like their number four sever year in a great trade and for more, this

is probably one of the best quarterbacks he's played with. Wow, Justin Fields, So we don't even know we're gonna see and then you're seeing more about the Panthers quarterbacks. Sure I would like to, like, you know, anybody wants to join me, like declare war on the who won the blank of the offseason? Like who won the press conference? Who won the trade? It's like we need not weeks or months, but years to know how it worked out

with the quarterback for Carolina. What's gonna happen with Justin Fields? What's the DJ more Er look like? How do these draft kicks picks pay out? For? Right now, both sides I think are happy with the outcome, and right I'll get it to be enough for now. I'll give it a final grade right now, that's how I look. What is it? What is it? I give an aid to the bears and a B plus to the bad like that. I just feel like this is a grade it right now?

Same people people I'm with Dan though, just that like they're so quick to be like, oh the Bears, what a haul they gain? It's like, yeah, that's that's the same haul everyone gets. Well they're a nice yeah people us. What do you think about the quarterback they got? I don't know who it is. I just think that they got good Catherine receiver in a market where you don't

have a lot of options. I think yet, well, I was gonna say, you don't have to take a chance, right if you don't have to give out a grade on a trade where we don't even know who's involved with it fully and how these guys play. Well, we've just done that. So I'm like Scott Pioli right now on the days during the NFL now, just like amateurs. If the Bear, if the Bears are wrong about Justin Fields, though, then it's a bad trade and they'll look at it.

And I've heard this too that like, well, if we're wrong about Justin Fields, and I don't think they will be, then we have the resources to go have a backstop before they fire everyone with all these picks, I would say, a weird way to view it, Like the Panthers are here because they didn't pick Justin Fields too. I mean there's a whole alternate universe where it's someone like Chicago having to trade up to do all this business, but it's the Panthers having to do it because they didn't

pick the quarterback the chance. You know who leads this alternate universe? Who created everything in the end, the Daniels, Rodney Thomas, fourth and twenty at the Colts twenty in Mills all alone in the backfield. Here's the snap. Davis looking who scrambles out to the life, gotta get rid of it, throws it to the ends on end, caught it toward nakeds. My goodness, fourth and twenty, Hey, kids,

with the catch. Rodney Thomas misjudged it. I'll never forget sitting next to Greg that day, and Greg was loving that whole situation. Crazy. Yeah, but if you're a Texans fan, like, there's no way you found any real joy in that watching your team slipped to number two overall. Some of those throws by Davis Mills and that came, including that last one. I know it should have been picked, but he was like rolling right and got it there. It was a tough throw. He's an NFL court He got

it made after right through the hands of a defender. No, I get it, but he was rolling right and the pressure was coming. Just to even give it chance on that play was a good job by him. Davis smells want to start. Can we stay actually on the Bears, even though I know there's we'll get to the j Just take a break. We're going to take a break. Everybody relaxed. We're just getting warmed up here. Um, we'll be right back after this. All right, we are back.

We're just digging into the first day if you're just tuning in, which again, very strange if you were to do that with a podcast. But we're going through the first day of free agency. Unofficially, Greg, we're sticking with the Bears before we move on. We Yeah, they spent so much money on Monday, they announced their intent to kind of be that team this offseason. They have the most salary cap space and they have to spend some of it. And they were the first team to agree

to a contract this morning on the West Coast. TJ. Edwards, I mean sixteen minutes. They somehow worked out like a very complicated three year contract with t J. Edwards in like sixteen minutes, and TJ. Edwards was the first player off the board, and then later in the day they gave a huge deal to Tremaine Edmonds, who I think is getting what forty eight or something over the first two years of his contract. It's a four year deal overall, he got paid. And they also paid a former Titan,

Nate Davis at guard pretty good money. So the Bears are that team this year. And it's just a little weird because off ball linebacker not a premium position. You didn't pay Roquan Smith. I saw someone kind of make the point. Roquan Smith and Jack Sandborn your guy maybe greater than Tremaine Edmonds and t J. Edwards. I think you could agree or disagree with that, but it is a curious couple of players I think to start your free agency. But it's like the Chicago Bears have been

like prioritizing off ball linebacker since the Mesozoa clear. I think this is the eighth incarnation of like them having two of these guys and their defense, and it's like a little bit of with the Matt Eberflus experience, like he is, you hired him because of his defensive acumen, but then money is allocated towards that where maybe in a different situation somewhere else here too, and it ended up being the worst defense in the league. Edmonds will

receive fifty million and guaranteed money on the deal. I mean, how much did the Bears having Caspace here? It's like we got after the Jaguars are spending willy nilly with their excess cat money last year and send it up well for them with their second year quarterback. But I like spending on offense. I mean, that's part of it. And I think tremade Edmonds specifically, you're buying high. He was in a perfect situation in Buffalo for five years.

Great each of those acquisitions in real time. No, I'm just kidding. Edwards is a B. It's fine B minus when you really looked at the money. He was like the first deal that already looks phony in terms of what the agents told the reporters. It really is like a one for eight type of deal. It's not even twelve million guaranteed. Uh. And so that's that's fine. TJ.

Edwards tremade Edmonds. I'm gonna give like a C minus because you're investing in him out of high He's coming off the best season end of his career by far. He was the first round pick of the Sean McDermott era, and he was up and down, like he had one really good year and that was last year, and he's gonna go into a much tougher situations. He's twenty four years old. R Yeah, he's six four, two fifty and

runs a four point five. So like I think that if you're ebra Flus, you're thinking, like, I'm gonna get as good a version of Men's the Bills? Did you hope? You hope? But you're not surrounded by as much talent. And it's just like they lost out on Mike McGlinchey and what we'll get to that later earlier, like a pivot, we're gonna spend on someone a lot of money regardless we didn't get one. That's spending too much money at those positions specifically, I think League would say, yes, yes,

those are that's like one of the cheapest positions. Like for instance, the Eagles had Kaizer White last year playing their whole season for a you know, two point five million on one year. But especially though after you said we don't want real U, We're not doing this with real quand Smith, so we gone and spend almost as much over with this with the position. I'll just let you guys keep going on the Bears hate. I'm enjoying this. I mean, it's not a hate. How far can we

take it? Keep going trebad Edmonds was like a top minus top fifteen free in this crap. He just got that huge bump that happens every couple, every part. I don't mind just going for it from another angle. I do agree that building up the offense with pieces of sexier, but their defense heads think I think it's smarter. I mean in terms of like it's safer and it's it

goes up and down less. I think Edmonds and Edwards are kind of good examples, like if they were free agents a year ago at this time, would if they've gotten paid much at all, they were also Edmonds agent. Please and make sure it gets to the player. Well, he did a good job. Oh yeah, he'll get it to the player and then we'll have him on the show in the middle of June in the studio. Sounds good. The another big move that happened while we are away,

