Breaking news right now, and no, this is not a drill. Just moments ago, the Seattle Seahawks have agreed to terms with the Las Vegas Raiders on a blockbuster trade, sending their starting quarterback Gino Smith, a two time pro bowler, to Las Vegas in exchange for a twenty twenty five third round pick. We've got this covered from all angles right now. Welcome inside with the insiders alongside Ian Rappoport
and Mike Girafolo. I am Tom Peliicero. This has all kinds of domino effects across the rest of the quarterback market. Let's dig into it right now. Ian, starting out with the fact that this trade came together. My understanding has been the Seahawks were in talks with Gino Smith about a new contract. They stood willing to give him a raise in twenty twenty five, give him a new deal, but they were not able to come to an agreement.
So what do you know, His old coach Pete Carroll, who gave him the starting opportunity in Seattle, revived Gino Smith's career. Now those two reunite once again in Las Vegas.
That's right, a reunion.
The Las Vegas Raiders have a quarterback. Gino Smith is now their quarterback and for the Las Vegas Raiders, we'll start with their side of it. Guys, it has been quite a winding road. Of course, we know they're one of the teams the team to try to trade for Matthew Stafford. He eventually stayed with the Los Angeles Rams. They explored plenty of options, but it really seemed they just weren't set on anyone at the combine. The first
conversation happened between the Raiders and the Seahawks. Hey, could this actually happened? Obviously they know each other, Pete Carroll with the Seahawks, the sides are friendly, everyone on the same page. Or could this happen and not really? Let's sort of check back, maybe stay in touch. Then contract talks really got no With Seattle. They re engaged yesterday. Had a meeting this morning between new general manager John Spytech Seahawks general manager John Snyder got together on a deal.
It is Geno Smith headed to the Raiders, a third round pick going to Seattle and Mike Seattle now needs a quarterback. Lucky for them, it's before free agency. Every option is available besides the quarterbacks you're already spoken for. That would be surprised if they target Sam Donald among others.
Yeah, Sam Donald a possibility. Klint Kubiak up there. His quarterback last year was Derek Carr. We're still waiting to see what's going to happen in New Orleans with that situation. I know the Saint said they want them back, but
they've got to come to some kind of financial agreement there. Yes, the contract negotiations with Gino Smith go back to last year when we reported that there were conversations or Geno Smith tried to have conversations about a contract last year and the Seahawks said not with two.
Years left on your deal.
He confirmed it to the media, did not seem very happy at the time that he didn't get an extension. So coming into this offseason, feeling like he proved it again, wanted an even bigger number this time around from the Seahawks. There was a gulf between the sides from our understanding here with regard to the financials on this one. So in the end, the Seahawks say, well, if we're gonna go and spend the money, let's get a pickback in return.
So they're getting a third round pick back in return.
And yeah, the Raiders had an extra third round pick because of that Devonte Adams trade when they traded Davonte to the Jets in the middle of last season, So that gave them the flexibility this new regime to still have a third round pick after making this trade with the Seattle Seahawks. So Pete Carroll gets his reunion with Gino Smith. We know he thinks highly of him, and
we know that there are two. There's one of them, Dk Metcalf, the other one being Tyler Lockett, two wide receivers that Gino Smith threw to in Seattle while Pete Carroll was the coach. I'd say pretty sure at least one of them is going to land in Vegas, Tyler Lockett being the other one. He is a free agent. We'll see even both. Maybe a reunion of all three of them with their.
Head coach, Pete Carroll. We'll see.
So again, this is going to set off a lot of different dominoes here, but let's focus in first on the two teams involved. I'll start out with Seattle. You were asking yourself, probably right now, what is that as a Seahawks plan after going ten and seven, the only double digit win team that missed the playoffs last season. They have DK Metcalf, who is in the middle right now of a trade request and they are exploring trades
for DK Metcalf. They released Tyler Lockett and now they're training their quarterback Gino Smith to Las Vegas for a twenty twenty five third round draft pick. Well, starting out with Gino here again, they were willing to give him a raise over the roughly twenty seven million dollars that
he was doing in twenty twenty five. They offered him that they had conversations, but they had one conversation yesterday and which it became a parent From my understanding that Gino Smith was not happy with the state of things. He felt like he should be making a lot more money, and that opened the door to potentially then saying okay, I was like Matthew Stafford a few weeks ago, go out and see what else is out there for Gino Smith. They have not yet done a new deal in Las
Vegas with Gino. You would anticipate that that is something that's coming before Seattle. Not only Ian, do they now have the flexibility to go out and sign another quarterback. They may well be able to sign another quarterback for the same amount or less than they stood willing to pay Gino Smith in twenty twenty five, while also picking up a third round draft pick that's going to help them build this thing the way that Mike McDonald envisions it looking as he heads into his second year.
