Playing QB Musical Chairs + So Much Breaking News

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The Heed the Cup Podcast

wants you to play quarterback for the Tennessee Titans.

Hmm.

Smart play.

Just a cattle call.

Yeah, who's to say that there's not some

grocery stocking boy that could post a 90 QBR?

Who's to say?

I think most are to say.

I mean, probably NFL NFL GMs and coaches probably would largely say that exact thing, that the stock boys, well, there was a Kurt Warner.

Kurt Warner.

I know, but that is it.

Remember Kurt Warner?

How quickly we would forget Mark?

How long was he actually stocking?

Like, well, he wasn't doing that for four years.

Like, it was, you know, probably a part-time.

I don't know.

I'm not critiquing the level.

We've been doing impressions on the show in the last week.

It's a new thing we're dabbling with.

This is my Kurt Warner.

I'm Kurt Warner.

What do you think about that one?

If I were to close my eyes,

you know, and we, like when I say we worked with him, I don't know if he knows he worked with us, but it is a double.

It's a splitting verbal double of Kurt Warner.

I'm Dan Hanses.

That's Mark Sessler.

This is Heed the Call.

Quarterbacks, man.

It's all about the quarterbacks.

And we're going to talk about the quarterbacks in a couple of minutes.

Our original plan was the next time you're going to hear from us was

our weekly Jordan and Mike show.

But there's some news to take care of and we kind of wanted to clear the deck a little bit ahead of that show, which is the kiss of death, Mark, is the minute we finish this show, 17 news items will drop and we'll be right back where we started.

But still, I stand by our decision to, you know, add nothing, you know, at the very least, here we are hanging out with our audience and what could be better?

I think we're, you know, this is the journalists in us.

It's those energies still exist and it made sense.

And we're not OCD here trying to tic-tac our way through every day.

This time of year, where stuff is dropping left and right, and the leagues change.

It doesn't all happen with the, hi, the league year began.

Like, no, no, no, it's happening right now.

And so we're just, we're pounding through it.

Yeah, we should.

Yeah, we should let the audience know that we'll obviously be all over Free Agency Week with a series of podcasts, all,

all

live, right, Grey Digger?

We're going to go live during Free agency week,

potentially Sunday through Thursday.

And

you can check us out live.

You can be in on the chat live.

We're going to have guests.

We're going to have wall-to-wall coverage, dirty-30 style.

That's right.

Every day of free agency, free agent frenzy, catch us live streaming on YouTube.

Of course, the audio version of the podcast will still be released as quickly after the fact as we can.

But if you're not streaming it live on YouTube, you're going to be late.

And you'll probably be wondering why we didn't talk about X news item.

Well, duh, because it happened after we finished recording, and we'll do that the next day.

Go get them, Graver.

Can I make one suggestion for our, like specifically for this show, that we never use the term free agent frenzy?

That's rear view, baby.

I get why you just did, because people understand what we're talking about, but we come up with something new because this is a new world now.

Yeah,

it is interesting, too.

I think I sent you guys a couple examples over the past 24 hours with the free agency class that you're getting like weird, you know, I'll check in on ESPN or whatever, and then it will be a headline will be, let me read one.

It's like, is DJ Reid the number one cornerback in the free agent class?

Like, DJ Reid, like the

second Jets corner?

Like, he's fine, but we're going to, now he's on the headline.

And then there was, what was it?

Darius Slayton could be an expensive addition addition for any team.

Darius Slayton?

Like we're going to.

We're talking about Slayton as the headliner?

We don't sell false goods.

And so we don't, you know, we're not, we're immune to this, this chicanery.

Yes, and tomorrow, to that point,

the 10 commandments of free agency,

the sins that

you must not make or face peril for your organization.

And finally,

back to where we started here as we get into today's app, quarterbacks.

And by the way, one last sell, if you're looking to be the quarterback of the Tennessee Titans, Mayo money, baby.

Because you know, Levis lost that deal with Hellmans.

So somebody's got to come and fill that slot, right?

Well, I mean,

okay.

Like, he's just going to, like, new quarterback's going to pick up and take the mayonnaise deal off of the quarterback.

That's the way it works, though.

I always wondered about that.

And it always, the one that always comes to mind for me is poor Baker, who had what I thought was a really fun,

maybe overplayed, but progressive ad campaign where he lived at Brown Stadium.

And, you know, he was the toast of the town, and he was the future of the franchise, and everybody knew Baker.

And then his career went in the toilet with the Browns, and then those commercials kept airing.

I was like, ooh, this is awkward.

And then eventually, obviously, they disappeared.

What I wonder about, and maybe this is what an agent is for.

This is how they get their 10%.

There's going to be a phone call from Hellmans to the Will Levis

faction, like, hey, guys,

we might have to move on from the campaign.

The one where you do the splits and talk about in Zen terms about how great Mayonnaise is.

Will, you're one of the worst quarterbacks in the sport, and it's no longer good for our brand.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Well, you know, my, you know, that I've been complaining about this for year and years, but I'll keep it short.

I think it's not, it does no service to anyone when the quarterback, like, you know, in this case, Levis, is falling off a cliff on a weekly basis.

There has to be an agreement to pull 80% of those ads, if not 90% to 100%.

Like, don't force us to watch them.

Don't force him to be.

It's an embarrassment to him, and it's not great for the Manise industry.

I have an idea.

Here's a good idea.

Remind me, Justin, who was the backup for Levis?

Mason Rudolph.

Yeah, what they should do, like, Hellman.

should have done backup commercials with Rudolph.

Oh, you like handcuff.

It's a good idea.

Yeah, you handcuff

the pitch man, and then you could have slid in those Rudolph ads.

And, you know, Rudolph moves units.

He moves Mayo.

That's what I've always, that was like the first thing.

Like, he might be the most mayonnaise quarterback in the league.

Like, he might have been the real choice all along.

Anyway.

Well, they targeted the right franchise.

We understand that at least.

Yeah,

we'll see.

Like, the Titans are one of a handful of teams, about a quarter of the league, that really doesn't have their quarterback in place

with, you know, September looming.

It's going to be here before you you know it.

Trust me.

And before we get to the news today, this would be a perfect time to do a little pin the tail on the donkey.

Pin the tail on the quarterback.

Let's have a little fun here, Ceci.

And if you're out there listening or watching, don't take it too serious.

This is like kind of gut instinct on where these names land.

I'll go first, Mark, and then you give me your own version.

We'll

see where we agree and where we differ.

All right, let's start.

Let's go in alphabetical order.

So let's start with Aaron Rodgers.

I'm going to say Rodgers goes to

the Raiders.

Tom Brady

is likely increasingly desperate, Ceci, I think, to, quote, make a splash after whiffing on the head coach and quarterback in Ben Johnson and Matt Stafford.

I'm guessing Devontae still owns a house in Vegas, and he's...

You know, he has no agency, obviously, so he has to go wherever Aaron goes.

So that makes sense.

Maybe a reunion with the Raiders.

And you know, the Davis family would certainly love to have Rodgers in Silver and Black so they can retire his number or whatever insane shit the Raiders do.

So it just makes sense.

I think Rodgers to the Raiders.

You know, who else thinks Aaron Rodgers to the Raiders makes a lot of sense?

Superstar pass rusher, Max Crosby.

I think with all the doubt.

And all the negativity around Aaron Rodgers, oh, he needs to retire, things like that.

You know, he's getting cut by the Jets.

I think he's going to come back and have a...

I know he's 42 or 41.

Are you going to say MVP?

No, I think he's going to have a big year this year.