The Dolphins make another big blockbuster move. Jalen Ramsey is coming to Miami for a twenty twenty third third round pick and tight end Hunter Long. I'm pretty sure not to Barry harrowitz this, but I'm pretty sure I said Ramsey makes I could see him as a Miami Dolphin. That felt like something that made sense. And it does specially make sense when you know where the Dolphins see

themselves right now as a team that's all in. So after they went and got Bradley Chubb in a mega trade a few months back, now they add Ramsey to the backfield, Colleen and you factor, and they pick up the fifth year option for Tua. They go and get Mike White in free agency to be the kind of backup safety net. The Dolphins are looking to get to the super Bowl with this roster right now. Yeah, they're

They're making moves and they should. At this point, I'm already wondering if they're going to go after a running back like Miles Sanders considering the way that the run game ended last year and Daniel former run game coordinator with San Francisco, like, I think that they're really putting

all of these pieces together. But for Jalen Ramsey, I just felt like he was going to be back in Florida, in my head, I kind of liked the idea of him going back to Jacksonville with a totally different scenario, but right, but going to Miami, I like it even more because of the past heat between himself and Tyreek Hill. If you guys remember back in twenty eighteen when he was saying that Jalen Ramsey was saying that Tyreek Hill was more of a punt return specialist, a return specialist

than a wide receiver. So those two, that'll be fun to see them play together. But the Miami secondary was the biggest area of weakness. It was something they needed to address. And so now that Byron Jones won't be returning, it looks like when you have Jalen Ramsey across from Xavien Howard, you have two pieces that you can really build with. I mean, we've seen we've seen the Dolphins in asked free agency incarnations go nuts and like it always had this feel of like it's not going to

go right, and it often just didn't. This feels different to me because of the coach, because of how quickly the offense responded to his coaching. The play the parts fit, and I think you got a different type of aura here in Miami. I like this, Um, if I'm the Rams from a flip side and you still hanging to Matthews, what are you telling Matthew Stafford in general about how this season and maybe next season? I just I don't I'm not convinced Matthew Staffords even on this team. Who

is on this team at this point? They cut Bobby Wagner, right, they cut um Leonard Floyd, Leonard Floyd. Now I'm wondering what's going to happen with Aaron Donald because he almost didn't return last year after they won the Super Bowl, and now all of when you have Jalen Ramsey out of there too. I mean, this team, the three guys they're building around cup Donald. No, you can say that, but you're you're you're removing a lot of the team that made this a special team a couple of seas

and ago last year was a disaster. But like this feels like a projecting a couple feels like this season they're taking a step back to set up for next season. You can't take too far a step back. I mean the step back would be, let's try to have a winning record and compete uh in the next year. We go try to win a Super Bowl. Was anyone else

stunned how little Dalen Ramsey got around the league? I mean, I guess it depends on what's going to have left in the tank and internally what people are talking about, what whether they think he'll age well. Like I think he fits in the Fangio system perfectly. Brandon Stanley learned under Fangio. He used him dynamically, like even if he plays a little more safety or you know, near the line of scrimmage in the slot, like, that's still worth a lot. He didn't like that's the case for the

GM APP that's that's for damn sure. But I'm sure they asked around. No one wanted him. Yeah, surprising. I thought they could have gotten more than than they did, but they they're importing. Yeah, I don't think they could have because I mean, maybe maybe you had set it up if they traded him last year. Certainly, Yeah, Jordan Rdrieg mentioned at The Athletic that there were five teams in the mix that they were trying to trade him

out of the NFC. I do get Sean McVay is a little Mike Shanahany vibes that like Sean McVay is the one running this team. You know, Less Sneed is involved and executes the vision. But I think Sean McVay is making the vision. I mean we heard reporting that, like when they couldn't get Bond Miller, Sean mcvay's on the phone to other guys on the team being like, what do you think of Alan Robinson? All right, let's

go get Alan Robints. Like, I think it's McVeigh And I was just surprised they couldn't get more for Ramsey, Like Ramsey didn't get that much more money. The whole idea was like, well, Ramsey wants more money, he wants more guaranteed money. We're not going to give it to him. He didn't really get it from Miami. He got twenty twenty four guaranteed, so that that's a big deal. Think

that's so two years guaranteed instead of one. But you obviously have this year guaranteed because sure you don't trade for him, by the way, so you got your year guaranteed. But he didn't get like a raise, He just kind of got what was in there. I think it's thirty seven over two years, pretty reasonable for a top shelf cornerback. No,

I want to know who those other teams were. And I don't know if every team in the league signs up for the Jail and Ramsey experience, it's gotta be you gotta set the table well for to Adam to that like narrative though, just kind of got blown out of proportion when he was in Jacksonville, and I don't know that how much of it is. These trade terms make me think it's a little true. I was surprised that a team wouldn't give him more money and that a team wouldn't give up more draft picks. It just

didn't happen for him. Like I think Jalen Ramsey's thrilled to be back in Miami, but I think going into this the Rams have to be really disappointed with what they got for him, and I suspect Ramsey and his agent are disappointed with the money that they got. And as far as the Rams go, where they stand now, I just would like to see, and I know they did the whole, the whole showcase press conference saying these three guys are our pillars and all that show case.

When the chips are down and one of these teams, hopefully not mine, doesn't have the quarterback that they thought they were going to get in this game of musical chairs, Let's see how much of a pillar Matthew Stafford is if the phone call, if the phone rings totally with you, and for a team like the Rams that is still trying to build up, because I hear and I think there is value, sneaky value to be like, yeah, we're not viewed as a superpower, but you know, we could

win nine or ten games and that will put people on the seats and we might get a playoff game out of it, like and we'll still have star power. I think from from like Stan Cronky's view, like making that kind of a goal for next year, it makes sense.

But what also makes sense is if you have an opportunity to truly do a rebuild where you get a bunch of premium picks, maybe that's kind of like the smarter long term play if you want to win super But these rebuilds, typically, if it's now the new fashional rebuild is like a year for the well run teams, right, but you come out of it quick. You come out

of it typically with a young quarterback to build around. Yeah, I don't know if I see or it can envision Matthew Stafford being the guy on the other side of this rebuild two years, three years from now. He was brought here for something else that he accomplished. I don't

see the vision ahead from Matthew Stafford. I think if you said about we just oh, we just learned, we didn't trade Jalen Ramsey at the height of his powers, and you're after giving so much for him, you gave up so much for Matthew Stafford and sent him away for a year from now for a third round pick

or something like. I feel like the Jets losing Rogers would have been the only team desperate enough to give up a haul that would be worth it, especially considering the contracts that Donald and cup and Stafford signed a year ago kind of locked them in and locked the team into having to pay them for a few years ago because they got paid after the Super Bowl. And that's why they are quote weight bearing walls, so what they were, they're weight very walls. It's kind of like,

what do you want to be called? Similar to pillars, but not the same thing different. Well, like they said, a table with three legs problematic? Typically all right, Colleen, this is it's really good. That's a good sound draft, though could be very sturdy in the right a triangle type table. But absolutely sure. I mean I own one of those feels. In fact, that's in that case he's stark about a square table. I'm talking about square table. Spot tough spot it is. How about this AFC ST

