NFL Daily with Gregg Rosenthal - Daily Buzz: Donald OUT, Tua IN and More Week 1 Notes

Episode Date: September 8, 2026

Gregg Rosenthal and a surprise guest get you caught up on all the news from around the NFL including Aaron Donald not playing in the Rams Week 1 game against the 49ers, injury updated for Nick Bosa and Christian McCaffrey, Christian Gonzalez getting a new contract with the Patriots, the Falcons announcing Tua Tagovailoa as their Week 1 starter and more! NFL Daily YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/nflpodcastsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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picks and hear from your favorite players too. Join me at an all-star cast of experts for everything you need to know from around the league. Get new episodes of the NFL report Monday through Friday all season long. Listen to the NFL report podcast on the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to NFL Daily where we finally made it to the end of the offseason road. I'm Greg Rosenthal. I'm here in the Chris Wesleying podcast studio for the 100 11th and final episode between the Super Bowl, between the Patriots and the Seahawks, and the week one kickoff. Recap between the Patriots and the Seahawks. And yes, I am flying solo. We decided it was going to be a simple news only though. What is that? I know it's been a little stormy here

in Los Angeles. Is that Nick Shook? Is that Nick Shuck arriving? for the 2026 season. What a surprise. Who saw that coming? With a chair. Nick Shook's been driving across America and ultimately finishing a journey

because we're not letting you go back to Cleveland anymore that he began with me in the NFL Network newsroom over a decade ago in Culver City. He went back. He worked for the Browns. He worked for us from Cleveland. but we've been teasing it,

and now we've got Shook. He's our big off-season acquisition in the studio Forevermore. We're finally here. I'm ready to get rolling. I'm excited to be here. The season's here. I'm here.

Not in a box. Let's go. That was so stupid. If you like seeing just how much Nick Shook towers over me like he did when we went and saw the Dodgers this weekend. Check us out on YouTube. Subscribe.

Watch us. You can check us out on NFL channel now. three times a week, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Sunday. And we love our podcast listeners, because that's what keeps the ship afloat. Let's get into the football. It will still be a simple news show on this program. And we have to start with the Melbourne game.

Aaron Donald is not going to play. We are taping this on Tuesday afternoon, L.A. time. And I bring up that timing to point out that Sean McVeigh just did a press conference, and he's still in Los Angeles. The game's in about 48 hours. they have not left yet. Aaron Donald will not be leaving either.

They decided he is not ready to play in week one. There already is some reporting indicating that he's likely to play in week two, but they just don't want to risk it. He's not even going to fly over to Australia. Does that change how you're thinking about this game? No, I'm not worried about Aaron Donald's involved in this game. I'm more worried about the clock, the body clock.

How do you adjust to going to Australia so quickly? As somebody who's done some road trips with some NFL teams and done the two-day trip to Denny's, convert. And the difference in it. Isn't it going to make a big difference? Is this a test of strategy in how you approach an international game? Kyle Shanahan, the Niners, been there like a week. He doesn't know if up is down, left, is right. The Rams, the Rams don't care. They don't care at all. They're just going to stick to the regular routine. I think it's fine. I don't want everything about this game to be a referendum on how they approach the trip. They did it

similar to London. We've seen it both ways. It makes sense to me as someone who's made a trip to essentially the same time zone on a yearly basis, which Tokyo is, that that first night, you just stay up as late as you can, you get one good night sleeping and then they're going to play the next day. But did you play a football game the next day? I didn't. You played a mountain. I might have gone out for a jog or something like that.

