NFL Daily with Gregg Rosenthal - Offseason Musts for EVERY NFC Team

Episode Date: February 19, 2026

The NFC's 16 teams are the topic of discussion in this offseason episode of NFL Daily. Who will win the Malik Willis bidding war? What quarterback starts for the Minnesota Vikings in Week 1? the Arizona Cardinals? the Atlanta Falcons? What is the Los Angeles Rams' long-term plan? All of these questions and more answered by an elite cast composed of Gregg Rosenthal, Jourdan Rodrigue and Patrick Claybon.NFL Daily YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/nflpodcastsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. I'm Daniel Jeremiah. And I am Greg Rosenthal. I know that, Greg. We're teaming up on 40s and free agents, the podcast that owns the NFL offseason. This is where teams are built.

Free agency, combine, pro days, trades. Every move matters. From my draft boards and mock drafts to my vaunted top 101 free agents and how rosters come together. Quarterback movement. Surprise signings. We'll tell you what it means. And who really.

really wins. Open your free IHeart radio app. Search 40s and free agents and listen now. Welcome to NFL Daily, where we will not be put up for sale for maybe more than $10 billion this week. I'm Greg Rosenthal. I'm here in the Chris Wesleying podcast studio. That's a reference in the Seahawks officially being announced as up for forbidding. That was on Wednesday. And yeah, talk about selling high. Good timing. Win a Super Bowl. Not that they would be struggling to sell the Seahawks. for you saying that makes me think of what's the number like what's the number for gregg rosenthal who you know no we're in this for the love of the game also we don't own anything yeah right

so not up to me it has to have it starts with a b like like like the see how you know yeah that's what it would take at that point i think we could you know feed a lot of families for a long time we could start our production company chris babona would be doing long long form series about flag football. It would be absolutely electric. We're going to hit every NFD. Live your dreams, Chris. We will be doing some flag football content.

Yes. Later in the off season. We're going to have a big show about it. Now that we set it on the show, you have to do it. It has to happen and it will happen. But that's in the future. Right now is a beautiful part of the regular season

where we got the coaches in place. but everything is on the table in terms of cap space, in terms of trades. The dolphins have already started cutting people, but for the most part, we don't even know who's going to be let go. And it really all starts picking up next week in Indianapolis. We will be there as a podcast. I'm flying there for shows on Wednesday, Tuesday, and Monday.

I don't know why I said that backwards, but Jordan will be involved. Jordan will also be there for a couple days. I was going to say you're not on the Monday show because you're meeting. It's the big athletic. powwow, but we're going to have some guests. A couple of general managers have already signed up, and I'm excited about that. But before that, we're going to give a preview. And we're going to start with Patrick's Dallas Cowboys. When did that happen? It's not your Dallas Cowboys. But for a minute, as a young man, you kind of rooted for the Cowboys. That stopped a while ago. But like me,

you do appreciate how Dak Prescott spins the ball. So you have an affection for him. Yeah, more than a significant percentage of Dallas Cowboys fan. Right. Perhaps. And also, yeah, my college classmate, you know, having a Hall of Fame career that started with the Cowboys. That was it. I always forget that part. It's okay. That was DeMarcus Ware. And I should set up three minutes for every NFC team. And we set up the offseason and add some big questions to the mix. Let's start in the NFCs with the Cowboys. Yeah, I think the number one question and the thing that inspires a lot of discussion revolves around George Pickens. I was going to be a big part of the regular season where I think.

I think the contract circumstance we just recently saw the way that things devolved with Michael Parsons. I don't think they devolved. I don't think George Pickens has these delusions where he can have a discussion with Jerry Jones, where Jerry Jones has it. Oh, yeah, we're equals. We're just men having a chat. I think George Pickens knows where he stands with Jerry Jones. And perhaps the Joneses will be less likely to do the chicanery with regards to George Pickens. And maybe they will be a decision at some point where the team is negative 33.

million dollars in cap space at the moment. So there are some needs to solve some problem. I think maybe an early extension for Quinn and Williams. I know that the deal just went down to acquire them to kind of ease some of that pain. But obviously the team needs help on defense in significant capacity. I think changing the organizational structure with regards to the way the defense is called will go a long way in that. But they need players and talent as well. and they're having to do that in a situation where they don't have the cap space. So congratulations, Dallas Cowbell. You said he knows where he is in the pecking order in terms of not talking to Jerry.

But do you think the whole CD and him is like a long-term idea? Because there even was a couple moments in the season where CD didn't seem totally thrilled. And then George Pickens, there was that whole hubbub where he, you know, he got criticized a lot for, you know, a couple games. It seemed like he checked. I do think there's a greater chance that they trade him. then really makes sense. But I think it's possible because maybe you build the team a different way.

Oh, no, they have a history, right? Right. Of having access to incredible talent and then choosing not to utilize it in those positions. And I think they can. Do I think they should? No, I don't.

Because, like, in terms of, like, the Pickens experience, we make jokes about it and a lot of things happen. In terms of the negative impacts on the field as the George Pickens' contributions to the 2025 Dallas Cowboys, he had a, He had an injury in the Lions game and the Booth didn't really like him that much. Yeah.

And then our perception kind of shifted after that. But what did he do? Like what? Second team all pro. You can't take that away from him. Yeah. He's such a difference maker for the passing game. Now, does that mean that I think they're going to pay him, you know, multi-year big money or any team right now?

No, I think he's going to go somewhere and be there for a year if he's going to, if he's going to leave the team or he gets tagged. You know, it's been reported that he, that they're going to start the process. of tagging him now. I will say, we talked about this on the Monday show, the cowboys of it all, something about this will drag out way longer than it needs to, just so that there are headlines about it. And really the focus underneath all of this

should be their defense truly and will be their defense. Defense coordinator Christian Parker, one of the youngest who's going to be calling a defense in the NFL, super talented guy. And I know him well. I've gone way back with him and studied his scheme and how he wants to be sort of mold this Vic Fangio defense moving forward. And he could coax a couple of Eagles free agents to come over with him. He was known as quite a popular coach with the players over there in Philadelphia.

Yeah, Nacobie Dean is available. Reed Blankenship is available. They also have some key free agents, maybe keys, like players that played a lot of snaps. Janavian Clowny, Sam Williams, Donovan Wilson, Dante Fowler, Kenneth Murray. All of them played quite a big. bit for them this last season and might not be on the team this next year they are all hitting free you are up with the giants the john harba era begins as he officially we think formally officially officially officially finalized his staff a little earlier this month and also finalized the

we all report to john harbaughness of that entire staff predictably so to me i thought There's so much with the Giants that needs to happen moving forward. They have some really good pieces to start with. They obviously they think they found their quarterback in Jackson Dart, Camp Scadaboo coming off that major injury. We'll see how he returns. They have one of the quietly more underrated offensive lines, I think. In the NFL, when Andrew Thomas is healthy,

they have real potential on the defensive line. For me, big picture for this team as John Harbaugh begins to build what he wants this to be, is taking the past history of talent acquisition for the Giants, which is basically Joe Shane going after good players, but not really knowing how to put them all into the puzzle together or how they could all complement and fit each other in a way that screams cohesiveness, and turning that into an actual identity.

