NFL Daily with Gregg Rosenthal - 2022 Free Agency Frenzy Day 4: Orson Welles in Decline

Episode Date: March 18, 2022

A virtual room filled with some heroes – Dan Hanzus, Marc Sessler, and Gregg Rosenthal bring you all of the latest moves in the NFL as a wild free agency period continues. In trade news, the Packers have agreed to send Davante Adams to the desert, Baker Mayfield wishes he would be sent somewhere, and Deshaun Watson has narrowed his trade choices down to the Falcons and Saints. Elsewhere, Von Miller signed a massive deal with the Bills, and the Rams added Allen Robinson. Za'Darius Smith changed his mind about signing with Baltimore and remains a free agent, the Steelers picked up Myles Jack, and Fletcher Cox and La'el Collins have been released. Stick around for some 8 o'clock delight, plus a dramatic reading of Marc's tweets.NFL Daily YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/nflpodcastsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Hey, everybody. Daniel Jeremiah here. And I'm Bucky Brooks. On Move the 6th, we take you inside the game from breaking down college prospects and NFL rookies to evaluating team building philosophies, coaching trends, and how front offices construct winning rosters. We study the tape, talk to decision makers, and give you a perspective you won't find anywhere else.

It's everything you need to understand the why behind what happens on Sunday. Don't miss it. Listen to the Move the Sticks podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Marcus Grant. And I'm Michael Florio, and together we host the NFL Fantasy Football Podcast. Ready to dominate your fantasy league this season? Then you need the NFL Fantasy Football Podcast, your ultimate source for player news, draft tips, and winning strategies. Whether you're a rookie manager or a fantasy vet. We've got the insight to help you crush your opponents.

Listen to the NFL Fantasy Football podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Toyota, the official automotive partner of the NFL. Visit Toyota.com slash NFL now to learn more. The Around the NFL podcast. See a blah, Espagnos. Welcome to another edition of the Around the Round. the NFL podcast. My name is Dan Hansis in a virtual room filled with some heroes, Greg Rosenthal, Mark Sessler. You know, boys, it's St. Patrick's Day. It is after 7 p.m. on the West Coast,

after 10 p.m. back east. And happy St. Patrick's Day to our many Irish listeners and all the Irish American listeners on this side of the pond, including my mom. But St. Patrick's Day, also lines up with the first day of March Madness, and that's fun. And usually this is a situation where I go out to a local tavern, and I have a couple drinks. I'll have a couple beers, maybe Daddy has a Tito's. I watch college hoops in the sunshine, day drinking can't beat it. And yet, Deshaun Watson, as is his way, ruined everything. As if we need a another reason to be annoyed by this man. Yes. He stopped Dan from going third person and calling himself Daddy in the sun all day. He didn't stop me. Oh, he didn't stop me. Okay, good. Okay,

that's, that's good. No, but we waited out the big announcement. It never came. And the latest reporting is that it might not come until the weekend or perhaps after that. But I have a theory about that, by the way, the old, you know, the famous Friday bad news dump that there's a team out there that understands they're going to get savaged for this. So they're going to like, let's say about 5 o'clock Eastern tomorrow is when it drops. That's a theory that I'm working under right now. I know they're saying through the weekend, but how about the most epic Friday bad news drop of all time?

I don't think that will save them from being savage. It won't. But I think that your theory is on point. If anything, they, like a team is going to have to try to minimize this to some degree, I don't think there's there is so much annoyance or maybe I'm just projecting that he hot this whole situation hijacked my day too. By the way, I also don't mind going out on St. Patrick's Day and watching basketball and having a beer.

It's it extends beyond just. Mark famously loves the NCAA tournament. No, I could care less about the tournament. No one groaned more from everyone else in the newsroom enjoying the basketball games than Mark Sessler. That part of it, that part of it used to drive you crazy. That part of it does not exist. But I mean, the idea that this entire day was hijacked by this situation is appalling to me.

Hey, here's the good news. I'm going to try to spin it forward here, maybe a little luck of the Irish, that by waiting it out, we ended up getting another massive trade that we get to talk about. So we told you four shows were coming if we had a reason to do a fourth show. So you might be, if you're in a different part of the world, you wake up to. this show, and that's nice. Or if you're a night owl like Sessler, who doesn't sleep, he's a borderline vampire, hot vampire, I'll say, but a vampire, you get to enjoy this in the middle of the night. But we're going to talk about big news, a massive trade of a superstar wide receiver, the latest with the Cleveland Browns mark, a future Hall of Famer going from

Los Angeles to Western New York. Let's get into it. Let's start with the Devante Adams trade. Yeah, how about that, hot vampire mark? A little, Nice compliment to throw you away in a big spot. That's one of the nicest things that anyone has ever said to me. So I think you need it. You need it today, buddy. So I'm going to be nice, you know. I want a Photoshop either from, you know, our excellent co-worker Randy.

Randy. Or a listener because, you know, it is late. I don't know if Randy's going to be able to knock this photo shop out in time. But, yeah, like maybe Mark is the next Twilight guy. You know, Pattinson's had his run. Well, I would say only if you are very skilled. Photoshop. I don't want like a C-minus version of this. If you are a true pro. If you're following our social media. Like Twilight, but for mid-40s guys. Yeah, like Chavez has been knocking out of the

park with his Photoshop skills. But no, like Pattinson, of course, is the new Batman and that movie's apparently very good. I'm going to check that one out. So he's moved out of that phase of stardom. So we do need a new matinee idol for the teen set. So maybe it is you, Mark. Yeah, definitely get a tired 48-year-old who couldn't be more, you know, worn out by the, by Terra firma at this point. This is what we're going to do. We're going to give you the fangs. And then we're going to do the, you know, the Irishman speaking St. Patrick's Day, the Scorsese movie where they de-aged Pesci and De Niro. We're going to de-age the fuck out of you.

And we're going to get you down to about 17 years old. We don't even need to. Look at this smooth forehead on him. Yeah. No, he looks great as he's a hot vampire right now. But I'm saying if we want him to, you know, accurately take. the mat-day idol, we got to de-age them about 30, 25 to 30 years. A little bit of work, yes.

