NFL Daily with Gregg Rosenthal - Free Agency Frenzy Day 1: Big Patriot Signings, Bucs Run it Back, and Drew Brees

Episode Date: March 15, 2021

A room filled with heroes – Dan Hanzus, Marc Sessler, Gregg Rosenthal and Patrick Claybon bring you all of the latest moves in the NFL on the first day of the legal tampering period. So many moves! Patriots re-sign Cam Newton and make some other big ticket acquisitions (2:15). The Bucs are running it back (17:01), Aaron Jones is staying put (19:16) and Joe Thuney is heading to the Chiefs (24:02). We break down a lot of JUICE talk (29:01) and Jeff Duncan joins the show to discuss Drew Brees announcing his retirement (32:16). Stick around for some 8 o’clock delight and warm melted chocolate convo (55:49).Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comNFL Daily YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/nflpodcastsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Not buying what Matt Shaw is selling. Welcome to another edition of the Around the NFL podcast. My name is Dan Hansis. I come to you from a virtual room filled with some heroes. Mark Sessler, Greg Rosenthal, and Patrick Claibon. Oh, let's legally tamper, boys. I know the first day of, you know, free agency deals happening. You know, we got a big retirement.

We got a guest, Dan is moving. And yet, you know, the first thing you hear on the show is Matt Schaub. Well, that, of course, by the way, was our wonderful friend Chris Wesleyan wrote the definitive hit piece on Matt's job on NFL.com some years back and was always quite agitated by him and I agree. He was an agitating quarterback. And that's why money hit him with the ultimate stray just randomly out of nowhere. Matt Schaub somewhere mounting his own business and just catches this giant massive bullet like

Mario cart-sized bullet. Just drive his car off the road. Yes. This is essentially the opening of a new league year. It officially hits on Wednesday. But as I alluded to, this is the legally, legal tampering period portion of free agency, which means you can connect with players and enter into agreements. And we're getting a lot of them flying fast and furious.

It's just after 1 p.m. here on the West Coast. And we got a lot of news to get to and a lot of signings. And I'm sure, boys, that more will come while we do this episode. And this is all set against the backdrop of the retirement of one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, Drew Breeze. So we have Jeff Duncan, one of the most respected columnists in the game covering the Saints. He's with the Athletic, and he's going to join us and talk about Life After Breeze and talk about a little bit about Drew Breeze's legacy. So that's coming up later. But yes, let's get going.

Let's dig in And Ricky, why don't you jump in for this too Because I know this is Look, see If you didn't know that I was moving Now you know Wow The man behind the mover is a literal box

Literally today Today is your official moving day I've been up since 4 a.m. Where are you? What room are you in? This is like a garage That's been converted into like a guest house Because there's like a kitchen behind you

Right, it's very very attractive. It was, yeah, I have a lot, I have a lot of plans for this, this space. You guys, when you come and visit, you'll see. I think where you're, where I'm sitting right now, I'm going to turn into a full bar. That's, that's, that's going to get wild. It's going to, and there's going to be a guest bedroom behind it. So I'm very excited about the move. I was in Culver City for seven years exactly March 15th, 2014, uh, to today. Um, and, uh, it is interesting, though, just the way things work out. It falls on the beginning. of a new league year. So this is a bit of a mad dash. By the way, the aides of March, which historically are, it's an interesting time to make a major life move. Yeah. Well, I have a question for you guys.

Like, Mark is always like, you know, saying that he could never, you know, any of you guys could ever afford a home and you bought. So does that like throw you off the common man rankings? Because Sessler is always saying we'll never be able to buy a house. And now you and Claibon are homeowners. Like, is this pushing you up a level? it's a fair question i don't think owning a home makes you not a common man i i feel very fortunate

just patrick i'm sure you do as well and maybe you could jump in at any time here late but i'm very happy my wife and i have worked very hard uh to achieve this and also i will say the pandemic has been horrible uh but it did save us a lot of money and whether it's travel and child care expenses and that really is what got us over the home so uh yeah we're very fortunate Claybon. Yeah, from my point of view, we don't own the house. We send the bank an exorbitant amount of money to let us continue to live here in this pie in the sky idea that 30 years, if I still exist, that eventually I will own the house. So it's, I think we can still be common men as we are beholden right to a landlord. That's true. I mean, the bank owns the

house. Let's be completely honest about how all this works. And I'd also note that some of the reasoning that the Sester family does not own a house could track back to some financial decisions that were questionable. And speaking of the Sesslers, I have two little monsters, Jack and Harrison, going to drop them over at Sessler Compound after today's show so my wife and I can do some work in and around the house and close the back door at the old place.

So thank you, Mark, for that. No, we've got a massive agenda prepared for their entertainment. All right, let's get to it. The reason I have Ricky, I asked Ricky to jump in besides asking a strangely personal question on the show. The Patriots, the big stars so far. And by the way, I'm barely plugged in right now, as you can imagine. I was scrambling, doing my homework before we started on.

And I see the Patriots are going nuts. So what do they do? Let's start at tight end. This has been a major problem for the Patriots. Feel free, Ricky, to throw in a little throne of ease jam, if you'd like here as well. uh the patriots have not had any production at tight end since gronk left they sign they signed janu smith formerly of the titans to a four year 50 million dollar contract it includes 31.25 million guaranteed this is a 25 year old tight end uh who was a little bit under the radar in tennessee

but everybody seems to love him and now he's getting paid like a star at tight end uh we got the two patriots fans here what do you guys think about this move well This was the guy on our show we did on NFL Network Friday. We had a segment guy I would happily overpay for. And my first option actually was Trent Williams, but Mark got to him before me. So I went to Jono Smith and maybe Belichick's watching NFL Network, getting some tips.

Because it's the guy who's never gone over 500 yards in four NFL seasons, but just physically is a marvel to behold, fun to watch, can block. It's very much like a poor man's younger gronk, I think, with a little extra speed and after the catchability. But he's also kind of the guy, and I would throw Matthew Judon, I know we'll get to the other signings, the kind of guy that Patriots normally don't sign early in free agency,

which is a really good starter who's going to get paid a little bit of a premium, not a pro bowler. It's like when we watch the Ravens Titans game, you know, heading in the playoffs, we weren't like previewing it saying, like, how are the Ravens going to stop Johnny Smith? And how are the Titans going to slow down Judah? No, they're like really good players and more importantly for the Patriots. They're at positions where the Patriots are literally the worst team in the NFL.

They are the worst at pass catching. And I would say they are the very worst at having a pass rusher. So they paid a premium because they have all this cap space and they got like solid starters. That's my take. I'm super excited. And I think he did have more of a breakout year last year, like you said for the last four. Like looking at last season alone, he really did sort of step up. So I'm excited for that.

