Free Agency (Something): DK Metcalf, Geno Smith traded + Myles Garrett gets paid & MORE!

1h 7m
Dan Hanzus and Marc Sessler are back before the start of the legal tampering period to catch up on all the trades, signings and other free agency MADNESS! First, the Heroes react to the Seahawks sending WR DK Metcalf to the Steelers (3:26), Bills QB Josh Allen’s record-setting extension (8:00), and WR Davante Adams signing with the Rams (12:21). Then, we’re joined by The Athletic's Michael-Shawn Dugar to break down the Seattle Seahawks trading QB Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders (18:08). After that, we welcome James Palmer onto the show to cover DE Myles Garrett's record-breaking contract with the Cleveland Browns (40:03) and a bunch of other news (50:19) on the eve of NFL Free Agency.

0:00 NFL Free Agency
3:26 DK Metcalf Traded
8:00 Josh Allen’s Extension
12:21 Davante Adams to Rams
18:08 Geno Smith Traded
40:03 Myles Garrett
50:19 Other FA News
1:02:38 Wrap Up

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Transcript

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The Heat the Cow Podcast

cannot be bought unless you offer them like

money.

That's the gist.

It's that time of year.

It's funny money season.

It's free agent fever.

It's the free agent fur.

Free agent fissure.

Free agent food.

Free free agent fluids.

I'm losing the strength.

Dan Hansis, Mark Sessler, Sese.

This is the Sunday that wouldn't quit.

We are workshopping the

free agency tag, and I think that you were taking us through that night.

Yeah, free agency something.

That's what we're yeah.

That's where that's the working title right now.

Free agency something.

And

in the effort to be fully transparent with the audience, this is a addendum to a pod that we taped several hours ago

with Michael Sean Dugar on the Geno Smith trade and a little bit later, James Palmer and some of the various news items.

And before we

could get that show out the door, multiple bombs dropped here on this Sunday.

And let it be yet another reminder, Ceci, that

they could talk about the legal tampering period beginning on Monday, blah, blah, blah.

But this, like, the mania of free agency, like the NFL,

as is always the case, it cannot help itself.

It can't just start Monday morning.

It now bleeds deep into the weekend.

This whole weekend has been news bombs, especially now in the last couple hours as we tape this.

Yeah, the sound effect is correct.

We've been tampered with.

Dan, I know that you are, you know, you're in the Los Angeles area.

Your wife is at

South by Southwest, if I'm not mistaken.

And like you're home alone with the children, and news just keeps churning nonstop at a machine level.

So yeah, to, yeah, so far today, and it's also daylight savings, get out the violins.

But yeah, my love was the kids.

We had a baseball practice.

We had a baseball game.

We had a soccer game.

And we're just trying to like, you know, before I take the kids to Panda Express for dinner now, I'm recording a second podcast today.

I mean, it is what it is.

But, you know, we're warriors, Mark.

And I think that's what people want to know.

Like, how do you guys do it?

Well, you know.

Well, we won, uh you know feminist of the week back to back you and i you and myself and so i think people understand that we're multi-dimensional um i know justin was texting about the daylight savings scenario and he's like i don't know what to do the daylight savings is that what's happening is that is that what you said justin i don't know what to do the daylight savings yeah

he was concerned about that Yeah, I was just like looking out my window at 7.30 p.m.

Central Time, like the sun's still up?

What is this?

Oh, yeah.

We understand, Justin, and we were with you, brothers.

Wild, bro.

By the way, a reminder, live streaming all week for free agency starting on Monday, noon Easter, 9 Pacific.

We will be live with 30-30 podcasts throughout the week leading through

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, if necessary, to give you everything you need to know in the NFL as the league year kicks off.

So let's get into it.

Like I said, we're going to have Michael Sean Dugar, our buddy, jumping on to talk

elements of the Seahawks future with Geno Smith out the door.

That was recorded before the DK Metcalf trade.

So a lot happening there.

So why don't we start there?

Why don't we start with the DK move here?

Because we knew Metcalf

was a

hot in demand wide receiver, a true wide receiver one.

And then the question was, okay, they trade Geno Smith.

Are they going to follow through on this DK thing after they let Tyler Lockett get out the door?

Yes, they do.

So DK Metcalf gets moved, according to multiple reports, traded to the Steelers.

And with that, in addition to the transaction,

Metcalf gets a big extension.

Pellicero calls it a four-year, $132 million extension, the biggest contract.

in franchise history.

Metcalf had one year and $18 million left on his current deal.

So Pittsburgh sends a 2025 second-round second-round pick to Seattle, and the teams will also

swap late round picks.

DK Metcalf now in Pittsburgh.

Who's going to throw to him?

Well, that's a fair question mark.

I mean, it's a team that, you know, your leading receiver last year was Pat Fryermuth.

We love him.

It's good, good tight end, but like

not a not a receiver as your leading guy.

And so it's like, it completely changes

Pittsburgh's offense.

You're right, though.

They're incomplete.

Like, who is going to throw to him?

But like,

I am trying to, from the other angle, think of a team that went through an overhaul offensively the way that the Seahawks have.

I mean, it's just like everyone's out the door.

Everyone's gone.

And, like,

these guys are being picked up for not that much.

That's not a high cost for DK Metcalf.

I think it's a great wide receiver.

Somebody called it on the Thursday show, by the way.

First round pick, blah, blah, blah.

It always ends up being a little less than what you think.

I think it's a good trade.

This is what I'll say, Mark.

a lot of us bellyache about how boring the Steelers are.

This is an effort to try to change what's happening over there.

And the Steelers have a lot of cap space,

but they still are a little hamstrung on how to fix quarterback.

And we'll see what they do.

There's a lot of whispers out there about what they're going to go down in terms of that road.

And Aaron Rodgers is, of course, one of the names that is being loosely attached to Pittsburgh right now.

They could come out of this really surprising us, Mark, and go and whether you think that would be the right move or not,

collective view, of Aaron Rodgers to Pittsburgh.

If all of a sudden it's Rodgers there with DK Metcalf and George Pickens with that, with the defense and Tomlin leading the way, there's some juice in Pittsburgh for the first time in some time.

Well, they're trying.

If you get Aaron Rodgers, like things change a lot.

And it de-emphasizes George Pickens to some degree, who I think

has been identified as a bit problematic on some level.

He fits.

DK Metcalf just fits in the AFC North.

I just see a fit there.

And like I kind of love the addition.

You're being aggressive.

You're not taking a back seat.

The Ravens have got some issues.

So for me, I'm just like,

this is a cool move.

This is what free agency kind of is.

It's like the landscape changes and players come and go to new places and the Steelers look different to me.

And so

if you're a Steelers fan, you'd have to say we're at least trying.

Who the quarterback is, though, is a massive question in the next chip to fall.

Yeah, and

it will this week, most likely.

We'll see what happens with Pickens.

Pickens is entering a contract year where he's going to make $3.4 million.

PFT noted it's roughly 10% of Metcalf's new money average.

That is stuff that you hear, like that stuff matters in locker rooms and Pickens, who is somebody who might be a little bit difficult to deal with.

Is it possible this move was made by Pittsburgh to then spin Pickens somewhere else?

We're going to have to see.

But as a one-two punch, if they can make that work, it's interesting for the Steelers.

So we'll see where they go from here.

And again, in just a few minutes, we'll talk with Michael Sean Dugar more about the Seattle side of things and where they go now that they.

uh have moved on from yes both dk mechaf but yes gino smith as well.