A little bit of work, the Packers have to do. Some HGH or something, you know, too. The Packers have a little bit of work to do to rebuild their wide receiver room after the stunning. And I'll go stunning. And I think you guys will agree announcement or news that Devante Adams is being sent to the Raiders in exchange for a first. round pick and a second round pick in the 2022 NFL draft. Okay. So right after that deal goes

through, Adams, who was on the franchise tag, made it clear to Green Bay. He was not interested in playing other franchise tag. So he signed a new five-year, $141.25 million contract with the Raiders that makes them the highest paid wide out in the league. By the way, that's not even the craziest contract I've heard in the last 48 hours. We'll get to that in a little bit. Anyway, a massive deal for Adams, who statistically, you could say who you love with more from a skill set standpoint, but Adams has been better than anybody in football for close to a decade now. And now at age 29, he leaves Aaron Rogers. And Greg, he leaves by choice.

It was the Packers were willing to pony up the money. But reportedly, he wanted to play with Derek Carr instead. Bombshells galore here. It's crazy. I'm like always looking for the story behind the story. and, oh, wow, he's wanting to leave Aaron Rogers and want to leave like a very successful situation. But he did play with Derek Carr.

He's boys with Derek Carr. And he has a house in Las Vegas, Mark pointed out to me before the show. So that does make sense. He's a young man. And which place sounds a little more fun to live in? I would go with Las Vegas probably. And he would probably agree with his ties there. But it is crazy.

Oh, Greg would want to go to the gambling mecca? Stunner. It's just crazy because, he's at his peak I mean they got fair enough value for him a one and a two that's for a wide receiver that doesn't happen that that's fair

and they clear up some cap space but it's incredible to me that Aaron Rogers is returning to a team right now that has Alan Lazard is their number one I think he's restricted but he'll be back Valde Scantling's a free agent now you freed up some money if you do want to bring him back

they did bring back Randall Cobb Amari Rogers is sticking around, and this team that we kind of assumed was going to be the one B to the Rams favorite in the NFC just took a big hit. This is not just any other receiver. It's not Greg Jennings leaving. It's not Donald Driver at some point leaving. Like, this is Devante Adams, the best receiver in the league. And the facts around it, I find, are as stunning as the move itself, that while Aaron Rogers was, was negotiating his contract that he knew, according to our reporting from Ian Rappaport,

that Devante Adams would never play again for the team. And despite what he talked about and said about Devante Adams on the Pat McAfee show just a couple weeks ago, that he knew that. And that Devante Adams was offered an equal contract by Green Bay and decided, nope, I'd rather go play with Derek Carr, who I think everyone on earth can agree as a good quarterback, but obviously a lesser offering than Aaron Rogers. And the Packers, suddenly, this whole off-season plan that seemed to have, after so much drama,

crescendo into a scenario where they are, as Greg said, the 1B to the NFC darlings, now they look lost to me. I mean, they look lost because even with Devante Adams, they couldn't win playoff games. I'm not ready to count out the Packers. Oh, yeah. And this is why.

Because you could, there's a lot of things you could say about what Brian Gutikunz has done in recent years to build that team into a contender. But the one position group where he always kind of skated by on, it seems, was wide receiver. And it was Devante Adams, this all-world producer

who had this great bond with Rogers and they just put up enough production to count for two receivers. And then that made up for a back end of the wide receiver group that was always hit or miss. I mean, whether it was MVS or Alan Lazard, you name the guy in there

and there's been a lot of forgettable players. Maybe the Packers and Goudicons see this as an opportunity to pivot and change how they're setting up this offense. And maybe you bring in some guys that are, we were talking about before the show, Jarvis Landry is out there. You have Odell out there, especially with Alan Robinson now finding a home in Los Angeles.

You have now an extra first round pick. Maybe you bring in a wide receiver you're in love with. And all of a sudden you have a nice balanced unit. It's still, though, even playing it positive there, massive roll of the dice for a team that's in win now mode it is but i i love this draft class you know according to dana jeremiah everyone else and at the wide receiver position you know there's still packers fans that think look if we had drafted t higgins instead of jordan love we might have won some of those playoff games but you can you can make up for

adams is lost somewhat with with a draft pick or two and in free agency and quarterbacks make receivers i devonthe adams is special but the numbers are crazy he He's making $28 million a year, which doesn't just reset the wide receiver market. It's just like it's on another planet. Now, none of the guaranteed money as of our taping has been reporting, which is usually very telling that it's going to be heavily backloaded. It'll probably be more like a three-year deal and we'll have to see where the guarantees are. Maybe it's like a three for 66 and he's making 22 per. Either way, that's like a ton for a wide receiver and they want to put it elsewhere.

but it's really counting on Aaron Rogers to make the players around him better. And for Derek Carr, it's just like, it's amazing. Now or never. Yeah, now we know Derek Carr's not going anywhere, right? I guess if there was any doubt in anyone's mind, it would seem insane that Derek Carr could be available now. And that's just like an incredibly fun off season

that the Raiders have had under Josh McDaniel, surprisingly, that you bring in Chandler Jones and you bring in Devante Adams. Very unbill, Belichick-like, and this AFC West just seems insanely loaded right now. I love it. I love what the Raiders did here because you could have looked at what's going on with the Chargers. And, of course, the Broncos now with Russell Wilson and, of course, the Chiefs, who are an absolute superpower. And they could have said, well, maybe we should sit this out for a couple of years. This division's too hot and we might be better off reloading and then, you know, trying to rise up in a few years.