though they're loading up there. Let's let's hold on that combo until we get the news on the other thing. Uh, Connie, I I do want to check in with you. Let's talk about Jason Hargrave, Javon Hargrave. Let's talk about Jason, Yeah, you talk about him. Um, it's going to the forty nine ers arrival. I don't like it. Thirty years old. What a study was on the inside of that incredible record setting defensive line for the Eagles eleven sacks? Eleven sacks from the interior? Are you kidding me? And now

it was beautiful. He will be pushing that pocket for the San Francisco forty nine Ers, getting forty mill to do so. For some reason, it feels extra personal that he's going to the Niners because they faced them in the NFC Championship. Top dogs on the conference. I don't want to be like, you're a trader. It's gonna be great for him. Dallas, San Francisco back in the day

vibe a little bit a little bit. It's the thing is, the Eagles just have so many good free agents available, especially on the defense, but he was undoubtedly the best. So you lose him. And the fact was this Eagles defense, especially the defensive line, was so I had so much depth, so they were able to just like rotate and they

were able to stay fresh. And that was such a big part of their success was this pass rush that they were able to generate a pass rush from the interior with him, and they're just they're going to miss him. They're going to miss him a lot, and I don't know how you replace his production, but they're gonna have to.

I think it was sept Under the Raider that the forty nine ers last year were like Bosa Defensive Player of the Year, arm Eric Armstead great when he's out there, but missed a lot of last year and the rest of the group was like, Okay, you know, it wasn't as deep as good a group as they have had in the past. They cycle through these one year guys like Epacom played well for them, but he's a free

agent again. And it made me think because I looked at the list of the top five highest paid defensive tackles, it made me think they should have just never made that DeForrest Buckner trade everyone loved at the time. They drafted Javon Kinla to replace him. He hasn't really worked out. And on that list it's Hargrave, Armstead, Aaron Donald, dron Payne, and Buckner. And so you know two of those guys that are now play for the forty nine ers. You see what they value one of them used to in Buckner,

who's in Indiana. I love it for Steve Wilkes because you're going through a lot of like you're losing coaches in San Francisco on both sides the ball year after year. Wilkes, though we know can do it, and like he's sitting there,

is the big winner. If you're Shaun to say in Philadelphia their new defensive coordinator, like it needs to be understood inside the building that there's a real uphill climb for him to come in and repeat the dynamic like quarterback nightmare situation they created a year ago with their front not all bad news for the Eagles. They get Kelsey returns. Yep, that's nice. I definitely thought he was going to retire just because the podcast is doing so well.

But maybe it does even better if you're playing, because Travis is still playing. Sirianni said he's just been plying Jason Kelsey with like kegs of beer and will continue to do so as long as he stays. Like McAfee retired and he that thing was a rocketship his podcast, And it just felt like this Kelsey Brothers pod is doing so well that it's like it's a good time

to go away. I like the video of Howie Roseman and Jason Kelsey and like Kelsey tells him that he's not retiring, He's going to return, and Howie has like some moscato out and these poor and shots and I mean, I mean, and by the way, how about this Kelsey. Here's the tweet. I'm going to read the whole one. I put much thought into whether it makes sense to play another season. After talking it over with my wife, wife and many other friends and family, I've decided to

return for another year. Thank you to all my supporters and attractors for fueling me. I ain't done yet. And guess what, and guess what, Aaron Rodgers, it could be that easy, Right, here's the model. It doesn't make. It doesn't make Jason Kelsey less swaggy or less mysterious or mystical. It makes it just makes life easier for everyone. And it's just like, bro, it's football like it's You're not

that important, You're not that special. It's very unattractive. I like someone who is decisive, and to me, the Aaron Rodgers situation, even the fact that it's taken him this long to make a decision tells me that is his decision that he should retire, but he doesn't. It's someone who like, make a decision, rip off the band aid. Let's go be confident in it, and if it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out. But like, let's stop

dragging our talking about it. Yeah he tormented my weekend, and yeah, make a decision last week and you know, get us out of this. Miss. I'm with you. I learned a life lesson Okay, struggling to make a decision. You know, it doesn't It didn't have as much interest at the time of Aaron Rodgers, but when I was coming to the NFL trying to decide if I was going to leave Pro Football Talk. I'd worked at NBC for like eight or nine years, and I loved it there.

The only thing I regretted in the whole process was at the very end, Ultimately, I just I couldn't make a decision. And I generally in life, I feel like I'm pretty decisive. And I knew afterwards right away almost that that was my regret and I would never do that again. But in that situation for the first time, I sort of made like a mistake. What was your

big hesitation? Well, just like I was very comfortable and liked a lot of things there, and the money was basically the same, and do you take this chance on doing this? It was just it was just going back and forth, going back and forth. Couldn't decide what I mean, I met you at the combine before and it was sort of a recruitment dinner. Did I did I help? Do you feel maybe? Uh, the final brick in the wall that just said the NFL dot com feels like, well,

it really was. The couple of weeks I would go back and forth, but then I thought, yeah, that's justin Halfaway. He's a closer. I like this guy. Do love half Away. Uh. Eagles got Brandon Graham back too. Uh. Let's move on to the Broncos, who are making moves. Uh. Let me go through it, let me tell you all about it. So they got Mike McGlinchey, nice big contract, big right tackle UM fifty million guaranteed, five years, eighty seven and a half million fifty guaranteed, So they make a big

offensive line move. They also add left guard Ben Powers, formerly of the Ravens, four years, fifty two million. Uh. They also, as we mentioned, signed Jard Stidham to be Russ Wilson's backup, and that's interesting to me and makes ends to me. Stidham as a guy who's flashed a little bit. He was originally with the Patriots and then went to the Raiders and played a little bit at the end of the last season, and kind of a guy.

I think that works mark for the Broncos and Sean Payton here because you can first of all, building up the offensive line very smart, because I do think they are invested. I think they are serious about giving Russell Wilson a chance here to write the ship and it's not fair necessarily to Wilson everybody else if you don't have a blocking front that works. So you do that, and now you have a backup that you could put in where you're not spending a ton of money on

your backup. You're not hedging your bets necessarily. And I would think they could very easily start over next year if either of these guys cannot play the guitar. Yeah, I kind of view everything that Denver is doing as not Russell Wilson centric, just because I think Sean Payton is secure enough to know that if that doesn't work out, you're just going to build a team around him and get that other quarterback. And I mean they needed to

fortify the offensive line McGlinchey. There's a lot of zone blocking elements to Sean Payton's offense. I think they want to want to have more of a power run element. I think back to the days of mark Ingram when he really started to shine under Sean Payton in New

Orleans and Alvin Kamar after that. But like, you just want to be able to have that as a huge part of an offense that might not have a quarterback that can play right now and I liked how it was put out there a little bit, like with each of these pieces, you're removing excuses away from Russell Wilson if he does not turn into the player he once was. It's like you have to build an argument to move on from him if that's the case a year from now.