The Rams are expected to have their left tackle, Alarick Jackson, and Puka Nakua. I was keeping an eye on whether the NFL was going to suspend either one of these guys at some point. There's been reporting from Adam Schefter that Nakua might not get suspended this season at all. I am surprised about Alarick Jackson. The NFL has a pretty clear domestic violence policy and he's entering a diversionary program. So I don't know if he's off the hook permanently or they're waiting for something else to happen on a legal front. But that is good news

for them because he might be going up against Nick Bosa. Nick Bosa and Christian McCaffrey both had full uniform helmet on when they practiced in Australia on Tuesday in Australia. It was Monday for us that you're getting to... And somewhere it's Wednesday. Right. Like the game is on Friday morning in Australia. Kind of crazy to me that Bosa has not really fully practiced once

since tearing his ACL and he's going to play in this game. Yeah, I'm a little concerned about it, honestly. And the fact that he was dealing with knee issues and swelling and that sort of thing in camp that kept him out, I'm a little worried about suddenly just going full go without any real ramp up. But these are the pros. These are the guys that, you know,

how to handle this better than I do. So I'll trust the process. I'll trust that they'll be perfectly. I think Nick Bosa will be a part-time player for now. Pitch count. Kind of like Aaron Donald's got to be. But if you look at that edge group and they actually lost one of their depth pieces, Sam Okuwanu, who's played a lot of snaps for them and was part of a group that just isn't very deep. He broke his foot we found out in a practice leading up to them going over to Australia, so he is going to be out for a long time. The group is Nick Bosa, not at 100%. Ramello Haight, a third round rookie.

Keon White, who was shot early in the off season and has recovered enough to play, but it was like a waiver pickup for them. And then, like, a colleague, who, you know, is a guy they picked up off waiver. It wouldn't be an NFL season if the Niners didn't start with a bunch of injuries. It's not a great pass rush,

even when they do get healthy. and as I mentioned on the preview show, look, it's an offensive line for the Rams that dominated this matchup a year ago. Let's quickly hit just some news out of the Patriots and the Seahawks who are playing that kickoff game. Christian Gonzalez signed his big contract less than two days before they have to suit up in Seattle. I do not think that's a coincidence. Four years, $135 million on the contract extension, $102 million guaranteed in terms of new money. average and guaranteed money. So you can kind of play around with these numbers.

Let's be real. He is now the newest, richest cornerback in NFL history. I do believe Shook that the threat of him not suiting up for week one help them get over the finish line here. I think this is a classic example of a hold-in or a contract dispute in which you really refuse to budge and you force your personnel chief to answer for it multiple times.

ends up playing in your favor, where you end up getting the money that you want. Because the threat, what is one thing? This actually motivated me the last week. The season's coming. You got to make moves. You got to get ready. I had to drive across the country.

Patriots had to pay Christian Gonzalez to make sure he was on the field. They can't afford to not play without him. So good on him and his agent. Congratulations. It will be superseded by somebody else before long, but good for him. It's the same agent as Devin Witherspoon.

Top two contracts. Because Gonzalez had another year left on his rookie deal, to me, he's not the highest paid because if you actually do the total deal, it's $25, $26 million a year, it's totally reasonable. There were these little whispers. I wasn't the only one.

You know, there has been this strange vibe, sometimes publicly and sometimes behind the scenes of like, how much does Mike Rable and the Patriots, how much do they really love Christian Gonzalez? Maybe they were negotiating behind the scenes. There were some little trade rumors bubbling around. I think this was a real thing, whether the Patriots were ever serious about it or not.

I think there were other teams that maybe thought they could go get him, but in the end. What do you think happens in this scenario if they don't make the Super Bowl last year? Do they feel the same amount of pressure to make sure that he's locked up or not? Contract plus. And that he had an awesome Super Bowl.

Yeah. Like, I even heard. Because he hasn't been the top tiered through. He got hurt in his rookie year and he's been ascending. To me, he's kind of like in the NFL draft, how you evaluate. not just production but traits. His top end play,

and I would say that was the majority of his second season, the 2024 season, he looked like he could be the best quarterback in the league, like him and Patrick Sturtain. So once you show that level of play, you get paid like that. Now last year was a little up and down, it's a cornerback.

There were some injuries. A little bit of the potential there. A little bit. Don't fall in love with potential. I love the energy you are bringing. How are you doing, Chuck? I mean, like, you know, you left Cleveland. I'm happy to be here.

I'm ecstatic. I'm excited. I know, but it's a lot. It's a lot. You were there for a long time. Family. It is an adjustment, I will admit. You go into the Dodgers game with me and my son and our friend Tracy.