Yeah, and my understanding of Seattle did make a good faith offer to Gino Smith from what I'm told around the Baker Mayfield area, so up into the thirties. For Gino it was met with a this is just not enough.
And if you're an organization of a starting quarterback and you are just not on the same page with value and you can somehow, some way get an option that you considered to be the same or maybe even better, or if it ends up being Sam Donald, a lot hunger with plenty of potential, this is the time to
do a trade and look for Seattle. It's a risk, right, you go into free agency knowing that you do not have a quarterback, and it's a risk, But there's not that many chairs available and there's not that many quarterbacks available.
So if you're Seattle, you know.
You got a pretty good chance at someone like Darnald, if you can outbid the Vikings, who have said publicly and probably that they want him back. This is an interesting situation for Seattle, but John Shaider, the general manager, one of the best to do it in the NFL, for sure, has a plan for how to make this happen.
Yeah.
Sorry if I look like I'm getting text from my friends saying what are you so confused about?
I'm trying.
We're told which picket is. I'm just trying to figure out if it makes sense. You guys, work on that. I texted you that there Gino Smith the yeah, please, what are you looking at me for?
Le start figuring it out. I'm on in Utah.
In here, yes, with Gino Smith here the old the quote from him after that game. You know they me off, but I didn't write back. It was a great story. It was a great It was a great job by him to restart his career here after being with the Giants, I believe with the Giants previously before him. You know, Gino had two stops in New York heads to Seattle. There now restarts in Vegas. This is a guy that has played with a lot of pride throughout his entire
career and pride helped really restart things in Seattle. He kept those mental notes in his head of everything that people had said through him throughout his career. And you know that Pete Carroll is going to feed into that. He is going to make sure that Geno Smith knows that people are rating him off, probably once again, and motivate him to once again restart his career.
They're working on getting more targets there.
We talked about the possibility of adding some wide receivers, but you know, having brock Bauers there and what we saw from him and his rookie career, his rookie season, excuse me, not a bad start from Geno Smith right there.
You know one thing I wanted to mention as you look at this new Raiders regime, Obviously they're getting a starting quarterback they have wanted one in his mid thirties. We'll see how long this ends up lasting. But to me, Pete Carroll is trying to set the culture here. Gino Smith has been in it. He is a leader. He is a guy that the other guys in the locker room considered to be one.
Of those dudes. Right.
He can go a long way in helping Max Krosby, who, by the way, just tweeted LFG which I'm not going to translate, but it means he's very excited he can help Max Krawsby kind of set this culture in Las Vegas and really be some of the translators through Pete Carroll. So so important when you have a new regime and a new coach.
All right, let's take a look at some of the other ramifications here. Again, the breaking news tonight is Gino Smith traded from the Seattle Seahawks to the Las Vegas Raiders in exchange for a twenty twenty five third round draft pick. This is significant in so many different ways. Again, we'll get to the fallout on the rest of the
quarterback market as this continues to go on. We also know Las Vegas Raiders all of a sudden have so that Max Cross have been waiting for, which is a quarterback saying let's go with another word in there, at say sign that he's very excited one day after he signed that monster contract extension. Now the Raiders are hoping that they have found their quarterback. For more on this, let's bring in our Brian Baldinger as well. As Steve
Weich into the conversation. Steve, I'll start out with you here. When you hear this news of this trade, what do you make of it? Knowing the dynamics of what the Raiders have been trying to accomplish in this offseas.
Yeah, Tom, you guys are getting the real high notes right here. Look. I saw Raiders owner Mark Davis at the Super Bowl.
He told me we have got to get a quarterback, and real quick to go to that Max cross between LFG the guy helping them quarterback Tom help him find the quarterback Tom Brady. That was a big thing for him too, and Mark Davis said they were going to lean on Tom. So now, as Ian said, they've got a veteran quarterback hen here with the experience that can help them level up and change the culture, much like the Chargers did last year. Look look at how top
that division is. They had to get a quarterback with some skins on the wall who's still got some time left in his career to get things turned around. Now, Chip Kelly, the new offensive coordinator, can start designing an offense that plays the Gino's strengths and just historically, what are the Raiders like to do.
They like to throw the deep ball. We know Gino can throw the deep ball.
So he checks some of the boxes organizationally, but more so culturally as Pete Carroll tries to turn it around. And then we'll get to the Seahawks ind of things a little bit later.
Well, see if he goes from the NFC West to the AFC West here, and you know, when you look at Chip Kelly and when he came to Philadelphia the first time, it was everything that he did at Oregon.
