PTI - Tua Tagovailoa Signs a One-Year Deal with the Falcons!

Episode Date: March 9, 2026

Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser discuss today's crazy NFL trades on day one of free agency, breakdown Jason Tatum's first two games back, and talk college basketball hoops from the weekend. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey, sports fans, the ESPN app has all of ESPN all in one place. The ESPN app is your home to thousands of live events, ESPN shows, and originals across every ESPN network and service. And now you can check if you already have ESPN Unlimited as part of your TV package for no additional calls. Visit activate.esPN.com to learn how to access your account or sign up, then start streaming in the ESPN app. It's all of ESPN all in one place. Sign up or activate now. Pardon the interruption, but I'm Mike Wilmotton. Police in Georgia recovered a 100-pound tortoise that had escaped from a local high school. I'm Tony Kornheiser.

I heard they found him at a shell station. Oh! Come on, that's funny. You don't think that's funny? That's kind of funny. What happened to your voice? Have you lost your voice? Yeah.

Yeah. I don't know why. Were you screaming at camera? No, I was not loud at the Duke Carolina game. I didn't have a horse in that race. There was nobody to me to scream at. Well, your wife had a horse in that race. She went to Duke law school.

That screamed at her. At least you screamed at something. Welcome to PTI, boys and girls. In today's episode, Jason Tatum, fits right in. Duke rolls over North Carolina. And the U.S. plays Mexico tonight in the World Baseball Classic. But we begin today with a frenzy of player movement in the NFL. It's Tuatunga Vailoa out.

And Malik Willis in at quarterback for the Dolphins. Two will reportedly sign a one-year deal with the Falcons. The Chiefs are reportedly adding Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker. Mike Evans leaves the bucks for the Niners, and the Ravens made the big move of the weekend landing pass rusher, Max Crosby from the Raiders for two first rounders. Wilbon, where do you want to start? Kenneth Walker.

Okay. You love him. You love him. I like Kenneth Walker. I'm a child. You like all running backs and you love him. I like good running backs. A child of running backs.

I don't believe running backs are just disposable and you don't need them. I'm not that guy. And neither would Seattle. Because then I don't know where they'd be. The defense was great, but somebody had to play on the other side of the ball. Well, Kenneth Walker did that. And Charbonnet did and Walker did. Not Charbonnet in that game.

Not in that game. Because he was gone by that. That's right. Kenneth Walker going to the Chiefs, they can't just walk out there until 15, Mahomes, to save them every game. It didn't work last year and it's not going to work going forward. They have to get him not just help, but real talent. And Kenneth Walker is that. So when I look around these other things, two are going to Atlanta.

I think that's actually okay if he's sort of a bridge starter and you get them back to Michael Pinnock's. I think that could be okay. We're going to disagree on that. I like Malik Willis going to Miami. I was impressed with him in Green Bay. And the head coach there now at Miami was a coach. Yes, he's used to seeing him.

Seen him against his defense. Went against him. His scout team day after day after day. Like that movie, even though I wish he had gone to Arizona. But I'm going to go with Kenneth Walker. All right. If I could start with anything I wanted, I would start with Kyler Murray. But no matter what he does, he can't do anything officially until Wednesday.

So I have to put that in my back pocket. It is being reported, I think, by the NFL network, that he's close to going to Minnesota, which would be fine. Let me just say this about Tua, what you said about Tua. Tua had no protection anymore in Miami, new coach, new general manager. Nobody had his back. So you knew he was going to go. He's a lefty, and maybe keeping the seat warm for another lefty and Michael Pentner. But I think to him may be better than Michael Pennings.

I think that may be his job to win. That is not the most, the biggest news to me. Five years ago, I would have said Mike Evans going to the 49ers was the biggest news. Because Kyle Shanahan would know how to get him the ball. But he's a little bit older. The 11th year 12 years. The biggest news to me is the Max Crosby deal. The Dallas Cowboys wanted Max Crosby.

They offered a one and a two. That's a lot. Baltimore comes in, having never traded a number one ever, and trade two. number ones, including one this year in the top half of the draft. So this is an indication that Baltimore is all in, that they are looking at Max Crosby to be a great fourth quarter defender, as he has been. They are looking to hand the ball to Derek Henry because there's a new offensive coordinator, handing the ball late.

And they are looking most of all to Lamar Jackson. Lamar Jackson. If you're not going to win it now, when are you going to win it? Lamar Jackson is three and five in the playoffs. So I would say to you, sitting here now in the month of March, that the most pressure in the league is on two guys. Lamar Jackson and Baltimore, Josh Allen and Buffalo. Right?

Especially now that Kansas City has made this move. And look what Buffalo DJ. They've got DJ Moore for the same purpose. To make the run right now. I hear you on Max Crosby. I just wouldn't want to spend a one and a two. If you trust your scouting department, I'm sorry, two ones, Dallas tried a one and the two.