But instead they've gone the other direction and saying we could do it too. We can rise up. We could become a superpower. And it's just, yeah, I can't remember a year where you go into the season and you're like, man, this division, when you look at the whole division top to bottom is going to be so fun to watch all those division matchups. And they play the NFC West out of division. So. Ooh, dog it. Not like the NFC West, maybe.

isn't quite as loaded as it was a year ago but those matchups are going to be all over primetime too those are awesome all right let's move on the raiders we're a super bowl contender that's what they're saying whether you believe it or not that's fair there's about 12 of them in the aFC so right uh last year going into the season the browns fashion themselves a super bowl contender it didn't work out obviously and now here we are in a very sticky situation of course quarterback because we talked about it on yesterday's show with Baker, his goodbye, Instagram, then it becomes public. The Browns are after Deshawn Watson. They're in the sweepstakes. Deshawn says, thanks, I'm cool. And then today's events. We learned that Baker Mayfield has

requested a trade after NFL networks Mike Garifolo reported the Brown Stillview Baker as their starter. And Baker refused and offered a meet with Brown's brass after the Deshaun Watson situation. So now the Browns are saying, we don't want to trade you. We're refusing the request. Baker saying, get me out of here. Josina Anderson reports the Seahawks have discussed exploring a trade for Baker Mayfield. That makes a lot of sense. And Mark, at the end of the day, this feels very sloppy and unhinged, just like we kind of predicted yesterday. Right. If you're the Cleveland Browns, you're right back in the mess. You're right back where you were for so long. And I am hearing from so many different Browns fans that, you know, we all get

that Andrew Barry is a skilled general manager. That I don't doubt. But that, no, don't worry, he's got a plan A, a plan B, a plan C, and a plan D. But there aren't A, B, C, and D options here. I mean, I guess at some point, you know, you've done this with Baker Mayfield. You've handled this in a sloppy fashion. And here's the thing. Everyone's like, oh, well, that, you know, why isn't he acting like Matt Ryan and, you know, calmly and placidly, just accepting that they were courting a different quarterback and maybe he'll start or not? Well, we all know who Baker Mayfield is. Like, he operates off of grudges, off of slights. I mean, I operate that way. Don't some of us operate that way at times? Like, you're fueled by certain things. We know that about him.

He wasn't going to handle. Who are you spiteful towards right now or over the years? I am spiteful towards roughly 56 or 57 people slash operations slash movements. I'm very annoyed at the moment. This whole thing to me is a huge mess. And there's no great way out of this. There's no great way out. I don't think if you're a Browns fan, you're that excited about the fact that you're going to maybe have to slide in. Jimmy G. who can't throw till July or Matt Ryan, who's got another year or two left. It's a mess. And in this team that did have it in theory, in theory, by the way, a Super Bowl window. Not in reality. It is shutting it is shutting by the minute they have positional needs all over the place they've botched

a quest for the most important position in sports they've disenfranchised half their fan base and they're coming out of it acting like they're smarter than everyone no you're not well i think going after watson is is the cardinal sin here and failing too failing quickly you know they ultimately were the first team knocked out of it well we'll talk watson but it's down to two there it sounds like the panthers are out of it too. But I was so surprised by the report that they were willing and wanted to send the team playing down. Weirdly, in all this, that was the most surprising thing that I couldn't quite like fit my narrative into because my narrative is that they do that meeting with Deshaun Watson, eyes wide open, understanding what Baker Mayfield could feel and how he could

react, understanding the landscape of quarterbacks that are out there, and you might not get Deshaun Watson, and walking into that notion thinking, we're fine if we don't have Baker Mayfield. In fact, we don't really expect to keep Baker Mayfield. And then even when Mike Garifolo immediately reported that, they said, no, that's cool. We don't want to, we're not going to trade you. We're not going to honor your request. Even that I could kind of explain like, well, that makes sense because you want to be the one that's in control here.

Scott Pioly was on NFL network talking about it, saying, like, they want to hold the leverage. They, you know, they want to calm the situation down as much as possible. And even in a scenario where they're fully anticipating that he gets traded, that's sort of the move in the moment because they're just trying to calm this down. It doesn't help anything to be like, okay, now he's up for grabs. Let's do that for, let's do that behind closed doors. But the idea that they were going to send the plane with Jimmy Haselm, it over to like kiss the ring of Baker that that confuses me and that makes me

think they have played this poorly and that they do kind of want to have keep Baker instead of what's behind door number two I'm confused but that aspect of it really makes you wonder like how they are handling the personal side of it because if they just kind of had the door closed to Baker and they're treating them a little poorly like that makes more sense to me than what's going on right now. I agree because I think it's like, Mark, what you said, part of it is knowing who your people are and knowing what you're the personality type of your quarterback. One of the reasons why he's found great success is that chip on a shoulder and how he takes slights personally. And to think that

you could kind of get the toothpaste back in the tube here, I just think it's naive. And, you know, at this point, it's too far gone. And I think we wondered yesterday, what has happens if Watson says no. And I don't think anybody can be surprised that Watson isn't choosing the Cleveland Browns. There's been so much connecting him to wanting to be in the South or closer to where he grew up. Like Cleveland, Ohio never felt like a Deshaun Watson destination. And now they're left scrambling back to Baker potentially. And that's just probably not going to take. So they have put themselves in a very awkward position. And now we have to see how they can try to fix this because it's not going to be easy to fix, Mark. I don't think it's,

it's fixed this year no matter what. I mean, it's, look, you're going, whatever happens, the scenario that unfolds and what we're witnessing come, you know, week one will be the far drastically lesser option of what they dreamt up, whoever is, whoever they is, because I think number one, this is my theory that the adult in the room comment came from the highest possible source in the Browns building. I think it came from ownership. And it probably put the front office and the rest of this crew into a scenario they didn't love, because that's not been their M.O. There hasn't been a lot of whispers and chatter and negative talk coming out of the Andrew Berry front office. It's been the opposite. And I think we all understood

that this relationship was fractured. But there weren't a lot of whisper campaigns and negative reports until that happened. And that pivoted everything. And I think if no matter what they came to an agreement with, with Baker Mayfield, saying we're going to look for maybe one guy or two guys out there, an Aaron Rogers figure, Russell Wilson. And if Baker, I still don't think that would have sat well with him. But then to hear these reports come out about he's not an adult, he's not this or that. The relationship was too far gone. So whatever their plan B was does not exist now. And I don't think we're looking around the league. The cults know this. Other teams know this. There is no great plan B. So now you're the team in the AFC North going into the season with the

plan you didn't plan to have and you're probably going to get fractured for it even further than we see today. I like their roster though. I like their offensive line. I like the running backs. I like their defense for the most part. I don't think they're too far gone. I think if you just pick a quarterback that's out there, Jimmy G., James, whatever, I don't think it's that different than Baker Mayfield in terms of their outlook. Yeah, it's probably a borderline playoff team.