Sun Payton's always coached good offensive lines, like knowing how to coach them up and hire the right offensive line coaches, but generally like spending this much money on slightly above average starting offensive lineman or like the worst thing you can do in free agency. He was also the top right tackle though on the market right now. They needed it absolutely, but like the forty nine ers didn't show

a lot of interest in keeping him. Ben Powers kind of had a career year for the Ravens a guard. I think you'll make like twenty five twenty six million in his first two years. Like they're spending a lot of money trying to get to average in the end right. But you're a specific issue if you're Denver, because you've given away a bunch of draft picks you're not gonna get necessarily and all pro tackle in freed andcy because they don't typically exist and then you don't have the

way to go get them through the draft. So you're you kind of were backed up into a corner here. And McGlinchey, he's up and down, but it's like I think he fits, yeah, and they they like aren't going

to be afraid of spending. I still get like Sean Payton a little bit like Bill Parcels in Miami vibes just I think there's like a chance, you know what I mean, Like it's kind of at the end, let's just like go a little crazy and maybe it's not going to be as good as it was in New Orleans, but we'll see in other news, Hey, the Chargers, let's go on with the Chargers. Feel good about the Chargers.

The vibe around the Chargers, they share your suspicions. Brandon Staley, uh still there as the head coach or replace both coordinators. They blew a twenty seven nothing lead in the playoffs, and now Austin Eckler is requesting permission to seek a trade after he was met with a cold shoulder um after contract extension talks with the Chargers. With the Chargers, so it's like, and we had him on the show

at the Super Bowl. To his credit, he didn't hint at any type of discord or concerns, but well maybe to his credit, had he we would have broken news on the show. So it's all kind of powerful to maybe not be turning over a couple of stones there when he had back to back twenty touchdown seasons and he's probably paid in the back half of starters body questions in a row. It's like, what is the purpose of let's use this as a teaching moment for the

for the podcast. But anyway, uh yeah, so he's he's requesting permission for a trade, so we'll see if that happens. And I thought it was also instructive Greg on this. Daniel Jeremiah, like I said, moved the sticks was on NFL Network all morning and he kind of said in a way like and you know, the Chargers are not going to top the market or not going to meet his demands for his position. He calls the games of

course as the analyst. So it's kind of like if the if the Chargers are serious about not paying him and he's requesting a trade, this feels like something that could happen and perhaps soon. Yeah, he wanted a raise. I think he had one year left on his deal making six million, Like, get it now while you can, you're still healthier numbers are I get it, But I also get the Chargers being like, actually, we're getting the best Austin Ekeler right now. We don't want to pay

for the next Austin Ekeler. We like this contract, and if you can go, you know, get a deal, we'll let you go. We like you enough, we think we have other priorities. Good draft for running backs too. Yeah, this is Austin Ekeler just try trying to ensure his future. I mean, if he gets hurt the season in his the final year of this four year contract that he's on,

then he's kind of screwed. So he needs to If the Chargers are not willing to give him a long term deal, which they aren't, which is prudent on their part, he should be able to explore other options if they're out there. He really stinks getting was he undrafted? Like you really get banged over and over just by being undrafted. Like his career has been better than Saquon Barkley's. Not like he would have gotten Saquon Barkley's contract necessarily, but

because he was undrafted. He had to take a deal that was really good for him at the time three years into his like his you know, undrafted rookie deal, but now looks very below the market and you're always like trying to catch up to the money that you didn't make in the first place, and so you don't you don't blame him, But I think he'll be elsewhere. There's a I think they were gonna have a lot of trades. Laramie Tunsel's another player that requested permission to

seek a trade. The left tackle of the Texans one of the very best in the league, and the Texans, despite speculation last year, held on to him. He delivered another high quality season mark and if he goes on the market, he could fetch quite a pretty penny given the premium position. It's kind of the opposite of running backs. A left tackle right immense value, both in a trade value and in salary. He's been linked, you know, here and there to the Chiefs who have moved on from

Orlando Brown. But they went and got John Taylor, who has been a right tackle career wise with Jacksonville, but they're going to move him over to left tackles according to James Palmer or a friend. So that's a lot of money if you then go try to sort all this out. But I think they lost Andrew Wiley the Chiefs the right tackle, so they still have to find someone to protect Patrick Mahomes. So Taylor, you know, you could put him on the on the right side if

you got Lamrie Tonsil. He got. Yeah, huge money from the Chiefs, but not as huge as what Orlando Brown was gonna make. They would be scary as hell with Laramie Tunsil, that's their left tackle. And but do you think they paid him as a left Juwan Taylor as though? I mean when I see that contract as but it doesn't seem like it's totally shut down. I tend to think that getting floated out there might be like, well, we don't necessarily need you Laramie Tunsil, um. But it

hasn't gotten shot and down that this could happen. I did go to Tunsil's Twitter page like checking it out. It's always an interesting the likes and whatnot. Aaron Rodgers had a funny like today of like Razul Douglas saying Rogers's phone um, and so the last tweet from Laramie Tunsil is lmao, man, and that was yesterday. That uh, you know, for the kids laughing my ass on. So I just feel like, Okay, something happened. That's I feel

like that's been in the lexicon for a while. Thank you, Thank you for the kids, for the children out there for that. H. That was a joke human. That feels like, Okay, I don't know why I'm reading that. It's like I'm not going to be a Texan anymore. They won't pay me what I want to make h And then immediately retweets Patrick Mahomes saying NFL is gonna be wild this next week. And that's back to back and it does. These guys are all talking to each other. Come on.

Cycling back to Eckler, by the way, he has thirty eight touchdowns in the past two seasons. Um, he's coming off a career high and targets. He has made twenty one million total in his career. What I'm talking about, and that is not to say that twenty one million is anything to sneeze it. I would love twenty one million. I'd love a million, but twenty one million for you guy who had thirty eight touchdowns in the last two years.

You see where it gets a little jankie, like when we talked about some of these other players getting the money they're getting. Eckler is a machine. What about him with the Buffalo Bills? They're there. That's spicy, right. Joan Taylor plays a premium position. I get that Taylor hadn't been lighting it up for most of his career an offensive lineman. Dude developed late. But he gets sixty million and guaranteed money in echoleracy and just can I have

a little bit of a raise. That's a spicy meat ball. The Falcons are doing some work. They signed Jesse Bates safety, they said, David on Yon mada uh twenty four and a half over two. They're not done yet. They give Chris Lynch from their star guard, one hundred and five million to stay put uh Connie. That is a lot of lifting on the first day of free agency for a team that is looking to make a move. They're just out here flexing, flexing their muscles, um giving out

the bag. Jesse Jesse Bates. I like this one because I mean, we knew that he was going to be gone, from which she would just would have stopped after that. That was the analysis for the kids. When she says, bag, it's talking about money, money he's bringing I think the kids know this. It's the the geriatrics, yeah, I mean theoriatric millennials. I know. I think I'm one of those.