To me, that is the thing I'm most curious about with the Giants. And to remind the listeners, Dynard Wilson, who was the Titan defensive coordinator last year, is the defensive coordinator here. Matt Nagy was who he settled for at offensive coordinator. And then he said, well,

the silent laser for Matt Nagy. He literally was public saying Munkin was his first choice. And then he felt so bad about it that you, did you hear that quote that really stuck out to me with that he said, Matt Nagy could be the greatest coordinator

of all time. That's what we're hoping for. I mean, he settled for him. It was a second choice. I mean, that is two flamethrowers at not naggy this week on this show. They have some good free agents.

You mentioned the offensive line. They have two starters available in free agency. Maybe the top tackle available, Jermaine Aluminor and Greg Van Routen, who's started for them for a couple of years. Wondale is also probably likely to leave. I think they could trade Dexter Lawrence and or Kavon-Tibon-Tibod, not a ton of cap space.

So how aggressive is this, like, changing of the guards? We'll see. I think it'll be fairly aggressive in an opportunity where a lot of people, any through other foot, are trying to prove themselves. I think they're exceedingly aggressive in at least the format in which they do it,

the success. The defense especially, you look at cornerback, linebacker, defensive tackle. Yeah. And it'll be a really important, again, it goes back to me. I know it sounds like kind of a little bit too like space cadet,

but it does go back to me as like, oh, what is your identity? Because really what that is is basically saying, what is the backbone of what we want to be and how do we build the rib cage around it kind of a thing. And that's like what they need to do through the draft. And I think they could be aggressive in free agency.

But I, in my memory, John Harbaugh kind of led effort is not going to try to go out and spend big. More so move off of players he doesn't necessarily want around. Kavon Tibido might be one of those players. I think it's fascinating because I think this is truly the first John Harbaugh led effort though.

I never got the field. I mean, of course he had a big say in Baltimore, but to me, that was always a front office. So I think it's very difficult for a coach to have as much responsibility as John Harbaugh has because I think he's going to have it. But Mike Brable's pulling it off right now. It's working for him. I got the Eagles.

I got two options for my introductory question here. They're kind of similar. Anyway, like number one, is this the most fascinating team in the off season? A bit of a leading question because I'm going to present the case of why so much is going on. or are the Eagles as we know them done? And by that, I mean, here's the Eagles as we know them. Jeff Stoutland, good offensive line play starts at all. And Jeff Stoutland's gone.

And Lane Dickerson, I mean, that was a great, what's the word for that? When you make the mistake. Broidians. Port Montu. Maybe it is. Broydian flip. Combined two things. Lane Johnson and Landon Dickerson are both considering retiring.

That's one story that we didn't hit during Super Bowl week. The multiple reports that said, Landon Dickerson at 27 years old is considering retiring. It's sad. Because of all the injuries, which speaks to maybe he, even if he does play football, maybe he needs a year off. Like, he's not right.

He's young, but he's not right. Lane Johnson, not right physically. Are they more likely to retire because Stoughton's not there? And by the way, that was the worst season Jeff Stoutland's ever coached for an offensive line. Not saying it was his fault, but it was the lowest performance he had. ever got out of an Eagles offensive line. So we I do want to get to the other parts of the roster, but to me, that's the eagle. And it's going to be fascinating with Sean Mannion, this new coordinator

who brought along his own guy as an offensive line coach replacing that. It's a real big changing of the guard for who the Eagles are. Well, it's significant, at least in terms of perception, where I think that played into a lot of the problems where it was the idea that, oh, Stout's going to heal all these wounds. And that's why Mackay Beckin can walk. And we can just move on where it didn't work out for either party. And so I think at least the organization is probably more aware of where its lapses are. But the general question is, you know, with Nick Siriani, is the offensive coordinator, a head coach caliber offensive coordinator?

And if they're able to find that, then it's great. And he could be the next Sean McVeigh with like right under our nose and losing Lane Dick. I mean, Lane Dickerson. Let's just call them that now. Yeah, let's combine both of them. Using Lane Dickerson would be the biggest loss any team has this entire offseason. Well, yeah, the number. Two elite offensive line.

The splits when he was on the field versus off the field were insane, run and pass. Lane Dickerson uses the pronoun, A. Well, Lane Johnson. But, yes. But if we're combining them, yes. But to this point, I find it so fascinating that the Eagles as an organization opted to move to, basically allow a relative unknown come in and usurp someone they do know. Like to me, that says in Stoutland, because there was reporting that came out that Jeff Stoughton

left because in part, okay, well, I'm not going to be as big of a part of the puzzle. And you're bringing in this new OC who wants to install his own stuff and all this stuff. I'm sitting there and I'm like, do the Eagles know themselves as well, maybe? Do they know where they're at right now? Are they just trying desperately to patch at holes and saying, okay, come in and do something different. Maybe hopefully that works. They could trade AJ Brown. They could trade Tanner McKee.

Will they sign one of the top free agents, Jalen Phillips? Dallas Goddert, Nikovi Dean are free agents. It's fascinating. And they need defensive line depth, which they've always been great at. They could be outstanding. They have the highest variance right now, I think, of any team. It could be like a Super Bowl favorite or it could, it could go. go quite wrong. The commanders, they

showed how wrong it went last season, how far you can fall. Yes. And I am glad to have a team with a whole lot of cap space so I can play a little fantasy football. But I do think Debo's gone. Ertz, get well soon, gone. Von Miller, snap percentage hasn't been

outside of, it hasn't been north of 40 in four years. So that's probably gone. Marcus Myroti, I think, has to be back considering the, you know, the lingering issues for Jaden. I think this is the spot for Isaiah likely, so it wouldn't be a far move. But he could come there, fill that earth's hole after the injury. And also, you know, sorry about the sale of the Seahawks.

But this is the spot for Rashid who is a free agent as well, who can take some of that flyaway responsibility away from Terry McLaren to allow him to operate a little more elsewhere. It would be a good spot for this team. And, yeah, Jaden stays healthy and they win 12 games to go to the playoffs. They're going to go after it. They're going to spend so much money. I really like that Rashid Shaheed fit there because at a certain point, they were throwing go balls to Debo. And, you know, not for lack of effort.

But it just, you have to infuse speed and youth, especially on defense. You need to infuse youth. And you need to infuse speed on the offensive side. Even when they were sort of like running this very interesting heavy personnel two seasons ago, offense that was a departure from what Cliff Kingsbury at the time had typically run, they just felt they felt slow. They felt very, very slow. And then it was like this behemoth that was just going to sort of overwhelm you versus and then take shots of Terry McLaurin versus I think they want to get faster.

I think I know they want to get younger. Those two things have to be key and critical for them. I think they'll cut Marsh on Latimore. And you mentioned some of the free agents. It is crazy to think about all these names. Almost all of them are towards the end of their career. Debo, Bobby Wagner, Andrew Wiley, Noah Igbenogany, Vaughn Miller, who's not a free agent, but I think they're going to cut them.