Like, you're probably not winning the Super Bowl, but I don't think it's that different than Baker. And I actually do think Baker still has value. If Carson Wentz can get two third-round picks, I just don't buy that Baker doesn't have value here from a team like Seattle. and that maybe some of this putting the toothpaste back in the tube is just trying to set this up

because it might not happen until the draft. We might be talking about this for a while. Who knows, maybe someone does act quickly. You know, the teams that make the most sense are Seattle, Carolina, and Indianapolis, in theory. For some reason, I don't see Indianapolis as much, but I think Seattle and Carolina could be motivated to do that. And they need quarterbacks bad.

they're desperate and if wence is worth two-thirds I guess you can't just build off of that like Baker Mayfield's worth the second round pick isn't he and unless the Browns are trying to like extract blood from a stone here they're not getting two first they're not getting one first for Baker Mayfield but if they're just ready to like say goodbye and see what's behind door number two

I think they can get a pick for him and I kind of think that's what'll happen eventually maybe the Jets Arnold deal something like that right and I'm going to be more I'm going to be seeing this through a more negative lens or a more frustrated lens than the next person. But even if they have a good roster, there's no question that they're going to go into the season with a fair roster and a half-baked quarterback. And in the AFC, in this AFC, the NFC, you're fine. You probably grab a playoff spot with that. In this AFC, check you later. And by the way, like an uninspiring

entrance into the season. The energy that was good around this team is gone. And for, in my heart, You do have a Mari Cooper. You got that? I don't care. I think Baker is a little bit of a half-baked quarterback. That's just my like evaluation. Half Baker, nailed it. You know, just.

He is totally imperfect. I get that. I think he's limited. Browns or whoever it might be trying to smear Baker out the door for being petulant and a brat. It's like, no, bro, I'm telling you, this is who he was. He always was this guy. So I think it's a little unfair to say because he's not doing the Jimmy Garoppolo thing, makes him a bad guy here. I think that there could be some PR assassination attempts going on with Baker.

Mark, I do always, I've known you for years, well over a decade now, and I do always use your Twitter as a way to get behind those blue eyes. And I just want to share a tweet that you sent. I guess it was yesterday. My day won't be shaped by, you know what, I'm not capable. I'm not worthy of reading this tweet, but I do know somebody who is. My day won't be shaped by Brown's News ever again. Total XGF material.

Go figure it out for yourself. Keep scorching the earth. My life is new. The great, I am Zumwalt. Yeah. Jason Zumwold. Wow. That was today.

That was mere hours ago. This has been the longest football-filled day of my entire life. I am done with the Cleveland Browns. And I'm not trying to be a drama queen. I'm not like I simply come to this comfortable conclusion. And some of my tweets are just my way to indicate that that I'm out on this. There's like another tweet from today. Yeah.

I fell for the Browns when I was young. I am not young anymore. Is that a real tweet? That's amazing. Yes, that's a real tweet. They're all real. It's been a long. It's been a, I've been following this team for, you know, three and a half decades.

And I honestly think that I just come to a comfortable place where I am watching them sail off into the distance. And I feel totally at peace with it. It is not, I know it's like, oh, I keep it. Oh, you'll be back in week two when they're one in one. Like, I'll be here covering football, but I won't be, I won't be the same person. Like, it's changed. And I can't explain it. I just don't need to.

it's not a part of my life anymore. I know you well enough, Mark, and I know obviously the history of the Browns and especially the last five years of the Browns and at a much lesser level with Sam Darnold, I connect with you that you, he was identified, he's the guy. Like he was the one that's going to take you out of the darkness.

And now that it's ending like the same old... And he sort of did. Same old shit. It's just like that, I understand that makes it hurt even more. But, and I'm not saying this antagonize you. Right. But I don't believe you. You will be back because they are you and you are them.

I think Nick Wessling tweeted at you and reply like, it's too late. Like you can't get out. And I think that's right. Unfortunately, the same reason I'm wearing a jet shirt and they're about 50 games under 500 over the last five years, there's no way out. Once you're in, you're in. Time will tell. Let's take a break.

I do believe you. Wait, can we, there's no more Zumbalt tweets, right? to be, because I think one tweet to me personally described it, described the day more better than any. So I'm just going to read that one. Hashtag female assassin. Look, I hit my wall when I tweeted that. I just, I hit my wall because it's like, I don't even know what I'm watching or seeing at this point anymore. Put it this way, Greg.

If I had not been in contact with Jason, if I was in contact with Jason after that tweet was sent, I would have that. But, but I do have this. And then we're going to take a break. Item. Kind of over it. We'll be right back. Hey, this is Matt Jones.

Now I'm Drew Franklin. And this is NFL cover zero. We're just here to try to give you an NFL perspective a little bit different. Did you see the Colts Pretzel? That was my other big takeaway from that game. What was that? Oh, my.

We think NFL coverage should be informative and entertaining. And twice a week, that is exactly what you're going to get. Listen NFL Cover Zero with Matt Jones and Drew Franklin on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Toyota, the official automotive partner of the NFL. Visit Toyota.com slash NFL now to learn more. What's up everybody? Daniel Jeremiah here. And I'm Bucky Brooks. On Move the Sticks, we take you inside the game from scouting reports and player development

to team building philosophies, coaching trends, and how front offices construct winning rosters. Every week, we study the tape, talk to decision makers, and share the insights you won't find anywhere else. It's the kind of conversation that connects the dots, from college football prospects to the NFL stars of tomorrow. We break down the draft, analyze matchups, and evaluate how teams put it all. all together on game day. Plus, we dig in the coaching strategies, roster construction,

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Visit Toyota.com slash NFL now to learn more. All right, we are back. A lot to get to. Still, no news on Deshawn Watson, at least where he's playing for sure. I still predict a nice Friday, 4 p.m. Eastern news dump. But for the here and now on 7.30, on the West Coast, we know this. The Browns, as we said, are out.