We just need to get someone that can actually throw the ball to him. So this is what I'm waiting for. You know what I mean? It's like Cam's not going to do it. All right. You're still holding on to that. I think he will. I mean, I love that Belichick basically called Janu Smith the best in the league,

tight end in the league in yards after the catch and the way he maneuvers once he gets the ball in his hands. And so, you know, sometimes Belichick waxes poetic and then destroys that player on Sunday. But he really does value him. And they absolutely needed the position upgrade. And tight ends take some time to develop. And there were a lot of malice defeat in Tennessee. So I think for a team, it's still going to be pretty run heavy.

He's a really good fit. People wonder about the production, right? But like, AJ Brown didn't have like wild production. There's only so much, you know, in terms of cashing the football that people could do. But, I mean, you mentioned it, Mark. When John O'Smith gets the ball in his hands and he's healthy, it's like, wow. Like, who is this guy? And I see why Bill Belichick wanted that.

And, you know, to Erica's point about Cam, like, this is something that they're, whoops, as I blip away here, this is something that they, I think they're able to do because they know what their plan is, right? Early in free agency, it's like, all right, well, so we have Cam. He's in place. This is what we're doing. And they are able to get out there and make an aggressive offer like an hour, 30 minutes after the window opens to Johnny Smith folks and the Rosenhouse camp.

And they're like, oh, okay. Well, yeah, this is good. Let's, I think perhaps a lot of the times, especially this week, we're going to look at the total contract, which is even more pie in the sky. I think this offseason that it normally is in terms of like five years, $800 billion. I think the structure is going to matter this year more than anything else. But I think it's a nice, aggressive offer to a player that is really, really fun to watch. And I'm excited for Patriots fans because I think they're going to feel differently about their quarterback. when he has somebody to throw the football too.

No, no, no. I don't know. You can't convince me that he's not going to be like a Tassum, you know, Hill type. I do not. I think that we're going to get it. We should back up and say that since we've last tape, Cam Newton signed a contract for one year's $3.5 million guaranteed five base, your five or six base, and it can go up to 14 with incentives.

Like a Super Bowl or Pro Bowl, please. Right. Super Bowl, Pro Bowl, like all that. that stuff making the playoffs they that is if you look at last year's salaries it's between a j mccarin and case keen so i i do think that's instructive like they wanted to lock in cam as either a potential starter or a backup or a guy that's going to be competing certainly a guy that's going to be competing i think um early because they liked him at that price better than the dalton's or winstins or fitzpatrick's that was their choice i do think he can be i well but i i don't think he can be i well but i i don't think

this gets them out of the in the in a world where garapolo becomes available because the 49er signed watson or trade for watson which is i think the only you know way garapolo is available i think the patriots could very much still be in a veteran quarterback market i mean they're paying cam like i said backup money but i think they have hopes and i do too that he can be an average starting quarterback and that for that price like that's a good bargain compared to like what wents is making or other guys well i think they're going to draft someone too i mean they have been doing, according to reports, a ton of work on the rookies, not just the typical stuff that every team does. And I just think there's a part B to this, that Cam Newton is a bridge.

And, you know, I do enjoy watching Erica slow dance with that child that made fun of Cam Newton, the two of them verbally against everything that Cam Newton stands for and does. But I don't think you're going to have to watch 16 starts of him next year. No, I just don't need him posting on Instagram. Like, you know why I work out to gospel music? Because, like, I love the grind. And it's like, on man throw throw a ball throw the ball anti instagram takes just seething from so erika tamposi just don't get on the ground and it's like you don't even need to listen to w i just tune into our podcast it's like it's like what's like zolak is here is right here with us uh just not throw just a little cold water the john new smith signing you know this is one of those classic first day of free

agency signings where we're now talking about john new smith like he's Travis kelsey meets George Kittle. All right. We'll see. We'll see if he's as good as everyone says. But there is, I think, an important thing, and this is more a broad feeling, and, and you see it every year, is that a lot of these signings aren't going to work out. A lot of these big, splashy signings, and you look at it on paper and you say, oh, this guy's perfect for this offense. He's this, he's that. Well, it's like, if he was that good, why is he not with his team anymore? Johnny Smith hit free agency, the Titans let him go. I'm not saying it doesn't mean he doesn't have value. But, okay, there was just a lot of flower he talked to us now about John Smith.

Like, he's the greatest play. We said it last week. We said it last week. And we talked about it two weeks ago. I ranked him as my number one tight end before knowing where he would land ahead of Hunter Henry. I do think he, like, expands a playbook. And that's a unique trait. For them, of course, they had like eight plays last year.

Right. But I just mean, like, he can block. He is such a red zone threat and he fits well with a good run attack. And I do think he could be better in his second contract. But of course, Dan, they're playing a pretty. premium. I do think, you know, unlike the Titans, for instance, so the Patriots looked at this year and intentionally decided this was the year they were going to have a ton of cap space when other teams don't. And now they're going to spend it. Oh, I'm not excited. I mean, he's like, we're back, baby. I don't think like, I got like a hundred more news items. We're still talking about the Patriots. There's so much excitement in the air right now. But there are the story today because it's not just those two guys. Matthew Judon, this is either two year, two year deals. He gets 32 million over two years. Johnny Smith gets. very similar. They're all basically just two-year deals. Judon is a really good try-hard, can do a little

bit of everything pass rush. Very much closer to Rob Ninkovich than Chandler Jones, for instance, when I think of how he'll fit in New England and a really good player. But again, you're like paying a premium. And it's because they don't have players. Like they have some of the worst position groups in the entire NFL in the front seven in their pass catchers. And they know it. And that's why They gave Jalen Mills a two-year contract from the Eagles. They gave Devon Godchow, who I liked a lot, coming into free agency a two-year, you know, guaranteed money. But these are all just like solid okay players. They're not like going to change your team, but they need those guys because they were among the league's worst at a few of these positions.

Are you doing something new, Greg, here? Now you're not even, you're just saying the guaranteed years. You're no longer even talking about what the actual initial figures are. You're taking it to the next level. You're working on a higher plane. They're basically, yeah, the Godchow and Mills, and some of those deals are four-year deals, but they're essentially two-year guarantees, yeah. We should have been doing that the whole time, right?