Jonathan Jones, Ert, Echler was on this team. Like, there's just a lot of people that are going. And they have needs everywhere. I looked on the roster, I would say, except safety, they're pretty good at safety and defensive tackle, as long as they don't trade Duran Pink. But watch out. They're going to go nuts this offseason.

The thing about Bobby Wagner, though, the last time he played less than 94% of defensive snap was in 2012. It was his rookie year. He played 99% of defensive snaps the past two years. He's still Bobby Wagner. Okay, is it disrespectful? Did we hit the buzzer or do we have a minute left? I lost track here.

Let me know, Eric. You have a minute. Okay, 30 seconds. Is it disrespectful to make Wagner the number 101 player on my list? I consider it an honor. That person just stays there as an anchor, even as players get cut and move up and down below him. I mission you a challenge to find 100.

better free agents than Bobby Wagner, who's played 99% of SNAPs last year. You know what? It is interesting, though. I don't, this is not based on reporting at all. Let me be clear about that. But usually when a guy wins Walter Payton Man of the Year and the twilight of his career, he's thinking about what comes after football, too. And he's obviously, Bobby's been involved in so many things for his entire career that have been for the greater good of society and everyone in it. But I was wondering about that a little bit. Unless you're Clayus Campbell where you pull a fast one. Yeah.

Just get better and better every year. I'm back, bitches. Jordan, you are up with the bears. Yeah, really, really interesting case study to me because it's very clear that they're ahead of schedule and a lot of elements with their offense. And still, you know, developing that quarterback head coach slash play caller relationship. But in terms of their run game, their offensive line, the way they use their tight ends, you know, this is ahead of schedule for the first year head coach. on the defensive side, this is where I'm expecting

to see the most change for this Bears group because even though the Bears defense played admirably, especially when teams, I don't know, absurdly decided they were just going to throw

at them all game through the post season. They were really solid. They were a team built to defend the past. They have been for a couple of years now, but they need help up front. They need to get better

at rushing the passer without the blitz, even though they blitzed very effectively at times. I could see them being super, super aggressive and free agency to address some of these needs, knowing that they are a suddenly a win now team,

especially with Caleb Williams on that rookie contract. But they have to clear up some space first, cap space first. They're currently $5.3 million over the cap. It is a little ironic that DJ Moore, you know, it could potentially be traded. He would definitely get them under the cap with a move. But I'm curious to see if he actually is on the block

and if so, where would he fit best? my inside source into Greg Rosenthal's brain, which is by talking to him and chiding him every time DJ Moore makes a play saying, this is it. They have to bring him back. Greg firmly believes that that was the last play. I could just see him going, no. I just think with the construction of their roster

and the time and the money they can save in the market that he'd have that he's gone, get a third round pick for him or something like that. I think they could cut commit. They could cut DeAndre's, Swift weirdly. They do need to clear up some money because they have to spend on defense. Kevin Byrd, Jaquan Bristker, Nation Wright, and Chonsie Gotner-Johnson are all free agents.

And what you said is right on. Their front on defense is their biggest need. But you're losing. And Kevin Byard is 60% of your secondary. So that's two big needs. You got to kind of. You hit the nail on the head. Kevin Byard is probably their most important or like,

like biggest hinge point where it could go either way, free agent. He's a team captain, seven interceptions last season. But Ryan Poles kind of came out in the media earlier this offseason and was talking about how like, oh, it's going to be really difficult to get something done. Well, yeah, they're over the cap. And if you're going to extend this guy, you know, it's not going to be a small amount of money. So this is one that's very, very, very, going to be very, very interesting because they do need help in other areas badly.

I'm thinking about the old Dennis Allen guys he could, he could bring in there. Cam Jordan he wanted to go to a team with maybe a better chance to win the Super Bowl David Owen Yamada still playing quite well I don't know if he got along

with Valante Taylor but that he brought Tonsie Gardner Johnson back in the cold so I can find love then it can work out I could actually see that happening all right we got the Lions and this is just more of a big picture

question what's their second act I think you know Brad Holmes Dan Campbell I think they're kind of to through their first iteration, they're at the point almost where the Rams were ready to trade Jared Goff. The lions are obviously not trading Jared Goff. I just mean like at the point of the team build where like they got stuck a little. They need to change things up. And yet you look at their roster, their entire offense could be coming back. If they don't trade David Montgomery,

like basically all these guys are under contract. They don't have a ton of huge free agents. not on offense, but DJ Reader, Alex Ainsolone, some cornerbacks on defense. You can restructure to open up cap space, but they do not have much cap space. And they have a new offensive coordinator. So I don't know what they're going to do. I'm really curious because kind of like the Broncos before, but in a different way. I think they could go in a few different directions, but they don't have a ton of screaming needs other than just getting better line play, which is like everyone's need.

But I think especially for the line. crazy, though, thinking about how solid they've been there for a couple of years now in this Holmes Campbell era and then just really, you know, looked uncharacteristic a time. And Decker is Taylor Decker, their left tackle is seriously considering retirement. Would not surprise me at all if he does. And so that, that would open up a big hole at left back. And I think I can make the cap number even worse because I think it makes long term sense to extend Gibbs and just go ahead and do it now. that the way they can play with the money that will help the cap ultimately it never makes sense to me but you know you push it into the future i don't know what his number is i guess it won't help but

he's such a long-term at heart you know he's such a saint's guy at heart he's oh yeah i'm just saying the long-term contracts won't won't kill that absolutely makes sense they're so good at extending the right players or brian branch normally would have been a candidate for one coming off an injury so that might complicate that. I'm curious about what they'll do in the draft because they are a pretty complete team. Now, they could stand to add some support on defense. They could just stand to add a boost in a lot of the different, especially sort of like the defensive skill spots.

They could definitely add there. Need more edge. But they need more pass rush for sure. And I am really curious about what they decided to do because Brad Holmes, the team changes and the era that they're in has kind of changed as well. They're more settled in. you know, they have good bones and now they're kind of just like figuring out like what they want to build around it. But I feel like this is like Brad Holmes will always draft the guys they really,

really want and won't necessarily look at positional value or charts or anything like that. They'll just go after the guys that they want. So this is a team so unpredictable to me in the draft. But because I don't necessarily think they're going to be going for need, even though they should go for need. They could trade David Montgomery through pet things that he really liked. them, coordinator, but it's not up to by the way,

by the way. Kids started by the way. Patrick, you're up with the Green Bay Packers. I love Treesing in Detroit, just saying. Obviously, that's perfect.

That's great. Yeah. The fan base was mad at it. I was like, you guys, this is awesome. What are we talking about here? It'd be fun. Who did you want?