The Panthers officially informed they are out of the trade mix for Deshaun Watson. Seattle previously was ruled out. So that leaves it down to two bitter, petty NFC South rivals, the Falcons and the Panthers. The Panthers obviously have been quarterback purgatory for years now. Sam Darnold has not worked out. Teddy Bridgewater didn't work out. We know the coaching staff there desperately needs an upgraded quarterback to stay alive beyond 2022.

So they need Watson. The Saints, a team perpetually in salary cap hell. Obviously, Drew Bree's gone. Taysam Hill, James Winston mixed results last year. And now they have an opportunity to start over. They've been clearing cap space like Mad. And they are both waiting for the decision. It's all kind of gross, obviously.

but this is where we are in a football place. Both teams begging for the phone to ring and Deshaunette Watson or his agent to say, you're mine. Yeah, it's gross. I was sitting in the newsroom today and it was like different reporters were hearing different things.

Like some people thought Atlanta's the one. He grew up outside of Atlanta. He has this connection to work, Dunn, who was probably in the meeting when he met the Falcons, his agent, there's ties there with his play. and the agent, and there's that. And then there's the Saints who reportedly had a second meeting

in which the owner, Gail Benson, was involved. A second meeting would seem to indicate that that would be a step ahead for them. And they're doing, it's just crazy that they're doing all this begging. Supposedly the trade terms have roughly been agreed to, but they might have to work out the particulars in that could take. some time but it is confusing that our network said it was coming today at one point they said it's expected today it's expected imminently and then they change it to today and now we're looking at the weekend which could support your theory

Dan about that it that it would would drop and it's just crazy because I think there's huge segments of both fan bases we know the same friends that don't want them so it's almost like they're hoping to lose some of the fans are hoping not to get him. The fan the team is hoping to win and it's going to be I think very difficult for the team to thread the needle of like you know celebrating in theory bringing in this guy who still hasn't answered for all of his civil accusations and still will be facing that and from everyone that we know who's connected in the league is still expecting a suspension I mean a lengthy suspension is expected. I mean contrast it to the fact that we you know humorously

and with a sense of enjoyment watched the Russell Wilson opening press conference, which was, if nothing, nothing less than a massive celebration for Broncos and Broncos fans. I know some Broncos fans that talked about it being one of the best days they've had in years supporting that team. How do you even have an opening press conference with Deshaun Watson when he finally lands somewhere? I don't think you do. Well, I've been surprised across every step of the process, how the NFL has handled this, how these teams are handling this.

I wouldn't be surprised if they have a huge blowout press conference either, whoever this goes with, just because just like, like honestly, I, this talk that these teams want to meet to Sean Watson face to face and the idea that they're going to be hard questions asked, hell no, it's the teams are basically genuflecting at the man and saying, please come join me. I'm not basing this on any inside reporting. Garretelho reported that and he said he's felt the love.

And he said to him from his, from Watson's perspective, that it felt good after this last year that all these people are showing them the love. The Athletic also reported that they didn't ask, they haven't spoken to the lawyer of the civil suits at all. They haven't doing any investigating on their own in that way. Well, and Greg, Greg on NFL Network today, I thought you stated it perfectly about the whole situation where there's this sense that it's, let's go impress to Sean Watson. And the Falcons, you know, there was a reporting that the Falcons especially, have embraced DeShan Watson, have had people come out of the organizational woodwork

to show them support. So it's exactly the opposite of how do we turn around, pivot, explain this to the large portion of fans that are going to not want this result. They're going to feel not listen to, disenfranchised. It is as messy, a massive giant trade as the NFL has ever had. I don't know how they're going to handle it,

but I would assume they're going to handle it poorly because this has been handled poorly like a poison over everything from step A. You're giving up three first round picks reportedly. Everything that's gone on apparently hasn't changed the trade terms at all. So if you're in Atlanta Falcons team, take a look at that roster. And then you give away three first round picks and you have Deshawn Watson. To me, that is a recipe for disaster and disappointment, certainly in the short term.

He was a ball boy for the Falcons once upon a time. He was a high school star at Georgia. So there is some obviously real ties there. Arthur Blank, according to Adam Schefter, V.SBN, is quite fond of the show. Watson. So there might be that pull, but you're right. I feel like that is like if he wants to be back where he was with the Texans trying to do it all and running for his life and taking a beating and hanging in the pocket and putting up good numbers for a nine and eight team, go head to Atlanta. The Saints just make a lot more sense.

And if I had a guess, I think that's where he ends up. But nobody knows. Nobody knows. All right, let's get to other news. Western New York mentioned it. Von Miller now plays for the bills. All right. Now, Greg, you are a, this is Greg's season.

It's Greggy season. We all know that. So you're going to help make sense of this to me. That Von Miller, formerly of the Rams now, signed a six-year, $120 million contract with the bills, this is a soon to be 33-year-old defender who appeared to be in decline before the trade to Los Angeles. And then he went off and was a stud in the playoffs. And I know, Greg, that there are dummy years and the guaranteed money is only so much. But at the same time, when you look at all these other deals that we're seeing around the league over the last few

days, we're not seeing six for 120. So how did Von Miller get it? Well, by wanting it to be this big number and helping the bills spread out the money. Because first of all, it's max value 120. I don't know what the base is, but there's a lot of incentives in there. It's really two for 32. Like, it's great. It took me a while to get to see the details, but it's 32 guaranteed. If this year didn't go well, for instance, it would be two for 32.

They'd be on the hook for 32 over two years. It's probably three for 53, which is, you know, almost $18 million a year, which It's a lot for Von Miller at that age. But also, it's basically what Chandler Jones made, right? And it's not too different from what Harold Landry made. The difference with him and Jones, I think, is he's probably getting that third year unless this season goes really poorly. But it's basically three for 53.

And that is a huge risk, maybe even a bigger risk than the Rams took when they gave up two picks for them. The Rams certainly don't regret that trade. But I do think they regret losing Von Miller. I think they extended pretty far to try to keep them. Well, I think the Rams whole offseason plan was obviously bring everyone back and they're O'4-1 at this point. And it doesn't seem like they're bringing O'Dell Beckham back either,

but we're fine. We'll get into why that probably won't happen. If you're the Bills, you're hoping that, you know, Denver and moving on from Von Miller, who's essentially become like a hired gun and a bounty hunter at this point, is going to be coming to the third team that is in a Super Bowl window and do what he did for the Rams. He was, they would not have won a Super Bowl without him. I mean, was it four sacks in the postseason?