Now you're going to have to do that forever now. Now that you started, Greg. One of the big questions coming out of this entire Patriots frenzy is Mitch Gold, and Tremess, I asked if Jalen Mills will keep his green hair. He's had green hair for years on the Eagles. Do you suddenly make a fashion? decision, or do the Patriots maybe change their uniforms to incorporate some green? You're not allowed to color your hair in New England. Are you kidding me? You're not allowed

to have fun. Well, that's fair. Oh, is it one of those like Yankees' facial hair things that got banged against our heads for 15 years? It was just like a storyline that for some reason existed. It's not like that. Ocho had some crazy hair with the Patriots. Cam Newton. He was there for like three months, but yeah. Johnny Smith, Matthew Judon, Jalen, Jailen Mills. Okay. I'm not scared. It's good. They're trying again, it looks like. But if you're going to act like, oh, the Patriots are winning free agency. Okay. But who's acting like that? I don't think anyone, you're right. On the first day of free agency, you're right, those teams get like outsized attention. But I don't feel like anyone is looking at them adding like a handful of like solid starters and thinking their team is totally changed. No, but it's the same. They're being dressed up the same way that every year one team gets dressed up this.

way and it's like they've won the week it's like three of these players won't be on the roster two years from now they are getting back eight defensive starters that opted out last year i think that's fair getting getting high tower back is is uh as big of a move for them as any of these and then you get chung back and they they traded canon no gregg's not excited you're all in you're ready baby i'm sort of the opposite like i i think of like three years ago when you had a running gag during their last Super Bowl season that I'm not even really a Patriots fan. Running gag.

Which like hit home, unfortunately, that I don't feel anything anymore. But I do think it's logical what they did. Let's move on. Enough of that. A lot of Patriots talk, it was good. They're doing well. They're not the only team doing business, though.

Shaq Barrett of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the defending champions. They are staying in business together. Four years, $72 million. Base value, $17 million. can get up to $8,000, $18 million with incentives, $36 million guaranteed, according to Adam's chapter. This is a nice move here, Mr. Claibon, for the Bucks. And maybe it doesn't happen if Mr. Tom Brady, the former Patriot, doesn't restructure his deal to free up some more money.

Brady's very manageable salary for being a super-duberist star quarterback is helping the Bucs in their title defense here. Yeah, he's going to get $60 million over the first couple of years. So we can probably cool it right on egalitarian, just a, you know, just a redistributive Tom Brady. He took like 20 million more guaranteed. I don't get. He's not doing anything out of the goodness of his heart. He just got all this cash and got guaranteed money into 22. Listen, Greg, I know you kicked him out the door and you're still doing it.

This is the same argument we made in New England. He never took like less. He took a little less money. I will give that. But this particular contract, I think, you know, he's getting a ton. more guaranteed money. Just a philanthropist, Mr. Brady, doing all he can to lift all boats. I think, honestly, like, I'm looking at $17 million and seeing what Shack Barrett did in the

Super Bowl and through the playoff run. And I think he gave them a hometown discount. Like, I came here and people, you know, saw me out of the shadow of Von Miller. I lead the league in sacks. I win the Super Bowl the next year. I think he could make an argument for much more money. So in terms of the way that the buck's structure. this is good for them. You know, I do think, you know, the Carl Lawsons of the world,

all the other edge guys out there, wouldn't have minded Jack Barrett to take a little more money, but this is the nature of thing. People like to win. People like to be comfortable. He's the ninth highest paid edge as of an hour or so ago. So you're right. I think you're right because you wouldn't have been surprised if he became the highest paid. It's, and that didn't happen. And they, I thought they got Levante David back at a relatively affordable deal. You franchise Chris Godwin. I mean, this Bucks team didn't even win the division last year. And I don't think we've even seen how good they can be. And I, there is a unified push to bring everyone back. And I, to Dan, to your point, if someone other than Tom Brady is the quarterback, A, nothing that

happened last year would have happened and be half these guys would assign else were for more money. In other news, Aaron Jones is staying put. We talked about this last week. He wasn't franchised. The two sides, though, kept working at it, and they come to terms on a four-year, $48 million contract. So Aaron Jones coming up back-to-back, big-time years, stays locked and loaded in the Green Bay backfield. Mark, this one makes a lot of sense to me. I thought it would have been a real head scratcher to let him go when you're basically locked and loaded for another big run at the title. And I don't care. What do you think of Dylan, the second-year player?

you have a star in the backfield. Good job keeping them. Yeah. I mean, I guess there is another way to look at it. Like maybe they could have franchise tagged them for $8 million and seen what happened. But I don't dislike the deal. I think that there, I know, as people are hostile towards the idea of paying running backs, but I think there's a cluster of guys that deserve money. And I would put Aaron Jones in that category. Just because you're right with A.J. Dillon, I think he played well down the stretch and they do like him. But you know what you have in Aaron Jones. Do you go? and disrupt the backfield at this stage of Aaron Rogers' career in the kind of season he just came off of I don't I think he plays a much bigger role this year too in the passing game because Jamal Williams or yeah he's basically he's going into free agency he won't be part of that attack so they kept I think one of their best players and along with Devante Adams and Rogers you've got a triplets as good as anything around in the NFC they hooked them up and they they could have tagged them and he ultimately got more guaranteed money on what's basically a one-year

deal if like his guaranteed money is really in that first year and he's getting significantly more than the tag it's that it's actually a rare example of a team hooking a player up when they actually could have put him in a in a worse spot by just giving him that franchise tag and they're betting that he's going to be part of their team for a while and that they're actually going to get to year two and three and and that makes sense because aaron jones is awesome and i think the a j dylan pick can still make sense because he's going to have the same role i think whether aaron jones is there or not I think he's going to be out there for 30, 40 percent of the snaps play a lot in the red zone. Like, he looked pretty good, and they're not going to want to give Aaron Jones 300 touches.

They are doing the thing the Bucks are, which is like, let's keep everyone together. You can do the Patriots route, which they used to do, which is let's shake it up. Every year is new. We don't even want to bring back everyone when we're the championship team, or you can bring back the key people. And the Packers are bringing back Peston Smith. They're bringing back Aaron Jones, just like the Bucks are bringing back their key guys, if nothing else is, like, good for fans. Like, football's fun.

It's fun to root for the same players and the same good players that, like, you were rooting for last year. The bills are another team doing that, too. You just get diminishing returns, right? Like, if you're trying to constantly replace good players, it becomes something that's hard to do, right? I think Seahawks fans would have been fine, sacrificing a few things to keep the Legion together for another season.