It's a lot. It's a lot. Tony, especially if, like, Baltimore, over three decades, you trust your scouting and you don't trade that pick. You keep it and you use it and you win two Super Bowls in your time in the league. Man, that's a lot. It is. By the way, we didn't mention Tyler Lindelbaum.

The senator, who you could have used in Chicago. Went to the Raiders. And what is being said about him is if they draft a rookie quarterback for Nana Mendoza, then it makes sense to have a veteran. No doubt about that. We move on. All right. So let's move to Jason Tatum so far, a successful return to the Celtics lineup.

Boston is 2-0 since he returned from that Achilles injury that sidelines him under 10 months. He scored 15 and Friday's home win over the Mavericks, 20, and Sunday's road win in Cleveland playing 27 minutes in each game. So, Tom, where do these early returns put the Celtics against their competitors in the East? I did something that I don't normally do. I set aside the evening to watch that game, the first game, when Tatum came back for the first time. I thought he looked slow and out of sync. I know he had a double-double.

He missed a dunk at one point, and he just didn't look like he belonged on the court. Now, it's way too early to talk about this. The results are good so far, but he is not yet Jason Tatum. Still, the Celtics the other day beat Cleveland at Cleveland. That's an impressive way. Because James Harden has made Cleveland a better club.

Yes, he has. It seems to me, Mike, that right now as we sit here, the rest of the East is sinking a little bit. The New York Knicks got beat badly by the Lakers without LeBron James, and Detroit is in a tailspin. They have now lost four in a row, three to playoff teams, I believe. Cleveland won, Miami 2, and San Antonio 3. They picked a very bad time to go south. So this augurs well for Boston. It does, Tony.

I'm not going to say I disagree with you because part of me with Jason Tatum was like, wow, is anybody in his ears saying don't do this? Think the other thing through maybe don't do this? But here's what Jason Tatum realizes. And again, because it's the Celtics, I give them the benefit of the job. He's going to get better and better.

That's true. He's going to get better and better. So because to become Jason Tatum, he's got to play. That's right. Does it mean it's not too early? No, it doesn't mean that. But right now, Tony, he looked better in that second game. Yes, he did.

Yes, he did. Then he did in the first game. Here's the thing. but here's the thing with Jason Tatum healthy the Celtics lost to the Knicks last year they did okay okay that was last year okay but the Knicks are now

the number one team in the league defensively since January 1 I know there's something about the Knicks I'm not certain about yeah maybe they're a little bored they don't look as good as they did as sharp as they did last year as combative as they were last year but Tony the Knicks there's no reason to think the Knicks aren't going to be nose to nose to nose with the Celtics.

If you want to, you know, we can spend the rest of the time talking about Jason Tatum and the Celtics in the Knicks, but that's a long arc thing. Yes, it is. The explosive story right now is the San Antonio Spurs. Yes. They have won four in a row, nine of ten, 15 of 16. Wembe Nyama is doing everything you said he would do. And you know what?

It's not slurping if he actually does it. And you know what we have tomorrow night? Yeah. We have Boston at San Antonio, which is a get-your-pop-or-ready situation. Boston is a killer short road trip at Cleveland, which they won, at San Antonio, at Oklahoma City. That's very hard.

But if Jason Tatum continues to improve, you are looking at something that could well be the finals. You know what San Antonio is going to do tomorrow that the first two teams didn't do? They're going to blitz Jason Tatum. They got young guys who are going to think, oh my God, this is Mr. Tatum.

They're going to make some bones against Jason Tatum. And that's fine, but he's still in the advancing stage. It's a slow process. Let's turn to college basketball and the end of the regular season. Number one, Duke beat number 17, North Carolina by 15 points. Number three, Michigan beat number eight, Michigan State,

with Tom Izzo getting very upset at his best player, Jeremy Fears, for backwards kicking a Michigan player in the groin. Yukon got beat at Marquette, probably costing them a one seat in the NCAAs, and Danny Hurley got tossed late and appeared to bump a referee. Hurley was fined 25 large by the Big East. Miami of Ohio completed its regular season at 31 and 0, with an overtime win over Ohio yet another close win lately. Wilbon,

you were at Duke Carolina in Cameron. Do you want to start with that? Kind of, Tony, half of that. I'm going to start with Duke in Michigan. Okay. It's all about them now. You know, it was great, and I know you noticed from the other side of this

when we were covering the Lakers and the Celtics back in the day, and you go in the post-game locker room, you talk to Magic or Bird or McHale, whoever it was. They were playing each other across the country from 3,000 miles, even though that day the Celtics might have beat the Sixers

and the Lakers might have beat Denver. No, no, no. Because Magic would say, off the record, quietly, looking at Bird. And Bird would say off the record quietly, looking at Irvin. Because they were playing each other. To me, Michigan and Duke,

they'll never admit it nor should their coaches nor players. They played once. They played once in a great game. They're looking at one another. And Tony, you know what I think that'll mean for this week? They won't want to take their foot off the gas in their conference tournaments. So that's what I'm about me.