I think five over his final eight games in the regular season with Los Angeles. He was a perfect fit. They needed pass rushing help in the, in the biggest way. I think he fits in this. I trust Sean McDermott as the head coach to get the most out of him. I just like the idea and the whole vibe of it. We'll see if he, how long this lasts for him, because I don't trust that he's got five or six years left.

But does he have one? All they need to do is go win a Super Bowl. And they are legit in that window. They're not deceiving themselves on that front. And so that's when you go add someone like Von Miller. We'll see if it works out. You could feel it, the desperation of Buffalo. I don't mean desperation is a bad thing necessarily,

but just we know how close we are. It's insane that we lost that game in Kansas City. We are an unbelievably strong team. There is no reason why we can't get over the hump. If the Rams and Bengals are playing in the Super Bowl, we got to do this. So we're going to give out this crazy. contract because it's all about the next year or two. So I get it. And I don't, and I don't chagrin

von Miller. It seems like a fun football journey he's on. He made a career and a Hall of Fame career in Denver, won a ring, had a highly memorable Super Bowl MVP performance in Super Bowl 50. The Rams trade could not have gone better for both sides. And now he's going to be in one of the great, in terms of fan bases and vibes for a loaded team again. He's doing the thing. He's on the football journey. It's cool. I mean, he could be the first. I don't think anyone's ever won three Super Bowls with three different teams.

Someone could check that for me. Maybe that's, maybe that's wrong, but I don't think that's what happened. Brave Digger. How a homework assignment. I also love, like, they're giving up a lot and it's risky. It is like kind of an all-in move. But I think if you look at it in the context of the other things they've done this off-season, okay, they signed Tim Settle, who's this kind of underrated guy from

Washington, Dayquan Jones, another underrated guy from, Tennessee for low money. Jerry Hughes and Mario Addison, who both have been making a lot of money are off the books. They're free agents. And they got a lot of production out of those guys. And those guys were older than Von Miller. I mean, they got production out of them 34, 35 years old. I like what they did. They got Roger Saffold, another Titans guy they brought in. They brought back Isaiah McKenzie and they cut Cole Beasley today. I like that. So it's all these like cheap, smart, billsy type moves and they make so many smart cheap billsy types moves that i think you can let yourself splurge a little bit with a guy like like von miller they'll make it work justin before you jump in

i want to make a rule um because i know you feel a little self-conscious um about hitting your grave digger drop but especially in this stream yard setup i want you to announce your presence with grave digger drop and then the listener knows and we know you're about to come in with some heat so why You want to try it right now? Grave-digger. Oh, there he is. Grave-digger. What's up, buddy?

So one player has won a Super Bowl with three different teams. Matt Millen, a former linebacker. Two with the Raiders, one with the Niners, and one with Washington. Certainly not as a front office figure, that's for sure. But an incredible announcer, what an incredible football life that he had to use. Yeah, that man. I mean, he's lucky to be alive. The miracle of modern science.

I think he had a heart replacement surgery. He was on the ropes there for a while, and now he's back in the game. Good for Matt Millen. I'm now, like, kind of rooting for the bills. It's taken me this long, but now I feel like it's almost like they deserve it. That's not how football usually works. But now after last year for so it took me this long for them to win me over.

I feel like they deserve a Super Bowl buff. Plus, you've given up the ghost. You've given up the ghost on Belichick ever scaling the heights of his former greatness. I think it's more. I'm just, like, accepting that the bills are the Patriots daddy. I mean, they literally didn't get a stop in two straight games. You didn't get a stop in two straight games. When I asked that, that was bad.

When I, when I was connecting with Zumwalt on those Sessler drops, I told them what the voice were going for here is Orson Welles in decline. So what you're saying, you're getting out on the billbell checking decline era and just getting behind the bills. I'm not getting behind the bills. Well, I wouldn't call you all in, Greg. No, I'm not all in on the bills either. I just sort of like appreciate what they've done. It's pretty impressive, I think. And Josh Allen is impressive and it's almost like, okay, it's your, they should be rewarded.

Their fans should be rewarded. You're already calling them the New England's daddy though. I mean, I feel like they're the child that beat the dad in basketball and now they got to go do it over and over. I think it's almost underrated how completely ridiculous. and embarrassing those two performances were for the Patriots and impressive for the bills. It's wild.

Well, you too love to ignore the primetime game that I was obsessed with. I guess that just that game didn't count because it happened first. Well, you were very passionate about that game and we kind of let you off the hook a little bit. We didn't want to dwell on that. Let me off the hook. Is anyone watched that game?

I think you announced that the bills were over after that game, as I recall. I had concerns. I was, they were, okay, I've been wrong about 425 things. same zies same zies all right so the rams lose von miller but they gain alan robinson los angeles signed the wide receiver formerly of the bears to a three year 46 and a half million dollar contract robinson was one of the more productive wide receivers in the league over the past five or six years despite playing with a bunch of stiffs a quarterback in chicago uh he kind of cratered last year with

the rest of the chicago offense but obviously the rams see him as a great bounceback candidate It might spell the end of O'Dell Beckham's time in Los Angeles after only half the season. But you pair Alan Robinson with Cooper Cup and a healthy Robert Woods. And Gregie, that is a nice way to begin a title defense on offense. Yeah, you're cooking with gas. I love that. I love that because he's very different. Or grease.

Yeah. Grease and gas. Either either. Another crack at the apple here. I would like to cook with some grease and gas. Maybe I'll learn how to cook in my older years. That would be nice. He gives them something they don't have, which is a red zone vertical threat guy.

And I guess Oda Beckham could have been that guy. Robinson's a little more natural of a fit, I think, for that as like a pure vertical receiver. It sounds like he dogged it a little bit last year. That was the buzz. He kind of just wanted to get to the offseason. He didn't come back from his hamstring injury. I don't care about that. Now he's going to be with the Rams.