I think a lot of these teams that did have that group of years, that three, four years where the change. championship window was, I think teams, uh, fans at least probably wouldn't mind, uh, having guys stick around a little bit longer. And yeah, you're doing it potentially at the cost of the future, but the future might not work out like this, this whole thing. Well, yeah, like the Steelers, for example, like, oh, yeah, we just draft great wide receivers all the time so we can just get rid of them. But like eventually it's, it's not always going to work out like that. It may feel like it does, uh, but it's just hard to get guys who can, uh, succeed at a high level, uh, over

and over again. It's better just keep the ones that you have. Aaron Jones's agent, Drew Rosenhouse, told ESPN, we anticipated bigger offers than free agency, but Aaron wanted to stay with the Packers. Well, it's all kumbaya between the running back and his team. And for some reason, Eddie Lacey just flashed in my mind. And Mark, when I think about the early days of whether it was around the league or when Greg came aboard or ATN, I can't remember which error it was, the offseason of writing about Eddie Lacey and his conditioning efforts

and there's a beach body in there somewhere. Yeah, he joined, he did. He joined up as a beach body member. And I don't think that it didn't result in the career year by any stretch, but he did shake some of the narrative around his fitness. Yeah, well, anyway.

Let's remember a guy, Eddie Lacey. One of the nicest guys of the running back position in the last few years. Eddie Lacey's a really nice guy. And he'll tweet back at you. Really? Everybody, yeah. Tweet a little easy Anna 42 on Twitter.com.

See how Claibon just give us a little slice of humanity there. And I liked it. Eddie Lacey, good dude. Moving on, Joe Tooney, he has a new team. It is the Kansas City Chiefs, the defending conference champions. I was bummed about this one. I was hoping the Jets were going to get Tuni, who's a rock solid guard. They wanted them last year.

I imagine they were gunned for him this year, but the chiefs are aggressive, and they gave him a five-year, $80 million contract, close to $50 million in practical guarantees. I don't know what practical guarantees are. That's a new one. So I don't know what that one is.

But anyway, this is a much-needed splashy move here. For the chiefs, Greg, who gutted their offensive line, just cut both their tackles, and now you can plug in a guy that's, and you know very well, well as a Patriots fan, maybe not the greatest guard of all time, maybe not Quentin Nelson, but a guy you just plug him in, you don't have to worry about him. No, a really good starting guard who never misses a snap can play center too if you want.

And like those guys get paid. I was starting to have a theory that all these guys, including Shaq Barrett and Judon, that they were all like just a little bit of a discount more. And I don't think Shaq Barrett's taking a hometown discount necessarily. I just think that's probably the market that was there for him in the bucks when any tie breaks. That I think maybe all the players are not quite going to hit the same levels that they would in a different year where there's more cap space available, which just makes sense. And even that change is not a big difference. It's probably just a couple million dollars a year, you know, 10% difference.

But then I look at this tuning deal. This doesn't seem like there's any discount to it. There was a strong market for him, 32 guaranteed over the first two years. And B, it basically is, you know, 48 over three. Like, that's top guard money. That's what you expected him to get. There's no discount there. That's what he got.

That means that your Jets, most likely, and probably other multiple teams were in on Tune. And you had to go big to go get him. I enjoy Greg, like with these two dueling theories that, A, the money will be less because of the climate. But B, the cap doesn't actually matter. So it's two worlds of thought colliding and not always fitting together. The cap matter. The cap this year is there is less money to spend. That is absolutely true.

When I say the cap doesn't matter, it's with this Taysom Hill. It's like the Taysom Hill contract. And even in the Brady contract, like if you want to push money into the future, like give Taysam Hill a pretend $140 million contract or Preston Smith. Like you can do it as much as you want, right? Like you basically can do it as much as you possibly want. If you've got an owner, like Benson's just, you know, giving out those Benjamin's son. Matt Milano staying put in Buffalo, the linebacker resigns four years, $44 million. That includes $24 million guaranteed.

It seemed like Milano was going to hit the open market, but instead Buffalo ponies up for a three-down linebacker who can make plays all over the field when he's on the field. but the bill's running it back with Matt Milano. One of the better off-ball linebackers. I think that Levanté David Deal helped the bills out because Levanti David got top of the market money when I don't think you would have expected him to at 31. And so it's like, Milano, you just slide him right in there right around the same money for a younger, you know,

probably more dynamic player at this point. David's obviously had a better career, but Milano's pretty awesome. They were very different with them on the field. And a franchise that values continuity, right? And we see it in just how many Carolina Panthers find their way to upstate New York. And so they're able, yeah, they were, the idea was that perhaps the price would get a little bit too high. But in terms of what you're actually losing and what you gain in having Matt Milano back,

I believe that they, you know, were able to find that medium where it's like, yeah, you don't have to change much. You get to do what you know that you can be successful at, and it makes sense for both sides, which is, you know, what we're looking for in deals. In other news, Kyle Eusecheck, the fullback is staying in San Francisco. A rap sheet reported a five-year deal worth 27 million. It is a done deal all signed up. Use check. By the way, this interesting, first of all, he's known by everyone apparently, and I was, I guess, a little behind the curve on this. check stuff, but he's juice.

Everybody calls him juice. And I find it interesting that juice is good again. It's the OJ thing, obviously, juice disappeared. And it wasn't a nickname that anybody would have fixed themselves to. And what a nickname it was for OJ, by the way, because not only was he was Orenthal James Simpson, OJ, juice, he juiced every offense. It's one of the great nicknames to see it get pulverized the way it did. But now it's back, somewhat ironically, with. With a fullback, this is more an aside, but it did get me thinking that the juice is back.

Yeah, especially through the PED scandals, right? I mean, juice took a negative connotation. That's true. It had a double hit. It had the baseball steroid scandal. It had OJ. You thought it was dead, but it's back with a fullback. I also did not know this was his nickname until Greg suggested that the Niners re-signed juice in our communications channel.

And I'm just like, wait, who did they sign? Who is this? And then I, like, an hour passed until I figured this out. But I didn't either. I totally am just copying like every 49ers beatwriter who also just, I, it's just It's his Twitter name. Like his Twitter name is actually juice check. But, and then it gets even better.

This is why it was like really, I couldn't stop thinking about it this morning. I woke up again. The movers didn't come till seven. But I woke up at four and I just couldn't go back to bed. So I was just like reading and I stumbled on this use check story. and I went to his Instagram and so incredibly thankful to be a part of this organization

for five more years. Thank you faithful for the continuous support. Looking forward to showing that the juice is always worth the squeeze. Yes. So he's leaning into it. Juice is back, baby. Plus, I learned something that

my slamming of, like, their signing of Kyle Hughes check, like four years ago, was so, I guess, overly aggressive that it actually became known to the general manager there, John Lynch, who kind of had it out for me because of that. And I really put him on this top 101. This top, I put him on the top 101. He was aware of how much I slammed the Kyle Youth Check signing years ago.