Cliff Kingsbury? God. So the Green Bay Packers. That's a drop, by the way. Who did you want? Cliff Kingsbury? God. Although a little more.

direct than the Matt Nagy heat that we've had. Yeah. Unfortunately, Kingsbury's what a season. I'm starting to get hangary. The special assistant to the head coach, so I don't know when we can really use it, but he's with the ramp now. All right, let's go back. Assistant to the regional manager. I believe the Green Bay Packers

should bring back Christian Watson as well as Jaden Reed on the offense. I think generally you would like to be able to retain Malik Willis. That's not going to happen. So perhaps it's the Packers who are players in the Tanner McKee sweepstakes as they look to who would get a backup

quarterback in a spot where they've needed a backup quarterback in the past couple of years. In terms of their organizational structure, they're not necessarily going out. And I think being big splashes in free ages, the splashes are done for the Green Bay Packers, do you ultimately, because I do have a question of this team, as I remember, the exercise a little bit better, Greg. Just wait for Micah to be back? Or is there a need to acquire an explosive defensive player prior to Micah's return?

An interesting question. I think you just wait. Ultimately, he's going to be hopefully ready and back to fully Micah by the time that you're at the part of the season. That really means something to the Packers these days because the fans are sick of just... The 7C. Yeah, getting into the plan.

So I think you're going to have full Micah, hopefully. A lot of fan bases will be very comfortable with that particular dichotomy. It's a tough off season for Goudicons, their GM, because they don't have cap space right now. They can open it up. And last year, they kind of deviated off their path, Patrick, where they did spend money on Aaron Banks and Nate Hobbs specifically in free agency. Neither one of those worked out.

and they have more solid young players available than almost any team. Malik Willis, Romeo Dobbs, Quay Walker, their left tackle Rashid Walker. He's definitely leaving and he's probably going to get paid elsewhere. I think Quay Walker is probably leaving too. Inigbari, who was a starter for them, like a lot of players. And they had their special team's coach. Rich Basaccia suddenly retired on Tuesday night out of nowhere. I don't know what.

Something's got. Yeah. Yeah. I haven't yet listened to my colleague at The Athletic does a great podcast, Matt Schneidman, and I haven't yet listened to it. But the way he teased it, I saw, I get notifications for him, and I saw the share post, and the way he teased it made it seem like there was like something else going on. And he's very connected.

A change at this time of the offseason. Yeah. In February for a veteran coach. And it was like framed as like mutually parted ways. And obviously there's going to be more to this story. It is interesting, you know, Matt LaFleur now partnered with Jonathan Gannon, so two guys who could also be actors playing cops in a movie, in my opinion. Like, it's going to be fascinating to me because this is really the first time that Matt LaFleur has had this sort of like Fangio-esque but very malleable defense in his building. And I'm very interested to see how that goes.

And yeah, there's some big name players who I'm not sure are going to be there. Rishon Gary. I think Josh Jacobs will be there. Zach Tom underwent surgery. I think it's the worst shape of Packers roster has been in a minute. I don't think they're quite as strong. I think Quay Walker needs to be back. Yeah.

I'm keeping an eye on. I have a feeling. I'm not a huge Quay Walker guy that he's going to be one of those guys that is not overly high on my list that will just get a lot of money, which I hate to eat that. I'm just like looking at some of these guys. I know that guy is going to get a big contract, but I still have him ranked 52nd. And that's fine. You're going to put him 45 spots ahead of pro football Hall of Famer future Bobby Wagner

because you want to put him at the disrespectful spot. I love a Patrick Claibon callback. It is one of my most favorite things. I love it when you hit out and make a good point against me. I am very influenced. easily, I would say, by the last thing that I've heard. So now Wagner's going to go up. Like you've done it.

I'm very malleable with these lists. Wagner is going to move up. By the way, I have someone else in mind for 101, but I was thinking about Wagner as one of the options. All right, you got the biking. One of the teams, I could argue, might have a better roster than the Packers, except for that big, important position.

Yes. Well, I'm so glad you said that, Greg, because I'd like to start this exercise with a question. question. First going to you, Patrick, and then to Greg. Who is going to be the Minnesota Vikings quarterback in 2026? J.J. McCart. What? Greg. Who is going to be? Well, that is the safest answer. Who is going to be the Minnesota Vikings quarterback in 2026, Greg?

He is the betting favorite. Kyler? Yeah. And listen, I'm just going to, I'm going to be that. Oh, yeah, Mack Jones. That was the one I like. Mac Jones. Mac Jones. Who? Oh, shoot.

Did I step on your answer? No. You didn't. No. Thank God. Let's go MacDone. I'm going to be that meme of the guy who's like slowly trying to open a pot and then all a sudden everything bursts into flames with my suggestion that I will bring to the table here.

The Colts don't get something done with Daniel Jones, who goes back to the Minnesota Vikings where now he is assured that he will be their long-term starter. and he gets paid as well. The only problems here, guys, besides the basic premise, is also the Vikings are $43 million plus dollars over the cap currently. They have very few actual free agents, just three of them, who are set to have expired deals. Oh, and also just the small little note that Kevin O'Connell needs a general manager.

So aside from all of that, Mrs. Lincoln, how is the play? Considering the offseason, the statement out of Minneapolis appears to have been that Kevin O'Connell doesn't need a general manager, right? So he's got it. He's got, what's his name, Brzynski's been there for 20 years. They're a very loyal organization that's kept depending on who you are. Well, I think recent, recent data might show us. Like there aren't many, like, one of the reasons that didn't work out necessarily for Questi was he inherited so many. people from the previous staff in the front office that have been there a long time.

So I think in their mind, like, hey, we've got an entire staff that's, that's been around for a while. But yeah, it is really interesting to think about what they do, they'll do because they're well over the cap. They're very lucky they kept Brian Flores because he fits the personnel that they have, but they have to make decisions on Devon Hargrave, on T.J. Hawkinson, on Brian O'Neill, on Aaron Jones. They have some players retiring, Harrison Smith, C.J. Ham.

Ryan Kelly, is he going to play football again because it had these concussions. And obviously you have needs. I didn't mention Jordan Addison as a potential trade when we did that column. And that was one where the, I think the Vikings fans asked me. And I was like, oh, yeah, I should have said Jordan Addison. I could see that. Yeah, they, I think that small ads that upgrade a couple of key positions could also mean parting ways with some of those guys that you specifically said on the offensive side.

Like I think that looking at upgrading, they're really. running backs room. I love Aaron Jones, but I think that they just want just a little bit more juice there. And he has to, Kevin O'Connor finally has to start running the ball the way he always says he wants to every offseason. Still waiting. Works for him for a while until it didn't. All right, let's talk about the Cardinals, but let's do it after a break. Let's hit the most fascinating division in football. That's all coached by like the same exact coaching tree. The NFC way. This month, IHeart Radio is celebrating the stars of the 2026 Winter Games.

Hailing from Vale, Colorado, Michaela Schifrin might just be the greatest alpine skier of all time. With over 100 World Cup victories, the youngest Olympic slalom winner arrives in Milano Cortina to further cement her legacy. Her technical precision in the slalom and fearless speed in the downhill make her a threat in every race as she takes to the slopes to chase more Olympic hardware. For more Winter Games gold, search Olympics on the IHeart Radio app. I'm Dylan Playfair. And I'm Tyler Smith. We're putting loneliness in the penalty box by talking to some of our favorite athletes about the importance of friendship.