It was up tempo, it was spread.
Well that's the offense that Gino Smith grew up in a West Virginia.
I mean, it's exactly the same offense.
So he understands tempo, he understands shotgun, he understands getting the ball out of his hands fast.
So I think there's a matterag there.
Just going back to when Gino got that job with Seattle. I remember there was a quarterback battle him and Drew Lock and Gino won that battle. And I remember talking to Gino at that time and he said, for the first time in his whole career, he felt like the organization had his back, and Pete Carroll has his back in this deal right here.
So you got you got Pete, You've.
Got Chip, you got Gino, and they've got a quarterback here that is lined up two for more yards this year with a you know, with a coordinator that's not even in the league anymore in Ryan Grubb than he had ever thrown in his career. So he's coming off healthy, a good year, a year where they won ten games. I think it's a good win here for the Raiders right now.
And of course they also have another key player on the trade block, Steve dk Metcalf, who met with team officials a couple of days ago. The decision made that DK wanted to have a trade. The Seahawks said they are going to work at that. Minus staying is they've been in contact with a bunch of different teams here, so a chance not just to add a high draft pick for Gino, but perhaps another high pick or two. What does the Geno trade make you think about how the snow plays out with Dk?
Well, this is intriguing right now because Tom, you know, they're not going to move dk Metcalf unless these are very worthy draft picks. I spoke to someone up there today. They don't want to get rid of DK Metcalf. He's only twenty seven years old. He was only eight yard shive from having his third consecutive one thousand yard season.
And when every coordinator innervated for the interview.
For the OC job this year, one of the first topics I was told that came up with every one of them is how are we going to get dk Metcalf involved in this offense? That said, this dynamic, maybe it is a reset for Seattle when they see that
this division, this NFC West, could be open. Let's say they get into the Sam Darnold sweepstakes, they get him in here, they get him some other wide receivers, because Seattle's going to have to draft a wide receiver to go at Jackie Smith and Jigba, whether DK Metcalf is there or not, They've got to build up that area. So by stacking draft picks, and if they add more with DK Metcalf, this could be a reset of sorts.
But at the same time, Tom, as you alluded to, this is a ten win team and people out there think they're much closer than a lot of other people do. Maybe they go ahead and get a veteran, you know, a veteran widere's even Amari Cooper or someone like that, if they get rid of DK Metcalf to add to a draft pick. But I think there's a lot of layers to this now that Gino Smith is no longer part of the equation.
Baldy Steve, Let's be very clear about this. DK Metcalf is a straight dog. Yes, there's you could put him in every offense in this league and he would he would upgrade your pass game. I was amazed last year at games where they just ignored him and went away from him, like he is a nightmare for any corner if you're playing man coverage, like he's got you beat right off the bat, whether it's his release, whether it's jump ball skills, whether it's his route running, whether it's
his hunger for the ball. Like, this guy is a straight dog. And so there's gonna be a lot of teams that are interested. I mean, Seattle, I don't know what they're gonna do at this point. If he once out, there's gonna be a lot takers out there that would give up a lot to go and get him and insert him at the extra receiver in anybody's offense.
Baldy Steve thank you very much. A lot more from you guys on free agency and other topics. As this show continues to roll on, once again breaking news, I will reiterate this is real. These Seahawks training their two time Pro Bowl quarterback Gino Smith to the Raiders for a twenty twenty five third round draft pick reunion. Of course, for Pete Carroll is in the background. They're wearing some
sunglasses in his Seattle days. He was the guy who gave Gino Smith the opportunity to be a starter again, and now Gino set to rejoin his old coach in Las Vegas, which, in turn, guys, is quite possibly the first proverbial domino in a quarterback market that everybody within the league was waiting on a few things. They're waiting to see how things are going to work out in Pittsburgh, whereas Ian told us a couple of days ago, here justin field seems like the most likely option, but there's
nothing done there. It's Derek Carr, which Mike mentioned, they've been trying to figure out is there were revised content right. And then it is in Seattle where this really started to materialize and become real within the past twenty four to forty eight hours here Gino now headed to Las Vegas. We set off the top ian that Sam Darnold, from what I am told, is a minimum a leading candidate
to be the next quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks. If that indeed is the case, that means the Vikings now potentially could pivot to Daniel Jones, but he might have options elsewhere where do we stand?
Yeah, so let's go right there, because this is the biggest domino that we've seen in the quarterback world, even I would say even bigger than Matthew Stafford or somewhere in that realm, just because of what it means for so many other places.
We'll start in Seattle, I would agree.