So I put him on the one of, which I became aware of, through, you know, one of our insiders. So I put him on the one-on-one list this year just saying this is an apology for four years ago when I, you know, degraded your signing of use check, which turned out to be a bargain, really. He ended up being a great signing. And I was told it was passed along to him through back channels, you know, and he really appreciated that apology. I can't tell any of this is real or not. This is real. This one is real. This one's real. John Lynch, I mean, how thin can one skin be?

You read a Greg Rosethal piece slamming your. you're signing and you got your underpants all in a bunch? I think they just defended it. He was right, by the way, and Eusecheck wouldn't have gotten this much money again if other teams weren't going for him. Like all these little Kyle Shanahan wannabes out there, they wanted them some Kyle Eusecheck too. They wanted the juice.

They do read this stuff because I can remember a time when Daniel Jeremiah came up to me, said, hey, just want to let you know that like David Caldwell, the Jaguars GM, read something that you said slamming Jacksonville and basically came up to DJ. He was like, who the F is this Mark Sessler clown? And it's like, that's how you build connections. All right. Let's push pause here because we have a very special guest to introduce. Yes, he is a columnist for the athletic.

One of the most respected guys in the game. And they're good for this man because he just happens to have a book that he put out recently called Peyton and Breeze, the men who built the greatest offense in NFL history. Look at Jeff Duncan. and nail on the timeliness in a big spot for moving units of his book. Welcome for the first time, Good Sir, to the round of the NFL podcast. Thanks, guys. Yeah, my timing was good on that one.

I was really worried Drew was going to retire last year before the book even came out. That would not have been nearly as good at timing. So we were fortunate there. I might have even paid him a little under the table to hang on for another year. I was going to say, did you convince him to come back for this final season. That would be very kind. I did beg him. I did beg him, but I don't think my $100 handhand.

Jake was going to sway in one way or the other. All right. So, Jeff, and thank you again for joining us. We want to just kind of get an update, lay the land. What's going on in New Orleans is the end of an era. But I want to start the conversation this way. And it comes from your Twitter account. Your favorite quote on Drew Breeze comes from a longtime performance coach, Tom

House. Drew is a superstar without superpowers. Drew will have a spectacular play or two, but he's not a spectacular quarterback. He's just the best f***er who's ever thrown a football. Drew Brees, who retired officially on Sunday. That does sum it up, right? Because the guy that barely reached six feet tall never looked like an all-time great quarterback, but he sure has helped play like one for a long time. Yeah, it's a great quote. Tom House is a pinchant for those kind of quotes. But it really does sum up Breeze. I think Breeze was kind of the Greg Maddox,

of quarterbacks, right? I mean, he's the guy that paints the black, doesn't overpower you with the big arm, he's not Nolan Ryan, like, say, Aaron Rogers or Patrick Mahomes. And I think in this day and age guys, where, you know, everything's social media, viral gifts, of exploits by Patrick Mahomes throwing him across his body, 50 yards downfield, that's not breeze. He takes a more sophisticated approach and a nuanced approach to appreciate his great. And I've been fortunate because I've been here for his whole career, 15 years of covering him and seeing it over and over, you really have to, I mean, you really learn to appreciate his brilliance. It's not the physical assets. It's the commitment, the drive, the attention to details, all those are tangibles. And then his ability during games to process so quickly and then to make those accurate throws like No one we've ever seen in the game. I mean, he's going to be the all-time most accurate pastor. and that's going to be, I think, his greatest legacy. I think, you know, you think Saints, you think Peyton and Breeze.

I also think Jeff Duncan, because, you know, you've been there the whole time I follow the team. You were there before Drew Breeze. You were there for the San Antonio, you know, post-Katrina season. And so you sort of saw the impact Breeze and Peyton had. The thing I'm curious about Jeff from seeing it up close so much, are you surprised that ended up lasting as long as it did? without blowing up. Because there were some moments, you know, post Bounty Gate certainly in the seven and nine series of seasons. There was off-field stuff with Peyton. You wondered if he was

going to leave. Like, what do you think kept in the end, what ended up, you know, kept them together all that time to the point where they just had, you know, a four-year run that was actually better than any four-year run in the regular season than they ever had with Breeze? Well, I think there were a lot of reasons, Greg. You know, and you make a good point. We haven't seen that type of collaboration last as long as this duo did, right? 15 years. Look at Mike McCarthy and Aaron Rogers.

It kind of went south on them in Green Bay. I have a lot of respect for Mike McCarthy. It covered him down here with the Saints. He's a great coach. Things went south and went stale on him. Same thing happened with Andy Reed in Philadelphia, right? He had to move on, goes to Kansas City, and has this, you know, resurrected career.

And it never happened in New Orleans. I think because both these guys understood that they weren't going to be the same without each other. I think that both of them are very smart and both of them have great instincts. And I think they understood that each one complimented each other. And I think you also have to give Mickey Lewis a lot of credit, the general manager, because as you mentioned, some things did occur on and off the field that could have led to this breakup of this marriage between quarterback and head coach. And we really haven't seen anything like it in NFL history.

What I mean by that is we've never seen a quarterback, an elite quarterback like Breeze paired up with an offensive mind like Sean Payton. If you think about all the great quarterbacks in history, they've never had someone coaching them that also played quarterback like Sean Payton did and who has that keen understanding of how important that role is, especially in today's game. So I think that also made it a significant collaboration. and both those guys realized and they could not find it anywhere else

like they had it here. In your feature, too, which was a great read, you had a quote from James Carville that basically said that he thought Drew Brees was one of the most important New Orleans citizens in modern history. There's that whole side of it. You could argue had more of an impact on a city,

but quarterback on a city than Tom Brady in New England or really anyone. I mean, what happened in the timing of Katrina or all that, he is woven into the fabric of New Orleans forever. Yeah, I mean, it's amazing. And you have to be here, and I know Greg lived here for a while. I mean, you have to understand New Orleans is such an idiosyncratic city in America.

It's unlike any place in this nation. The European influence here makes it very provincial. It's almost like a deserpermian of the NFL. It's like a Texas small-town football passion, which I didn't know when I moved here. I had no idea the saints were this passionately followed. out of fan base. I mean, people here name their kids after Drew Brees. They name their pets after Drew Brees. You go to a game. All races, creeds, religions, ages wearing number nine jerseys. He's easily the most popular person, not just athlete or entertainer, person since I've

lived here in two decades. I mean, there's no one even close to him. And I think to your point about Carville's comment, which I thought was very astute, you know, this city for centuries has had a reputation of really corrupt political office leadership. A lot of backroom deals here. People don't trust anybody. And so all of a sudden you had this really competent, earnest leader walk into their midst who picked New Orleans right after Hurricane Katrina. He had options.