Shout out. You know, that can't fully replace your family, although we're pretty loud. No, that's true. I mean, it was a great introduction. And, you know, I got to say, I nailed my home run prediction. So got to be excited about it. Shout out Tommy Edmund. Yeah.

That game, by the way, Kristen Gonzalez saved a couple would-be touchdowns. They have it on. in our office, which you're now a part of. They already put your name on the desk and everything. Seahawks could have had more big plays in that game. I remembered how Darnold missed a couple deep shots where there was miscommunication. Gonzalez saved a couple.

Like that thing could have been a big time blow. I think the Patriots could go deep a little more in this game than they did because the Seahawks aren't as deep on their back end. Ty Okada, who played a lot of big snaps in that game, is not expected to play in this game. Nick Eman-Whori, has been limited throughout the entire week, and we'll see if he's close to 100%.

We think it's going to be a better Patriots offense in general. Do you think it's going to be a worse Seahawks defense? I don't know if I'd go that far. I will say that what the football world was introduced to, if they weren't paying attention as closely as some of people like we were, in the Super Bowl, was how Nikki Menmorey freed up Mike McDonald to do all kinds of different things defensively, and how important he is to this. defense and how important he could be to this team in this week one game.

But I don't necessarily think that they'll be much worse. They did lose a couple of other guys. They lost Rick Wool and they lost Boy amafey. They aren't in the top two in my power rankings, but they're at number three. So I'm going to give him a, you know. Put a pit in that. I gave you some grief last time we talked to power rankings because it's a big, it's a big earner.

Yeah. They already made you do another one, even though nothing's really changed in the last three weeks. I'm going to pick some nits with that. Also, Trayvion Henderson, don't expect him to play. this game for the Patriots. The next time, by the way, you'll hear from this podcast, Jordan Roderick and I will be live. Check us out, join us on YouTube

after the game, recapping the kickoff. So let's get to the rest of the news that's happened since we last recorded. Tuatung of Iloa will start week one. It's crazy that we got this deep into week one preparation without knowing who's going to start. You just had a telling like intake

of breath sigh, which I found like a little intimidating, showed off the muscles here. Well, why did the Falcons make you do that? Because it's been a tough situation for Kevin Stefansky to navigate. I think that the tone of the conversation prior to their preseason finale was that they really shifted toward hoping Michael Pennix to play in week one. Right. And then they rolled two out for the preseason finale and he fumbled away possession. He didn't look great.

He bounced back a little bit, but it was marginal at best. I just thought, man, it's not that there's no way that you can justify playing him in week one, but Michael Penix really has to not be ready to go in order to have to roll with Tua Tunga Vaila, which I think is a disappointment for what the Falcons probably were hoping for going into week one. I also think it's temporary because as it stands right now, they probably want to see Michael Pennix out there and not Tua based on how he's looked in this preseason. Not the greatest sign for Tua that they waited until the last second. And they're not starting Tua over Michael Pennix as his backup.

Michael Pennix will be inactive. Cooper Rush will be the backup. Shout out to the Jack Strand believers out there. Like, where's team? He's just hanging out. Let's listen to Pennix talk about his way back to the team. I had that conversation. I just told him I'm not where I want to be right now.

And I'm like, I want to be able to be 100%, so I can help this team with football games. And I'm really close, really close. Sounds like it was Pennix's decision. Mm-hmm. And it's a ball. for me because the week prior he was talking all about basically a week, week and a half prior, he was like, yeah, I think I'm on track to be mentally and physically ready for week one.

And he's not. And you could tell there's a sense of disappointment in his voice there where he's like, I'm failing my team. I'm failing myself. But he's not. It's just one week. Pretty rare in football. And we'd have to know the machinations.

But the way he made it sound, he went to Kevin Stefanski and say it doesn't feel right, which I really concerning. I actually don't think it's concerning. I think these guys know their bodies better than anyone. And sometimes just hearing athletes talk about recoveries from this, it is partly mental until you fully trust what's back. But he has a better sense, I think, than anyone else is going to. And so if he feels like he's not ready, he's not ready.