And I hope it's in our town.

Max on the Rush podcast.

Can you bring up, I just want to still the background, like Max Crosby's house, wherever it is, he has a...

Like a nice, you know, Mark artistic rendering of him bringing down Patrick Mahomes for a sack.

And then

it looks like an AI Sopranos poster with Tony and his whole gang cheers, cheersing a

shot.

That's just that's kind of a funny background.

And like as if he's also decided to, does he have like a burning candle in front of him?

Is there no other studio lighting here?

But a very Wes Anderson-like painting behind him there on the left.

I quite enjoy it.

All right, moving on.

Daniel Jones.

This one I struggled with a little bit.

I just shot the arrow over to the Cleveland Browns.

And my thinking there is that Kevin Stavansky probably has a lot of that KOC, I can fix him mold in him.

And Jones represents, to a lot of people, I think, around inside the game, a nice hunk of clay in that regard.

It just didn't work out with the Giants, and injuries certainly got in the way.

And the hope there being that maybe the Browns could have their own Darnold 2.0 in the former first-round pick for the Giants.

Speaking of the Giants, I think both New York teams are desperate, desperate for big swings in this draft at quarterback, kind of real turn-the-page moves that puts all the grimness of 2024, and let's be real, for like a decade or more for these teams

of grimness beyond that.

But if you can reboot with a fresh-faced quarterback that gets people excited,

that could help.

So I think the Giants, who I think are even more desperate than the Jets to turn the page, go with Cam Ward.

And considering the abject humiliation of their 2024 offseason, High Saquon, the resounding failure of this past regular season, which was just an embarrassment, and then the ensuing stop embarrassing me or else edict from John Mara that they'll do what they have to do.

They're picking, what?

They're picking

third.

They might have to move up to make this happen.

There's a lot of reporting about them wanting to get up there.

So I'm in my mind here, maybe they're going to get the first pick from.

Can I ask you one quick question?

And this is,

I love you.

I think that I know that you've had your issues with mathematics, but you said you were going in alphabetical order, and it's gone Aaron, Daniel, Cam.

So just, I would just make a note that in general, the C should go before the D.

There, but that's about you.

How about you go enjoy a tortilla and

stay out of my life, okay?

Okay, that was a mistake.

Up next, let's go with Jameis Winston.

Winston's going to end up somewhere.

He might be the only guy in this list that's not going to be a week one starter, probably, in my mind.

I'll send him to the Colts, the Cults who have some experience in this realm.

Um, in fact, uh, they uh last year went and got the Browns Reserve uh veteran starter who had some moments, uh, Joe Flacco, and made him their backup for a brief time.

So, Winston makes sense as Anthony Richardson's backup and then eventual mid-season replacement, or at least for a handful of starts before they play out the string with like

Sam Ellinger or whatever.

Um, up next on this list, I got Justin Fields.

This feels like very, very,

very likely to me.

The relentlessly dull Pittsburgh Steelers will do the most milquetoast thing imaginable, turning back to Fields, you know, who was fine

during a winning early portion of Pittsburgh's schedule last season before they decided he was a bit too sexy and dangerous for their tastes, Fields, and they turned to human tapioca, Russell Wilson.

And speaking of Russell Wilson, his nomadic NFL journey will continue.

He finds a logical partner in the equally forgettable Tennessee Titans.

Sorry, Justin.

In this scenario, the Titans get out of the first pick or don't make a quarterback pick.

It's unclear if they'll even televise these games.

We'll see.

But Russell Wilson and the Titans, Justin, how you feel about that one?

Absolutely hate it.

But anyone who listens to my Titans podcast, the Music City Audible thing,

knows how much I love Cam Ward, and I really would be very disappointed if the Titans traded out of the top pick and didn't draft Cam Ward.

Russell Wilson, though, I mean, of all the options, the Titans are opening a new stadium in 2027.

They need somebody with juice.

He's not going to be there in 2027.

Jake's not going to be there,

baby.

That's what I'm talking about.

We need to get that rookie in here so that, you know, by 2027, he's heading into year three and he's like had a couple close to or almost winning seasons, and it's like time for the Titans.

I don't disagree, Justin.

I don't disagree at all.

And you certainly know what's going on around the Titans more than I do, but I feel like there's a lot of smoke about them not using the pick at one or not taking a quarterback.

Depends what offers they get, too.

I mean, that could change their organization.

If they don't get a future first-round pickback, it's not worth it.

And I don't think moving from three to one necessarily, I don't think the Giants have to give up a future first to make that move, which means I don't think the Titans should trade out.

I think they would.

To get to number one overall, I I can't remember.

I know it's just moving up two spots, but usually if you're moving to number one,

it's going to cost you a one.

Yeah.

Typically, that would be an upset if they.

Yeah, you want the Raiders to go.

You want John Spytek and the Raiders and Tom Brady to sell the farm for number one.

You'd get a number one.

I've looked at the history and there's like a couple of trades.

And when the QB is involved, obviously there's like a premium, like a tax that you have to add to that.

But Dane Brugler recently wrote an article where he said, I think two day two picks

gets the deal done.

You know, obviously swap one and three, but I'd be brutally disappointed as a Titans fan if I traded out of the number one pick when I'm completely personality-free at the game's most important position and I don't get a first out of it.

Like, you should get multiple first for trading out of the number one pick.

By the way, one other thought.

If Wilson did end up with the Titans, if you remember his Subway ads, like he's very good with food products.

So I think condiments, again, Mayo money, quarterback, Titans, it's all there.

Up next, Sam Darnold, I think he goes back to the Vikings.

There's some reporting around this.

They're not using the franchise tag on Darnold, but apparently there's mutual interest on both sides and some type of deal.

And I'll again, Ceci, bang that drum that the Vikings are in excellent position leverage-wise.

If they ever decide, if they do indeed, they're down with Sam.

If they traded that J.J.

McCarthy, their 2024 first-round pick, I feel like there's going to be a lot, a lot of teams,

including the teams we're talking about in this list, that would give up a first-round pick and more to get J.J.

McCarthy, who some draft experts say would be the number one overall pick in this year's draft, coming off obviously the lost season with the knee injury.

Come on, Quessie.

The news cycle, especially this year, needs it.

I mean, I think you are right that he would command that.

I think, well, I'll get into where I'm going with this, but I don't see that happening.

Let me finish up then.

Finally, I think the Jets are in a position to land Shador Sanders.

He could fall to them at seven, possibly.

It's not beyond the realm that that could happen, and that would be ideal for the team, obviously.

But I think they'll probably get ANSI and trade up if he drifts out of the top three.

Again, this is a team desperate to launch a new era, just like the Giants and many of these teams are talking about.

A goal telegraphed by the decision not to bring back Aaron Rodgers, who was a quarterback who was under contract.

Just a reminder, a future Hall of Fame quarterback who was under contract, who wanted to stay, and was still, in my opinion, on the right side of the Dalton line.

So you booted a good quarterback because you were that desperate to cleanse the organization of everything in the last couple of years.

So trust me, though, the fan base will be gassed up with a Aaron Glenn.

Deion's son, Garrett Wilson, and Sauce Media Guide cover.

And I think that's probably a big directive directive of them to just kind of have a new era of Jets football.

And if Sanders is the guy they can target, they'll get him.

And before I kick it over to you, Ceci, if Sanders isn't there, the one guy I haven't mentioned is Kirk Cousins.

He's not actually a free agent.

He's currently connected to the Falcons still.

I think the Jets would pivot and try to land Cousins as a bridge if they can't get the kid Sanders.

Yep.

We agree in some places, not in others.