Uh, all right, in other quarterback news, and this is big news, and it dropped like a bomb in western New York.

Josh Allen and the Bills, yeah, they're staying together.

They reached agreement.

Not that we thought that they weren't staying together, Cess, right?

But this is like they're taking care of their dude, the reigning MVP.

They reach agreement on a record-setting six-year, $330 million contract that runs through the 2030 season.

That includes $250 million guaranteed, the largest guaranteed total ever given to an NFL player.

So Josh Allen,

everything the Bills ever could have hoped for and more as a former top 10 pick back in 2018.

And he eclipses Deshaun Watson, who previously had the record for guaranteed money, which was 230, all guaranteed in that cursed Browns trade and signing.

So Josh Allen gets the bag, as they say, buddy.

I mean, I feel like the financial, like these deals, like they're just going to happen in these offseasons.

This is massive money.

It kind of speaks a lot to the salary cap, to NFL, the way that quarterbacks are paid compared to 10 years ago.

Great move.

Why would else you do it?

Like we are watching players like Matthew Stafford was in theory dangled out for a trade.

Like Geno Smith is moving on.

Like the Bills are sort of saying, no matter what's happened to Buffalo, we are all in for the next half decade plus on this person.

And

correct move.

I don't know what else you do.

You just pay.

I'm just curious, yeah.

The real thing,

what does it do in terms of flexibility for the bills?

And how is the contract structured?

You know, some of these big-time guys will put a lot of wiggle room in the language that allows them to get paid, yes, but also allows teams to spend, like Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen's previous deal, I think, kind of was like that as well.

So there are elements of the contract that it's fair to wonder

how much it will hamstring the team.

But listen, like, you do what you got to do.

And I'm thinking,

Justin, if they made this move now, they did it with...

You know, obviously we're keeping Josh Allen long term.

But how do we now, during this window in his absolute prime, do we set up the roster and the salary cap to be able to bring in talent around Josh to finally get it done?

So that's probably a big part of the decision-making decision-making here as well on the eve of the league new year.

Yeah, you're tossing to me for analysis.

I love it.

Let's do it.

Josh Allen and the Bills.

Amari Cooper is a free agent.

James Cook's a free agent.

They have a lot to figure out, so they got to get the numbers.

What?

Is this not happening?

No.

Why are you laughing?

It was just funny the way you said that.

But then you didn't even hit your grave digger drop.

You're so caught off guard.

I was caught off guard.

Yeah, I mean, the Bills, like, we saw them try to move away from having that one target on offense, Stefan Diggs, and move to this spread the ball around system.

So, obviously, Josh Allen is the maestro that makes it all go.

There was never a world where Josh Allen wasn't going to be the Bills' starting quarterback for the next decade.

This sort of keeps the money more manageable and pays him at a rate that he deserves to be paid at because he was tied to this team regardless.

Like, they didn't need to do this this year.

They definitely didn't need to do it today.

But if if they're going to do it, do it today before free agency opens so that you have like the full picture of what your salary cap sheet is going to look like over the coming.

Yeah, and they ripped up the final four years he had remaining on the current contract.

So they just kind of did it over again.

And yeah, you would think, like I said, this was done with, you know, trying to set them up long term.

And in terms of locking in with a quarterback, there are...

Few guys I could think about in the history of the league that I'm more comfortable with in terms of, okay, is this guy's body going to hold up?

He's built like a tank.

He never misses games.

Allen and the Bills are a great marriage.

He just fits everything about the Western New York vibe and the Bills.

So good for them.

I wish my team drafted him back in the day, but they did not.

Good for you, Bills fans.

And maybe, maybe one day he gets you over the hump and back to the Super Bowl.

Any other news?

Devontae Adams.

Good for you, Devontae Adams.

You know what I mean?

Like, right.

We don't know where, we do not know at this moment, Jinx, where Aaron Rodgers is heading.

But we do know

that

Devontae Adams, the last couple of years, it's been routinely explained that, you know, wherever Aaron goes, Devontae wants to go.

So that might change here because Devontae Adams agrees to a two-year deal with...

the Los Angeles Rams.

Initial report from Ian Rappaport indicated that, by the way,

Metcalf trade.

If you want to talk about how the sausage gets made, I was looking at my phone when the Metcalf trade went down.

I don't even know.

It was either the Metcalf trade or the Josh Allen trade.

It doesn't really matter.

Schefter, Rappaport,

and Schultz, literally the same second the tweet came out from all.

Yeah, agent texts you, then you text it, you tweet it, you know.

And I don't know how, but the same second, like I looked at it, it was 31, 30, 29.

I'm just like amazed by,

I mean, listen, like that is a life.

That, like, you are staring at your phone and literally putting down your phone to go get an iced tea

could be the death of you within that world.

I don't know how people do it.

I really don't.

It's, I mean, I would say that if on the on this day and on these days specifically, like they are sitting by the phone and no family interference.

There will be no

other rituals that are involved at all.

So, like, it's basically.

Sami's not at the soccer game today in the basement?

No, they're like at the starting gate.

So, like, the minute that that agent information arrives, like, they will be separated by like a mere second to get.

Now, now, like, we did a show, and then I went and took a nap and woke up to 106 text messages from the two of you.

It was like, where are you?

Wake up, let's go, let's go.

It's like, whoa, hello.

But, like, I'm not an insider.

But, like, and then I think people can see that clearly.

But, like, here we are.

So

you're inside my heart, Mark.

Devontae Adams, yes, heading to the Rams.

The top 10 football insider.

It is.

The report is that the deal is worth $46 million, $26 million of that guaranteed.

As I said, Adams, even at 32,

really played like a number one wide receiver

when he got to the Jets with Aaron Rodgers.

He finished the season with 85 for 1,063 and eight total touchdowns, but that doesn't really tell the whole story.

I really thought he performed really what you would expect from Devontae Adams.

And now you put him as the obvious here replacement for Cooper Cup.

And now you pair Devontae Adams with Puka Nakua.

And that's very nice.

That is a, I like the way that sounds.

And I think Stafford, if they could keep Stafford upright, this offense, this pass game, is not going to miss a beat with Cooper Cup going wherever Cooper Cup heads probably later this week.

Well, you just trust it.

Like, I just trust

like the McVay offense with

Adams and Stafford.

And like, we're in a world where like, I never, I kind of think this probably never was going to happen, but we could have had a world where the Rams didn't have Matthew Stafford and they didn't have Cooper Cup and you're filling in the blank with, you know, Jimmy G or someone else.

Instead, you have Stafford.

You've got Puka and you now have Devonta Adams.

Like this team believes they are a true Super Bowl competitor.

That's how they see themselves.

And they've aggressively rebuilt themselves.

And this is a massive moment for the NFC West.

Like, I think this is a Super Bowl contender.

And you really can't look at them in a different way.

Yeah, they seem like a team that could be ready to take the next step with a good free agency, good draft class.

And like I said, I think Adams will fit in very well with that offense.

And you know that Sean McVay knows exactly how to use him.

And to your word, Mark, yes, I trust that that's a good fit for Adams.

And even if he's not playing with Aaron Rodgers, he's put himself in a good situation here

to, in what will be, you know, the final years of his, you know, as a player or a high-level player, he's in the right spot to thrive.

A few more quick things before we throw it to Michael Sean Dugar.