He could have gone to South Beach and quarterback Nick Saban's Dolphins. Instead, he picked New Orleans at a time when no one was coming here. Everybody was leaving town. And I think people immediately gravitated to him. And then they saw the success on the field. immediate, surprising success, and, you know, all those things added up to making him as popular as he was. Do you get the feeling, Jeff, that there was any waffling on this because it was becoming a bit of a running joke on this podcast. I was checking in, hey, he hasn't retired yet.

And there was that report out there that he was, you know, setting records, pushing a sled or whatever. And it was just like, was this a, do you get the vibe? this was a difficult decision or was this a done deal as soon as the playoffs wrapped up this year? Yeah, it was done. It's been done for weeks. We, though, I will say this, everyone in the media was dying, wondering, well, maybe he did have second thoughts because I was told by a lot of people internally right after the season that there would be an announcement probably after the Super Bowl. And so internally, the Saints were in lockstep with Breeze, but I think as calculating as he is, as considerate as he is, his attention to

the detail we talked about. I think he wanted to do it on a special day and picking the 15 year anniversary made a lot of sense to me. It was very much on brand for Drew Breeze. Jeff, you had mentioned the union, right, and how they were better together than apart. Well, here we are. They're going to be apart. And Sean had definitely ingratiated himself to the fan base even more through the way that I think we saw the way things played out with Drew and how loyal he was. So now we're in the Sean-only era of the Saints. How different is that going to be? Well, I can tell you this.

I think Sean Payton, he'll probably never admit this publicly, but he's invigorated by the challenge ahead. As a head coach, I think he's looking forward to try and rebuild this offense in a different way around a different quarterback with different skill sets than Drew Brees. And he had a chance to do it on a little bit of a limited basis, the last couple of seasons when Teddy Bridgewater filled in and Taysom Hill this past season. But I think trying to rebuild a championship level team around a different quarterback, I think is stimulating to him intellectually and psychologically.

I think he's looking forward to it. And I think the roster here is good enough in a lot of other places defensively, you know, along the offensive line, obviously Alam and Camara, Mike Thomas are all pro-level talents, that this isn't going to be quite like what we saw in New England last year when Tom Brady left. I think the roster in New England's better on both sides of the ball than than what Belichick had to work with last season. Well, Belichick thought he was getting reinvigorated and everything until they went 7 and 9. He was all excited about it, too. Tell me it's going to be James, though, not Tassam Hill, because I've been kind of

dying on James Winston Corner here for a while, and, you know, this is, to me, this is going to be his chance. I just heard Kurt Warner on our network say he thought James Winston when he was in Tampa. I'm using his words. Kurt Warner, was in the top seven in the NFL, pick that number out of thin air, in how he could read defense and see the field. And I was like, if that's good enough for Kurt Warner, it's good enough for me. Do you think it's good enough for Sean Payton? Wait a second. Let me just jump in, Jeff, before you answer here.

And I apologize, Greg didn't do his homework. He doesn't know that Taysam Hill just signed a four-year, $140 million deal. So there's no question who the franchise quarterback is in Nola. Yeah, I think there's a lot of funny money in that deal, by the way, guys. I don't know if you'll ever see that 140. But look, I think there are going to be a competition in the fall between those two. And I'm assuming James Winston's going to re-sign here in the days ahead because they've made him a priority. I know that they've had a lot of communications.

So I expect that to happen. But I think it'll be a lot like a deal that Drew Grease signed here in 2006. If you remember, I mean, the narrative's kind of been written now, but it was not a done sure thing when they signed Breeze. I mean, they had an out clause after one year. that if it wasn't working out, if he wasn't healthy, they could walk away, Drew Brees could walk away. So, you know, it's been rewritten a little bit that there was this love at first sight thing, but they definitely left himself an option.

I think the Saints will do the same thing with James Winston if it doesn't work out. But I tell you, internally, coaches here, players, teammates, they all love James Winston. I've not heard one negative word about him. But again, I think I heard the same things about Cam Newton and the marriage up in New England, and it was going to be the Patriot way. It was all going to work out, and it didn't quite work out. So I'm kind of in show-me mode down here. I have a quick one for you.

Drew Breeze now becomes an announcer, which is a very chic thing for quarterbacks to do. And you got Tony Romo setting the bar so high. Knowing Drew Breeze, do you think, wow, this guy's going to be an awesome color analyst for Notre Dame? Well, I think he's going to be amazing in describing the game, you know, making it easy to understand for the casual viewer, but I don't think he's ever going to criticize anybody.

Breeze never, he never says anything bad about anybody. That sets the ceiling a little lower, though. That's a problem. I just know how he's wired. He's too nice a guy, but he will be brilliant at, like, recollection and recall. You know how like the PGA golfers can remember the club they used and what shot in 1974? That's Breeze.

I mean, he's amazing at recalling plays and stuff. And I think that will really come in handy as an analyst describing plays that maybe he ran that are similar to what he's watching on TV. I can't wait to see how it plays out. Well, we know you're not going to bury him because he still might, you know, be doing, you know, Bree's book number three or whatever, to the next phrase book. They have a good grace. Yeah, I'm not going to bury Drew. He's a hard guy to bury it.

This is the other thing I'll say about him is a guy that covered him. I mean, 15 years, you all know this. I mean, covering the league. He does a Wednesday press briefing like every quarterback and Big Starlink. He never missed one of those in 15 years. I mean, he always showed up for those things and stayed as long as he could. For a superstar, he was as accessible and honest and never really got short with anybody. Just amazing to deal with on a professional level, and I'm going to miss that for sure.

And one last question here, Jeff, and you could follow Jeff on Twitter at Jeff Duncan underscore for all the latest on the Saints and the great writing. he does there. Is there any way there's something up Payton's sleeve here at quarterback? And I know they're eternally trying to get under the cap and they find a way. I'm not saying Russell Wilson necessarily because that just seems ridiculous. But Winston is a free agent. So there is some flexibility to do something different. Wilk Tayson Hill obviously is on the books. Is there anything else potentially another option line in the weeds here is post-breeze? Well, Peyton's always got something up his sleeve. So you can never discount him. And it would not

shock me if he fell in love with a quarterback in this draft and they got aggressive and went after one. That would make sense to me more than a trade for Russell Wilson or some big name quarterback. I just don't think the cap figure is there for the Saints to do that. And I think this is a one-year kind

of trial where they're going to have to go cheap much like the Patriots did last year just because of the cap implications. But a rookie quarterback would probably still be able to work. And if he finds a guy he likes, and I don't know, I haven't talked to him about it, but they say he liked a Trey Lance, somebody like that he really, really wanted, they would go get him because that's what they do in the draft, and that would not shock me at all.