This is Bromance. Bromance is brought to you by Charm Diamond Centers, proudly Canadian-owned and operator. Charm has been part of your love stories and bromances for over 50 years. And you can find Bromance on the IHeart Radio Network or wherever you get your podcast. I'm Daniel Jeremiah. And I'm Greg Rosenthal. And this is 40s and free agents. The games may be over, but the NFL never stopped.

This is my favorite part of the calendar. Yeah, mine too, Greg, free agency, the combine, the NFL draft, Pro Days, trades. This is where teams reshape their future. This is where Daniel Jeremiah makes his money. On 40s and free agents, we break down every move that actually matters. From my draft evaluations, mock drafts, and team fits, to my top 101 free agents and how real rosters are. built cap space, contracts, and all the tough decisions included.

You got quarterbacks on the move. We got teams rebuilding. It's hope season. Yeah, absolutely. It's hope season. We'll tell you what's real, what's noise, and what it means for your favorite team. Smart analysis, real conversations every week. I'm not about the smart, but definitely analysis.

Listen to 40s and free agents on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. We are back on NFL Daily. and we try to be an organization here that doesn't just draft talent but develops it. And Jordan is developing quite a takes woman, throwing that Daniel Jones to the Vikings thing out, knowing that could be a big hit if it scores for the Jordan brand. Listen, yes, they needed more wins, the Jordan Brink. You know what?

I have seen enough rom-coms to know that you don't let the one that got away get away twice, you guys. So they already had the experience of watching Sam Darnold. You're in a perfect spot for a take because if it doesn't happen, no one's going to blame you. And I think you're hitting on something that it's more likely to happen than most people would realize. And it's a, you're staking that claim. You said Patrick, you had some hot takes to throw out. I am really intrigued. Well, it'll be a deep tease.

Okay. I do want to say that, you know, if we're making the romance parallels, if we go to the Lecheverse, because there's a lot of discussion about types, which I think are stupid, because you have people with like, oh, you like this type of person, and it's a hair color is the type of person. Sam Darnold and Dimes, I think if you're comparing one to the other. Speaking of hair color. There's significant differences there where I feel like that would be a mistake.

I also am, I don't think this is a crazy island to be on. Signing Daniel Jones to be your long-term answer after tearing his Achilles in an incredibly up and down and injury-plag career. Not much of a safer bet than J.J. McCarthy is right now. Yeah. To that. To that point, hello, Colley. To that point, I wouldn't have thought that ideally the J.J. McCarthy draft was a safe bet.

And they did it anyway. Yeah. Oh, I'm not saying, the take is great. I'm a little worried for the Colts or the Vikings. I don't know. I'm feeling really self-conscious right now, Greg. We feel like your take is good. The move by the team. The take is good.

Validate me. I worry a little bit about the Colts and the Vikings expecting like MVP candidate Daniel Jones in the next year or two. Or ever. Patrick, you are not up next. I'm up next. There it is. Is that right?

It's the Arizona Cardinals in Mike Lafleur, who was behind the eight ball when building out his coaching staff. But he's got Nathaniel Hackett and he kept Nick Rollis, their old defensive coordinator, which I think was a really good move because they had very specific defensive pieces,

which now fit better. They do have something I've looked for in this exercise, a good combination of cap space and a lack of meaningful free agents. They do obviously have a lot of holes to fill. I don't think their roster is in as, quite bad a shape as like the record would have indicated last year. So that's a good thing.

I am concerned, however, by the report from Tony Pauline that they're intrigued by Tyson Bayesian, the Bears backup quarterback. Like, does Jacoby fit on this roster? I don't know what to say about this team right now. I think they could cut James Connor, Dalvin Tomlinson, maybe Buda Baker, which would pain me, but he didn't play great last season. But overall kind of, you know, they have an open canvas. It's not a new GM.

It's not the OSCE. If that is a, I'm not questioning reporting, but this time of year, it's a lot of smoke about that agents are putting out about drafts and my client this and my client that and smoke screens and all this stuff. But if they are actually interested in Tyson Bayesian, I think they're saying less so that they're interested in Tyson Bayesian and more so that they're committed to finding like a bridge quarterback. Yeah.

And I think take a couple swings at quarterback maybe this year. Yeah. But really one, if you're keeping Jacoby, take one swing as a mid-level option. I think they could be a Tanner McKee type of team or that type of player. There's not really those free agents out there, though. Like the backups are the Mario daisy is the best version of it, but there's the Krabiski types like Tyrod. Like there aren't many younger players that are going to be available unless they just decided

to blow Malik Willis out of the water money-wise. They could afford to do it. Yeah, they did. Not that crazy. They took a quarterback number one over all of years ago. I understand the whole enterprise has been to blame Kyler Murray. Oh my God. They're the Malik Willis team. I don't know why it's just

hitting me now. Wait, it's just hitting you now? Yeah. Oh, I think there is I thought you'd already talked about this because here's the thing. All Michael Flore has to do is call Big Brother and say, hey, man, you want to send over that Malik Willis playbook here? But Why send Malik to these horrible circumstances? Because Malik's been there.

But you know what, though? I will just say, I don't think that the offense itself is horrible circumstances. I think there's a lot of work to do on this roster, but you've got a volume best in the league tight end. You've got two really solid receivers. I think they're going to look for a third because if I know anything about this offense, they're going to try to start with a lot of 11 personnel and then reapply their 13 personnel concepts layered over that 11 personnel. Got a good young left tackle in Paris Johnson?

Good young left tackle in Paris Johnson. Oh, that's it. And they also, and I'm kicking myself for not remembering the backup running back's name, but coming back from injury. And when those guys are healthy, they're sort of back in. I think they might cut James Connor. I'm not a huge Trey Benson fan. So I think they might need more there.

But that's it. And I hear you, I maybe want better for Malik Willis. But the scheme, the talent, maybe they're not winning a lot. of games, but more importantly, they are the team that I think could say, do you want a hundred million guaranteed? I think we could give that to you. Also, Patrick, I agree with you and what you're saying, I think on a broader scope, which is systemically, I don't think that is a great situation for anybody.

However, in terms of the offense itself, there are some promising players there. Because rhyming is important, Tyson Baygent's agent, he's represented by milk and honey sport. So I just felt like. Okay, good to know. His dad often seemed to be talking to the media as well on and off the record.

So you never know who could be a begent source. This is how deep we go when we go through all 16 NFC teams with the runner up in the national football conference, the Los Angeles Rams. So I don't know if you guys remember

years ago. Matthew Stafford was traded to the Los Angeles Rams from the Detroit line. We had two years. Remaining. Remaining on his deal. At the end of this season, and there is a quarterback who has had a lot of success in the NFL, not a lot of success in the postseason with a interesting relationship with his fan base and ownership. I think Rain Dakota Prescott will at some point be the quarterback of the Los Angeles Rams.