I will start with Aaron Rodgers.

I have Aaron Rodgers, and there's a little bit of heat around this, but for me, why it makes sense is Aaron Rodgers fits with a team that is desperate to show results now, like a coaching staff in a front office that cannot even potentially fail with a rookie or have it look that way or with a someone not who isn't sellable.

Aaron Rodgers gets to stay in his current home.

He goes to the New York Giants.

Oh, God.

I think it's a real possibility.

And I want you to think about an offense that suddenly has Aaron Rodgers.

Maybe they go get Devontae Adams, who gets to live in New York, another big market.

They have Malik Neighbors.

And then if they keep their draft pick there, they go and take Travis Hunter.

That is an offense that Brian Dayball can turn around in one year.

And if you get last year's Aaron Rodgers, that's a different New York Giants season.

I'm not saying that Aaron Rodgers can't play, because I've been saying for months that I think he can play.

I just don't think the Giants, after getting a front row seat for the last two years with the Jets,

are going to want to dance with that particular partner.

Here's my one counterpoint.

That's what I'll say.

And this is not fair to you or your dad or Jets fans, but what's more Jets Giants-y than Aaron Rodgers not working out with the Jets than going to the Giants and it working out when they go to the game.

There's nothing I could work out.

Define even working out for the 2025 New York Giants and Aaron Rodgers at 41.

Like nine wins?

Like, is that going to stick it to the Jets?

Are they going to an NFC title game with Aaron Rodgers?

I think it's to

save the job of the coaching staff.

Okay, but

he's the owner of the coaching staff.

But I guess my point is, I have the same take with Matthew Stafford.

So this isn't like attacking your list, Mark.

It's more like, what are the Giants doing?

Like, don't they want to turn the page and get a young quarterback in there and start building this thing back up?

Or do they want to park themselves in a cul-de-sac with a 40-something quarterback who's a head case?

That doesn't smell like the Giants to me.

I know they're in a different place and they seem a little desperate right now, but that would shock me.

I look at what they've they've done.

They went hard after Matthew Stafford, and I think the owner who was embarrassed.

Yeah, they went after Matthew Stafford.

They made an effort for him.

And the owner of the Giants was embarrassed all last season.

Big names are going to translate.

I just think it's a desperate organization or they're going to clean house.

Like I thought, I'm surprised that Dayball even stayed this season, this offseason.

So I'm just saying that to me,

you're not sending Aaron Rodgers to the Tennessee Titans.

I feel like if the Giants went hard after Matthew Stafford, they would have Matthew Stafford because Matthew Stafford was ready to go if somebody was going to pay him.

I don't think Stafford ever planned to leave the Rams if they offered.

He took less money to stay, and I think that a lot to do with his wife.

I'm going to honor you and go Daniel Jones next to go with your alphabetical list.

And I've got Daniel Jones going to the Colts.

I think

they really want Richardson to work, but Daniel Jones has a similar skill set to Richardson on some level.

And you've gone gone through a year where like two years where it's Richardson gets hurt, and you have to put Gardner Minshew in there or Joe Flacco, who are typically quite different than Richardson.

Like, Jones has the mobility.

I think Shane Steichen also could see that as like a reclamation project if they have to go with him.

So I think coaches probably see Daniel Jones as like he wasn't given a true chance to shine.

Like we can change him.

He just feels like that makes a lot of sense to me.

I like that one, Ceci.

I like him in a dome.

Like, let's just turn down the temperature and challenge level for Jones a little bit.

Give him a top running back and

let's see what he can do.

That's a good one.

Yep.

Okay, Cam Ward.

This is not just to please Justin, but I do think that we're going to get closer and closer.

If you were Brian Callahan, I mean, I think you want to go there for why you want to show why you went there.

Take a young quarterback, grow him, and it does feel like a new day for a team that needs a massive fresh start.

So I think they stick at number one

unless someone absolutely wants to blow them away.

And who's going to do that in this quarterback class?

So Cam Ward of the Titans.

that's what i'm doing right who is i'm trying to think of the in in vegas what is the

favorite right now cam ward's favored to go number one but it's not necessarily to the titans like i'm not sure what the team bearing odds are but it's certainly that's like this i know it's not a slam dunk quarterback you know andrew luck

type draft, Trevor Lawrence, whatever that means.

But if the Titans stayed there, stayed home and pick a quarterback at one with upside like Cam Ward, no one's going to kill the Titans and it feels like the right play for them right now.

Yeah,

I think you buy the coaching staff an extra year or two as well versus getting canned in November.

Jameis Winston,

I just see him as a backup.

I informed Justin that I have him going nowhere.

So there's probably going to be like a little red X to his name.

Justin Fields, I'm with you on this.

I think Pittsburgh is going to, they're going to look into things and wind up with Justin Fields.

And yeah, that's my, that was my reaction too.

But I just, I don't see Justin Fields going anywhere else and starting, by the way.

This is his chance to start.

And I, you know, there is reporting that a lot of, that they're kind of split, that some people in the building really like Russell Wilson and some like Fields.

So that one's still a TBD coming out of the combine.

I mean, Jesus, like, if I'm a Steelers fan,

I'm really concerned about just the general lack of a non-speaking.

Yeah, just like they had at the end of last season, where they were just generally non-competitive and, again, had

kind of floundered and become one of the most boring teams to watch in the league.

What is it going to take for this organization to be like, we got to take a bigger swing?

We got to take a different angle.

It's almost like they're aiming for 9-8.

And that is, listen,

a person who roots for a team that's averaged about four wins for the past 12 years, like 9-8 sounds pretty great.

But when you're always going 9-8,

I'm sure, and i know because you hear a lot of this around the the organization as well like fans are sick of the same thing as well it's just weird to me that the ownership is seems to be a little bit stubborn in terms of the way they are positioning their organizational strategy like well they're like all the all the rest of us rooting for teams that didn't have big ben for 20 years like they can't they feel like the team that broke up or the person that breaks up with someone and then spends like half a decade um talking about the person they broke up with to their friends and over texting on the phone and like telling people that they're rediscovering themselves.

I don't, they've not, they've not reached the goal yet.

Let's see.

Russell Wilson.

Now,

this is not to annoy you, Dan.

I haven't gone to the Jets, but that's because I think the Jets are going to go get like a Jackson dart or someone that they truly, they can have Russell start, but they're going to go get someone that they can groom without getting that, without trading up or being able to acquire one of the top two quarters.

That doesn't annoy me, Ceci.

I think that I wouldn't be excited by it, but he is the textbook definition of a hold the fort guy.

The only thing I'll say is like, why, why go get Russell Wilson if you already have basically the same thing in Tyrod Taylor?

Like, Tyrod Taylor is

about the same age, maybe a year younger, is similarly at this stage of his career, not a guy that's going to lift you to higher places, but will also keep you from being embarrassing.

And it would just surprise me to have...

two versions of the same type of quarterback, but also

people seem, the NFL seems, it seems like the NFL, it's hard for them to quit Russell Wilson so that you could talk yourself into him as more than a Tyrod Taylor type.

And I'm with you very much that if he is set free, that Kirk Cousins and the Jets feel like a potential one-year type match.

I've connected before, the Jets under different leadership went hard after

Kirk Cousins before he signed with the Vikings.

And it just, especially considering how cheap he will be,

I think there will be teams that are going to be interested in him.

And I don't buy any of the talk that the Falcons are interested in keeping him as the backup.

I think that's a marriage destined to end soon.

Well, that's asking for someone to be desperate enough to trade for him.

I think that doesn't work.