He has recovered from a number of ACL surgeries. He has been through this before. And so it's smart of him. And I appreciate it. I think it shows some maturity to not force himself. back. But the question is, how long does the Tua Tungovilo is starting experience happening? How long does it last? He says, I'm really close. It was really close a week and a half ago. That's a month long thing. Is this two weeks? What is

this? I don't think it's going to be very long. And Tua could always play his way into the job, but it's always a big question when you look at the schedule. Like, it depends what version of the team you play. And I don't know that Michael Penix is going to be a big upgrade. But I have a feeling he will be in this system over this version of Tua. They are at Pittsburgh. week one. We got to figure out who's taking what games

on Sunday, by the way. You don't just get all the good games just because you're writing about it. Is that a game you want? Maybe Kevin Savansky familiar with playing in Pittsburgh. Do I want to sign up for the Tua experience?

Aaron Rogers versus Tua. I feel like you can do better in week one. And then the Carolina Panthers are the home opener for Atlanta in week two before they go to Green Bay and New Orleans after that.

So all those teams will be watching this situation and interesting. The most surprising transaction I saw over the weekend was Darius Slayton was cut. Wouldn't have been that shocking if it happened on cut down day because we heard it could be coming. But they're a little thin at wide receiver now because they've had some injuries. And he's guaranteed $9.75 million, which tells me that Joe Shane regrets giving him that contract, by the way. If you're just looking to give Joe Shane L's, here's another one.

There's a lot. There's a few. And that they just couldn't even get a late round pick swap. They held on to him for as long as humanly possible, hoping to get something for him, some team to take on a little bit of his money. It's a major misfire that he can't make the team. It does save them a little bit of salary cap space,

which is your new beat. You've been really trying to dive into numbers. But I think we figured it out once we looked at the cap space of the giants. They have no cap space. Exactly. So like it makes sense for a little bit of cap relief to be, more flexible at this period in, you know, at the start of the regular season. And if you want to, you know, convert one person off the practice squad up to the active

roster and keep them there and things like that, right? But what it really tells me more than anything is that Malachi Fields exceeded expectation and they feel very good about Malik neighbors and they feel very good about the rest of this group, which like you said, is pretty thin. Odell's also on that team. We got to remember that factor. And ultimately, they looked at a guy who turns 30 in January as somebody that they no longer wanted on their team for the rate that he was at.

What do they got to do? They got to get it right before the game starts because right now they have about a million dollars in cap space. But there's actually four teams that have negative cap space right now. I would imagine it's right before. They got to figure things out in the meantime. But that's crazy. I can't remember the last time a non-quarterback

had that much guaranteed money on his salary and was just flat out cut. They're going to pay him to go away. He could land with another team. The Titans tend to like X giants, although they're pretty deep at once. wide receiver. The Saints are a little thin. I could see them adding a veteran. Daniel Jones had some nice days with Derry Staten, so he'll land somewhere. Yeah, yeah, and he could definitely use

another receiver. Injury news in the same division, Tyler Smith of the Cowboys. This came out of nowhere is going to be out for four to six weeks with a thumb injury. They showed us how much they value Tyler Smith by giving him a monster contract. He's one of the better guards in the league. I think this offensive line has kind of the one of the highest ceilings, lowest floors of any offensive line in the league, where they could be top five, but they could be sub-mediocre. This is a disappointing way for their season to start.

This was their most dependable line, and this is the guy that really was able, allowed them to kickstart the reconfiguration of their offensive line when they moved on from guys like Nick Martin and mainstays that moved, you know, that either retired or moved on elsewhere. And so to lose him at this stage is disappointing, but I understand the logic behind it,

which is go eat your thumb fixed, because offensive line, much of it's about grip strength and can you get your hands in a guy and hang on to him. And if you can't use your thumb, I mean, the reason that we're evolutionary, like, advantaged over some mammals

is that we have opposable thumbs. So if you don't have a thumb that allows you to get into the chest of a defensive lineman or a blitzing linebacker, I guess you're going to be a little bit limited in what you can do. So get it done now, four to six weeks before you even get to the halfway point

of the season, it makes sense. But if you look at this team now, the questions with them were tackle. Where's Terrence Steel right now? Tyler Guyton was like threatened a little bit in camp for his job, right? And now they have T.J. Bass playing left guard. Suddenly the strength of this group diminishes a little bit. Yeah, they traded for Project Jones because I don't think they're happy with Terrence Steel.