It does feel to me feel like Sam Donald would be the first one target today if they could beat the Minnesota offer, which you know, if he's going to be their starting quarterback and they don't have someone like JJ McCarthy they're waiting, maybe Seattle would come in over Minnesota. If that's where he wants to play, then surely that
makes sense. And then the Vikings have Daniel Jones, who they really like, did a really nice job for them, but does he have other opportunities the Indianapolis Colts, who have Anthony Richardson, who want to bring in competition, They would make a lot of sense for Daniel Jones as well. And if he goes, if he wants to really come in and compete for a starting job and potentially have it long term, is Indianapolis a better place in Minnesota?
Or does he want to go with Kevin O'Connell and this Minnesota Viking team that is so well coached and did such a good job with Donald last year. So that's sort of where we're at, Mike, is the different variables of like who would choose where based on how much playing time and whether they could start, and so much has to play out next week.
Let's follow the bouncing ball and let's fill it in with some of the things that we have been talking about the last couple of days. If Sam Donald does wind up in Seattle as the next starting quarterback of the Seahawks, the fallback to which the Vikings started to work on last year is Daniel Jones, whom they brought in late last season. But Jones has other options as well. It seems as the start of the league year is approaching, so let's say he heads somewhere else.
So now the Vikings are going to.
Want some kind of competition for JJ McCarthy, a bridge quarterback, kind of what they did last year with Sam Darnold before McCarthy got injured. I had mentioned at some point that I had been told Aaron Rodgers would be interested in returning to the NFC North. We know Rogers has been in talks with the New York Giants about potentially winding up there. But if Rogers heads to Minnesota, then
where did the Giants wind up. We've got so many more holes to fill in here, and this being the first domino that's really going to get things going here, and now we're gonna have to wait until Monday when the teams can talk to some of these guys as well. But this being a domino that could really have a ripple down effect that could affect the Vikings, could affect the Giants, could affect the Steelers, could affect all these the Browns. I didn't mention them Indianapolis looking for someone
with Anthony Richardson as well. It is going to be a fun couple of days. Ian You say it all the time, you root for chaos. This is the beginning of some chaos, I believe.
I think it's fair to say besides Geno Smith and obviously the Raiders, the biggest beneficiary of what's taking place in the last hour, without a doubt, is Sam Darnold, who had a one year offer from the Vikings that he's been sitting on. Through the course of the week, there was some sense within the league that perhaps the Dnald market was not going to be as lucrative as
it otherwise might have been projected. Now, all of a sudden, with Seattle in the mix, running an offense that with Clint Kubiak calling it is pretty similar to the one in which Sam Darnold just had the best season of his career in Minnesota, he suddenly becomes that much more in demand. And I would also mention too, because again,
we've got a lot of moving parts here. If somebody else steps up now for Sam Darnald, prevents him from going to Seattle, could Aaron Rodgers even be an option for the Seahawks and reunite with one of the guys who was in Green Bay when he drafted him General manager John Schnyder. These are all possibilities. These are all things that we're going to be sorting out as we move forward. Here, We've got a lot more on free agency, a lot more on the quarterback carousel, a lot more
on the night's top story. As this edition of The Insiders rolls on once again, Gino Smith is heading to the Las Vegas Raiders, and the Seahawks need a new quarterback. Somebody's going to get this guy. James Pierce Junior one of these standouts at the scouting combine. He runs faster in a hood than anybody since James Jones is going to run all the way to our set with us.
Next on The.
Insiders, breaking news tonight, the Las Vegas Raiders have their quarterback, which happens to be their new coach, Pete Carroll's old quarterback. Within the past hour, the Seattle Seahawks and Las Vegas Raiders finalizing a trade, sending Gino Smith to Las Vegas in exchange for a twenty twenty five third round draft pick, an opportunity for Seattle to continue to make over that team as coach Mike McDonald enters his second season coming off of a ten and seven campaign in twenty twenty four.
The Raiders had been in on Matthew Stafford before he decided to stay with the Rams. They wanted a veteran quarterback as Pete Carroll tries to turn around the culture. They got one in Gino Smith, who has been to a couple of Pro Bowls as part of a career renaissance that began when Pete Carroll gave him the nod as their starting quarterback several years ago. A lot more on this story and all the fallout for all the other quarterback needy teams as this episode of The Insiders
rolls on. But first, there's some fast guys in this year's draft.
He doesn't have the compression shirt on. He's one of the few that's got the well I meant action you were call see two whoez forty. That's like me running with my my sports hube. You know, I like parachute.
That's what I'm saying.
I don't think it mattered based off that start.
Wow, okayp Lear In the Hoodie James that shows up on tape, he is explosive.
His first three steps as a rusher. He goes, he covers ground, and he goes.
And he is relaxed. Look at the hoodie flowing.