Well, be interesting to see what happens next. A new era for the Saints, and Jeff, thank you so much, and go get Jeff's book if you want to read about the definitive telling of the tale of Drew Brees and Sean Payton. Thank you very much, Jeff Duncan. Thanks, Jeff. Thanks for having me, man. It was a great time. I appreciate it. Absolutely. There he goes. Great Jeff Duncan. That's good.

That's a good for, you know, you have a guest on for the first time on the show. Sometimes they're good, you know, and sometimes they're all right, you know. And you, you regroup after the show and you say, oh, is that somebody we'd love to have back? Or is that a hit it and quit it, one and done? No, Jeff would love to have Jeff back. You could tell he's just one of those guys that knows exactly what's going on down there. And we could learn from him as we'll be on. So if we have a guest on next time and you don't say anything about him, then

then the list that it's possibly ahead and quit it. Well, connect the dots. And, you know, Patrick, you've been on the show multiple times, so you don't need to worry about this. It's clear that we're fans. No, it does extend to people sitting in on the show for sure as well. You know, it did get me thinking, and we did the NFL network show returned last Friday around the NFL,

and it will be back on this week as well. So set your DVRs accordingly. We did it this week in NFL history. And we did just pass the anniversary of Drew Brees signing that initial six-year. I think it was six years, 60 million. But as Jeff points out, there was an out-trigger. If Brees's surgically repaired shoulder, if it wasn't going to play, obviously it did. I think that is, I think, definitively, the greatest free agent signing in the history of the sport, right?

I mean, I guess say Reggie White was, quote, unquote, more important because the timing of it. and, you know, the fight to get to free agency. So there's a different way to look at it. But for what they got in 15 seasons, a Saints franchise that was essentially going nowhere, almost their entire history. And what he gave to that organization and also the city, that's got to be the best free agent signing ever, right? I don't even think it's close because, yeah, white, I think I made one of these lists a few years ago. And I think White is probably number two.

I mean, he was awesome. But he wasn't there for 15 years. It wasn't like you were signing him in the start of his prime. The Saints were so mediocre for so long. They weren't bad in the Aaron Brooks, Jim Haslett. Really like the 90s through early 2000, they were just like mediocre. And he took them into being one of the, they won more games than anyone except a Patriot since he signed. I think, like, because it 15 years spans, it literally spans generations, right?

You have generations of Saints fans that know this entire era as it relates to Drew Breeze. And so the city and the perspective there, I can, I'll try to like push back on Tom House, right? Because Tom House is a coach. So it behooves him to have this narrative that like, yeah, if you work hard, you can complete 70% of your passes. No, you can't. Like, Drew Breeze has significant talent, right, at throwing the football. He's so accurate. Like, that's the thing.

You can't will it to happen. Yeah, it is a talent. Like Breeze, Maddox, like throwing a ball where you want it to go takes a significant amount of talent. And, you know, the saints and the relationship at the time, right, if you go back then, they might not have known. But like any relationship, it had a great start. It had its ups and downs. And they were able to see it all the way through. And I think, like, looking back at it, people wonder about these past few years.

I think they were important, even though they didn't win that ultimate prize, it kind of went to cement what this team means to people there. and what Sean and Drew honestly mean to each other. And I'm glad that we got to see the way things played out here these past few years. Yeah, and he endured through the quarterback position changing so much. I mean, it was a huge thing that he was six feet tall. And Russell Wilson and others have come and change that whole thing too. But, I mean, he got there and they immediately went to the playoffs. And they were a very sort of up and down team.

You can go back to the Bobby A Bear squad of the late 80s, too. I mean, it wasn't in the 1960s and 70s with Archie Manning. But, I mean, he came in at a time when New Orleans went through one of the biggest things any city in our country has gone through in Katrina. And I just, the marriage of all these factors together make it a really special tale. And it's also amazing when you've got Dolphins fans thinking, what if? What if we had evaluated this correctly and found a way to get him in our building? Two franchises would be completely different. We think about them completely differently.

I know he should move on, but it is fascinating. I think Paul Taglibu really helps save the Saints probably more than anyone. But I do think the success that Breeze and Peyton had in 06 was huge. You know, because our listeners probably don't know. Like there was literally a report on ESPN that the Saints were moving. And that was the owner. That was the owner deciding to do that. Right.

It was the same ownership now moving to San Antonio. And the league and different things helped us step in and stop that from happening. But then to come back and to be that good, they went to the NFC championship in 06, which I know Saints fans just look back at that season, such a magical ride because you did not see it coming, even with Drew Brees. And then to get to the point where I think about these last four years, there was like an anonymous Saints player. I forget who, I think it was anonymous, who said, you know,

they all thought 2018 was their year. And it is a shame to look back and not have that Saints Patriots Super Bowl that could have been, if not for the bad call. And you can even think about the year before when Drew Brees played unbelievable in that Vikings game. that they wind up losing at the buzzer, the Minneapolis miracle. Drew Breeze's comeback in that game was like one of the best games he's ever had. And so it's like a little more luck and Breeze could have gotten back and maybe

would have gotten another Super Bowl, but wasn't meant to be. And you're right. Everyone would have loved to see Brady Breeze in the Super Bowl. It does remind me and it reminds, I think, a lot of people, again, that Breeze, he was pretty much shot by the end of this past season at 42 years old. And hey, listen, that's normal. So yet another all-time great gets taken down eventually by father time. He hung in there a little longer than other quarterbacks in the past.

But it just, again, points out how insane it is what Tom Brady's doing. And something that West brought up often, the quote that was affixed to Peyton Manning and his importance in Indianapolis, that Peyton Manning changed the skyline in Indianapolis. That's how important to figure he was in that city. Drew Brees saved football in New Orleans. I mean, him being at the front of that team, making them competitive again and then eventually a champion within three years. And then it's good. And Peter King, read his latest column Football Morning in America, how tirelessly Breeze worked behind the scenes during New Orleans recovery post-Katrina.

I mean, he walked the walk and not just talk to talk. So, Drew Brees, whatever comes. I don't, I don't, Duncan really, he gave us a good idea that he's probably going to not be that interesting in the boot. And he's so right because we've, we've talked about it for years in this podcast. Is Drew Brees a little bit of a phony? All these other things are great, obviously. But is he a guy that he's always going to be saying nice things about everyone and you never really learn what he thinks about anything? That might be what he is as an analyst.

Or because he's so competitive, like he's going to have to realize. that part of the job that you can't be a Pollyanna about every single athlete you speak about. Troy Aikman went through that. He became much more critical in more down the road on his announcing career and became better. Whatever you do, like if you're however, however you go about it, just as long as it's genuine, if he's gassing people up and that's who he is and he's up there excited about gassing people up, like, oh, this guy could throw the ball through the moon. Then like, okay, that's fun. But don't just like, just don't fake it, Drew. Just give us Drew.