Sam Darnold,

this feels like while it's unlikely, I can see why it might happen.

The Cleveland Browns, who A, Sam Darnold, would have a chance to start and be potentially a multi-year starter.

He thrived under Kevin O'Connell.

I think if you look at Kevin Stefanski through a certain lens, that's a guy who has worked well with a number of quarterbacks, and Darnold is someone he could really shape his offense around.

Darnold kind of fits that offense better than Deshaun Watson ever did.

They can get back to what the Cleveland Browns want to be on offense.

Like, you got a good defense.

The running game and the offensive line are not perfect at this point, but they aren't terrible.

And

it's not a bad landing spot for someone that deserves to start.

And

Minnesota keeps him, but I think Minnesota is red hot, ready to be on a rookie quarterback contract with J.J.

McCartney.

So that's Chrissy's way.

So you're saying he's out of Minnesota.

The Cleveland thing is like, I don't want Sam to go anywhere near these types of teams.

He already did it with the Jets.

Going to the Browns, a Browns team that looks like it's closer to a rebuild than contending.

feels like a recipe for disaster for that guy.

I get what you're saying because you have in Stefanski an offensive-minded coach.

You have Jerry Judy now has become a guy that you could see as a number one wide receiver.

The running game is in flux now, offensive lines in flux.

It's tough building to play in as a quarterback.

It's cold.

It's windy.

I just don't know if that's the best place for my Sammy to go.

I would be very concerned about that.

For your Sammy, though, like I'm looking at all eight of these teams.

Yeah.

There is not a golden destination here.

Well, Minnesota.

Yeah, but then you're not you're a backup.

No, I think they would bring him back as a starter.

See,

that's where we differ.

You have them dangling J.J.

McCarthy's trade bait.

I don't have them doing that.

I'm just wondering if that's what they're thinking about.

I think they would bring back Darnold on a team-friendly deal.

Darnold would look at the rest of the landscape and be like, I'll take my chances and try to hold on to the job.

And then if he struggles, then the Vikings go like, okay, we'll bring in JJ here.

Kind of what the Vikings did, obviously, with their rookie quarterback and veteran.

And then the Vikings figure out the Darnold thing next season.

I think that would be for Sams a gamble he'd be willing to take.

Well, here's my one argument against that.

Like, I would have franchised him then and keep him for one year and maybe even franchise and trade, which would be very tough to do, I think.

And then you say a year from now, JJ is absolutely our guy.

But we'll see.

Anyways,

we could maybe put a little wager on how that all goes down.

Shorter Sanders, I have going to the Raiders, and I think that it kind of fits for me me because it's a big name for Tom Brady, for the ownership, for the organization.

Does Shador Sanders work with Chip Kelly?

Like, that was my issue with sending, like, Aaron Rodgers to the Raiders.

Like, Aaron Rodgers and Chip Kelly.

I'm not sure about that one, but I think Sanders in Las Vegas pleases the Sanders brand and the Sanders family.

It's big for the Raiders who have a big name, and they'd be on, like, four national TV games next year.

That's my pitch for the Raiders.

Maybe more than that.

Right.

Yeah, that makes sense.

They're picking sixth overall.

I feel like the chances that Sanders lands with the Raiders or Jets is pretty high.

All right, that was good.

That's going to be fun.

I mean, there's not a ton of juice, obviously, to free agency, and we're going to get to some of the stuff going on.

The draft class itself is a little ho-hum, but the quarterback musical chairs, that's juicy.

That's fun, and that's why, Just talked about it.

I'm Kurt Warner.

See how

it's in the throat?

Right.

Close your eyes.

Not to be mistaken with Brenda Warner.

That is very clearly, that is Kurt Warner, the husband of Brenda.

Brenda Warner.

There's an incredible autobiography out there.

It's a memoir.

I won't say who it is because it's a very important figure in the NFL sphere, but someone that we know.

I had the copy of Brenda Warner's memoir on my desk at our old office in Culver City for months just because I thought it was kind of funny.

And then this individual one day came up to the desk and said, you know what, I'm going to read this book.

I said, I dare you to read that book.

He said, I'm going to read this book.

And not only am I going to read it, I'm going to leave a lengthy review on Amazon.

And I said, I dare you to do that.

And god damn it, he read the book in a week and wrote about 300 words.

Buried somewhere deep in the archives on Amazon is this review by an individual who we both have a great fondness for.

And the review itself is spot on in so many ways.

Brenda Warner's book, what was the name of that book?

Can you flash that up, Justin, the cover?

Sat on my desk for maybe two years.

I know that the person who gave the book changed him, I'll say that much.

But then what happened next was the book was,

you know, this was date, we had a Wes across from us and Greg and everyone else.

And like the book was hidden in people's desks for months to come.

And then you'd find it like two months later, like underneath like a napkin in your desk.

desk second underwarner one call away a memoir answering life's challenges with unshakable faith

all right

pivot

the nba season is heading down the final stretch and underdog has tons of fun ways to get in on the action with nightly nba pick'em slates plenty of discount oh man

gravy

First, you make the worst trade in NBA history, and then you got Kyrie, everyone's favorite flat earther superstar, blows out his knee.

And then all your first-round picks are not protected.

Is that correct?

Is this pretty dark times for the

Mavericks fan in your life?

Yeah, the video of the fans just like darting out of the stadium.

Oh, and they also the report out there that the Mavericks have the gall to raise season ticket prices.

Justin, the floor is yours.

Tough time to be a Mavs fan.

The Mavs do have their own first-round pick this upcoming draft, but then the next four, I believe, they do not control.

So that's, it's a really great time to be a fan of a team with no young, exciting talent and no way to acquire young, exciting talent.

You hit town at literally the worst possible human moment for someone that cares about this basketball operation.

You want to come back to L.A.?

Come on.

We'll take it.

Yeah, I think, actually, I don't think we're allowed because Jessica and I were included in the trade.

So Luca comes to L.A.

Anthony Davis come to Dallas.

Sorry to how it played out.

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audience only.

All right, let's take a quick break and then we'll do some news.

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All right, we're back.

Let's do some news.

I think for me, the first, is this PG-RAID or PG-13 remote?

So I'd say like the first one's almost like, can I say this, Bob?

Can we delete this?

Is this live?

You don't know what I'm saying?

You don't know what I'm saying?

You can be.

It's almost like the first time you have sex.

You're so glad you had sex.

It's not even the quality of it.

The second time,

the second time, it's like, wow, I could actually have fun and enjoy this.

And so I would say, and Bob just had sex for his first time.

First of all, Bob catching a major stray, whoever that is.

That was on the Todd McShay show on the ringer, I guess.

Howie, and I get it.

I'd probably be the same way.

When you're the general manager of an NFL team

who wins two Super Bowls

with two kind of completely different teams in six years.

There's not a lot of GMs that did that.

That's some like Theo Epstein type shit that you probably feel like you could say anything you want at this point.

What are they going to do?

He is untouchable.

Bulletproof.

Howie Roseman, I think, is sort of a figurehead for a certain type of male out there because, you know, we've seen him in person.

He's about 5'8.

And,

you know, not he's not walking on the locker room like throwing fists and he's not

the the um physical alpha but he is the intellectual alpha and like he's won two super bowls and he's a hero but like i like him going with that reference there i don't totally agree with the parallels

no because i don't i don't totally think that like um well i'm not going to get into it but like

second time you're like an expert all of a sudden like i don't i don't know about that one like it's you know takes yeah just like

I would only take issue with the idea that once he brings it up in a personal context, it's like, now I have to think about how he'd be fugging and he fugged the first time and was like ah this wasn't so great and then he fugged the second time was like ah this is amazing i'm loving this sex i'm having now how he well maybe he maybe he wants you to think about that when you mention him

well don't be don't be gross about it mark yeah i thought you just said like now i have to think about like begging for the jim harbaugh drop and just justin refusing

i'm if anything saying i didn't agree with the whole concept i'm not saying you know

you ship ahoy or whatever.