How fast is James Pierce Junior a full tenth of a second faster at any other defensive end who attended this year's scouting combine. So fast, in fact, that he just wrapped up a workout and sped over here to join us on the Insiders with me Don Pellicero as well as Ian Ravenport. Thanks for being here, James. A lot to discuss with you here, but let's start out with this. There's a lot of fascination as you heard there from Rich Eyes and Daniel Jeremiah on the hoodie.
Is the hoodie always present? Did you have any concerns about it being like a wind resistance type of a thing. Obviously didn't stop you, But tell me the backstory here.
Uh No, I just I was working out anything what I had on all day and what I was warming up in, and then I just look at tank top from off from underneath off. But when I FaceTime Coach Moen before I ran, he was like, what's up with the hoodie? Like that's gonna show you down. I'm like, this is all I got and it was go time. Then all I had to run.
Man, you could have been like like point one second faster then you would have just been everyone like just a little bit more. One of the fun things that happened, well, you know, one of the fun things that happens when you run really fast at the combine is we do the simulcast right simulcams, and like you could see you beating like Saquon and aj from the Eagles, and it's like kind of a fun thing for us. Did you
get to see Oh, he's a right here literally? Uh, Jalen hurts too, Did you get to see any of this? And what do you think when you see your forty times compared to all these superstars?
Uh? Like yeah, like you said, like, I know.
I'm running, but then that just me running with superstars, and so it just shows like my speed among superstars.
So, James, tell us more just about you your game. Do you watch certain guys in the NFL? Do you do you emulate certain people? Just just take us through what somebody in the NFL is getting from James Pierce the football player.
Oh yeah, it's just getting a great pass rusher, a great run defend of, a great overall defense defensive player, a dog on the defensive side. Yeah, I really don't watch like path rushers like just one on one pack rusher. I watched groups, but I watched Laura Taylor as well. That's probably one of my favorite pack rusher I watch.
That's a guy who's got some speed as well. You also met with a bunch of teams in India. I know that's a huge part of this process. What's been your message to teams as they try to get to know you? Like, what what about you? Do you want teams to know during.
This process.
That first of all, like that I'm just a great person, great teammate, great ball player.
And then they gained everything that.
They need, a dominant edge, a dominant player.
And so on so forward.
Jams been reading your bio.
One of the interesting things that jumps out is you ended up being a five star recruit, top fifteen recruit nationally, but you did not have a Power five offer until March of twenty twenty one, basically right before the signing period.
Do you have a growth spurt?
Did you suddenly find your game? Like? What changed there right at the end of the recruiting process.
Probably just not putting myself out there as much, Probably just been laid back, probably just letting my talents speak for yourself, probably not just really selling the talent. And then I also graduated class twenty twenty two of my high school of my high school career, so I think that was going into my senior year, my junior year summer, so.
Just a lot of people Washington.
Then, you know, when I was when I was covering the SEC, which is a long time to go, way before you were there, I was covering Alabama and Tennessee was not very good. Alabama would just beat them basically all the time. They would get to smoke the cigars in the locker room and it was a whole big thing. Since you were at Tennessee, Tennessee has won a ton
more than I can ever remember, including last year. What do you think, Look, you're going to go into the NFL and you're going to be on a team they're going to.
Talk about culture.
What did you learn about culture with what Tennessee now has built over the last several years by winning like they've done.
Well.
Yeah, Like before I got there, were super close to winning, super close to getting over at home, super close to just becoming a powerhouse.
So like it taught me a lot doing culture.
And I just especially even on the big games you talk about Thursdaturday on October.
It was a lot, just the.
Whole college steem and structure of everything, just being a powerhouse, like got one hundred and two thousand fans streaming in there and everybody on your side, and it just goes down.
So it'll teach you a lot about culture, a lot about how to stick together.
Through the ups and down after the long years of Alabama beating.
Us a lot and stuff like that.
Last thing for you here, James. You know right now, if you search the internet, you're in every mock draft.
You're somewhere.
Some you're higher, some you're lower. Do you pay much attention to what people are projecting for you? And where do you want to end up in late April here?
I really don't pay much attention to it.
It really don't bother me as long as I'm working and being at the place I'm at right now in the gym. Just got done, getting some work in, Just keep putting one foot in front of another, and just keep showing the scouts and the teams type of player around and I just keep putting out there. I feel like everything everything could go well, and I probably want to end up I feel like I'm the dam edge in the draft.
I've been there.
Yeah, I've been the best edge in the draft. Home in college for the last two years. How do you want to keep proving that? Keep showing on that production numbers down a little bit this year, but missed.
A couple of sacks when I got home. But that's not about nothing, not about too much.