The Patriots are signing Harold Landry, who was cut loose by the Titans, to a three-year deal for $43.5 million with $26 million fully guaranteed.

Big money.

Also getting big money.

This is from Jordan Schultz.

Linebacker Jamian Sherdwood will resign with the Jets.

Also, similar money, $45 million, $30 of that guaranteed.

Sherwood really, he stepped in for C.J.

Mosley last season and became an anchor for the Jets middle of their defense.

So keeping him was a smart move.

And the Falcons have agreed to a two-year, $45 million extension with left tackle Jake Matthews.

That's from Rap Sheet.

So that's where we're at, Ceci.

And we're not recording again today.

So, you know, NFL, that's it.

The door is being closed on this end until tomorrow morning as we throw it now.

Do you have any final words before we

learn?

We're going to have to learn about ourselves from a couple hours ago?

What if we learned that Tom Brady out of pocket

decided to join Al-Qaeda?

We probably would re-record on some level a story like that of that nature.

That's like a little we'll do that on Rolling Thunder.

How about that?

I like that.

I think that's the tonally that fits over there.

All right.

Without further ado, I want to throw to John Schneider, the general manager of the Seattle Seahawks, who just about a week and a half ago had this to say about Geno Smith.

Geno Smith has been your starting quarterback ever since Russell Wilson was traded to the Broncos, entering the last year of his contract.

Mike McDonald's made it clear that's his guy.

I mean, is there any doubt that Geno Smith is the guy for 2025?

No, I mean, Geno will be meeting with his guys down here.

And yeah, and I don't foresee him not being with us.

Why do we even send in these GMs and coaches to Indy at this point if they're just going to lie to our faces?

I need the truth.

Tell the truth.

Tell the truth.

Tell the truth.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

We need that.

So, Mark, let's do it.

Let's go to someone who really knows the truth and what's going on up in Seattle after a blockbuster trade.

Geno Smith headed to the Raiders.

Joining us on short notice, and we really appreciate it.

The great Michael Sean Dugar of The Athletic.

Money Mike, what's up, baby?

What's up?

How are you guys doing?

Oh,

Mike.

A Sunday.

Not a Sunday.

Money Mike, on a Sunday.

I like that.

Listen, Mike, we are so happy to have you here.

And there's a lot going on with this, Mike, because not only are you no longer, as the beatman of the Seahawks, responsible for Geno, you might have Sam Darnold coming in through the front door on top of it.

Take us.

Let's start.

Let's go one thing at a time, though, Mike.

Let's go with the, because that's pretty heavy.

I know it's a loaded thing if you listen to our show and you know where Mike stands on Darnold.

But with the Geno Smith move, you heard Schneider lie at the combine.

That's what they do.

How shocked were you that this went down, this move sending Geno Smith to the Raiders for a third-round pick?

I wouldn't even call it Schneider lying because I would imagine at that point, so that was Tuesday of the combine.

They met with Geno's guys, according to Schneider, on Friday.

I just know how fast, quickly, how quickly things change in the NFL.

What's true Tuesday may not be true Saturday.

I do believe that he thought there was no doubt at the time of what he said to Chris Sims and Mike Florio of Pro Football talk that there was no doubt that Geno will be their guy for 2025.

I do believe he thinks that.

I also believe that they had a number in mind that they felt Gino was worth.

It's kind of unclear what that is.

Report now that it was somewhere between 40 and 45 million a year.

Another report that was around 35 million a year.

I'm still trying to get to the bottom of that.

One,

it kind of goes back to what we talked about in our 10 commandments about like for the media agent fluff, you know, what these deals are genuinely per year versus what they're worth up to per year.

I think that's very important to consider with Gino.

Remember, his last deal was worth $25 million as a base, but it was worth up to $35 million per year with performance escalators.

That's a huge difference in reporting depending on who you get that information from and how you want to present how the Seahawks felt about Gino.

So I think that's part one of what John said and how the Seahawks feel about Gino.

Part two, going to

whether I was surprised, not necessarily because I've always felt that

Geno's teammates and Geno's coaches coaches felt stronger about him than John Schneider in the front office.

You can just kind of see with how they, how John talked about him versus Geno, versus how Mike McDonald talked about him, how Pete has talked about him, how his teammates have felt about him.

Hell, how opponent coaches have talked about Geno has been stronger than John Snyder, who last offseason at the combine, this was John also telling the truth, he said Geno is our quarterback until he's not.

And I kind of overlooked, I would imagine, outside of Seattle, but here I heard that because I was at the Combine.

I said, that's nuts.

And that means you don't love this guy.

You just can't imagine.

I can't imagine someone feeling that way about me if my wife was like, yeah, he's my husband until he's not.

Like, come on, man.

That's not how vows work.

That's not even an answer.

It's really not an answer.

Right.

You know, so when John said that last offseason, and then when Geno's agent called John or, you know, reached out to John and said, hey, let's talk about extension last offseason sometime around the spring or summer.

And John basically shut it down.

That told me that there was a gap in how Geno saw himself versus how John Schneider in the front office saw Geno.

And when you recognize that there is that gap, there's always a possibility for divorce, which is what happened here.

I have no problem

with

a decision to move on from Geno Smith.

Like, I kind of think like we understand he's in a certain tier of quarterback, but like if you are Mike McDonald and you're entering year two, you moved on from your offensive coordinator, like DK Metcalf could be out the door.

Lockett's out the door.

Your quarterback's out the door.

Like, what is the, how are you, if you were, if you were to pitch this to Seahawks fans, like, what is the bigger picture here?

What are we trying to do by September that locks us in as a team that's attempting to win our division?

Well, that's a tough sell for Seahawks fans.

I can't, I'm very bad at selling hope, but let me give it a shot.

There's money to spend and offensive linemen that would upgrade the roster available for purchase, per se.

You got multiple centers that would upgrade the situation, multiple guards that would upgrade the situation.

You'd be overpaying for average to above average players in these instances, but at the end of the day, you still have to field centers and guards, right?

Like whether they're expensive or they're cheap, you have to put three guys out there at a center and two guard spots.

So you can do that.

That's there are viable paths to that, whether you get a Drew Dahlman, whether you get a Josh Myers, where you get a Ryan Kelly, where you get a Will Fry's,

Aaron Banks, whatever.

There are ways to upgrade the offensive line, which has been the problem for like legitimately a decade.

You upgrade that.

You have a fixed defense, which I do believe is legit.

I believe in Mike McDonough's defense.

You have that.

You still have JSN.

You have a draft class that can produce wide receiver twos.

I don't think this draft class has many wide receiver ones, but it has twos.

You get you a two.

to complement Jackson.

You fix your run game, your offensive line.

You're downgrading a quarterback, but upgrading the support,

which is perhaps a path to being a better, more competitive team in 2025, as long as Mike McDonald takes the defense up to another notch, 2023 Baltimore levels.

That's probably the best I can do.

Yeah.

And I get, I personally get why this marriage ended on both sides, because what Geno has given the Seahawks for the past few years is nice.

I mean, when you could be a productive quarterback, right, but not cost a ton of money, you're kind of threading a needle that doesn't really exist.

When we're going to, we'll talk about it later.

Like Derek Carr, who's at this point well on the other side of the Dalton line, in my opinion, just is going to get 40 million from the Saints this year.

So if you're Gino, you're like, I'm better than a lot of these fools.

Like, I should be getting at least 40 a year.

They wrote me off.

I ain't right back, though.