We'll see. They have a very tough matchup in terms of their offensive line Sunday night football week one against the Giants. The Super Bowl for the Giants. It is big. If the Giants got out to a one-on-no start beating the Cowboys, that'd be big. I couldn't help but notice Jerry Jones doing the thing that he does, which is stay in the news with a little bite that he feels like everyone is going to jump on. He noted after doing some

restructures, they've changed some money around, that they have, quote, serious financial room for a trade. They have opened up about $30 million in cap space. And so if they wanted to trade for a certain edge rusher from the Raiders, that fits in perfectly into the Cowboys salary structure. I would not expect that to happen before week one, obviously, at this point. But if the Raiders are one in five, I wouldn't be surprised to hear Max Crosby's name thrown out there, spice up some trade deadline episodes. That cap space is kind of a myth, too, because they have projected five next year. So it's really like an all-in situation. Let's go do it right now. But at the same time Jerry's...

Not affecting next year, you know. We've talked about this with Jerry, because he's been saying this since they were still at training camp and he was outside doing a press conference. It's almost like he just likes to tease us with the idea that, yeah, we could, or maybe just put it out there that, hey, you want to move one of your guys? We're kind of all in right now. We'd pick up the phone and talk a deal potentially. Until it happens, though, I'm just going to take it as bluster and keep an eye on the fact

that they have cab space to work with. You're right. That could all be rolled over next year. but I think there's a part of Jerry that doesn't like that they've had like this quiet Yeah, he wants to be in the news. Offseason. By the way, when you were doing the, you know...

The opposable thumb thing. The opposable thumb bit. I was just thinking, how different is this than if you were just in a box in Cleveland? You wouldn't see my hands. Well, you wouldn't be doing the bit. No. It just would be different.

Because I would block my face. I love it. For as much as we've worked together, we haven't done a lot of podcasting in person together. Yeah, that's number two. Let's go. Nick. We'll be part of our Sunday night recaps.

You're going to be part of the Tuesday show. We'll try to get Nick mixed in as much as possible. And then Thursday nights, you continue in your primetime journey with us. Harrison Smith is back with the Vikings, the unretirement that Vikings reporters seem to see coming throughout much of the offseason. So that's good news for them. I kind of was wondering about their secondary. It looked very thin at safety.

And so Harrison Smith out there to prove that you don't really need training. training camp. This is going to be his 15th season, and it is a complex defense that not many people really know what Brian Flores wants to do. Harrison Smith is going to make them better. They also signed Kyle Van Noy, fun old name, to the practice squad. So we could have Van Noy and Van Ginkle on the same team. The Minnesota Van Vikings. There we go. Yeah, the Harrison Smith thing, by the way, it's the classic case of, congrats, you are the latest Michael Strayhan to just avoid training camp entirely in the preseason and then join the team you've always played for. Good job, Harrison. Way to play it. Michael Wilson signed a three-year contract with the Cardinals. I mentioned it briefly.

I think this is going to turn out to be one of the best contracts in the league. He is a rising young player. I really loved his perspective when he signed the deal. And I just wanted to get that into the show. It was a really cool example of what these contracts mean to the players and the people around. My dad came from Montego Bay, Jamaica. I grew up with a schizophrenic mom, came here when he was 18, you know, was a construction worker for 35 years. He probably won't mom to say it's, but he's like he never made over $100,000 in his entire life. And my mom was born and raised in Wellington, New Zealand came here in her mid-20s to pursue a nursing career. So I think it starts at their story, right? Two immigrants came here. Like my mom still to this day doesn't know much about football. To be

She really doesn't like me playing football still. She's a nervous wreck during the season. And so this is a big win for the entire Wilson family and, you know, starting back from their store. Very cool. What do they always talk about? Life-changing money. Three years, $75 million for a guy who really worked his way to his role with this team.