Only forty eight more days, man, forty eight more days wondering, and I can see. I mean, you're literally on with us from the gym. I have a feeling most of your time is going to be spent right there. So best of luck, man. I can't wait to see you find out your home here in the twenty twenty five NFL Draft that should be here.
Thanks James, Yes, sir, thank you for having the truth. Shay John as a fast man who is still wearing a hoodie right now.
Twenty twenty five NFL Draft all kicks off Thursday, April twenty fourth in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The likes of Abdul Carter Shudor Sanders, Travis Hunter, Ashton genty, and so many more like James Pierce Junior. We'll have full coverage all the way leading up to that breaking news tonight within the past hour or a blockbuster trade three days before
free agency begins. The Raiders have landed their quarterback, and it's Pete Carroll's old quarterback, Gino Smith, traded from the Seahawks to the Raiders in exchange for a twenty twenty five third round draft pick. We had some fun off the top of the show because this news broke about two minutes before we were on the air. But exactly which of the raiders many third round picks this involved, Mike, We have finally a firm and final answer on which pick it is.
So if you were looking earlier at me, well this is I was like this, looking like, what's you know?
And because we were told he was number ninety two.
But if you go anywhere on the internet and search for NFL draft order, you see number ninety two come up as the Jets pick, and it says that number seventy three was traded from the Jets to the Raiders. That is not accurate, apparently number ninety two, So adjust your mock drafts now number ninety two belonged to the Raiders.
After the DeVante trade.
That is the pick that is going from Vegas to Seattle as part.
Of this trade.
Right here, it's very dramatic. Again, the Jets have number seventy three. The Seahawks now have number ninety two. Your three round box are all topsy terraby right now. You're just gonna have to. I'm sorry to make you work on a Friday night, so we do three round box sure. Ninety two, by the way, was originally Detroit's pick. Here's your trivia question.
Togel during the break bike. How did the Jets get that pick that they traded to the Raiders? Will find out more from you there.
It was a trade back.
No, I already thoget that it was a trade back during the draft last year.
Here you go, trade back on it.
That's how they got it. We will, We'll get the full web of everything. But there could be more draft picks on the move if the Browns ever changed their mind about their Superstar pass rusher Miles Garrett. As I reported this morning, Miles Garrett recently requested a meeting with Browns owner Jimmy Haslam, who declined to speak directly with Miles Garrett amidst his ongoing trade requests. Both sides at
this point remain dug In. The Browns have made clear publicly and privately they are not trading Miles Garrett under any circumstances. They are aligned in that off season plan. Meanwhile, Miles Garrett has also made clear, as he did with his public trade requests a month or so ago, that he intends to continue his Hall of Fame caliber career elsewhere. Obviously, Mike, there's different layers to this right now. We said it a month ago. This was going to take some time
to work through it. Jimmy Haslam deferred to Andrew Berry, saying he's the football decision maker. If you're Miles Garrett, you're also going. But I know he's not doing anything. That's why I'm coming to you. What does it all mean?
Yeah, it's.
Look, the Browns stance on this one and Jimmy Haslam's stance on this one was I trust Andrew Berry to handle this situation.
You've been dealing with him. He's the general manager.
He makes the decisions on these things, and we are in locker step from the owner down to the general manager down to the head coach. Heck, I'm sure the janitor is on board as well, saying we want to keep Miles Garrett with the Cleveland Browns this year. They have been adamant publicly. They have been adamant privately as well on this one. And Jimmy Haslem saying, no, you're not going to go around Andrew Berry.
Now you can disagree with that.
And I saw a.
Report from our buddy Albert Breer earlier today saying that Kirk Cousins got himself a meeting with ownership down in Atlanta, and Arthur Blank took that meeting. That's a different way of approaching it. In the case of the Browns, they have been criticized in the past. Jimmy Haslam has been criticized saying he medals too much. This is the opposite of meddling. I guess I know a lot of people are still going to.
Disagree with that.
I'm just telling you that that is my understanding of where the Browns stance was on this one.
I never understand how an owner can meddle. It's literally his team. It's like saying the CEO medals it's like they're in charge anyway. Whatever, That's a different soowbox for it.
Every day.