And then

if you're the Seahawks, then you have a situation where it's like, listen, we like Gino.

Gino's good, but Gino's not great.

And what are we trying to do?

We're trying to win a Super Bowl.

Maybe it's just time to take a different angle.

I get all that.

The question, the bigger question is, what does this mean for the Seahawks now going forward, Mike?

Is this a team heading toward some type of rebuild, at least on one side of the ball?

Like, does this change the DK Metcalf conversation?

And whither Sam Dardold, are you hearing the same things that are out there right now that that is almost like part two of this, the other shoe that's going to drop?

Yeah, on the Donald part, yeah, I believe that Darnold smoke, I believe, you know, my colleague Diana Rossini, she's been all over this.

She's done good work on this and she was on it like with her tweet of the trade like she immediately had oh yeah they're targeting darnold um which kind of aligns with how the seedox operate you know they would not have gotten rid of gino without a plan already in mind something probably close to to set in stone you know um i don't know how close the darnold thing is to being real but i believe that that's option number one for them and it would make sense for darnold right if if you want to go somewhere that's like competent you don't want to go where i mean you're crossing off the Jets for obvious reasons.

You probably don't want to go back to New York and play for the Giants.

The Steelers are kind of already in their talks with Russ and Justin Fields.

If they're not, they being the Steelers, not willing to throw you a bag, you're running out of suitors.

Yeah, what's his options?

His options don't, he doesn't feel like a guy with a ton of options.

And so, Seattle popping up felt like very helpful to his market.

Oh, yeah, absolutely.

So, I believe that is option number one.

As you guys know on this show, I am not super high on Sam Darnold,

but he's at least, it's something you you can sell to

the fan base if you build around him.

That would be the sell.

It's like, we just saw Sam play the best he's ever played when he had help.

We're going to give him help.

That's how you sell it.

Whether that comes to fruition or not, it is something that you can legitimately put out

as a blueprint.

We just saw Sam ball out Pro Bowler, like deservedly so, too.

Is it a fluky one year?

Maybe, but you see what happens when Sam had a competent O-line, at least until that playoff game, a good play caller, perhaps one of the better ones in the league, a great defense, run game, play action-heavy scheme, as good a supporting cast as you're probably going to find in the NFL outside of the Eagles.

Like there, you can sell it.

You can sell it for sure.

I personally am not buying it, but you can sell it.

And that really spells out what the Seahawks are doing here.

I mean, this is the same team that got rid of Bobby Wagner and Russell Wilson in the same offseason and told the fans they wanted to win.

You know, that if you can do that at that time, you can get rid of Geno and DK and send the same message.

Whether I agree with that or not is a different story, but like if from John Snyder's view, this is not totally dissimilar of a situation in terms of guys you're getting rid of while still trying to compete.

I think one of the, like as the beat reporter, you're inside, you're inside the room, inside the house, and you can see like power structure.

And for the person out there that's just following these moves, like.

John Schneider, who you kind of mentioned on our last show, like was maybe not always the most popular person with certain players.

Like that makes sense for for a gm but like you got john schneider you got mike mcdonald the new coach um what is the power structure and who's calling these shots and like is mike mcdonald is he being heard here

that's a good question i would imagine he's being heard but there's going to be a different dynamic than pete because pete ultimately had veto power you know he was the like vice president of the football ops or something contractual that allowed him to have the final say according to john and just kind of how i've heard it over the years pete didn't use that very often um and in fact there are instances of pete deferring to john and letting guys that he liked walk away you know uh now pete is pretty confident he feels like he can go out there and win with the right type of guys no matter what but i mean russ left you know a little different circumstances but bobby didn't come back that first time Pete would have loved to have Bobby.

He wanted to have Bobby back.

He did not want to cut Bobby.

He said that while sitting next to John Snyder after they cut Bobby.

So you can see, even with veto power, John was still running the show.

Now, now let's talk about that in the context of Mike McDonald.

He does not have that veto power.

So who do you think is running the show?

You know, it doesn't mean that John's walking in there saying, this is what I'm going to do.

Shut up, little man.

I've been doing this for 20 years.

No, that's just not how it's going to work.

One, he's bigger than him, so you can't call him little man.

But two, John recognizes the importance of a collaborative process.

I believe, without talking to Mike, that he would have liked to have Geno Smith in 2025.

He just told us a month ago he can win a a championship with Geno Smith.

I don't think anything in Geno Smith game has changed unless his right arm has fallen off.

That would lead Mike to think something else other than the fact that he can win a championship with Geno Smith.

So I think Mike is being heard

where it's defense, offense, special teams, coaching hires, draft prospects, free agent discussions, you know.

But ultimately, this is what John is willing to pay guys.

And as you guys know, in the NFL, what you're willing to be paid is interpreted by the players a lot of times as how much you are valued.

You know, you can say you love me, the coach can say you love me, or whatever.

But when I get in that room and my agent comes back and says, You offered X, and I believe I'm Y, well, I'm going to associate, I'm worth Y, I'm going to associate that with how much you want me around.

And John has had a history of telling guys how often he wants them around, or whether he's willing to give him a contract extension and negotiate.

The Seahawks under John Snyder have dealt with all kinds of stuff: people holding out Cam Chancellor, Marshawn Lynch, Earl Thomas, guys asking for trades, star players asking for trades, you know, guys actively just not liking John and loving Pete and still going out there and playing hard.

So I think this is John is really the focus of the organization at the end.

Now he's running the show and you can kind of see it by the moves.

It doesn't mean Mike McDonald doesn't have to ultimately sign off, but I think John having the final say is very notable and how you get to positions where they're jettisoning their two-time Pro Bowl receiver and their two-time Pro Bowl quarterback while also trying to win.

Last question, and then we'll say goodbye and thanks again, Mike.

So who are the Raiders getting here?

So again, in a vacuum, I think it's a great trade for the Raiders.

They're getting a proven,

durable,

productive veteran quarterback.

He's 34 years old now.

He has one year left on his deal.

Right now, he's a bargain comparatively.

When you look around the league, I think right now it's what, 35 million.

Right now, they might do business, obviously.

But one note I want to point out that Smith in his last three years in audit has been 7th, 14th, and 21st in QBR.

Have you seen any type of drop-off in Geno's play in recent years?

Is there anything to that beyond just scheme and every season's different?

Like, are the Raiders getting a good quarterback, in your opinion?

Yeah, I think they're getting a good quarterback.

I actually think Gino has gotten a lot better with some of the nuances of the game,

his decision-making, his footwork managing sacks.

He took a lot of sacks that 2022 season.

A lot of bad ones, I would say.

I don't know the volume off the top of my head, but he mitigated damage a lot more than his raw numbers would suggest, which speaks to how bad the supporting cast was around him.

So yes, I think the Raiders are getting a good quarterback.

And I think perhaps also important, secondary to that, is that they're getting someone who can reinforce Pete Carroll's messaging and culture, you know, which was very important when he arrived in 2010.

He had guys like Laurie Malloy, who I believe had played for him in New England way back when.

He had guys like Lofa Tatupu, who was on that Seahawks team in 2010 when Pete showed up, who had played for Pete, I believe, at USC at the time.

So those guys are important because every coach can come in

and have their message, whether it's Rah Rah, whether you're trying to do the Patriot way, like we've seen like Matt Patricia's and Josh McDaniels guys do.

You need players.

Players set the culture.

You need players to echo that.