Whoa. Question to you, folks, in the Post Stafford era, do you utilize the picks because we know, fuck those picks. Do you utilize the picks to prepare for that circumstance? or in a year where there's not a Jalen Ramsey available in free agency. I don't know if anybody's available for a trade, like Greek woolen may be available as a free agent. If that's the place you want to be, if you want to get bigger in the secondary, do you use that capital to acquire talent,

maybe move up a little bit and get Caleb Downs, get better and bigger and faster than the secondary, or do you use it to get ready for a post-stafford? Whoa. If you're keeping, if you think you're going to keep Chris Shula, for at least another two years, I do think that you look really seriously at adding a special, special

multi-position player as Caleb Downs is. I don't think that works with every defensive coordinator. I don't think that will work with every defense. I think there will be a lot of humoristic defensive coordinators and head coaches who think that they have the right system, but then you end up seeing like the Isaiah Simmons situation play out, unfortunately. So this guy is special, and he's a difference maker and a math changer.

which we know the Rams love. I think if, okay. Would DAC be this year? No, it would be after. Like, you make another playoff run. The retirement question is there. If Matthews Stafford decides to step away, you have an opportunity. And I love that thought exercise because what you're really asking is,

do the Rams actually for once bring in a rookie quarterback knowing that Sean McVey has never developed a rookie quarterback from the ground up? or does he continue to go through the veteran pool? Dak Prescott would be, in my opinion, a solid pairing if that were the case. I think there would be a likelihood we talked about through this out there for funzies. There's a bigger chance that it's Joe Burrow over Dak Prescott. I love that we're just giving, now they're turning into the Lakers. Let's just give all the best quarterbacks to the Rams. That's what they are, Greg.

But they're also among the biggest win now teams in the league just because they have a quarterback playing, you know, the rainy MVP, who's at the end of his career. They got two picks. They got $45 million in space. This whole, you know, Sprint Rebuild has all been setting up these two years. And, man, they have a lot of money to play with, but they need cornerbacks.

They need a linebacker. They need a third receiver. They need to develop some offensive lines. They do have some free agents in the secondary. So they got to handle the Stafford Conduct. They have a lot going on. And knowing Sneed, they'll be aggressive. Yeah, Cam Carle, I think, is a back or a Roger

McCreary, the trade didn't necessarily work out. It didn't even play that much when they needed it to. And other than that, go out and spend in the secondary, maybe. If not, and if you don't do that, if you don't invest in the draft, prepare for the big swing at Joe, at Daggett, whoever it is. They need bodies like Kobe Durant as a free agent. They could cut Darius Williams. Maybe they bring back Cam Carroll.

That they paid Quentin Lake tells me they're not paying Cam Curl. But that's just my opinion. No, that makes sense. All right, you're up with the defending national football conference. and world champion. And my new favorite head coach of all time. Like, it's just like. Mike McDonald.

Yes. Let's go. See you on. Okay. So a wise thing that I heard once from a coach was about the concept of reaching the mountain top. So after you win big time, right? He said to be ready once you get to the top of the mountain to only be able to see more

mountains, right? And so that being said, I think that what Mike McDonald has done so far, in the week since reaching the mountaintop, besides some extremely endearing videos of him and his wife taking the scene of the parade in all around them last week, is adjusting where he knows he has deficiencies. And one of those was hiring Daniel Stern over from the Ravens.

He's a situational management, game management and analyst, someone who they're probably going to put a position coach title on just because that comes with a pay bump, but we'll be doing game strategy for this team. That is where you could argue they did have some faults and flaws last season. He also hired Brian Fleury from San Francisco, the tight ends coach. Now it says OC to me that speaks volumes about wanting to continue to evolve the run game forward, which is going to be interesting because Kenneth Walker,

it looks like he will be posed to be a free agent. There's been some reporting that they are not planning to tag him. And they have a lot of really solid. We missed on that one on the old. I know, like immediately we did. They also, they have a lot of stories. solid free agents available. So Rik Wollen is going to be a free agent.

Boyam Maffa is going to be a free agent. Rashid, you mentioned previously, is going to be a free agent. Kobe Bryant, the safety is going to be a free agent. Josh Job is going to be a free agent. That's everybody. This is a significant amount of players in their secondary. And like Nickyman Worry plays seven positions, but he can't play them all at once. So you really need to pick and choose who you're going to invest in this off season if you're

the Seahawks. And I would expect a couple of these guys are extended internally at the very least. If I had to guess, I think Kobe Bryant and Josh Job would be my guess is. I guess Kobe Bryant, good safety, young. The safety market does. It just always is less than you think. So you can have some continuity. Job, they'll play great for them.

And so he's not going to cost as much as Tarek Will and. And so I think, I think that makes sense. But man, that's a lot of good players that are getting to free agency. but I mentioned the Chargers and the AFC as the best team with a lot of Capspace. That was in the AFC. The Seahawks have $73 million in caps space. It's wild.

And so they're in a great position. Yeah, in a position to run it back. Like, I can make a case. Just bring them all back. Like, you've got $73 million make it work. I think for Rique, I think his market, I could be wrong, will be big enough. And I do think about like asking Clint Kubiak about how Ken Walker

never ran the plays as called. And he laughed. He has like a knowing laugh. Yeah. I hate it for Ken Walker in a way, but I love that he'll max out his money. I think they think they'll just get someone that they drafted. I know John Schneider drafted him, but like this coaching staff and I think they're going to replace him. It is interesting to me.

You got to pay Sam Darnel more money, by the way, too. Through either bad reasons or good reasons, in this case, good reasons. This is their third offensive coordinator in three seasons. Interesting. Hmm. The 49ers is my team. and they're in a really interesting spot similar to the Rams where they went through a little short-term pain.

They're kind of out of the woods. And do they want to take a little pain right back? Because they got $41 million in cab space and they do have these guys with huge contracts, Warner and Nick Bosa, who would be on my really long list of like, would they ever think about trading Nick Bosa? Every time I suggest it or even like...

Yeah. Sideways suggest it. I get so many messes, like anger, pure anger for 49ers. I don't think they would ever trade. Maybe that's not what they're angry about. George Kittle or Warner. They can go be aggressive. They're very much in win now mode.

It's why I don't think they'll trade Mac Jones in the end unless they get. Mac Jones, Debbie. Like a second plus because it's just like, why bother? We'll get a comp pick for him and why bother. Joanne Jennings is a free agent, but not a ton. And it's the same old stuff I look at every offseason with them. It's like their offensive line does not look great on paper. And yet they they just kick the can and they make it work.

But if you're the 49ers, I'll throw this to you, Patrick. Like, where are you looking? Because actually, like, don't see a ton of crazy, like, screaming problems or need. They're in a good spot. Yeah, I think they can add depth at a few places, especially on defense, where, you know, we talked about. Bobby Wagner, you know, being able to have Bobby and Fred on the same team. Wow, try running through that.