I want to focus in on the edge market here, focus in on what Tom and I mentioned yesterday, which is that Trey Hendrickson does have permission to seek a trade. Miles Garrett wants per mission to seek a trade and
wants to be traded, Trey Henderson actually has it. And my understanding here, guys, is that when Trey Hendrickson went to the Bengals with this saying I would like to be traded, I'd like to explore, the thought was that he could go for a first round pick, he could go for a premium pick, and so the Bengals were basically like, if you can go for a first round pick, explore that. Talk to teams. They certainly have had some
level of interest the Bengals have. But these veteran trades, just like the trade oh, I don't know we told you about earlier in the show, which you know Smith going for just a third, they're never quite as much as you think they are because a lot of times they're with older players trading. Since surely an older player the NFL sack leader, yes, for sure, but also wants a new contract. It's not impossible, it's not impossible, it
can be done. But for the Bengals to get a premium pick for Trey Hendrickson and agree to move on from a lot of things need to happen.
This is all part of the summer of the pass rushers we talked about on Super Bowl Sunday, because he got five or six guys who are all going to be trying to be the highest paid non quarterback in the NFL. That guy at the top, Miles Garrett, certainly has a good argument in the Browns, not for nothing, are prepared to pay him if Miles Garrett changes his mind about returning to Cleveland.
Michael Parson's up for a new contract.
Trey Hendrickson, Denil Hunter two would talk much about him, but certainly he's going to be looking for additional years only one year left on his contract. As we bring back our Brian Ballninger and Steve Watch. Okay, Baldy, you study line play more than probably literally anybody else on planet Earth. When you talk about and Trey Hendrickson potentially being available, we talk about a Miles Garrett asking for a trade. If you're their existing teams, the Browns and the Bengals, what do you.
Think, Well, I mean, I wouldn't trade either player if I was both Cleveland or Cincinnati because they're pillars. That's what you want on your defense. You want guys that can affect the quarterback on any him passed. That being said, this happens to be a great draft and a deep draft for defensive lineman if Cleveland. Now, look, if Miles doesn't want to be there and he wants out, I mean Andrew Barry should pick up the phone and talk some teams in this league to see what he could
get for Miles Garrett. Because if you look at you know what the Rams have done over the last two years, where they have completely rebuilt their defensive line and they got four studs in the last two years.
You could do that this year. There's those level of players.
Now, I'm not saying anybody is ever going to be as good as Miles Garrett is draft, but there's gonna be a lot of really good players tackles, ends, edge guys, and for Trey Henderson, like only TJ. Watt over the last five years has more sacks than Trey Hendrickson. He's from a popka, Florida and Steve. If you're from a popka like Warren Sapp or Jalen Carter, you show up and you show out. And that's what Trey Henderson has been doing in Cincinnati. They just don't recognize his value.
He helped them get to a super Bowl and within drive of winning your Super Bowl, and he was a key component to that defense.
But Baldi, you know to that point, I don't First off, I don't think either team should trade either guy.
But I'm with you on this.
Now.
It's kind of the time to strike because Miles Garrett did worked last year, as did Trey Hendrickson, and guess what, neither team made the playoffs. This could be one where leadership says, you know what, we can lose without you, and at the same time we can restock. And we know in terms of the Cincinnati Bengals, that defense has not been good. You know it was not good last year.
Lou Ana Rumo, he is now in Indianapolis. Hey, maybe pick up the phone and call the Colts if you want to see if you can get if you can move Trey Henderson to Indianapolis or maybe you know, some other teams. I think they need to explore some opportunities in the fact that the Bengals are saying, hey, Trey, go go see what's out there.
Okay, see what the market is. Maybe it's not what he thinks it is.
In terms of Miles Garrett, this is a different thing because he seems dug in to the point where he will hold out. He will not be in the summer then, like he just does not want to be there anymore. And that might be one where teams will wait and wait and wait. So, if you're Cleveland, do you want to restock on compensation for this year's draft or do
you want to wait and see? I think this is gonna be an interesting staredown because I'm sure a team like Washington and a couple other teams would love to have Miles Garrett coming off the edge feeling that they're pretty darn.
Close, Baldy, Steve, thank you very much. Tight A lot more news to come throughout the course of this show. We already had a big trade in the NFL. Geno Smith headed to the Las Vegas Raiders. Could Sam Darnold be the next quarterback of the Seahawks? Our guy Adam rankleb be here next to play Max Maker for all the different moving quarterback parts. With the first big domino having fallen, stick around. A lot more to coming see in centers.
Our top story of the day didn't really get any bigger than massive quarterback trades. Exactly what we had to start this very show to Gino Smith gets traded to the Las Vegas Raiders. I could have some sort of pun about how the Raiders called and then Gino called back, but it doesn't really make sense in my head right now. Should just know this, Gino is the new starting quarterback for the Raiders. Seattle needs one and we need to make sense of it.
So no one better to.
Make sense of it than Adam Rank Right there, Mike Grifo with him.
Two bald guys. Two bald guys are here to talk to me.
We know about Geno Smith, right, Let's start with you right there, Gino Smith to the Raiders, what do you think?