Whether they sign Tyler Lockett as well, or just bring in some maybe other guys that have played for Pete.

I think Gino is going to be very important in that because Pete's a different type of head coach.

He has his way about doing things, and some guys might not be on board with that, you know, in the Raiders.

Some guys will be, but Geno will be.

And as a leader on the team,

it would surprise me quite a bit if he was not a captain.

I believe he'll be a team captain with the Raiders, depending on how they want to do that.

That's important, you know, because Pete's going to, some days are going to be hard.

Some days are going to be good.

You know, they might go through some losing streaks or whatever.

You're going to need players, not just coaches, to help ride the ship.

And I think Geno is a really good guy for that because he's someone who believes in Pete's culture because he's seen it work.

There you go.

You're absolutely right about that.

They have a leader, a quarterback, and a brain trust together on that field.

Money, Mike Dugar, you've done it again.

Thank you, my friend.

And we'll see you a little later in the week.

All right.

I appreciate you guys.

You're the man.

Peace.

See you later.

That was very cool of Mike to jump on and give us the Seahawks side of it and a little more on Gino.

Before we welcome in James Palmer, are you playing on Underdog yet?

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Money Mike gives us the lowdown on Geno Smith to the Raiders.

Let's bring in James Palmer.

Let's bring in JP.

Let's keep moving.

Wow, we have

what an unbelievable benchmark here.

James Palmer, what's up, buddy?

From Colorado.

Hey, guys.

Hi.

Is this live?

Sure.

It's tape to live.

You know, one of those live to tape.

That's what they call it.

We just had Money Mike on talking about the Seahawks side of the Geno Smith trade.

There was a report out there from Burt Breer, James, that the Seahawks offered Geno and DK Metcalf for Max Crosby.

The Raiders, quote, quickly declined.

Did you hear anything else around the Raiders side and see anything about this deal before we move to other waters?

Yeah, I think one of the things that we have to remember, and I've talked to Max about this like probably last year, I think.

And there's a lot to like about what he brings off the field, too, that I know correlates with Pete Carroll, which is part of the quick no.

Like the bringing in a herd of guys at 5 a.m.

to lift with him.

Like the culture that he's created already with the Raiders is something very appealing to Pete Carroll and what he's trying to build quickly on top of obviously a great player on the field.

I think those

part of it as well were things that Carroll didn't want to leave out of the building because he's kind of like the Pied Piper in terms of creating the culture there.

I really like...

I like what they're doing.

I mean, I think the Gino move makes them a more serious team.

Like you could take this team seriously with Geno, even if you don't see Geno as a star player, which he's not, but to me, a very solid option, as long as you don't go crazy now and hand out a goofy extension that makes is overpaying for what he is, like finding that sweet spot.

But Gino on the offensive side, who's a leader, as Mike said, that guys respond to Max Crosby on the defensive side of the ball, and then a guy and Pete to oversee it all, Ceci.

Like, that's, that seems like the Raiders, you know, I don't want to, these teams that are always bad, you,

you kind of jinx yourself by saying, oh, they figured it out.

That's great.

Maybe they're starting to figure some things out here.

Yeah.

Pete Carroll does not want to spend four and a half years creating

how the room should look, the culture, the feeling, the energy, the conversation, the verbalization.

Like, that's happening right away.

Like, to your point, James, I'll never forget.

I went to report on the final Raiders game in Oakland.

They play the Jaguars and they lost.

Like, thank you, Derek Carr, but they lost.

But like.

There was a woman, photographer, on the side.

That wasn't his fault.

That was one of the most egregious blown calls ever, really?

I'm just saying, I'm not pinning it on one side.

And Derek Carr always taking shots.

You were there.

You knew he slid down to win the game.

They screwed him, bro.

It's true.

It's not really a Derek Carr scenario, but like on the sideline before the game, when I was down there for all the fanfare, there was a very powerful woman taking photos with a gigantic, one of these giant cameras.

I mean, powerful woman.

Very powerful in her body and in her spirit.

And like, it was the mother of Max Crosby.

She is a photographer, and she was down there on the sideline photo capturing.

And he was a rookie at that point.

It was his first season.

And like, who knows what would have come from this?

But

I do think, to your point, that the Raiders this offseason feel like they finally, and we can't just say it's Tom Brady, but like the Raiders have some sort of compass or direction at this point.

They've got some growth.

It's been a long time.

They felt like a floating.

ship on the sea to me and they feel a little bit different now.

Are we talking 12 and 5?

No.

We're not talking about 12.

No, but we're talking like

in a division where like we can't we've never taken you seriously with the uh in the mahomes uh afc west era but now it's like we got tom brady in there making moves like we've taken the owner he's got a wonderful haircut we've moved him out of the way a little bit so yeah i like that yeah i mean you hit me with a i don't know six and a half over under on uh

on Raiders.

I'm banging the over.

Let's go.

I'm going over eight.

Over eight.

I'm curious what they do weapon-wise for him because like they're, they're kind of quietly shopping Michael Meyer.

They're kind of quietly looking around to see if anybody wants like Jacoby Myers.

Like, how do we shuffle this around?

And we still need an X, right?

We need a number one

to like a big body receiver on the outside with Brock Bowers, who I talk to people around the league all the time, guys.

Like, there are many people around the league league.

This is the best tight end in football already after one year.

And then I look at the O-line compared to what Geno came from.

That's my fear of Sam Darnold, if you want to get into it, if he's the one who ends up winding, running that offense for Seattle, Seattle, because that offensive line is not good.

And that played a part in Geno's, some of his turnovers and the 50 sacks.

I think this group is a little bit better that Geno be behind,

at least the Raiders do.

And they think that's going to be a little bit added impulse to Geno as well.

And I'll save my Sam thoughts for when something actually goes down.

But

my faith in Sam Darnold isn't blind.

The situation and the fit has to be there.

And while Seattle would be better than, say, New York or something, I would be a little bit nervous.

Okay.

Let's see what else is going on.

Huge news came down this morning with the Cleveland Browns.

Miles Garrett, he had demanded out.

He used Super Bowl Week from New Orleans as a soapbox to scream.

He wanted to go somewhere because he wanted to win.

And guess what?

Money wins in the end.

It always does because the Browns pony up a massive contract contract for their star defensive end, $123.5 million in guaranteed money, averaging $40 million a year.

It makes Miles Garrett the highest paid non-quarterback in NFL history.

So you have in,

James, in Miles Garrett, a guy that

is the face of the Browns at this point, and you keep him in the building.

You have to pay him like a quarterback to do it.

Your thoughts on the move and whether this is something the Browns will live to regret or this is something they had to do.

Am I going to say something nice about Jimmy Haslam right now?

Oh, like, do it.

I did put this out on the Twitter X world: like, this is kind of wild.

Like, your star player wants to meet with you, and you do not want to meet with him.

And you rebuff the invitation.

Usually, what happens across the league is what?

Like, when things get to the point that they were at, where Miles Garrett is like hinting out there through some intermediaries, like, I'm willing to miss some games.

This is going to go for a while.

Usually what happens?

The owner steps in, right?

The owner, they step in and they find a way because they're usually great businessmen, right?

They work the room and they find a way to find middle ground.

Haslam didn't do that, didn't meddle, and he let Andrew Berry take care of it.

And I texted some people this morning in that building being like, how did this happen?

How did this 180 happen?

And one of them back was like, the only two people that truly know are Miles and Andrew.

And I was like, wow, that's kind of interesting.