He got $15 million a year guaranteed the first two years. And the thing I love is they lost Von Miller. And then they're just like, all right, well, who's the next best premier player? Because, you know, Les Sneed famously as, like, F them draft picks. He's also like F that cap space. I got no use for cap space. Cap space is the most overrated thing ever. Look at the Saints.

They've somehow opened up $110 million in cap space to possibly fit in Watson and Tehran Armstead and, you know, get their books in order. Like, Cap Space is stupid. Let's just get the next premier player that's available at a position that could help us, and they go get them, and they're going to go be contenders again. It reminds me a little bit of the wide receiver version of Matthew Stafford. To Dan's point, we all know this about Alan Robinson. A bunch of Hammond Eggers have been throwing him passes since he came into the league with Jacksonville

and then Chicago. It's been Blake Bortles, Mitch Trubisky, Nick Foles, Andy Dalton. And you had Justin Fields last year. But it's like last year was a lost year for Robinson. All right, let's take a quick break, and then we'll finish the news. Hey, this is Matt Jones. I'm Drew Franklin, and this is NFL Cover Zero. We're just here to try to give you an NFL perspective a little bit different.

Did you see the Colts Pretzel? That was my other big takeaway from that game. What was that? Oh, my. We think NFL coverage should be informative and entertaining. And twice a week, that is exactly what you're going to get. Listen to NFL Cover Zero with Matt Jones and Drew Franklin, the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

Toyota, the official automotive partner of the NFL. Visit Toyota.com slash NFL now to learn more. What's up, everybody? Daniel Jeremiah here. And I'm Bucky Brooks. On Move the Sticks, we take you inside the game from scouting reports and player development to team building philosophies, coaching trends, and how front offices construct winning rosters. Every week, we study the tape, talk to decision makers,

and share the insights you won't find anywhere else. It's the kind of conversation that connects the dots, from college football prospects to the NFL stars of tomorrow. We break down the draft, analyze matchups, and evaluate how teams put it all together on game day. Plus, we dig in the coaching strategies, roster construction, and the trends that shape the league year after year. Whether you're a diehard fan or just love understanding the game on a deeper level,

we give you the full picture. If you want insight that goes beyond the box score, this podcast is for you. Don't miss it. Listen to the Move the Six podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

I'm Marcus Grant. And I'm Michael F. Florio, and together we host the NFL Fantasy Football Podcast. Ready to dominate your fantasy league this season? Then you need the NFL Fantasy Football podcast,

your ultimate source for player news, draft tips, and winning strategies. you're a rookie manager or a fantasy vet. We've got the insight to help you crush your opponents. Listen to the NFL Fantasy Football podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Toyota, the official automotive partner of the NFL. Visit Toyota.com slash NFL now to learn more.

All right, welcome back. Let's wrap this thing up because, listen, the Wi-Fi. You know, St. Patrick's Day, ruined by Deshaun Watson. on some level. However, the wife, he made some Shepard's Pie. Okay. It's sitting on the stove for the old Zusser. She's a good cook. I mean, Alice is a very good cook.

I mean, like Walker's having like a party in the bathroom right over there. I don't know if you hear him. I think he's in the bathtub. He went to the bar to watch Indiana. It's a big University of Indiana hoops fan. All right. Let's finish things out. The NFL Network's Ian Rappaport reports Zadaria Smith will not sign with the Ravens.

Huh? So that's now happened. twice. Randy Gregory jumped away from Dallas to go to Denver, and now Zadaria Smith jumps away from the Ravens to hop back into the free agency pool. That was a four-year deal worth $35 million. And Gregi, there seems to be some weirdness around this. Yeah, Mike Garifolo indicated like he doesn't have another team necessarily. He doesn't have another offer. The way he was talking about it, he had some skepticism whether Zadaria Smith could replace this contract. act. I don't know. It's just a mystery. But Mark should enjoy it because he was just saying how

well run and great things are for the Ravens and these two moves, him and Smith and Marcus Williams is going to work out so well. This is a little egg on the Ravens face. They're not too happy about this. Yeah, but see, I don't, I have no distaste for the Ravens anymore. I've unhooked from, I've unhooked from the whole thing. Okay, now you like the Ravens. Well, this is good. Yeah, I respect them. That's, that's part of this, too. You're quote of quitting the Browns and you no longer dislike the Ravens and Steelers. Why do I need, why do you? Why do you? do I need to dislike them at this point? I've removed hatred from my body and persona.

I think it's a very healthy thing. I'm with myself also. Now, you did say earlier in this show, you have 57 different people that you're feeling spiteful for. Right, but it was 65 at the start of the day. So. All right, I'll leave it there. In other news, Miles Jack, speaking of the Steelers,

he heads to Pittsburgh. two years, 16 million. He gets a new gig pretty quickly, 26 years old. He had some really nice years with Jacksonville. Of course, remember speaking of the Patriots when Miles Jack wasn't down on that fumble recovery that would have put Jacksonville in the Super Bowl, but instead they got robbed by the officials and by the NFL,

giving Greggie yet another Super Bowl title in the process. But that's in the inch of past. Miles Jack now is no longer a Jaguar. He's a stealer. And Mark, this feels like another move for one of your, the teams you used to have an issue with that will end up working beautifully. Right.

Wonderful organization. I think quality signing. Miles Jack is one of those guys where like when I find out his age, that he's only 26. I'm like, what? I feel like we've been covering him for like eight years. But that's not the case. But I think Pittsburgh in a sneaky way

because they still had an effective defense. They were junk against the run last year. here. DVOA-wise, they were like 27th against the run. So Miles Jack helps there. I mean, they went and released Joe Schobert in a directly correlating move. I like it for Pittsburgh. Again, I'm not just saying this, but like the Ravens, when they bring these guys in, they typically seem to work out for the most part. I know that's not always been the case, but it's a good landing spot for Miles Jack. There was like a two-year period where he looked like one of the best young off-ball linebackers in the league. I'm not sure what happened,

but he's still young. You would think that's a coaching issue. I kind of love that. the Steelers off season so far. It's been really quiet, but James Daniels, like, tapeheads love him, the guard from the Bears, didn't have to pay him too much. They got a starting center in Mason Cole. I think they had another backup offensive lineman that they had, and then this and mild Jack. Like quietly, some, they added players that will be starting and helping them. It's a little unpaid, Steelers like, but they haven't had to go wild spending a ton of money. All right, let's move on. Some notable cuts that went down in the last 24 hours. Fletcher Cox, and the Eagles have a breakup, but it sounds like they're going to make up.