I mean, that is such a, got to be such a rewarding feeling. But knowing that you can be financially secure and you can help your parents and appreciate the path they took to get you here. crazy story of his immigrant parents and just everything that he's gone through. And yet he's still not the best athlete in his family. Sophia Smith, his wife, the soccer star, if you know, you know. A couple other quick items. The Hall of Fame changed their bylaws.

We'll get into that more when we get to Hall of Fame voting season. But they're trying to fix what happened last year with Bill Belichick. The biggest change to me was they just got rid of about 22 of the voters, some of the riffraff apparently. A few bits of... news, which will hit deeper on our preview show, but I did just want to get it out there in the interest of being as up to date as possible. It's a weird week because we're not coming off game. So these teams have already been practicing for week one a couple times. They practice late last week

week. They practice on Monday. They're back at it Tuesday, Wednesday, depending on the team. The Chiefs said they are likely to start Khalil Benson at left tackle week one because they won't have Josh Simmons. If you listen to myself and Nick Wright, I said that Josh Simmons might be the most important non-quarterback in the entire AFC playoff race. Wow. Like just in terms of determining whether his team is going to be good or not, because it's such a steep drop-off, and they're going to have big

questions in that first game against the Broncos. Anthony Richardson officially won the QB2 job in Indianapolis. Alec Pierce is expected to play in week one for an Indianapolis. Joe Milton got cut surprisingly since we last taped. He is now on the Cowboys practice squad. I was really surprised that they did not make him the backup. No faith in my guy, Joe Milton.

The Giants extended James Winston and John Runyon. So it'll be interesting to see does Winston outlast Jackson Dart in New York? I don't think so. I think they like that combination. But Winston is going to be there a couple more years. I hope it doesn't outlast James.

It's a low-price backup. John Runyon is a solid guard. And then Josh Jacobs, I noted, moved to his court date up to September 10th. Josh Jacobs on the commissioner's exempt list, which means he, is away from the team but not officially suspended while he works through the legal process being accused of domestic violence. And so they are trying to, I think, settle his case legally

in a way to get him back on the field sooner. I think he still will be suspended six full games at minimum when he does settle his court date. But we will see. Quickly, before we let you go, we're going to do a couple things. I'm going to get your predictions for the Super Bowl. and the conference title game because myself, Jordan, Patrick, all gave our predictions, and yes, two-thirds of the podcast so far have picked the Houston Texans

to win the Super Bowl. What is that? You have the Texans' 10th in your power rankings, by the way? That's still in the playoffs. I mean, that feels... Do you want to get into it? Let's get into it. Sure. All right.

Well, we're going to have you come on Power Rankings Day throughout the course of the season. Not much has changed since last time, but 10th is kind of ridiculous. Also, the Patriots are not top 12. They were in the Super Bowl last year. Yep. Right?

Yep. Do they look worse right now than they looked last year? I'm concerned about their defense. They're going to be better offensively. And let's talk about the teams that lose the Super Bowl. How do they usually perform the next year? Sure, but that's power rankings, very vague. I want your picks.

I want your picks. Let's just go. Because if anyone missed it, they should check out our podcast or our YouTube episode. It's our most listened to podcast of the 111 that we've done all off season. People wanted the predictions. I thought it was unfair as someone who's going to be on this show as much as anyone, along with myself and Jordan, that you didn't get yours.

So give me your AFC championship game result. We'll build up the drama. And then we'll go to NFC championship game result and then we'll go super. All right. Well, first off, 111, good job with the math there. Give the cap to you. we are going to go with two teams that do not include the Houston Texans. Sorry, somebody's got to be different here.

We are going to go with the Buffalo Bills. Shout out to Super Producer Eric Roberts. And we are going to go with the Cincinnati Bengals. Also in the AFC Championship game. You want my winner of that game right now. Of course, please. I'm sorry, Eric. But it's going to be the Cincinnati Bengals.