Did Jimmy Yaslam allow his general manager to make this happen?

Like by staying out of the way?

Like, I'm kind of curious.

And we'll find out soon, probably, as we all of us will be digging on how this finally went down.

Obviously, the money is a huge part of it, but there had to be something said on Andrew Berry's part about what he sees doing with the number two pick, what he plans to do with the rest of the organization over these next maybe 18 months.

And you have to think part of that sold Miles Gared as well as the money because he does think a little differently.

He does, if you've ever interacted with him, Miles is wired a little bit differently.

And so I think there was a pitch in there that maybe Jimmy Hassan let Andrew Berry make, and it might have hit, honestly, because the deal's done.

I was never in this for the money.

I was.

That's why I did this show.

But it turns out that the money was an absolute necessity for me.

I don't know, Justin, like Justin, our producer, texted me earlier, like, are you happy that this happened?

As a, you know, a lifelong Browns fan, like,

I don't know.

Oh, Ceci, you're killing me.

Oh, wow.

Why?

Why?

He's been on our show twice this offseason, leading segments, ruining that the Browns can't keep their star players.

I suggested they traded him on the streets.

I was seguer for the Browns that.

Miles wants out and what a failure it is.

And then the Browns pony up and keep your guy and you say, and you're still not happy.

Utter nonsense.

I literally suggested on our last show that they trade him to reorganize the entire franchise.

Like, here's my problem.

When you are unsuccessful as a sports team, you've got these players saying, like, I don't believe the vision.

I'm not sure what the vision is.

Like, I want out.

Like, you're treating the team like a disgraced wife or husband.

I don't like the way that this went down this entire offseason.

It feels disrespectful if you're a Browns fan.

And I would be like, fine.

To me, I would think a lot of Browns fans were siding with Miles Garrett, Mark.

I'm not a lot.

I also, I see his point of view, but like that now, like money solved it.

Like, I guess the mystery is, and you're right, James, where we need Nancy Drew to come in in her like pastel outfit and come and solve all this.

It's like, what is it that Miles Garrett was told?

that makes him happy?

Because his whole thing, like he, I get it, he's a poet, he's like intellectual, but it's like he wanted to be told that the organization had a vision.

What was he told that solved all of this?

Because all I think he was told was money.

Wow.

So don't

come at me with this high horse of like, suddenly the Browns came at you with a vision of what they're going to do.

The Browns can have visions all day long.

Will they achieve it?

That's a whole different, we don't know what they can achieve.

Like Miles Garrett was, the vision was money.

Yeah.

Well, I would think that's okay, though, right?

Like he was a negotiator.

It's okay, but don't don't come at me saying like, I want to to be part of a winner.

I want to be, look, they're not a winner, and they may not be a winner.

You want money, and you got it.

And so, have a nice time.

That's where I'm annoyed with it.

Like, move on from someone that actually needs something different than money.

You needed a, you want to go to a winning team.

I get that.

You want to go to the commanders?

I get it.

In this situation, you just took the money.

And, like, I, and I don't, I don't

go.

Now, whether, I think I, now I get, I think, what you're saying, which is you are a factory of sand this is not necessarily into kind of the method he took and what he put out there.

The method was pretentious.

The method was pretentious.

Say, I want money, pay me.

So I'm like, I get that.

We'll pay you.

But like, don't tell me I want all this organizational hoopla.

And then all they had to do was pay you.

And like that, and I'm done with my point, but like, you know what I'm saying?

Like, don't sell it to me.

I hear it.

I hear it.

Because now, because what really comes off as disingenuous is when the agent or the spokesman for Garrett says, oh, after the conversation, conversation, Miles now sees the vision and blah, blah, blah.

Okay, don't, all right, don't, you know, don't pee down our leg until

it's raining.

You know, it's just like, like, we know what happened here and he got his bag.

And now the question becomes, James, like, can,

are the Browns sufficiently built to build around a player at a quarterback rate for a defensive end?

Like, does this make it more likely that they go and get a young quarterback that's on a rookie deal?

Are they going to have to get cheaper quarterback in the free agent field.

I want to see which way.

Now let's see.

Okay, how do you do this?

You just promised Miles that you're going to build a winner and you're going to pay him.

How do you do this now?

Yeah, well, there's a couple of things.

We do have to remember, too, like the Browns never hid that they were going to pay Miles Garrett.

Like they've been saying that for a long time that they were going to pay Miles Garrett.

Like it's not like this is like, oh, no, we have a problem.

Here's a load of cash.

They were, they have, they have been preparing to give him this contract for a period of time.

Like it didn't come out of nowhere.

Now,

everybody that I talk to in the league, pre-combine, post-combine, they're taking a quarterback like

at two.

Do they stay or do they try to move up to one?

I think what the Titans have right now is

They've created a little bit of buzz for one when we thought a couple weeks ago there was none, when there's not really two surefire quarterbacks.

We left the combine essentially with one quarterback in Cam Ward, in all honesty, But still, they've been able to trump up some of this with the Giants and with the Browns and where they stand.

And are they going to take a guy?

Obviously, the Kirk Cousins connection is the one that everybody also makes, and you could probably make both those moves for the cost of nothing.

I still think

you could put in a quarterback with this team and be competitive.

And it could be a different quarterback.

I still like Kevin Stefanski as a coach.

I still like some pieces they have on defense.

And so I I don't know if they're great.

The division doesn't help them by any stretch.

I think what really happens out of this, this contract today, this morning, to me, means more to the landscape of what's going to go on over the next week more than it means what's going to go on in Cleveland.

How does it impact Trey Hendrickson, who, you know, Adam Schefter puts out in his tweet over the last three years, nobody has more sacks than Miles Garrett, 44.

You know who has 43?

Trey Hendrickson.

So like, how does this 40 affect him?

How does it affect affect Micah Parsons?

How does it affect the trade market for Trey?

Because there is one, certainly, but now the numbers are different.

So, how the compensation changes?

You had Duke Tobin go out there and say at the Combine that we're going to make Jamar Chase the highest paid non-quarterback in the NFL.

Whoops.

Yep.

Like how this deal gets done.

Keep getting dinged.

And now your hope of getting 36 to 38

for Jamar Chase to beat the Justin Jefferson contract now has to exceed 40.

So I think the ripples throughout the league is the most fascinating part of this.

And it penalizes the teams, like Jordan was saying last week, like the teams that draft and develop and then do business with the players that they decide are their cornerstone figures before they necessarily have to do and get put in a situation where at their mercy of what's happening around the league.

That's what's happening.

Look at the Cowboys now.

Great example, Dallas, right?

You mentioned Parsons.

Okay, so now Parsons is a $40 million player in this market.

Remember, four days ago, he was maybe a $35 million

player because

that was the money that Max Crosby got, right?

35 and a half lasted as the market, top of the market until this weekend, and now it's 40.

Can the Dallas Cowboys literally, and I understand like, oh, salary cap doesn't matter, all this stuff.

Can you actually build a real roster when you have to pay three?

different superstars, like high-end quarterback money?

Because you're going to have to do that if you're the Cowboys now with Dak, CeeDee Lamb, and Micah Parsons.

So these markets, you know, when you kind of push and push and push, you end up getting burned.

And we'll see how this, it's a great point, James, about the ripple effect of what the Garrett extension means for the league.

Yeah.

They're lucky Osa took less.

He took undervalue.

Like if you ask around, I'm serious.