You have a sex addition?

You got a problem with sex?

You're addicted to sex?

Well, Damon had heard.

You're thinking about Cam Ward now, but there was ample opportunities there.

Yes, sorry.

I was adding how much money Tyler Lockett and Christian Kirk are going to save the teams that are cutting them.

My bad.

Look into that, Sexy.

It's like,

sorry I missed the drop because I'm so professional.

Oh,

just on a side job with over the cap or something.

What is, what is, you know, what's happening?

All right, we'll get to that.

We'll get to the transactions.

The news, the Rams, we'll start here,

are making moves.

The Bears are making moves to try to amp up that offensive line.

And the fact that you're seeing all of these moves happening ahead of free agency and you're seeing, what, only two players got the franchise tag?

Lowest since 2006, I believe.

I think it tells you a lot of things about what's going on with this free agency class and how teams are choosing to attack roster building.

The Rams are trading former Pro Bowl guard Jonah Jackson to the Bears per Adam Schefter.

Jackson was with Detroit for four years and with Ben Johnson and now will reunite with him in Chicago.

And the Bears stayed busy on Wednesday doing business with the Kansas City Chiefs and are

acquiring Joe Tooney.

Joe Tooney, who has won four Super Bowl rings, two with the Patriots, two with the Chiefs, now 32 years old.

He now joins the interior of the Chicago offensive line in front of Caleb Williams.

He'll play guard, and it only costs a fourth-round draft pick.

So I like, I like, you know, we actually made a joke about it in our last podcast, Mark, that the idea of like teams rebuild their offensive lines with other people's players that they're cool parting with and then assume that their line is fixed.

So we'll see if Chicago's line can play the guitar, but especially the Tooney move is one that I think is going to solidify a line that was awful for Williams for much of his rookie year.

Outside of center, they have four quality offensive linemen.

And I mean, I think if you're a Bears fan, Ryan Poles, who swung for the fences with Montez Sweat, missed on Chase Claypool.

But we know what this GM is going to do.

He's going to, instead of wait for this

ragtag free agent class to materialize, like go get veterans through trades.

And he's not afraid to make trades.

And Tooney is,

they're going to have to, you know, give him an extension at some point here.

And that's why the Chiefs did it because they just made Trey Smith the most, the highest paid guard.

And that's kind of a big loss for the Chiefs.

But the Bears, if you're Caleb Williams, the beginning to this new league year is incredible.

You've added two solid guards, and it changes.

I think if you're, first of all,

Ben Johnson, it's like you've helped him a lot too.

I mean, the whole offense is going to be much better with a good offensive line.

They're being very aggressive.

Yes, and Jackson

had been given permission to seek a trade just one year after signing a three-year, $51 million deal with the Rams.

So the Rams decide to move on, and the Bears are welcoming them in.

Yeah, and it's like, again, if you don't love the draft class either, and you don't love the free agency class, well, yeah, then trade.

And then you could trade draft assets for a draft that you're not in love with to get a player that's not on the open market, which you're not in love with either.

It makes sense.

And maybe the Bears are making smart moves.

We shall see.

In other news, the Jets Jets officially released wide receiver Devontae Adams.

This was a foregone conclusion.

We told you that on our last show, that the initial reporting that they were answering phone calls or looking to pick up the phone, nobody was trading for 33-year-old Devontae Adams, due nearly $40 million in salary this season.

So the Jets understand that.

They move on.

They release him.

One report out there, I've been banging this drum a little bit, Sessi.

I feel like I'm saying banging the drum a lot.

That

I've noted that it's weird that a potential future Hall of Famer seems to just be following around this weirdo quarterback in the back end of his career.

Well, Rapsheet reported that it is not, quote, guaranteed that Adams will follow Aaron Rodgers, which makes a lot of sense.

And I hope Devontae takes in every aspect of decision-making before deciding essentially where it will be the last stop of his career as a potentially elite player, which he was, by the way.

I want to add one more thing here, Mark, that in 11 games, I I believe it was with the Jets,

he was excellent.

He had nearly 1,000 yards, seven plus touchdowns, still had juice for sure.

I don't know how much more he has left beyond the season, but well worth bringing in to be a high-end number two and potentially even a number one.

I think that report's got to be coming from his agent in the sense that like...

Good luck finding a team that automatically wants to sign up for Rodgers and Devontae Adams.

It's a tough sell.

It made sense for the Jets because the Jets were being controlled by Aaron Rodgers.

But the next chapter for Aaron Rodgers is not to control a team that way.

And so

I think that they part ways necessarily.

Like the Packers have been mentioned, the Chargers, we talked about them with all their cap room, knead-wide receivers, the 49ers.

And I'm going to bet there are whispers about Brandon Ayuk leaving the 49ers.

I know that that keeps getting, I sound like I'm crazy, but it's like, it's out there.

And so that it.

But who's reporting it?

And what are they saying?

And why are they saying it?

I will find it, but it's little whispers and he himself, like, I think like it's just it, let's just see what happens with that.

But there is, there is some heat around it, and it's not like trench, like this is happening, but they are redoing their salary cap.

And so do they fit with Devontae Adams?

I don't know.

But like, I think the Chargers and Chargers really do.

They really, really do.

So we'll see what happens.

I don't think that

him tied to Rogers, though.

I'm with you.

Like that.

That's old news.

That didn't work.

I found the Ayuk thing.

So Adam Schafter was on Pat McAfee

and he said this, with the financial situation that the 49ers are in, they're open to listening on just about anybody.

If there's a team out there that is willing to take on Brandon Ayuk's contract, I'm sure they would listen.

That actually makes me

a little bit like, geez, the 49ers might be in a little bit of a

spiral right now.

They just gave that guy all that money, and he's coming off a bad knee injury.

So I can't imagine

another team out there is going to want to take on Brandon Ayuk now while he's rehabbing a catastrophic knee injury.

Right.

But have they really tied themselves up in knots?

They might be like the poster children for

a Super Bowl window and you got multiple cracks at it and now the bills come and do.

They feel like that.

Yeah.

All right.

I love Brandon Ayuk.

I think he's a great player, but you've got to see if he's healthy

and before you make him.

If you trade for him, you're trading for one of the top paid wide receivers in football.

Well, you're almost trading for for him maybe for the back half of the season or next season.

Like, that requires the right team, too.

Saquon Barkley got the bag.

The Eagles and Barkley agreed on a two-year $41.2 million contract extension.

That makes him the highest paid running back in NFL history, per shifter.

James Cook, the Bills running back, who's on the record that he wants to be paid and paid well in a new deal with Buffalo or whomever, called it, quote, good business on Twitter.

Here's the thing:

there could be, sese, a temptation to say, oh, wow, look at this.

You know, after, after the Eagles won the Super Bowl and all this buzz about how the running game's back and the value is being properly given to running backs once more, is this a sign of things to come?

I do not think it's a sign of things to come.

I think this is not an Eagles decision or a league trend decision.

I think this is a Saquon Barkley story.

He's one of the top running backs of his generation and a potential Hall of Famer coming off one of the greatest seasons ever.

And the only other guy that I could think, like Adrian Peterson, for instance, got paid at this type of level relatively at his peak with the Vikings.