Give us some, if you, you can make up for it, if you're great on X's and O's, you can make up for it. If you actually teach us something, because not enough, not enough of the, the X players do that. I always think, you mentioned, like, the last thing, Breeze, like in New Orleans, like, how big he is part of the city. I always think of, like, how his house is, you know, you know, right on St. Charles, you know, kind of the classic, you know, New Orleans, uptown street and right on the trolley tracks. And so it's like every, you know, everyone knows where Drew Breeze lives. And I always thought that was cool. Like every Mardi Gras or any time the Saints won a big game, like everyone's douse in his house in beads and celebration and all that stuff.

It's like he literally was like right there in the city amongst the people. All right. Let's close out the show with a little bit of an 8 o'clock delight. Hit it, Ricky. Lions re-signed defensive end Romeo Aquara to a three-year, $39 million contract. He had a big contract year, 10 sacks and 61 pressures. He's staying in Detroit. Hey, they're trying a little bit, Claymon.

Yeah, I'm glad they're keeping somebody. It can't all be fresh and new. Got to keep good players. So, yay, Lions. Kevin Zitler, cut by the Giants in a cap move, re-signs quickly with the Baltimore Ravens, three-year, $22 million contract. Mark, this guy just loves the AFC North.

He does. He's a really consistent player. He's missed, like, one game since 2014. And I think the next thing is to see what happens to Orlando Brown Jr. Who wants out? The Houston Texans are making moves in the trade market, but not the one that everybody wants them to do, at least not yet. They trade linebacker Bernardrick McKinney to the Miami Dolphins for Shaq Lawson.

Greggie. What do you think about that? Texans doing some weird moves. I'll just throw in the Marcus Cannon trade that they got from the Patriots, which makes sense too. But then all these little first-day signings of special teamers, that like it's always like the worst team that does that you know what i mean i feel so bad after that great uh podcast interview uh trotter and steve weish did with david cully i feel even

worse about the situation he seems like such a good dude a wonderful guy yeah uh tough spot preston smith restructured his deal to stay with the packers and nate solder uh will remain with the giants after reworking his contract anybody anybody It's going to make people feel better about Nate Solder, right? He's not making as much money, so maybe Giants fans will cool it. Give the guy a break. Finally, some cuts. Trey Turner, he is cut loose.

Also, Casey Hayworth now enters the creative market. Well, related to that, we've got a little bit of breaking news here. I mean, I think it's worth it for breaking news. All right, let's hit it. Let's do it, Ricky. All right, the charger. have made Corey Lindley the highest paid center in the NFL. And so they use some of that money where they saved by cutting Turner and Hayward

and they give it to Corey Lindsay. They also re-sign their cornerback Michael Davis, who's solid. But that's been their problem. They've thrown a lot of money and picks at it over the years, their offensive line. You will remember the free agency fits piece that I wrote that, as I mentioned, caused sort of an earthquake on NFL.com. I had Lindley to the Chargers. So it's not just hoopla.

It was drenched in real substance. You have the, yeah, the results to back it up. I also have some breaking news, by the way. Okay, let's hear it. Oh, yeah. Former friend of the show and ex-Ram safety, John Johnson, has signed with the Cleveland Browns. He's now a better friend of the show.

John Johnson, unfortunately, was the guest. where we were told we were going to have a different guest, Robert Woods. And then John Johnson came up and sat with us. And Dan was in a tough spot as the host because he knew it wasn't Robert Woods, but no one told us. I have to tell you. Tell us who it was. Four years ago, I wasn't incredibly familiar with what John Johnson looked like.

And I was like, who is this? I remember scrambling asking who's walking towards us right now. When did you find out? It was Johnny Johnson. As he was sitting down, I think I heard it and I whispered it to Dan basically. And Dan, like, pivoted very professionally. But it was, there was some crossed wires in terms of us receiving the proper communication. And one more bit of breaking news.

Ricky, hit it. Wow. The juice is loose. No, he's not. He's staying in San Francisco. Kyle Eustach signs a five-year extension. He had this to say, looking forward to showing. that the juice is always worth

to squeeze. That's just in case anybody missed it earlier in the show. Right. We don't do that enough. We need to start doing that. Say stuff later. Like, it's a radio show. That was good. They brought back Jason Verrett, too, by the way, who was awesome last year. Hit it, Ricky. Oh, no, we don't necessarily need another breaking news. Just pointing it out. If you're just tuning in,

you didn't know that. Verret, nice player. Brought him back. All right, good. That was good. Good. Good show. first show from Elsa Gundo here. Welcome to the South Bay, Dan. Thank you. I'm very happy to be here. All three of you guys now.

Yep. I'm the only one. And I'm probably like four minutes away from each other. And Mark, I'm going to see you in a little bit. And the children, they've been bottled up all day and they're looking for a release. And now I'm going to send them to you like cannon fodder. They're just going to be firing into your home like a pinball in a pinball machine. Well, I rattled Simone's cage a little bit

and made it very clear to her that she was going to be a large part of this operation that it was going to require some effort on her part. What do you think? What do you think the vibe's going to be? Because it's been a little bit, of course, pandemic-related. Jack, about six and a half now, Harrison, four,

and then you have Luke and Colton. What's the vibe going to be, you think? I think it's going to be adventurous. It's going to be unpredictable. but I know that you say that you're dropping them off after they've been bottled up as sort of a trick on me, but I'm just going to feed them like, you know, big giant cups of like warm melting chocolate

so that when they're unleashed back on your new house, it's going to be something you've never seen. You're like an alien that doesn't even know what humans eat and drink, so if you try to describe something, it doesn't sound right. Well, you're probably right. They're going to, if that's true, though, they'll come back to Dan just like puking and pooping all over. What did you have?

It's just going to be wild. I drank warm chocolate. What is that? All right. Patrick, you've done it again. And that's why you're a regular part of the program. Not a one-night stand with Patrick Claibon.

That's not his style and that's not our style. Always there with a relationship. Always on time. That's what I try to do. We are in a mature, committed relationship. It feels good. Thanks, guys. I like you too.

Hey, good news. for people who like this podcast. We're going to do a show every day this week for pods, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and then Friday, the network show is back. So we'll be back with you again tomorrow, staying up to date on the new league year, the legal tampering period.

That's it for today. And this is Dan Hansa, signing off for Quiet Storm. The old boss, Patrick. Leibon and Ricky Hollywood. Behind the virtual glass. Until Tuesday, eat the call. I'm Marcus Grant. And I'm Marcus Grant.

And I'm Michael Lep 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. 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. This is an IHeart podcast.