He did.

He's already won.

That was all right.

Let's see what else is going on.

Let's float around here.

Just getting caught up.

Okay, I mentioned Derek Carr.

Mike Garifolo reported this that the Saints converted Carr's 2025 money into a signing bonus for salary cap purposes.

Carr is now in line to get all $40 million he is owed this year.

So that tells you the Saints are most likely out of the QB1 derby for the next couple months now.

And Carr is going to get one more year there.

His salary cap number will be $69 million and the dead money would be about $60 million.

So that sounds like he's pretty locked in there.

Anything on Carr, boys?

I had never heard he was going anywhere.

Yeah, where else would he have gone?

Like,

they seem content to

sit and spin for decades in a row.

Had they created Star Wars, R2DT would have been made out of like sticks and like various sized pine cones.

That's their vision of tomorrow.

Like, I don't know.

I don't understand that.

I don't get the reference, but it sounds like a critique of the organization.

And that's.

It is a slight critique of

lack of industrial ingenuity, it seems like.

Yes.

Diana Rossini reported the Ravens and Ronnie Stanley are in agreement on a three-year, $60 million extension with $44 million guaranteed at signing.

So that's good news for Lamar Jackson.

The Bills sign edge rusher Greg Rousseau to a four-year $80 million extension with $54 million guaranteed.

And in a

corresponding move, Pelicero had this.

The Bills are releasing eight-time Pro Ball pass rusher Von Miller.

Miller is turning 36 this month, was due $17.5 million with no guarantees.

So Buffalo says, bye-bye.

Pretty chaotic run in Buffalo for Von Miller.

And James, what kind of market do you see for the 36-year-old at this stage?

He can go.

This was strictly on the, like,

they had to get in proper salary cap stance by Wednesday.

Like, that was a big part of this, like, a huge part of it.

He can return.

I'm curious, like, there's some rumblings in the Kansas City area.

Like, does Vaughn want to chase a ring one more time?

Could we have him on the outside and Chris Jones?

And Vaughn's made a boatload of money in his career.

He's been a closer,

a hired assassin for the Rams to help them win a Super Bowl.

They thought that was going to happen in Buffalo.

It really didn't.

Is that like, do the...

Vaughn's a perfect example of do the Chiefs, after the way this Super Bowl went in embarrassing fashion, still have a little bit of that perfume on them of, do you want to come and chase a championship?

This is your best bet to do it.

And do you want to take a discount to come?

I think Vaughn's a name to keep an eye on to see if Casey still has that.

I think that's an interesting part with Vaughn Miller.

And the edge-rushing group is just like, it's just not great.

I mean, I think Joe Ebosa definitely has interest around the league, maybe like at like 15, probably.

That seems to be kind of his market.

It looks like Khalil Mack might be heading back to the Chargers, to my understanding.

At least they're trying to make that work.

And at this point in time, anything you say and a certainty certainty can't happen because somebody comes in and pays somebody and all of a sudden he's back in Chicago or something.

But they'd like that to happen.

Joey's got some spots.

I think Vaughn throwing his name into the mix in an edge-rushing free agency group that's not great.

Will be kind of interesting.

I want to make one note on the Stanley, on the Ronnie Stanley thing.

Like there were a lot of teams that were really hoping that he would hit because

there are not franchise tackles in this draft, and the league knew that.

And so there were teams like Kansas City.

There were were teams like Washington.

I think New England was kind of really sniffing around at Ronnie Stanley.

Like there were teams that were hoping he would get out of there.

And I think the contract that he got with the amount of games that he's missed shows you the landscape of the tackles right now and the way the league views tackles.

And I think that that deal was kind of telling to

where the league views the scarcity, honestly, of tackles right now.

Who's the best tackle in the market now?

Like who's the guy that

probably more junior damn more jr probably um him and cam robinson i would say you want to take another chance at makai bechton on the outside like these are your options or ronnie stanley a guy that's had some injury issues obviously but came back and showed that he could still play the guitar finally speaking of the chiefs um they are re-signing free agent linebacker nick bolton to a new deal rap sheet has it at three for 45 with 30 million guaranteed so yeah and yeah to your point um i understand that was an ugly Super Bowl, but shit happens.

Like, I still think the Chiefs carry a lot of juice probably around the league, and a lot of players want to be there because you know, if Pat and Andy are there, that they're going to win 11 to 14 games, and they're going to be in the dance, and that's where, that's where championships are won.

That's where money is made.

So, as long as that continues to be a place, and Bolton is a big part of their D.

Huge.

Isn't that all that Miles Garrett was saying?

Was like, I want to be somewhere with a quarterback I can believe in.

It's going to take us the distance.

And like, you might lose a couple Super Bowls, but you keep getting there.

You keep getting there.

Sorry.

We don't know.

Maybe it was a really good,

like, Jimmy Haslam locked out the door.

Boosh.

Not allowed in.

Didn't want to come in.

That whole thing, I don't know what was going on with all that reporting.

It's like.

He's like, come on down to pilot Flying J and hang out with me there.

Like, that's, is that how that works?

Is that Paul?

Mozella Paul?

Well, they're all the same person.

Justin understands that.

Like, Jimmy Haslin, like getting credit for refusing to speak with the face of the franchise during negotiations.

Like, what you could do also is

meet with the guy, with Andrew Berry, and be like, hey, I'm going to get out of your way.

I'm going to let you guys talk, but I just want you to know, Miles, that you are one of the most important people to this organization, and we are proud to have you on this team.

And I would love for you to come back.

And now I'm going to get out of the way, and Andrew's going to take it from here, but we need you back and I want you back.

I would love to ask James.

I won't meet with you.

I would love to ask James a question based off of that.

It's like, is that, is that the

headspace of like a Jimmy Hasom?

Like, I won't meet with, like, is that how this works?

Like, come on.

Like, why would you not just have a, like, we text, we call, like, let's get on the phone.

And, like, this is our the best defensive player in the league, arguably.

Like, I won't speak with you.

What are you doing?

That's so important.

I was taken aback by it, in all honesty.

And I think the Arthur Blank and Kirk Cousins meeting in the same day makes it kind of hilarious because Arthur was just like hunched over and said, yeah, let's go up to the press box.

Let's have some soft-served ice cream.

Right.

Because that's a dynamite move that he puts in that stadium.

What does a man do?

Just go talk with someone that's.

Well, that's what I'm saying.

And I guess that I've seen some of that.

And I was surprised by the level of Stockholm syndrome when I had a critical Haslam tweet yesterday.

And a lot of Browns fans are coming out of the woodwork.

Like the fan.

Oh, they're in a tough space.

And I was just like, huh, that surprised me, A.

And B, like, why?

We don't need to bend over backwards to give Jimmy Haslam the benefit of the doubt that he handled this the right way.

It's like, he probably didn't, and it still worked out because they had a ton of money to give the guy.

But this is the same guy that

basically willed Deshaun Watson to be the face of the franchise previously.

So, and a hundred different bad things before that.

So, Haslam's still squarely in the category of terrible owners until really proven otherwise.

That's my only take on the whole.

Yeah, my take on the almost haphazardly happened that way.

And now we're looking at it going, wow, did the ball just bounce that way properly by a decision that we all scratched our head on?

And Andrew Berry ended up making it right now.

I've done the same thing with Woody, too.

And it's just like, wow, I guess maybe he kind of handled this the right way.

He's like, no, he probably didn't.