You have to be a truly one-of-one talent to get paid at running back, and Barkley qualifies as that.

Yeah, this isn't like

some other parallel universe version of like Le'Veon Bell lifting all boats for running backs.

It's Saquon Barkley, and he's in the perfect team with the perfect fit.

I also, and I'm not one of these, I gotta see the contract thing because I don't.

Well, it's not, it will be fine.

But, like, whenever these guaranteed money is legit, but like a lot of this is like they ripped up his current deal, they gave him this.

Um, teams are better than ever at moving money around and down the road.

And so, this is honoring a player who deserves this kind of contract because he's one of the most electrifying athletes in the league.

It's not a running back thing, per se.

The guy literally jumped, did a backwards

jump over an oncoming defender in a game last year.

Well, so did Justin with the dunkin can't dunk.

Hashtag Justin can't dunk.

TBD.

So what do you, you know what I'm going to do, Justin, just to be cool with you about this?

Yes.

Because I don't want there to be any excuses, okay?

You give us a timeline.

Like you're saying, you're Jordan, you're your rec league with your buddies and you're getting back in the gym.

That's cool with me.

That's fine.

I would expect you to try to knock off the rust or whatever.

How much training do you need before?

And here's the other thing.

Here's one thing, Mark.

One thing I'm just thinking of now.

So, Justin's going back into the gym, right?

Justin at 27 could dunk.

That's what he says, anyway.

Justin at 33

definitely can't dunk.

Not till Friday.

And he's going to, yes, Justin's going to be 32 right now.

Okay.

By the time we do this competition, he'll be 33.

Yes, true.

Now, when he goes in the gym, Mark, and he

flatlines on the rim, like he barely reaches the rim, throws the ball, bangs it off, and maybe collapses to the court.

Hopefully, he doesn't jack himself up like Tom Segura or whatever.

Of course, he's going to then try to get out of this, right?

Or put it off.

He's going to know before we know whether he can dunk.

And

that tells me that

should we be doing this sooner rather than later?

I think so.

Because he didn't say I can dunk after four weeks of training wearing those shoes with the super high heels that build your calves.

He said, I can dunk in the present time and space.

So, I mean, I don't care what you can do three months from now.

I can write a novel, and if you put me in a bunker for three novels, it might suck, but I'll write it.

But I didn't say I wrote it right now during this show.

Can you dunk right now, or can you dunk after four months of training?

I'm not interested in the latter.

Developing news.

I already said that.

This from Rapsheet, Seahawks star.

Wide receiver, DK Metcalf, has requested a trade from Seattle, and the team has decided to explore that request.

Also coming from the Mr.

Fuji of NFL Media, Tom Pellisero.

There's likely to be significant interest in the Seattle star,

and

the reporting goes on,

and both sides will dig into it a

big-time wide receiver who may be on the move.

Wow, that sounds like it's going to happen.

Now, a lot of this, I think, Sese is predicated on the big leap that they saw in year two from Jackson Smith and Jigba, who really became a dog this year.

They also are moving on from Tyler Lockett, Lockett, correct?

Is that right, Justin?

That's in our rundown, right?

That is a massive change at that point.

Yeah, so if they go through with this and they move on from Metcalf and Lockett, it's obviously an entire facelift on their playmakers.

And I know Metcalf, I want to say his star has dimmed in recent years, but maybe he's no longer on the path that he was on earlier in his career.

Still, I think there'd be a lot of teams that'd be very interested in a player of his ability who won't be 28 years old until December.

Oh, I think the door is going to be knocked down.

Like, I can already see it now.

I predicted Shadora Sanders to the Raiders, and you got Pete Carroll there.

You got Tom Brady.

You bring DK Metcalf over to the Las Vegas Raiders.

That makes a lot of sense.

You could see Carroll going that route.

Some people are connecting Carroll to Russell Wilson, by the way.

Is that a reunion there as well?

We didn't talk about that, but while we're here.

But yeah, Metcalf potentially on the move.

And,

when the reporting is this way, when it's the player requests to trade and the team wants to do it, and it's not a player with like a dead end contract or a guy in obvious decline, this usually means it's going to happen, I think.

And now just, again,

in the launch of a new league year coming up next week that needs a little sizzle, welcome to the dance, DK Metcalf.

And one quick thing, it's another indicator that teams are going to

see trades replacing this free agent class because that wide receiver group, there's names, but they are, we've talked about it with our friends last time.

Like there's issues with those guys.

DK is a different level of

Sam and Steve.

Our great friends.

Yes.

I was going to allow you to announce.

I think you just forgot their names in the moment.

That's how I did not forget Sam and Steve.

Justin, what did you think there?

What did you think with the microphone?

Justin, this is an important answer for you.

I got to sign with Mark on this one.

There's no chance that he forgot Sam or Steve's name.

I'm not saying that he, I'm not saying he didn't know Sam and Steve's name.

I'm saying as he was making that point, he was thinking football and he went to grasp for it.

It wasn't right there

on the top shelf.

No, what I was doing was because

our friends

added like an addendum onto like you were trying to get out of that news item.

So I was trying to be brief and work with you.

And now look what it's turned into.

So

I agree with Mark.

Shut up.

Let's look at Dee.

Yeah, he came on the scene in 2019 as a second-round pick, was an instant contributor.

His best season was his second season way back in 2020 when he was 83 for 1,310 touchdowns.

But it's not like he's fallen off the cliff.

He's just been a little bit less than that in recent years.

And then last year, he finished just shy of 1,000 yards with five touchdowns, 15 yards a catch.

And like we said,

it was Geno Smith really fell in love with

JSN in that offense, and he became kind of like the dog there,

even though they're not the same type of receiver.

Anyway, DK Metcalf on the open market.

And I'd love a DK Metcalf on my team.

And I think a lot of teams would feel the same way.

The Cowboys are signing standout defensive tackle Osa Odigizuwa.

O'Digizua.

I'm getting there with that name.

Every episode, a little closer.

To a four-year, $80 million deal, $52 million guaranteed, 26 years old.

Osa has started all 17 games for Dallas in each of his past three seasons.

He's a player, and he's coming off a career high, four and a half sacks and 23 QB hits.

And you got to hit on the,

when you unearth a player like Odigazua.

O'Digazuwa, Odigazuwa.

You want to keep him in the building.

And after using the franchise tag, they do just that with a long-term deal mark with Osa Odigazuwa.

It's

for all the flack that Jerry Jones takes and like on this show.

And, you know, I love my guys.

Like, he is.

Oh, my God.

He is.

This is smart.

Like, I always say that.

What did you say?

What's that, Kurt Warner?

I didn't hear you.

I said, I love my guys.

I hear you.

They're speaking to each other now.

Yeah, that's a conversation between Kurt Warner.

I hear you.

I hear you.

He's from the Mesozoic era or something.

What is going on with this person?

What are you saying over there?

What's that, Sean McVay?

It's me, Kurt Warner, fellow Rams.

Okay, go ahead.

This is stupid.

I will say that the impressions on the show have gotten hot and cold reviews from the audience, from what I've seen.

I just like the move, like, keep your own guys

that you've developed that work on your team.

Oh, yeah.

Don't go replace them with someone who's going to be.

I like it.

It's a nice move by the Cowboys.

After a terrible offseason last year, they've got a lot of work to do.

We mentioned the move by the Seahawks.

They release

longtime receiver Tyler Lockett.

He had a great run in Seattle.

That is

nothing to hang your head about.