Yeah?
I love this move, you know? Or last night I'm sitting there pouring over spending hours in trying to figure out the certain matchmakers, like who would be the best fit for the Las Vegas Raiders, not thinking about justin fields and stuff like that. But Gino Smith ultimately makes the most Smith because, of course Pete Carroll probably wrote to him. Gino Smith did right back to Pete Carroll and said yes, I will come down to Sin City
and guide your offense. And of course, right when this happens, I'm sitting down, you guys are doing the A block there, and then I'm getting texts like, hey, where do I take brock Bowers? Now? In my fantasy, that's where we are, that's where we.
Are in life.
Where do I draft Bryar? Like rock Bowers excelled last year with less than spectacular quarterback play, And you might look at Geno Smith's time in Seattle and be like, no Ah Fan wasn't necessarily tearing up the league. But I think that brock Bowers is It's slightly above Noah Fan. He's going to be the most targeted player in that offense. Jacobe Myers is also going to be another guy that you want. The one thing that I'm really interested to see, And I know this isn't part of it. I'm sorry,
I'm blowing up the rundown a little bit. Ashen ashit Genty. I wonder if this is going to be something that allows the Raiders now to take a look at somebody like that. They're trying to get some skill guys around there. Obviously you know what they've got they got their wide receiver, they got the tight end. Do they make a move for Ashton Genty? A lot of people are really excited about him. We saw what happened with Saquon this year, what he meant to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Could that be something?
Could this be the big thing? So much to look forward to in the next couple of months.
We talked about Tyler Lockett potentially coming in as well, to the Raiders reuniting with Pete care Bring Marshaun Lynch back.
Bring all reunite there. That's what I'm saying.
It's so easy, just take you can just come here, come come practice, Let's play free agent matchmaker.
I feel like this. You talk about blowing up the rundown. We blow up the rundown like right before the show. Yeah, I get the rundowns. I feel like this got like easier for you.
So just take the layup, Sam Donald, let's match make Sam Darnald with the team.
Well, you guys did such a great job of laying it out in the A block. Again, sorry to use the television parlance as well, but listen, Seattle makes a lot of sense. You got the same system. Kubiak's going to be there. Last night when I was putting this together, trying to think about a good place for Sam Darnold. Now, obviously a couple of weeks ago, I was on this show saying his best his best situation is staying with Minnesota, staying with the coach that got you where you needed
to go. I do believe that if he is going to leave the Minnesota Vikings, don't go to one of the New York teams. Don't go to an uncertain situation. I believe that Pittsburgh makes a lot of sense if you look at a team that could go out there and give you a lot of success. The Steelers, you know, they're going to be in the mix of the playoffs. They're going to be above five hundred, as they always are. They've got a great defense, depending on what they do
with George Pickens. They always find a way to be competitive, especially offensively. Don't take don't just take anything. Don't get If the Tennessee Titans call, be like, yeah, hold on, I got somebody on the other line. I'll call you back later. Don't right back to that one. Sam Darnold may be a little judicious, you know, put some thought of this I think Seattle and Pittsburgh are probably the only two spots that makes sense for him in Minnesota, Seattle and Pits.
Yeah, the Jets involvement in this whole thing, by the way that DeVante Adams trade that pick being a part of this trade with a former Jets quarterback being traded away, potentially a former Jets quarterback filling in here. It's always Brian Costello tweet. It always comes back to the Jets, and it always comes back to Adam Rank. Thank you, brother, We appreciate it.
New today, Falcons quarterback still Kirk Cousins met this week with owner Arthur Blank. Made clear that he would like to have an opportunity to start somewhere in the NFL this season. My understanding, however, good meeting, but the Falcons are not budging. Still not going to release Cousins, remember, does have a no trade clause. Levante David also not going anywhere. He is back for year fourteen with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of green in terms on a one year,
ten million dollar contract. Earlier today, while the Titans moving on from Harold Landry, their pass rusher whos had about fifty sacks to the course of his career. They tried to trade him, no takers. He was due a big number, but now he's still young. Pass rusher set to hit the market. Breaking news tonight, the Seattle Seahawks have traded Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders in exchange for a third round pick, number ninety two overall in next
month's NFL Draft. Like all trades, this cannot become final and official until Wednesday, giving Geno Smith time to pass a physical and whatnot. But all kinds of falloup that's now going to impact everything else we're talking about. With a special Insiders coming up Sunday night, seven BM Easter Time, we are on All Day Freezy Frenzy on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday.
Are you were jobbing the segment? I'm ready, let's go. We're started tonight. Gino got traded. Are your phone's working? That's really the key.
Us do.
We'll find out. It's gonna be fun. See