Now that I think about it, you're right, like line, the defensive line other than Nick Bosa is a big. Yeah. And so, like, having that capacity where they can spin with now, you know, a new group, you know, organizing the defense, I think they should and take advantage of that where, you know, it's Kyle on the other side. Yeah. But they bring, I could absolutely see Devo coming back on like a two. year $12 million contract because he doesn't have a market elsewhere. It's interesting.

Rahim Morris is a defensive coordinator over there now. So again, everything just cycles through in different versions of itself throughout the entire NFC West at this point. Caden Ellis maybe from the Falcon. It is interesting because I also think that just knowing Rahim's background a little bit, like they are going to want to add some more size at DB, specifically the way that they're going to want to play their safeties, their slot position. it's going to be aggressive, it's going to be versatile.

They are definitely going to want to add some signs. Now I'm imagining a situation where multiple aspects of the tree are interested in Rieke now in the division that's going to drive the price up to where the Seahawks won't be. Right. It really just takes two teams. Like that's why Godwin. I love what you say, the tree. It's the the tree. It really is the tree at this point.

And Rahim's been in so many spots. I immediately thought about like maybe reconnects on a final like let's go chase another ring. Jalen Ramsey. contract, which he potentially gets cut. He is the Jalen Ramsey whisperer. I'll say that. I like this 49ers team. I mean, I think they're going to be a trendy team of like,

okay, this is the year that they break through next year, just for people. Like me, Patrick, you are up with the Atlanta Falcons. We are entering the Dirty South, the final division that we're going to be covering. And it starts with an apology. I yield with regards to my thoughts about Terry Fondon. There are a lot of talent.

players on this team where, you know, they have some, you know, some free agents to sign. I think one aspect that will alleviate and provide them with more capacity to acquire talent would be a trade. If the Minnesota Vikings are interested in a quarterback coming off of a torn Achilles, I can offer you one that's coming off a couple of years now removed from a Tor and Achilles where Kurt Cousins could create some opportunity to where there's not that much of a question with regards to Kyle Pitts, you know, David Anyamatta as well, where, you know, there's places where you can retain talent here and have a team that can be successful.

But at 8 and 9, there's three other teams in this division that will have a chance to talk about where you're kind of in this middle spot where everybody can legitimately be win now, but can they be win now with Pinnix coming off the injury or this version of Kirk Cousins, I don't yield to you guys. The reporting his cousins is just going to get cut, that they restructured his contract in a way to cut him and save the most amount of money this season for him.

They do have a decent amount of cap space. They're in the middle. It's President Matt Ryan. And you mentioned, yeah, I'm curious if they're going to tag Pits. My guess would be they probably will. but a lot of a team where I think there's a lot of places to upgrade but they don't have huge gaping holes like defensive tackle wide receiver offensive line cornerback I think they can improve in a lot of spots but I think the roster to defend your guy Terry it's in a very eight and nine type of

place that's where they've been and I don't I think it's not a rebuild they had um I'm trying to remember how early in the season this was but they had the multiple injuries at tackle too that I think really affected the way that that offensive line ended up playing, certainly. And it's interesting to me, one of the biggest things that they did this off season was not moving on from somebody, and that's Jeff Oldbridge, because I think that that defense is going to pick up, be able to pick up right where it left off.

Now, what I am interested in seeing, Kevin Stefansky talked up Michael Pennix a lot in his opening press conference. I just, I really want to see what it is about Kevin Stefansky. Like I really like I get the theories right. I understand the background and the beard and the lineage is is there obviously of the coaching trees that he's been a part of. But like I would really just like to see what it is about him. Would he want Jacoby? There's so many teams in this weird in between for quarterbacks where they kind of don't have one for a while.

The Colts too. They don't have a first round pick. Like the Vikings are kind of like that. They have one but not really. Who do they go? If I if I see Michael Pipp. in some version in Kevin Stavansky's offense utilizing the middle of the field, then that's it. And I will retract my apology and will be a full-on revisionist history regarding the Atlanta Falcons.

The Tampa Bay. You just wait until I start using the middle of the field. Then it's over for you pose. It's a tough situation for Pennix because he could use the off season with Defansky and he's not going to have that. Let's do Carolina, George. Oh, I'm so happy you gave me the Carolina Panthers. Greg, a team very near, dear to my heart. The biggest news of the week, perhaps the offseason overall,

came out of Carolina just a few days ago, and that is long snapper. J.J. Janssen signed another one-year contract. He's back, buddy. To play his 18th NFL season, friend of the show. He holds us off just a little bit longer, Greg. My plot to get him on the desk with us just has to wait for one more year. but the biggest additions for this team have to come by drafting really well, in my opinion,

at Pass Rusher specifically, infusing talent, not just on the outside edges, but also to get that interior moving the line of scrimmage a little bit more. They have some, you know, Derek Brown's obviously playing at such a high level, but they need to start replacing some of the guys that they went out and spent money on, Aishon Robinson, Bobby Brown the third, while it is his prerogative, they eventually have to think about what draft picks at those positions to supplement and kind of replace long term those guys are going to look like. And I think that's the biggest thing. They need to upgrade their inside linebackers as well.

They need to upgrade at safety. Nick Scott is a free agent. He played well at the end of the season. But their outside corners kind of rock. So I say don't touch anything there. And on the other side of the ball, they need to keep building layers around specifically Tet McMillan and Jalen Koker. I don't think a lot else in this past game is working. So building layers and different problem solving around those two key players in your passing game is really important.

I'd like to see them get more production out of the tight end position. And I think their offensive line is fine. Cade Mays is a free agent. I think you need to extend him. Keep him at center. Let Austin Corbett keep playing at guard now that he's healthy. And that's my offseason plan for the Carolina Panthers. I'm a little worried about their team build because the offensive line is where all the so much money is and they didn't really play very well.

and Ikea Kwanwu is coming off a ruptured Patel attendant. Cade Mays, I think is going to get a big contract, whether it's from the Panthers or another team. It sounds like he's going to have a market. And if the Falcons have an 8-9 roster, I think the Bucks are better than that, even though they were 8-9. And I think the Panthers are worse than their 8-9 record.

Because I think they need everything except for those outside corners and that long snapper. Shout out to the blue sky user. I think it's Brad Beetson who said, was that NFL Daily's own JJJ? Yes, I love it. I love it. Amazing. Amazing.

Friend of the show. Not many free agents, though. Rico Dattel's out there. Austin Corbett's out there. Cade Mease, as I mentioned. They got to pick up prices option. But not at least they're. They said they will.

They're additive. They're additive right now. But I do think they need a lot. I think they're early in their build still. Yeah. And I think, I mean, We've talked about this for a couple of months now. Like, this is sifting through kind of the, like, freak, happy luck that happens at the end of the season.