And

he'll, you know, he joins a very crowded field of like 30-something or right there wide receivers that are.

have names, are name brands, but could be seen as progress stoppers, depending on what your depth chart looks like, but also could give you something in the right setup anyway.

But that saves Seattle $17 million in cap space as Seattle obviously is making some changes and pivoting.

The Jaguars plan to release wide receiver Christian Kirk.

That will clear over $10 million in cap space.

The Cowboys, who we just talked about, they will restructure CeeDee Lamb's contract.

That will free up $20 million in cap space for 2025.

The Saints have released veteran running back Jamal Williams.

What a mess that signing was, who is due $3.2 million this season.

It's funny with the running backs, Mark, because we talk about running backs and what their true value is.

Last couple seasons, remember, Jamal Williams had like a million touchdowns with the Lions.

Right.

Goes to the Saints, and the biggest impact he ever made with the Saints was being the running back who was so desperate for his first and only touchdown of the season in the season finale that Winston, Jameis Winston, audibled.

out of a QB Neal at the goal line, leading to that famous showdown between, who was it, Arthur Smith?

And Dennis Allen, yeah.

And Dennis Allen, two guys that were headed out the door.

Arguably a top five moment of that regular season.

Pretty good.

Yeah.

Pretty damn good.

But Jamal Williams, in two years there, did basically nothing.

He'll find work probably, but it might not be easy to find it.

Okay, moving on, another quarterback on the market, Mark, if it interests you.

The Raiders to release Gardner Meanshu.

He got kind of a shot, but Antonio Pierce clearly hated his guts.

And that was just a doomed marriage.

And then there was an injury in there.

Maybe, Mark, because I know you've long had a bit of a,

you know, I got to stay seated for Gardner Minshew situation going on.

Maybe he ends up with the Browns.

That would be a nice

marriage.

They really have no one right now.

So

that kind of fits.

He's the kind of guy that's going to work for as many years as he wants.

Well, he's got to play a little better than he played last year.

Well, I wouldn't be able to do that.

That may not be the case for much more.

He could be a backup to the age of Joe Flacco.

I'm not seeing as a starter.

If you're Joe Flacco and you're built out of central casting as a pocket quarterback and I could throw it 80 yards on a line, on a clothesline, and hit guys when I'm 60, yes, you could hang around.

Minchu is like a freelancing cowboy who just, with no arm strength, that's just throwing the ball all over the yard.

He might have to rein it in a little bit on some level to have the longevity that you speak of.

He's growing, he's growing in knowledge with every passing season.

I like me too also.

The Bengals

and Sam Hubbard are no more.

He has announced his retirement from the NFL.

Former Raiders wide receiver Hunter Renfro announces his retirement.

Oh, wow.

That's interesting.

Renfro, I completely forgot.

He never caught on with anyone last year.

His career really started out well

coming out of Alabama, wasn't it, Justin?

And then he really

kind of struggled struggled in his last season with the Raiders and fell out of favor.

And then that was kind of it for Renfro.

Yes.

Clemson Tigers.

Ah,

that's that.

That's what I get for trying to be the college guy.

Didn't you get a wait?

Didn't you get a football from Clemson?

Wasn't that the organization that sent you a football to thank you for your public service?

I didn't do that charity work for the Tigers and Debo Sweeney.

Now, he, Dabo Sweeney, whatever.

Like, I did it for the children and the orphans in the region region that needed a house to be built out of mud.

And

the fact that the Clemson head coach honored me was just supplemental to it, but certainly not the goal.

I think that based on the fact that we've really never talked about this

personal event shows that you're right, that it's not a point-at-me type effort.

It is about the children and the young people and youth.

And just for a minute, can we factor in the fact that that football that had my name on it, that was being on it, for whatever reasons you may believe to be real or erroneous,

after I left the company, that was sitting in the podcast studio and they just threw it in the garbage.

That feels like something that should have been boxed up and sent with my wardrobe.

But, you know,

it's neither here nor there at that point.

Well, by someone with integrity, that's what they would have done.

I don't like the fact that it ends up in a garbage pail is to me absolutely ridiculous.

And is it developing to recycling?

recycling

the raiders are jumping into free agency early signing former bengals offensive lineman alex kappa according to rap sheet citing a source so they get some depth in their offensive line

cool anything on that mark

um all i'd say about him is hey tom brady Hey, Tom Brady's back, baby.

Yeah, that's what I gotta say.

He's proven that he can he can operate.

Um, Brady's back, baby.

I don't have a lot to say except that he played all but um he played all but one game for the Bengals, so durable,

very durable.

And finally, a little post script on the old Zeuser media minute

from our previous episode.

The old Zeuser media minute.

And this one we'll try to keep to actually a minute, Mark.

Bill Belichick's hard knocks deal for UNC suddenly falls through.

Now, we know, we've talked to people in and around the orbit of professional football that working with Bill Belichick is very difficult.

And I'm wondering, and certain people that he's now aligned with in his universe,

younger people.

Younger people that perhaps are not trained classically

in the realm of representation are representing, and some of that can make things difficult.

I think that's what this smells like: that NFL films try to get something going with Bill.

There is probably some insane

requests being made from his side.

And NFL films, who, by the way, also were catching heat according to, I think, a Florio report, that the NFL,

as as an overall entity, seems to be very down on Belichick in so many ways, you know, as evidenced by him being out of the league, but also they just don't like the guy.

The idea that the NFL Films was going to be essentially doing a free commercial for Belichick at UNC, Belichick, who has no tie to the NFL anymore, why are we doing this for hard knocks?

That seemed to be a part of this potentially as well.

I think it's a soup, because I think you're right that the influence that he is under, well, or he has partnered with,

there are pretty trenchant reports that this individual has been a difficult liaison.

Let's start there.

But I think also from another angle, NFL films, why are you,

if you're the 32 owners that help fund, grow, produce NFL films from a high executive producer level, like, what's the point here?

This is not an NFL product.

Why are we, and you've got guys who, Flora made a good point.

Like he said, like, there's a couple owners that are like deep Michigan dudes.

Like, why are we promoting North Carolina where Belichick's getting players through the portal from other schools to go be part of all this?

I think it's just like probably Belichick was guided against doing it.

He's difficult.

He's never wanted to do real hard knocks.

And then the owners are like, this is not an NFL product.

We're not pitching college football.

We aren't really friends with college football.

So check you later.

They use college football.

It's their feeder system, but there's no need for them to be promoting

college football.

And certainly Bill Belichick, who is essentially persona non grada.

And we know how that we understand, you know, Bill's side on that Bill.

Like, I can call him Bill.

Bill.

Yeah, but like, yeah, we certainly do.

But like,

and it also speaks to the potential desperation to keep that off-season hard knocks brand alive, which, again, that will melt away.

And my prediction that the traditional hard knocks will have to go away and dream it all up again

after some

tough decision-making around the brand in recent years.

All right.

Oh, wow.

See.

The news coming hot and heavy.

How about some breaking news?

Oh, oh, la la.

We mentioned Max Crosby earlier.

Well, he's going to have a lot more funding for his various murals and Sopranos cosplay because Las Vegas has signed their star Edge Rusher and really the heart and soul of the organization to a three-year $106.5 million extension.

This, according to Teshawn Reed at the Athletic.

The deal includes $91.5 million guaranteed.

How about that?

Big-time money for Max Crosby.

The extension makes him the highest paid non-quarterback in NFL history.

And Ceci, this was not a deal that needed to get done right now.

He had two more years left on his contract, but no more guaranteed money.

And I think in the Tom Brady or whatever era for the Raiders, here was a guy you needed to do it right with.