Sometimes I don't know what the when someone one of you was talking and when it's a drop, um, it feels like this, um, But Jesse Bates last year, I remember again, you're you're firmly a millennial, by the way, Okay, thank you, I'll take it. I feel like my soul is honestly, I'm on the border line. I don't know. I mean, it's almost like this generational stuff is nonsense a little bit. Maybe, yeah, um, should we talk about Jesse. I don't describe to any of that, by the way,

but yeah, go ahead. I'm sorry. When I was at the Bengals training camp this summer, Jesse Bates still was kind of like we didn't know what he was going to do, sort of like hadn't hadn't signed the tag yet, hadn't reported to camp. Um. So we knew that, you know, he was out of there and he's going to really help out this Falcon's past defense, they allow the eighth most passing yards last season. They desperately needed some help in that department, and Bates second team All Pro in

twenty twenty fourteen interceptions. I mean, he's a really good player and I think that he'll add a lot of value to this team. Lindstrom getting one hundred and five is wild, Like, yeah, he's another example of offensive lineman and he's always been good, but he went to another level. He was second team All Pro this year. They do develop slower than other positions that I'd truly buy. I think other some positions are up and down, like cornerback,

maybe off ball, linebackers, stuff like that. Running backs you'd rather have early. Offensive lineman you'd rather have in the middle. Too late, they get better and better, and he got better, and that Bates contract was awesome for him. You like seeing a guy who bet on himself, like with the one year deals, never took the long term contract from the Bengals, be rewarded. Usually it's phony where it's like, oh, the four year sixty four. I was like, oh, that's

too much for him. It's actually almost phony. The other way, he gets thirty six million in the first two years. It's it's frontloaded. He should get all that money, like he is going to get paid it is. You know, Dean P's has gone retired, so Ryan Nielsen is a stepping into that role for the first time in Atlanta. I don't fully I've trusted Atlanta's defense in like half

a decade plus at this point. And if you're the Bengals, you also lost von Beld to the Panthers, so you have a you have an issue at safety on your might have got way too much money. Twenty four million dollars over two is is wild for a guy who's thirty one, who looks incredible for three or four straight games and then kind of disappears. He's had a very like an up and down career. But like you mentioned, they have a new defensive coordinator who was in New Orleans.

Their GM used to be in New Orleans, and you always like, go get the guys you used to love, right. They they targeted aggressively to make a move like this this quickly, and they believe he's a perfect scheme fit for what they do. And you got to spend that cap space I do. I'm talking out of both sides of my mouth on some level, because it's a waste to just be rolling over all that cap space. You're gonna take one more break and then we are going to hit the rest of the news is all right,

we're back. Um. During the break, um Mark pulled me aside into a private room and he said, it was a long break. Dan, I'll this talk about like where you want to put me? How do you categorize who I am? I'm Generation Next? That is a direct quote of our conversation during that that um, you know, leisurely lengthy break. We just and I looked you right in the eyes that I said, okay, I respect that. Thank you for honoring my uh my needs. Who else is

in Generation next? Mark? Literally just one person. It's just Mark, all PEPSI drinkers. I think we need Well, No, it's a different, it's different than that. I'm with myself. Also, all right, let's get to the rest. Everyone. Check out colleague's instagram for some great sponsors about this. Oh you didn't hear them talking about it for fifteen minutes in the news room. At least finally stopped Dan from honking. I have noticed result. So one of you, like on

a beach drinking. The product that you know, I pulled over to the side of the road. It's organic. Yeah. The Disney story real quick. Yes, I have another upcoming Pepsi post for you guys. And I was like, guys, are my fans out there next to the rest of them for generation next? Uh? So I went to Disney for the first time ever a couple days ago, and I was like, oh, that could be perfect. There's so many things going on at Disney. I could figure out some way to like integrate a pepsi or market there.

So I am going in through security at Disneyland, and I get through security with the Pepsi. I didn't even think it would be a problem because whatever, You're a pitch woman, so of course it shouldn't bet And I'm gathering all of my things and it's very chaotic and hectic because our friend that took us to Disney really loves Disney, she's a Disney person, and we needed to be there for rope drop, which I didn't even know

what that's a thing. So we are rushing to get through and I don't like to be rushed, and so I'm already like kind of like in a in a space that is not great for me. And I gather all of my things as I'm walking away from security and I hear something crash onto the ground and it's the Pepsi can and it explodes everywhere. It's like dollar signs coming out of it, starts spraying the security guard. Yeah. So then I had pepsi all over me the rest of the day and we were there for like fourteen hours.

That's a great symbolism. You're post captured. We'll capture all this. No, because we were going to miss the tram, so I have fun and then you would have missed rope drop. Yeah. I think that this story. Yeah, huge platform. I didn't realize that was a crutch for me, which I'm just realizing,

my honor. Just we've got some developing news. I'm not going I linebacker David Long ranked in the top twenty five of my top one on one free and is signing with the Miami Dolphins two years, eleven million dollars. Love that deal compared to the tremade endmonds. Yet that's all I was saying. That's all I was saying, Like he's a I know he doesn't have the forty time. Maybe not quite as much. But he's a football player. He has great instincts. This is a great value you guys.

Hear something not something I haven't heard anything. I pleaded like multiple episode right, Um, I just always your entryway that David Long is a great linebacker and um he's like he's a little limited in coverage, but he's pretty dang good. And the Dolphins got a great deal here. I mean looking at the other linebacker signings, like what the Bears did today, that's a pretty nice deal forever THEFC really is uh looking pretty go hold on that, Okay, I come to I get it. Great Covo coming up.

Maybe cut to like Titans headquarters and like it just ran Carthon like taking a massive nap in like an office somewhere. The Titans signed. Titans are not like there are no pillars. They signed. They signed somebody. I don't know if we'll get to it on this episode. Maybe it's just like it's like a circus tent when they have they they're beginning to take it down. They take out the big pole in the middle. It's just like a big flat like giant big top on the on

the turt on like the hard dirt ground depressing. Meanwhile, the Titans right now now, I support that, though I think the Titans should try to win zero games. It's like, yeah, I feel that there are no weight strategies, there are no weight verying walls. It's like a FEMA trailer that they gave out. It's like that never worked. Way to go, Brownie. Remember then it's just like Ryan Downhill and Derek Henry like gasping for air under this gigantic big top, like

let us out, let us escape. Meanwhile, he's trying to do some cop coping mechanism here, being like, I don't know if you're gonna get but I did like this deal that they signed later in the day. Yes, they got the former first round of Philadelphia Eagles tackle Andre Dillard, literally the only player who's ever played on the offensive line for the Eagles that didn't work out and end up being one of the great trying to get hurt. Jordan is really good played. He was like five you know, okay,

it was it was. I looked up his PFF grades and that's not the end shot. I'm just saying like they've had a lot of people go through there and they all end up doing great. Except for this one guy. That's the guy nine and a half million a year. It's like, not a huge deal for us. What's going to be their starting left tackle? Right? That was your Oscars party. Let's talk about something plus the pressing. It was super fun good. Yeah it was at your place.