But it looked like it worked out.

And then these things for this certain franchises tend not to work out.

Even a broken clock's right twice a day.

Yeah.

Anyway, beware.

Beware of bad owners and certainly beware of defending them.

All right, 8 o'clock to light.

All right, the Chiefs.

Speaking of the Chiefs, they re-signed Hollywood Brown, one-year deal worth up to $11 million.

I think that makes sense for both sides after an injury-ruined season for Marquise.

In other news, the Bucs agreed with star Levante David back for one more year, $10 million, nine guaranteed, age 35.

Still had something in the tank there last year, James.

He's got a little something.

They love him.

They love Bringing Pete.

They love their guys.

That's what Jason Light does.

Like, expect Chris Gobman to go elsewhere?

I don't think so.

Cardinals, one of their guys is outside linebacker Baron Browning.

They bring him back on a two-year, $15 million deal.

The Lions are doing a lot of work.

They are planning to release pass rusher Zadarius Smith.

He had nine sacks last season, Mark.

He should have a market.

Good player, like traded for him.

Like he fits in.

I don't know why you'd move on from necessarily

productive everywhere he goes each year.

Jeron Reed, defensive tackle, resigns with the the Seahawks, three for 25.

Bengals resigned Mike Jusecki, three for 25.5.

Panthers resigned tight end Tommy Tremble on a two-year deal.

Also, Zach Ertz is going back to the Commanders, one year, $6.25 million, $9 million with incentives.

He had a really nice, strong close to the 2024 season.

I mentioned the Lions.

They're bringing back edge rusher Marcus Davenport on a one-year deal.

Line backer Derek Barnes signs a three-year $25.5 million extension.

2-2 Atwell and the the Rams, one-year, $10 million, fully guaranteed.

$10 million for 2-2 Atwell.

Is that...

Where are we at there, Jeff?

There's a scarcity of speed right now, and that's an indication of where things stand with these kind of guys that can really stretch the field vertically.

You look at the rest of the free agent market, and you got Keenan Allen, who's 33, you got Hop, who's 33, you got Amari Cooper, who's 31.

I think the 2-2 Atwell deal is an indication of like Darius Slayton getting some money.

Like he's been a guy that has underrated in a lot of people's minds across the league, mainly because of just shitty quarterback play

consistently with him.

And I think the Atwill deal shows us that there's kind of a lack of that player in the draft a little bit as well in terms of that speedier guy.

I thought that like these deals, that's what I like talking about.

Certain deals are very telling for the way the rest of the market's going to go over the next 10 days.

Linebacker Terrell Bernard, four years, $50 million extension with the Bills.

Bobby Wagner, he's coming back to the Commanders.

Another veteran who still showed he had some gas in the tank.

One-year deal up to $9.5 million,

$8 million guaranteed.

Vikings re-signed running back Aaron Jones to a two-year $20 million deal.

I was wondering if they were going to do that.

I'm a little bit surprised.

Finally, some guys entering the free agency market.

Jonathan Allen, the DT,

released by the Commanders.

Malik Collins, released by the Niners.

Harold Landry, released by the Titans.

Shaq Mason, released by the Texans.

Josh Reynolds, Evan Ingram, and Ronald Darby, all released by the Jaguars.

And Gus Edwards will be released by the Chargers per

Adam Schefter.

Aren't we about

72 hours away from this just being data?

Like the stories are happening already.

And then it just becomes like processed data at that point.

A lot of these maneuvers.

Well, it is.

They're quite literally transactions.

So it's transactional.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

But I think it's us, it's on us, Mark, to bring the flesh and blood to it all.

Oh, that's what we do.

I forgot about that part.

But like, mommy went to a store and bought apples and steaks and, you know, milk, 2% milk.

Daddy can go.

Make a story out of it.

Like, what's make a story out of it?

Daddy can go to the store, too, to get the apples and the steak.

Yeah.

I do think that that's true.

It's onefold, Mark.

Yeah, I don't think that it's nor and that's that's not my angle was not that only women should go to the grocery store.

And you want to be on the cover of Feminism Weekly.

Well, I just was.

Just was.

They're pulling it off the newsstands out there.

He's a top 10 football insider.

Not for long.

Hey,

there you go.

We're caught up.

We're all caught up.

Mark, Adread.

Hey, by the way, did you guys know Underdog isn't just higher, lower pick'em entries?

They also have streaks.

You can enter for as little as $1.

I knew that.

I knew it.

Well, some people do.

I do a lot of great stuff.

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James is here.

We don't know if he knows.

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audience.

only.

Nice.

James, what you got going on this week for

free agent?

We're working on Maine, by the way.

Free Agent Fever,

Fervor,

Fissures,

in Progress.

Yeah.

Food.

Free Agent Fluids.

I feel like losing it a little bit.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Losing the thread a little.

Yeah.

Free agent fluids.

I don't think we should go with that one, but

interesting.

free agent anarchy is a little too cool for this free agency class i think yeah yeah these guys don't deserve don't deserve that name

i understand i understand i where can people find you this week james i'll be all over the place guys i'll be doing i'll be doing stuff on social for underdog all week like when deals happen and we know what ends up happening we're gonna throw those out on social like crazy uh i'm also doing like a like a five hours for bleacher report tomorrow um and just kind of telling everybody what's happening if you want to log on to that app i don't want to steer people away from underdog.

You can bet on these things all you want.

You can do it all.

We're doing it all.

Yeah, we're kind of doing everything.

What I'm curious about with you guys is:

we had an in-depth conversation in New Orleans about bidets.

Has anybody purchased a bidet yet to join the Palmer household?

This is how we're capping the app, a little bidet talk, huh?

It's on the bottom.

Not yet.

Not yet.

It's something that one ponders perhaps more than one should, and thinking about the possibilities, but not yet.

I know that you are very strong.

Yeah, you know, Zumwalt definitely wants to fire that bidet.

But

yeah, just keep me up to date on all the different options in the market.

That's what I would say.

I mean, I'm not an expert.

I'm just like, I hope

I'm a target to purchase it.

So I'm with you.

What was that, Ceci?

I'm a target to purchase it.

Like that could happen.

Absolutely.

Yeah, I think you are.

Yeah.

I'll leave it there.

Key demo.

Key demo.

Listen, if there's any bidet companies out there that are looking to raise their profile, like Miles Garrett, we don't care about anything other than bringing in that green.

So, you know, do it.

Let's talk bidets, 20 minutes a show.

Sure.

We'll have to.

Like we said, live stream.

That the money was an absolute necessity for me.

We'll be live at noon Monday through Thursday this week, live streaming.

Look on our socials for the link and follow along, be part of it.

You know, the commenters are going to always be a fun part of those live streams, and you can be a part of the show.

So make sure you're there for that.

And that's it.

Good.

We're caught up to date.

Sess, we're ready for this.

We're prepped.

This was the perfect table setting with the perfect group of people.

Yes, thank you to Michael Schondegar.

Thank you to James Palmer.

Thank you to Justin Graver.

And thank you to you, the audience.

Until next time, heed the car.

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Yo, this is important, man.

My favorite Lululemon shorts, the ones you got me back in the day, I think they're pacebreakers, the ones with all the pockets?

Well, I just got back from vacation and I think I left them in my hotel room.

And, dude, I need to replace these shorts.

I wear them like every day with that Lulu hoodie you got me.

Could you send me the link to where you got them?

Thanks, bro.

Talk soon.

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