And I think they've done Crosby right, and that keeps a cornerstone locked in with the Raiders.

Don't they feel different?

And it's, I mean, it's not just a Tom Brady thing, but it's a Pete Carroll-led organization now, right?

I mean, it's John Spytech, I think, is going to become a bigger name.

Spy tech.

I mean, I love the name, but like things are happening, and you please your greatest player.

You treat him the way he should be.

He wants to bring, you know, other players in, and that's a selling point.

So it's a huge arrow up up for the Raiders it's kind of one note to me that three years with that kind of guaranteed money and we just talked about Saquon and his guaranteed money and the idea that the running back situation is and these are vastly different this is one of the most important players in the league Max Crosby on defense and like he's earned it and good job by the Raiders and you know he wasn't quite the player this past year he was banged up and

but he is a dude like he is when he's healthy um this is a guy you could count on for you know we're talking one of those guys that, you know, bank him 14 to 18 sacks every year.

But beyond that,

he is like, he's such a Raider.

He's a perfect Raider.

He's all tatted up.

He's got the look.

He's got the demeanor.

And when you are an organization that's trying to find its footing and really build a foundation

for the Raiders and especially the Raiders, Max Crosby is a guy that you want in the building.

And very importantly, you want Happy.

There were some whispers about him maybe not being so happy.

I'm sure he's happy now.

$91.5 million guaranteed for a non-quarterback is a lot of money.

And

I think it's a smart, prudent move by the Raiders.

One little side note, like if we do get a Miles Garrett trade, which comes with an immediate extension, like there's a lot of Trey Hendrickson, there's a lot of edge rushers out there with big contracts coming.

Like you want to get this stuff done before that one happens.

So the Raiders are also smart to be the first chip to fall with the big edge rusher contract.

That's what you call, Mark.

First of all, great, great analysis by you.

And for the Raiders, that's called setting the market.

So now anybody that wants to trade for Miles Garrett knows, okay, this starts at 91.5 million guaranteed.

Is that how I want to play ball?

We'll see.

That's what's happening in the news.

Or is it sassy more breaking news?

What?

Well, this is how it works.

I mean, that's enough at a certain point.

Is it?

I mean, we're, you know, we're just hanging around our basements and, like, you know, the next thing will happen.

You know, someone

has a small house in Iowa and like no.

Nor do I.

What?

How about we, you know, be honest with the audience about things?

Let's start.

Zach Bond, he's not going anywhere.

The all-pro linebacker has agreed to a three-year deal with the Eagles.

Initial reports out there indicate

Bond's contract is worth $51 million with $34 million guaranteed at signing and another $1.5 million available in incentives and Escalators.

He's 28 years old.

Famously, Sestog signed that one-year contract with Philadelphia last offseason after four nondescript seasons with the Saints.

Very discrimin season with the Eagles, in which he became a defensive player of the year candidate, had an interception in the Super Bowl, has a ring or will be getting a ring shortly.

Not bad for Mr.

Bond.

The last six months of his life have been life-changing.

And I know there's some consternation among various individuals that Howie Roseman is overpraised.

And

that's you, Dan, that I'm speaking of sometimes in the past, but like not this year so much, but in the deeper past.

I mean, why we,

now we have to address it.

I think Howie Roseman absolutely deserves the praise that he gets.

I think it is the football media, which I have more of an issue with, falling over themselves, especially on draft day because Howie picks the names you know.

But there is no one, myself included, that thinks that Howie Roseman does not deserve every ounce of praise.

Didn't I just say earlier on the same show, Mark, the credit that that man deserves for building two champions with two different rosters?

Come on, Ceci, what is this?

It came from the subreddit?

You're better than that.

Well, no, but that was an odd conversation for multiple reasons.

But I would say this, like, look,

you found the best free agent pickup of the entire season a year ago so why let him go like bad teams do that and like the eagles found a way to keep him and like we know that under vic Fangio they can use him he had a turnover or a takeaway in every one of their playoff games like he was

arguably their most dominant defensive player in the playoffs in the Super Bowl run and they know how to use him and like I kind of think he's the kind of player if he went to fill in the blank mediocre team, we don't hear from him again the same way.

I trust the Eagles can do this and run it back again with him.

So I love the signing.

I was hoping this would happen.

Guys like Darius Slay and James Bradbury, potentially both out the door.

I mean, Slay could maybe come back, but like they're making changes, but they are signing the core elements of this year's Super Bowl team to basically say, let's try to do this again.

Which almost never happens.

And maybe we've already seen the peak of Zach Bond's career, and it was an incredible 2024 season that came out of nowhere.

And nobody, I don't think, would have really gotten on the Eagles, or maybe certain sectors around the Eagles would if, like, they decided to let him test free agency and he signed somewhere else.

Uh, but at the same time, to your point, it is very, very tempting if you're a Super Bowl champion to just try to run it back with the same dogs because you just saw it work.

So, it's it's it's a good signing, he's now paid at a much, much higher level than he was before.

Let's see if he can build on that breakout season and then it will be a great contract so

don't buy may our teams all sign sucks like like free agents that are this successful that bloom this way like i i don't see it happening for um our three teams and many others

I don't view it that way anymore either.

I'm now in optimism season and my team will nail all the components leading up to week one.

Oh, you're back in that world.

Sure.

Oh, one more thing.

A Cowboys restructured Dak Prescott's contract to free up 36.6 million in cap space.

If you look at that and CeeDee Lamb, like,

what are they planning for?

I mean, I know it's just cap maneuvering, but like, you're moving money down the road.

But like

they're saying they're not going to be very active in free agency.

You've moved a lot of money around and you're going to lean on the draft.

Like, it's just very interesting.

I kind of they've pulled me back in to find out what is it this team is going to do, and yet I know their fate ultimately will be

Okay, Jerry Jones did say in recent comments about whether the team will be more aggressive in free agency.

I don't think aggressive is the right word.

I'm not looking at free agency as a place to fill voids.

He's not doing that again.

Thank you, Jerry.

There's a very low percentage of this that is smiles and glory holes.

Moving on, that is

it.

I think.

I I think that covered it.

Reminder, reminder that the Patreon for Heed the Call is cooking.

Cooking.

And this week and this week only, we will offer a free preview of the Friday Fun Show, which I know people have heard about.

There's a lot of buzz about the Friday Fun Show.

What is the Friday Fun Show?

How is it different than the standard Heed the Call episodes?

Well, come see for yourself.

All you got to do is sign up for the free tier on patreon.com slash heed the call, and you will have access on Friday morning to the Friday fun show.

And Justin, as I understand it, there are a lot of people that are doing just that.

Be part of the revolution, be a fellow hedonist, and join up on the Patreon.

Dozens of people since this announcement was made earlier in the week have joined as free members.

All I would say to the people, to the listeners, the audience out there who hasn't joined yet, you don't want to miss this.

You don't want to be left out of this movement because it's a big one.

So go sign up.

And it's like for those out there that are like, oh, the offseason is my favorite time of year with this show.

Well, this is that, like with the volume cranked up where it's annoying like neighbors in the apartment next to you and you're getting the security called up.

Mark doesn't even wear a shirt, put it that way.

That's what we're talking about.

with the Friday Fun Show.

So check that out.

And we'll be back before you know it with Mike and Jordan of the Athletic sharing our thoughts on the eve of free agency.

And

one last note.

Yeah, we're going to be all over free agency in terms of our coverage.

And we'll tell you more about that on Thursday.

Till then, do what you must, hedonists.

Heed the call.

Popsicles, sprinklers, a cool breeze.

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