Uh not exactly, no, but I thought it was correct because yeah, you you I thought you were hosting an Oscars right, pize someone else's hospital. It's different. I know if Aaron Rodgers happened, we would have done a pot. It would have been where is your commitment to the show, It would have happened. What did you bring it to the party, like like Jica, Well, Jessica was there. We brought a bottle of wine, two folding chairs, and a lot of themed foods, so we made chair well we

need extra chairs, apartment doesn't have billion chairs. And uh, all the foods were named after puns. So we brought the everything everywhere, all at buns, which were cinnamon rolls. They were great. I'm so upset that Dan ask you what you brought. I adore it. I love that. I love it. I've never changed which one of you came up with that with the pun or did you just seamlessly come up with the ta. No, they said it

like they're like, what should we say? And then they said it at the same time, and then they just like cat passionately kissed in the kitchen as like a heart went around them as like a what do they call those things? The wipe the next love their great life there. That is exactly how it went out. It's like I do on three cinnamons. What's it called? What was it called? Everything everywhere, all at buns? Okay, okay, can you remember that? Yeah? What should we call it?

I don't know. Everything everywhere, all at buns? Big swoop, fade out to the next perfect scene of you guys in your life again? Yeah? Folding chairs? What do we need on three folding chairs? No? All right, let's move on. That is weird though, because no one has furniture, so they needed someone to bring folding chairs. But people that don't have why do you have folded I was wondering about that water too, and any other like survival blankets,

no batteries. Did you consider everything everywhere all at prunes? That's light. That's what Greg came up with with his significant Is this where we tell Greg. We were all off the party. Yeah, there was meat balls quiet on their western front. That was a pretty good one. You guys should have been at the man Cheese of Innish year and was a cheese. Yeah. I can't remember someone tar and it's literally just like a wet bull. There was a tar pun, but I don't remember chips with tar.

It's pretty good tartara chips like someone's dead on the floor. It's like, oh, he actually holds the prop. All right, let's get into it. Uh, where we finished things up? Kale Blair, kale a healthy dish. I like that? All right, Sorry, go we're back to the what we're doing. Former Steeler Cam Sutton heads to the Lions. He gets twenty two and a half million guaranteed. The Steelers then turn around and signed Pat Peterson, the veteran cover man. Uh you

think Pittsburgh comes out? Okay, there is Peterson? Have anything left to the tank? Where we at there? Peterson feels like one of these Steelers signings that I just trust will work out. But they really needed cornerback help. So after losing Sun young man, No, it's a young man's position. He played pretty well last year. These are the type of guys that weirdly get undervalued in free agency. It's like, oh, just let's pay Pat Pete seven million dollars. He'll be

a fine starting quarterback. You don't have to go crazy. But I think they were disappointed. It sounded like they were trying to keep Cam Sutton, who they developed into a nice player. He got twenty two and a half million guaranteed from the Lions, who definitely needed another quarterback. I think that makes them a little less likely to take a cornerback at six. A lot of people had that mocked as them taking the top cornerback off the board.

Maybe Witherspoon maybe Now it's like a little more Anthony Richardson, possibly if you ever slipped there. But either way, like they needed a cornerback. I like that Steelers can still take a cornerback, though sure. Ian's tweet when it happened was ba ba Patrick Peterson a surprise, A perennial star headed to a historic franchise to beef up. They're back end.

Have you noticed this thing? It's starting to gain more momentum with the insiders, Ian and Mike and the pell raiser um the guys on live television with the phones, and we're now we're treating these men of the media, these insiders, as if they're carrying bayonets during the Revolutionary War, and they're just these like fearless heroes that will do anything to defend them defend their country and get the story like they're fighting each other too. They're fighting each other.

In fact, I like this, I had justin cut this. It's real. I mean, the battle is real, and the battle is sometimes within your own platoon. Listen right and listen to uh, Mike g getting a phone call when they just threw it to him to deliver something from Denver to the Seahawks. And if you remember, James Palmer did a tremendous I'm on the air, I'll call you right back. Don't give it to anybody else. Bye. Um.

The Shelby Harris was part of that trade. He did a phenomenal interview with our James give it to you. And then Ian got a phone call and what happened justin he ripped, he ripped off his headset and he was out of there. Yeah, he was Tom Pellicero like faked like he was getting a phone call just to mess with Mike. And then he got a real phone

call and had to bolt off the side. I was watching this live, and I can confirm to you, having worked with Mike Garafolo closely for so many years, if you don't know Mike and just heard that sound drop like, you'd be like m I feel like he was just putting on for like the camera, because it's free agency. That's literally almost every single production meeting I've had with Garafolo that has happened. Also a man of high integrity,

so I don't think he would fake things. Yeah, and I also liked that the person he was speaking to totally disregarded what Mike said as he should have be like, no loyalty for you. I'm not waiting, I'm calling rap sheet of you beats it by fifteen seconds of the other. There was also about a fifteen minute period where Jane Slater's dog in the background um sounded as if it had taken six times. What's listening to that too? They're gonna have to put that one in the garage has

two dogs? Yeah, that was one of the two. Whoever the culprit and I thought it was in our newsroom for a minute that a dog had escaped into us. It sounded like Birdie. It did sound like Birdie. Yeah, I think the first thing, and knowing Ian, the first thing Ian saying when he picks up the phone is why did you call him first? Oh? Of course? Question like,

all right, now, what is it? Interesting? World? I think they're just getting called because the agents are seeing them on TV and they want to say, what a sandbox to live in and play in? And we've given, you know, pel Raiser a great nickname. And he seems to not have any concept this has occurred in his life. Have you told him yet? I don't really have a chance. I don't speak with him ever regular but we weren't

once yesterday. I think it's something we should personally talk um unless you want to be our ambassador on it. Do you want to? That would be weird, That would be weird. But I don't think I have another show with him for a while, So it's on you guys. It's a great nickname. Maybe they'll send us to the draft. I don't know if that happens. Simply to provide the message, well, then we can. That would give us the opening to

have the conversation. Would in the hotel lobby, Hey, fhy um got you a bit of an elite nickname brand and maybe get rich off. It's a it's a masculine nickname. I think it's one that suggests that he's great at what he does. Yeah like that. There's he's got a better nickname than it's a better nickname than rap sheet. Right, and also makes people think of the cinematic classic hell raisor starring Pinhead and hell Rais two, three, four, and

I think four. It does make them think of all five of those, but like the whole the kind of like, hey, I'll call you back. Don't give it to anyone else, like pell Raiser is like, right, you don't give it to somebody else, You give it to pell Raiser, right or else? And and for the kids out there who weren't familiar with the movie, his name was Pinhead because he literally had pins in his head. I like that.