And I'm not saying they didn't earn it. They played really well. They met their moment incredibly well in the playoffs. But you also need to sift through, like, okay, what actually is sustainable out of this? And that very much is the process that they're going through right now. All right. It is time now. finally for delivering results it's presented by uber eats when football makes you hungry you order

some uber eats and who else would be delivering but mickey lumis and the new orleans saints get ready for a big off season it's mickey gone wild uh marty graj just ended you got drew breeze throwing beads with his left arm for some reason mickey's feeling himself he's got a quarterback He's got Jeff Duncan of the Times Picky EUNN running, hey, aren't you sorry now? Look at what Mickey did last year, column, which maybe is a little premature. They feel like they have a lot of cap space

just because they're not in cap hell, but they are still 27th in cap space, but they can create a lot. And I think they have a lot of problems on their roster. Who is their best defensive linemen under contract? Probably Brian Brisee, who's like a splash, but not a complete player. They have only a couple more of them.

They have $51 million in dead money in DeMario Davis, Taysam Hill, and Cam Jordan, who probably all won't be on the team. But we'll see. Actually, DeMario Davis and Cam Jordan could be. I don't think that. But either way, they're going to have dead money. They maybe are looking at an Olive contract. But I do get the feeling, don't you, Patrick, that they're going to push.

They got their rookie on a contract. And I think Mickey's ready to be like, Mickey's back. We can go win this division. Yeah. They obviously, they come close. to win in division last year with the late surge where, you know, our, you know, not just an apology to Mickey, specifically, you know.

I am not apologizing for what it's worth. No apology. Well, I will apologize. The Jeff Duncan. He's fine. He's fine. Featured in the movie? Well, it was, yeah, yeah.

No, it didn't. No. But I also don't have a subscription. Yeah. But in general, you know, evaluating Tyler Shuck and being a significant oversight that he was recovering from the injury, you know, lost sight of how explosive he was. And he still have that, was able to navigate that rookie season healthily.

I think a lot of teams probably disappointed in that because the guys like, Alante Taylor will not be available. I think, you know, the cab chicanery will, you know, have Alante back. There's places. There's places where they can be successful. I think Alante might max out elsewhere. We'll see. I don't know.

I wouldn't surprise me if he got a pretty good contract. Luke Fortner is the guy that they liked that played center. Eric McCoy is never healthy. A normal team would maybe consider cutting Eric McCoy, who's been a great player for them when he's played, but he just literally hasn't been available for like three years. And they needed some defensive tackles. They need cornerbacks.

I think the roster, I keep saying where their record is. What did they actually, how many games did they win last year? Six in the end or seven? I think that's about right. They were about a six-win roster. They are not there, I think, with the Falcons and Bucks roster-wise. Yeah, they are obviously rebuilding. I think they're thanking, you know,

their lucky stars that the quarterback situation looks like it's promising for the future because you imagine if that didn't work out, then a rebuild would go from, hey, this is a year, maybe two-year rebuild to even get to medium. It gives, it changes. Tyler Shuck's season changes the entire organization. And did you see him just like,

just like rocketing Marty Grah favors off of a float? Like, you know, rest the arm. I do love how much he's embraced being a New Orleans. Could use that big arm to target one of the best deep threats in the league who also is explosive as a punt returner. Fortunately, they have a fourth round and a fifth round pick. Thanks to the Shaheed trade. there's that.

Well, yeah, he will be a free agent, Rashid. You could always do the move or you sign him back. That would be a great move. I would apologize to Mickey for that. I would too. If he gets Rashid Jihad back,

that would be outstanding. That was delivering results presented by Uber Eats when football makes you hungry. Get game day deals on Uber Eats, the official on-demand delivery partner of the NFL. Order now. We have reached the end of the road

with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers a team that I said is a better roster than their 8 and 9 record indicated a lot of consternation among pewter nation. Do they call themselves to that? I don't think so, but they should. The bucks is Patrick. Yes, I think it is very important to bring Mike Evans back. I know that there's only $14 million of cap space. One way to do that would be to extend one of the highest players on the team, which would be Baker Mayfield.

So that is my question. you solve some of the offseason problems where Jamel Dean needs to be re-signed again in a situation where a lot of people need it have a need at corner. Jamel Dean, one of the better corners in the league. Do you solve all that? Would you guys be comfortable extending Baker Mayfield right now? I would.

Yeah, I would. You put me in a bad spot. Well, you hate him. I don't hate him, but I don't think you need to. I don't think you need to extend them right now. I think that if it's also you're talking about cap savings and you think you got a roster that and you're Todd Bowles who's like, maybe running out of chances at this point.

Like another offensive coordinator, new offensive coordinator, you think that you've got an offense, especially with Chris Godwin coming back from a brutal, gruesome injury, probably going to look a lot more like himself. Year two coming off of that injury than in year one. You got a really, really,

you got good pieces everywhere. You got a great offensive line when healthy. I mean, health really was a huge factor in a lot of their issues this year. And I think, too, they just didn't get quite, get what they needed just cohesively from that offensive system overall. And I think that

this is going to be really interesting to me because you are kind of saying, hey, we want to bring our guys back. Jason Light loves to do that. And this could be a way to do it, extending Baker Mayfield, who would have, I think, I mean, can you guys imagine this

if they don't and like everything goes terrible and all the suitors Baker Mayfield would have this off season? It won't be. If, if he He doesn't play, you know, if he, if they, if they go south. I'm serious. I don't think anyone will care. I think he is the ultimate.

I can fix him guy. That all these. Baker ball. You want to talk about the tree? The tree would be knocking down their door to try to. It does feel like a little bit of a last chance saloon for Todd Bowles. And maybe for not for Baker, but I think play it out. Because I think the level that he played at last year, you don't need to rush it.

But they have, you mentioned like Evans, Dean, Hassan Reddard. is a free agent. Kate Aott and is a very good tight end for them. Rashad White is a good player. Levante David might retire. So they also feel great about exactly three offensive line spots, but literally don't have a guard on the roster next year. So that could be a position I could see them spending in free agency.

So maybe the roster doesn't look as pristine as it did a year ago at this time. It would look a lot better, Greg. They extend Baker. They get some money. I mean, how much does that really open up a little bit? You could go from 15 to 45. We just talked on the AFZ podcast about how much money it can open up with, as Patrick Mahomes has showed. That's what the restructure.

You actually could restructure Baker, too, but he might, and I'm sure he would. And you know what helps you with restructures extensions? Adding on. More years? He has three void years coming 27 through 29. Listen. Yeah. He is essentially entering a contract year.

Very interesting. The stakes. I think they're kicking that can. You know. Very interesting. They might have wandering eyes. We never would. This trio did it.

We hit all 32 teams over two shows, AFC, NFC, NFC. Most podcasts would take the rest of the week off. Not us. Not done. I mean, we are cranking some quality content this week, the second week after the end of the Super Bowl, with all these teams. And then the exclusive. reveal for the top 101.

Ollie Connolly will be joining me in his week appearance for that show. And then off to Indianapolis. Yes, I'll see you there, Greg. We will see you there. A couple big GMs already signed up. We're going to try to get some more. We're going to figure everything out.

The off season will be decided. It's Greg Gillespie. See you next. I'm Daniel Jeremiah. And I am Greg Rosenthal. I know that, Greg. We're teaming up on 40s. and free agents, the podcast that owns the NFL offseason. This is where teams are built.

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