Okay. Going back to the place they last appeared in the Super Bowl, SoFi Stadium. Next door. And I can do that. is happy. Exactly. He is happy.

And I can also accurately say that now that I'm here and not in a box. I like that. I do feel like the Bengals are one of the trendy teams, but I'm glad we get some Bill's representation. It would have been good to get them in the Super Bowl. I feel like that would have been nice. But I did notice two of the 19 NFL.com voters had the Bengals winning the Super Bowl overall. I don't remember if you were one of them.

I'm going to find out in a second. But first, we'll find out what your NFC champion is. This is where it gets less interesting. It's, uh, we're going chalk. We're going rematch. We're going Rams and Seahawks. I think this time it's not going to take place in Seattle. And I think this time the Rams are going to come out on top.

And it's going to be Rams Bengals, another Rams Bengals Super Bowl showdown at SoFi in L.A. And the Rams win again. Yep. Oh, come on. That would be rude. Aaron Donald's back. We know what he did last time they played in this game.

Yes, so the roster is very different. Yes. But it would be, maybe I'm just one to, I'm a glutton for punishment in some ways because I have the bills losing on the doorstep of the Super Bowl again. I have the Bengals getting back to the Super Bowl and then being vanquished by the same team that broke their hearts last time.

And one of the central figures of that heartbreak is back with the Rams. Okay, so just... I guess I like sequels. For the record, Chuk is the big Rams, you know, home around this podcast. Oh. You're the only one that took them.

You know what? That's intentional on your part. To win the Super Bowl? No. I picked what I picked what I think. thought would be fun. Bengals Rams is one of like my favorite days in in this profession. It was just a lot. My daughter is a huge Rams fan and was there. And she got to see her team win. And I'll never forget after the game, taking the picture with so many of Chris Wessling's brothers. The NFL did an

incredible job getting a lot of Chris's brothers to the game in the year after he died. We're here in this podcast studio bearing his name. And at least I know Phil still listens daily. And so I just want to say, Phil, this fellow Ohio native, Nick Shook, is bringing you all the way back to the Super Bowl. Follow me. And then, no.

And then, and then heartbreak again. You're just trying to. That would be brutal. It's not about the destination. It's about the journey. Maybe last time, but if they lost again in the Super Bowl to the Rams, that would not be followed.

I just don't recommend doing. the drive that I just did last week. No. It's good to have you here, Shook. Like I said, he'll be a huge part of our shows all season long, including on Thursday night when you and I are going to recap live the Rams and 49ers game. Can't believe it. We're already back in prime time. It is so good. I mean, the off season, look, it's in the name NFL Daily.

We love covering the league all year round. But we love getting out of here on time. The next time you hear from this podcast will be Wednesday. night again, you can join us live on YouTube myself and Jordan Roderig. We will see about five minutes after the game if you want to join us then.

You can always watch us listen to us anytime you want. Chucky, uh, a pleasure. Football's back. It's not even a lie. Football is back. I'm Brett Coleman and I'm Trevor Sikkim. If you love football and want to

understand what's really happening on the field, check out our show, NFL Pro. Every week we break down the biggest plays, trends, and matchups using exclusive next-gen stats insights and NFL content you will not find anywhere else. Whether you're new to football, a fantasy football fanag, or a diehard fan. NFL Pro will help you analyze the game like a pro. Listen to NFL Pro on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Whether you're a seasoned NFL fan or new to the game, there's one place to keep up with all of it, the league's newest podcast. The NFL Report, hosted by me, Andrew Siciliano, it is your home for everything football,

breaking news, expert analysis, game picks, and hear from your favorite players too. Join me at an all-star cast of experts for everything you need to know from around the league. Get new episodes to the NFL Report Monday through Friday all season long. Listen to the NFL Report podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The entire draft room groans because you just took the guy they wanted. There's no better feeling than crushing your fantasy football league. I'm JJ Zachary Eisen, host of the award-winning late-round podcast. Before your draft, our players to target and players to avoid episodes

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