You're just describing everything for the for the kids kids. Yeah, there's a lot of explanations from Greg on today's episode. I like it. It's informational and that's what today's episode is about. Uh dron Payne. Hey, guys, the play commanders have them in their building. They don't let him get out the defensive lineman gets a four year, ninety million dollar contract, reportedly via rap sheet sixty million and guarantees he had gotten the franchise tag, so they wasn't going anywhere.

Good news for my guy, Quinnin Williams. If Dron Payne's getting that, that's at least Quinn Williams gets. Well, oh sorry, Jeffrey Simmons. If the Titans decide to feel the defense this season, like he that's another framework there for that con That's a lot of money. They got a dragon. It is really good to time your very best season of your career in your contract here, which was what DNS do. Good weekend for quinnin Williams too, because his

brother got paid yes see by the Jets. I like that move, but let's make sure we get the better Williams speaking of jets to, Speaking of Jets's, I really like Naice Sam Darnald Sam Donald. Yeah, he is not on the Greg Rosenthal top one oh one, but he is now the property of Kyle Shannon, who knows an unpolished gem when he sees one. With Brock Party recovering from elbow surgery with Trey lance A big old question mark.

The Niners signed Sam Darnel or agree with Sam Darnold on a one year contract, giving them a little bit more stability in that QB room and potentially and here this is my sincere hope, because this is somebody who thought that Donald was wronged earlier in his career, and I thought he got some sense of self respect in the league back during his Carolina tenure. It would be full circle for him to now be on a loaded offense with a gifted play caller, just to see what

would happen. I hope he gets meaningful snaps and that would be fun. Maybe he becomes who imagine how rich would it be, Greggy if Sam Donald was the geno Smith of two years. It takes as an opportunity and a little bit of a high level play. I mean, the Darnold heads out there are there, you DJ, the people who said Darnold was like one of the great prospects ever, including DJ, and there were plenty of them out there. I think I've believed in him throughout if

you could just get into the right situation. And last year it was like, look how it's going, and then he had like the worst game any quarterback had all season and weekend seen and to kind of wipe them in my mind, I'm just saying, I mean, how many times you're gonna bring that up? Too many? They didn't say the money on this deal, but it is a I mean, if you could ever get on the field for them, it would be an incredible opportunity. When they don't say the money, it means it's not much money.

But that's not a surprise. He's gonna be the third quarterback, I think if everyone's healthy. But if Perdie's not ready, and then Lance is even taken as the thing. It's a contract that probably has some incentives, but he can be the third quarterback. If he doesn't en. He's not gonna be Obviously, he wasn't gonna be in the Panther's plans.

He wants to play, but I would think he would might he might be open to waiting things out a little bit unless the Niners were like, hey, the way things are set up right now, you're gonna have an opportunity. You're not gonna be third string in week one. I think this might tell you more about Purdie's timetable that or like there is this world where if you're going to ride into the season and even might before Darnald with Purdie and Trey Lance, Like, are you really keeping

both of these guys? I mean, there's a reason you would maybe, but you could potentially trade someone like Trey Lan Lance get traded. I'm just saying wild anymore. Nothing's wild him. But I think with Purdie is the future there that they bought in on him. Darnald is the backup they're comfortable with. And let's I think they're just scared because Josh Johnson entered an NFC Championship grant for them, and I get that it's a great landing spot for

Darnold and it goes back to California. It's like, I kind of like it for him a lot. If you got to get a couple of spots starts early, you get a different version of him in an offense that's competent. I'm happy for Sam all Right and Bucks News. They resign Jamel Dean the cornerback four years, fifty two million, twenty six guaranteed via rap sheet. They also have an eye out Baker Mayfield. Speaking of interests. Lass of twenty

eighteen quarterbacks, Mayfield was potentially on the radar of the Niners. Obviously, they went in a different direction with Darnold number one oh one on the top one oh one. There's been some talk that they could eye him as potentially a guy who could start for them week one if he could beat out Kyle Trask in a camp battle. It

doesn't sound promising like this is. I understand that this is the situation that the Bucks are in right now now that Tom Brady has retired, but bringing in Baker Mayfield to compete with Kyle Trask is not something that is really selling me on the team right I am curious what else they'll do. Baby, They'll draft a quarterback. They are this team that's just floating out there. Their new coordinator was the Seahawks quarterbacks coach last year, Dave Canalis.

But they still have players there. I mean, I don't think Godwin's going anywhere. They had a good offensive line, they got players. I wonder if if I would I'd rather be in Sam Darnold's shoes though, and just have a chance to play in San Francisco, then just try out Baker Mayfield. If Baker's destiny is becoming more Fitzpatrick in where he ends up hanging around longer than anyone expected, and he pops once or twice almost every year when he gets opportunities, and sometimes that ends in like a

starting job that may last or may not last. What if that's kind of Baker's arc And would he signed off on that. I'm sure he might if he as much upside as well. So Ryan Fitzpatrick. I know Ryan Fitzpatrick had. Ryan Fitzpatrick had went through a lot of valleys. I mean, I think we got the full like version where he just was so comfortable in his own skin and so having so much fun at the end of his career. Like too, I could too, because I think Baker's had sort of a shadow of him for a while.

And I'm not pitching him as a starter, but like there's a little bit of interest reportedly in Jacoby Brissette in Tampa, but I think, like I'm glad they're not a week ago it was like Kyle Trask or nothing. It's like, don't even try that on us right now. So like Baker, I think is someone you could bring in as like a patch and he's not going to cost you a ton of money. I think I don't know if he has the people skills that Fitzpatrick has.

I think to have that type of career, you need to be that dude that can fit in any situation and that everyone loves in any situation, whether he's the backup, whether he's the starter. I mean, he threw for thirty five thousand. There's not a lot of yards in his grider and a lot of Ryan Fitzpatrick's. There's still a bunch of front offices that have their scouting report on Baker Mayfield. And when you're a first overall pick, you're gonna get just many more chance than if you were

third or fourth round. Yes, Robert Woods signed with the Texans formerly of the Titans for more money than I personally expected. What was the money on that twelve and a half or two? I just I don't know. It seemed rich considering he gave the Tennessee nothing coming off an ACL injury and he's north of thirty right, great digger, my little are Were you a little surprised to see? I was? Yeah, And so I mean before free agency even started. Is like the Texans prioritize getting That's what

the timing was interesting too. He finished with the fewest yards of his career. I think the ideas you're maybe better the one more year away from that surgery. Maybe he was getting a little better at the end of the season to get that money suggest that there was some sort of bidding. And I wouldn't be surprised if the Rams were the team that we're trying to bring him back, wouldn't extending like shopped around. It is interesting that Robert Woods and Cooks are back on the same

team again like they were in All Rights. Beat writer Paul Kuharsky tweeted, he will be a quarterback's best friend if your quarterback loves slow receivers. Wow, he was on the show, right. He wasn't angry about Yeah, he was really annoyed with a lot was salty about that name. Ye, you and him went at it. We really we really want toe to toe hands his v Kuharsky uh The Patriots sign bit cornerback Jonathan Jones. The Falcons acquired John

WHO Smith from the Patriots. It turns out that the Johnah Smith Hunter Henry like spending spree was weird when it happened, and J J. JOHNA. Smith did nothing with the Pats and they get a seventh round pick uh, and then you start task, Well, Falcons just got Johnny Smith? What Arthur Smith reunion there? What about Kyle Pitts? Is he still is? He's somebody that's floating out there. I

don't know. I mean he had one touchdown for the Patriots, not that touchdowns or everything, but that was how style Pits have in two years with the Falcons three. You know, it's toughest tight ends coming into the league that position when you are who is this Elizabeth right before she tests positive for COVID like John Smith. I don't understand what happened. I don't understand what happened to Johnah Smith.