It's just a salary situation, and they're going to get a deal that works better for team and player, Lyle Collins, and the Cowboys are no more. They tried to move him in a trade. They try to move Amari Cooper, found a taker in the Browns, tried to move Collins, did not find a taker, which is interesting because I was just watching a cut up on Twitter about how he totally balled out against Nick Bosa in the playoffs. He's, you know, like less than 30 years old. I would take him on the Jets.

And I'd trade McKayette back then out of town, but that's just me. I put him in my top 20. Yeah, let's go. He's a healthy, above average starting rate tackle. Those guys aren't usually a bad. Well, the Bengals sound interested, too. Yeah, never know. Greg, you mentioned Cole Beasley cut after a disappointing year.

Isaiah McKenzie is going to get his shot. That all makes sense. Don't sign him, Bill. We don't need Cole Beasley. It's just like, come on. Yeah, that's fair. All right, 8 o'clock to light. All right, Chris Godwin.

He was on the franchise tag, but not for too long. It gets paid three for 60. Where is that in a Devante Adams world? It's below it. Certainly, it's the exact same that Mike Williams got. And it's good for the bucks to reward a guy, even though he tore his ACL. They're still paying off.

Dolphins making a lot of small moves. Rahim Moster, the running back heads to the Dolphins. I feel like the Dolphins signed 47 running backs every year. This is exactly what Kyle Shanahan did when he went to San Francisco. He imported players that he knew from Atlanta in previous stops. And Mike McDaniel is doing the same thing. As we predicted on the NFL broadcast, eight round the NFL broadcast show. Which you could check out tomorrow Friday on NFL Network.

Gronk says there is a quote, very good chance. I'm back with the Buccaneers. Should we be surprised, Greg? No one is like a worse negotiator than Grank. Seriously, he could have made like $100 million more than he has. is great. I feel bad, almost. He's making plenty of money on the side with other various things. This one, it says, re-sign Apple, sign Hearst.

Greg, help me out with that one. It might have been a copy and paste error there, but that was the Bengals Day. They brought back Eli Apple. They signed Hayden Hurst. I think a nice replacement for Uzama. And yeah, they're going after Lyle Collins. I have a feeling they'll close that deal. How could I forget?

Eli Apple had a nice little Super Bowl until the end when it wasn't so nice. Anyway, the Jets signed another tight end. We're in business. The Jets sign from the Minnesota Vikings, Tyler Conklin, who's had a nice year with the Vikings last year a breakout season. Jacob Johnson leaves New England's sad face from Greggie. Yeah, Jacob Johnson, one of Henry Hodgson's International Pathway

program heroes, gets a job with Josh McDaniels, but I'm going to miss him. I like seeing this guy didn't even know how to play football. football when he came in and turned to do a great fullback. And finally, Mr. Sessler, Blauhard Nation rejoiced. The Lions re-signed the quarterback, so he stays in the building. I mean, I had a deal with the Lions where they were going to essentially let them go, then bring them back just so that we could have fresh content for our newsletter,

and they were very compliant on that front. That's nice. And that is 8 o'clock. Delight. your tight end tyler conklin followed me on twitter last week so that's that was exciting that was exciting for me awesome it's always fun when a random uh NFL player follows you i get a little nervous when it happens someone did that to me recently and um yeah yeah harvard followed followed a bunch of us i think that was the name that usually tells me

that they're um getting close to entering the media for a although i don't know why Sean Payton follows me, although I do think he gave me the coronavirus two combines ago. So maybe that's where we link up. I'm not sure. Maybe he's been trying to get in touch with you to apologize. He was patient zero. He seems like someone that would go out of his way to find someone to apologize for a wrongdoing in the past.

Yes, he does. Maybe that's Kevin James, actually. Never mind. That is not. All right. We'll be back on television Friday if you catch this in time at three. p.m. Eastern, noon Pacific, the around the NFL broadcast and we'll give you a nice run down of the week that was, according to my theory, we will still not have the Deshaun Watson news for that television

show, but maybe I'm wrong, and in which case you will get it on TV on Friday. It'll probably happen in the one hour between when we tape and when they air it. Do we have to do a fifth podcast this week if Watson signs tomorrow morning? Maybe a minisode if we're there. depending on. I don't know. We love you guys, but this is a lot of content. Yeah. Pushing it, big time. And instead of doing our typical end of show close, I will tell you to heed the call, but I do have one last Mark Sessler tweet to share. And again, I am not worthy to read the Sessler tweet. but the great Jason Zumwalt noted Cardinals fan is just think late period deep in decline even after he's doing the ah commercials era orson wells reading Mark Sessler tweets

thank you to everybody for listening we'll see you when we see you played tennis with the family this evening and totally destroyed them on the court. Hey, everybody, Daniel Jeremiah here. And I'm Bucky Brooks. On Move the Six, we take you inside the game from breaking down college prospects and NFL rookies to evaluating team-building philosophies,

coaching trends, and how front offices construct winning roster. We study the tape, talk to decision makers, and give you a perspective you won't find anywhere else. It's everything you need to understand the why behind what happens on Sunday. Don't miss it. Listen to the Move the Sticks podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Marcus Grant. And I'm Michael Florio, and together we host the NFL Fantasy Football Podcast. Ready to dominate your fantasy league this season?

then you need the NFL fantasy football podcast, your ultimate source for player news, draft tips, and winning strategies. Whether you're a rookie manager or a fantasy vet, we've got the insight to help you crush your opponents. Listen to the NFL Fantasy Football podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Toyota, the official automotive partner of the NFL. Visit Toyota.com slash NFL now to learn more.

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