I used to love him with the Titans. So he'll be a perfect second tight end, not asked to do too much. What is he was so bad for the Patriots? So bad? I'm still trying to figure out what Colleen was doing there. Who's the actress in a show where she plays like an amateur detective. It's very hot right now in Peacock Grave Digger Man. That's tough that, you know what, Digger It's also tough for Dan Natasha Leone, Yes, Natasha Leone. What's the name of the show. I mean,

you guys don't know this with you? Excellent show. Every I didn't have to face I can't. I can't like lock in that name. That was very leone. Yes, I love right. I was like, what is going on? Who is talking to me? I didn't position, I didn't hate it. It was just a little jar all right, odds and ends hit it Connie, okay um the singing part like the music, yeahs ends odds and ends, say everybody tell your friends it's odds and ends? Who did you? Just

did you double track her vocals? And she was harmonizing with herself because the last time she did it, she nailed it so perfectly that I clipped it. I thought it was just like sometimes you need to do next time yourself. You gotta sing in a different key next time so you can harmonize himself, so I can practically graver next time. Play the one of her harmonizing with

herself until we can have three colleagues. Just gonna keep building colleens, like I'm not even joking everyone, and we're gonna get it untill it's basically a full choir, a noble quest all right, Delight The Texans signed case Keenum formerly of the Bills, so he is going to be a back up there when they get their new quarterback. The Bucks will trade or cut Shack Mason keep an eye on his market. The Brown signed agbo Ocacaraquo twelve

and a half million guaranteed. There you go, Marquis. The Bengals bring back Jermaine Pratt on a two year deal. Connor McGovern leaves the Jets for the Bills ads their line. Uh Matt Milano gets a new deal from the Bills. Sterling Shepherd back to the Giants and a one year deal. We'll see if that ever becomes anything. O'Dell works out for a bunch of teams. He's reportedly looking for twenty million dollars. The Jets, as we said, resigned Quincy Williams,

and the Lions bring back Isaiah. I will tell you one little thing I was talking to Greg that like, if you go back to the early days of our show when Case Keenum was a Texan and had a couple of spicy spots starts here and there, and that was Chris Westling favorite for just how aggressive he was.

You know, didn't think he was a perfect quarterback, but he would talk about letting your case Keenum flag fly and now he's back in Houston, and that made me think of fo your keen Chase a little accent though, Yeah, Chase Daniel a little bit, just in terms of like backups. And Chase Daniel was in the green room here at work yesterday after we finished the show and I walked in and I was like, Oh, who's this new producer in my head? And I introduced myself and I didn't

catch his name. And so there's a bunch of people in the green room, I mean Scott Pioli, Steve White, Maurice Jones, Drew and I was like, oh, I'm sorry, what did you say your name is again? And he was like, um, Chase Daniel the corner. Oh, I just have never seen you with your helmet off. Then just like run to your car and drive them. Yea, but I have the wrong Connor McGovern. Yeah, not the Jets, Connor McGovern, the Cowboys, connorc got it. It's confusing. They're

both in the AFC East now half of it. Connor McGovern's that were available still available, half of them are now there. Clarity, good clarity. It is one of the great things about Twitter. You know, on some level Twitter

has changed our minds, maybe in a negative way. But on the other hand, you can bring up this case Keenum flag fly, put it in with an at Chris Westling, and you can find about seventy different tweets of people tweeting at west about it, or west tweety about it, and it going on and on for years and years. All of us are spotting in different things. And so I love that good was that little left from you? Just I was just thinking about Chris. It was freak flag.

It made me giggle, maybe giggle like a schoolgirl thinking about how much you loved Case Keen. Well, that's sweet. We won't make fun of you. Then, covered thank you, safe wherever you are. I always think about that whenever, whenever Case Keenum gets into a game and he just gets back there and then there's that one moment where he's about to get crushed and he thinks like, Hm, should I throw it out of bounds? Should I take

the sack? No, Let's just throw it as hard as I can, as far as I can and see what happens. Like that's letting your case Keenum flag fly. It is And now the opposite side of Twitter, which is now owned by an oligarch M. You must remove text message two factor authentication by March nineteenth or your account is shut down. Oh I got that too. About that, I don't know. I don't like that. I guess they're gonna shut my account down. Shut it down? Then do you

lose like everything you like? I hope that all we were told is you need the two factor the case trying to get you to pay for that. Uh yeah, so I gotta is upstairs? Well or what is our company doing about it? I would say my questions to someone who is high up in that department, and they said they'll get back to me. Well, March nineteen, six days from now. So it looks like all accounts are going to be wiped out a race from the internet in six days. All right, that's it is that it

We did ninety minutes and no Aaron Rodgers news. No, but the Giants signed a linebacker. Do we care? I think it's a it's a you put it in our messaging clienting. Yes, I think it's important, breaking news, not developing. Go for a graver. This is your time to shine the Giants. According to Ian Rappaport have signed former Cults linebacker Bobby Okaka, giving them a new face in the middle of their defense. Four years, forty million with twenty

two million guaranteed. Again, I want to see the details. Sometimes it's funny. Money might be a one year deal. But also Mike greg he plays defense. Yuck. That's not what I mean. But a lot of these offball linebackers are getting a lot of money on day one because there's not many other positions out there. They've needed that position for a long time. They were completed. After there, giant seem to get better. They're really gonna make that leap,

so we'll see. I like, he played really well, you can do something there anything else before we uh and today's program and just as you I imagine could imagine, we're going to be all over um your podcast outlets of choice this week. We'll have a show Monday through Thursday, and if we need to drop a Friday pod, we're gonna do it. No more oscar parties to worry about whatever about we need to drop a like Monday late night. Because Rogers just wants to give a big middle finger

to the media establishment. What do you what do you think I'm here, I'm ready. Let's do it. To be determined TBD. What about you, Connie, You've said it all. Yeah, that's there more to say. Perhaps, No, not If I said it all, that's it. It's it's time to get out of here. All right, let's do it, shall we? The Edibles just hit, so I gotta go. Mark's like I've been waiting all weekend. Now it's finally my time. No, apparently not, because we're gonna do an Aaron Rodgers show in four hours. L