By the way, Hurley, he's becoming a nuisance. See, a nuisance. I like Hurley. I know he's explosive. Was it you or I who said first, he's the John McEnroe of coaching? Yeah. One of us said that. That's good.

This was a costly weekend for them because not only do I think they played their way by losing to Marquette out of a number one seat in the tournament. St. John's now wins the Big East. And St. John's, that's the number one seat in the Big East tournament. St. John's the same team that, I don't know, 48 hours ago it seems. that you can beat by 32 maybe and St. John's missed the last 24 shots that they took in that game. I understand what you're saying about Duke and Michigan. I think you're leaving out a couple of teams.

I think Arizona is in that mix. I think those teams are great. I think Florida is in that mix. I think the number two things, number two seeds, UCon, Houston, maybe Iowa State, maybe Nebraska. One of the most surprising teams in the country, right? One of the most surprising teams. Yes. I'm just going to talk for about 10 seconds why I'm happy for Miami of Ohio.

And the last three games, they won by two, by two, and by two in overtime. They were pushed. They are now, no matter what happens in the tournament, you know, in their league tournament, they're in. That is a non-issue now. And I would also say this, if you are from a school that is a one-bid league, Mike, I think the team that wins the regular season should get the bid. Overwhelmingly.

Yes, I think if you have put in months to establish this, you shouldn't be undone in four days. Four days of the tournament. I was so glad when we had Jay Billis on with us Friday to hear that from Jay with confidence. But let me just go back for a second. As good as those other teams are. And I'm sort of, I know you like Duke. I'm ruined for Arizona, just my new life there.

Tony, Duke in Michigan, this is like UNLV and Duke to me. And maybe you've got to take a hybrid of both years. He left. He got a horse who got hurt. But he's got a week to 10 days to come. I will just say this. nothing that happens, nothing that happens in these conference tournaments is going to affect seating now.

That's done. No. Well, if somebody wins something, they have to go harder. But I'm saying if any of the really good teams lose, it's not going to matter to it. Let's take a break. Coming up, what is the biggest takeaway so far from the World Baseball Classic? And we have another marathon leader who takes a costly wrong turn. Isle got really mad at that kid.

That was like when Mick Cronin Wright got really mad at UCLA. difference. Cronin doesn't equal Izzo. Right. And apparently this kid's that issue is before. Yes, he has. He's a great player, by the way. He's seriously. Okay. That fears. That kid's a great play. Is there a butt? Trying to find out what's cooking with the couch

potatoes and mail time. I'll put on my glasses and get the first one and I will read it. There we go. Couch potato. What's your biggest takeaway following the first weekend of the World Baseball Classic? I'm going to pull a Tony Cornyzer and go to the glasses here. Okay. First of all, Tony,

Mexico, this game tonight, skeins going against Mexico. Starting, which is three and one against the United States in this competition. Three and one, did you know that? Okay, but still. But over a long period of time.

But they got guys on that team like Alejandro Kirk, the Toronto catcher, Patrick Sanderthal, a rosal reina, Peretti, Verdugo, Austin Barnes, Jared Durenne.

They got players, man. They got an All-Star Squad, too. I'm not saying their lineup because I know I'm impressed you are. You went crazy over the weekend with the U.S. lineup. That's right. That's right. And particularly my boy, Schwerberg, who went Mickey Mantle. From the sound of it, you knew.

I saw it later. How many hundreds of feet was it going on? I got the video after you. I thought you had exaggerated it. No. And I went, whoa. So I'm going to say that my biggest takeaway is how much I like this. I am surprised that how much I like this.

This is sort of for me like the Four Nations Cup in hockey, that I didn't know anything about it. And then I watched it and I loved it. And I was, this has been around. 20 years. But I didn't know about it. I didn't really know about it. I was disappointed that's not. I was sitting down to watch the United States last night and they were not on. My second biggest takeaway is that lineup. Let me read you the first day's lineup. Bobby Wood Jr., Bryce Harper, Aaron Judge, Kyle Swarber, Alice Bregman, Cal Raleigh. And the next day they put in Will Smith and Gunner Henderson and Petro Armstrong are your boy.

And they're trying to win. This means something to the players so much so that Derek Scouble is now rethinking. his position of only starting that one game. I am looking forward to the Mexico game tonight. I am looking forward to Skeens. I am hoping that Skeens can get out of the first inning without giving up a first batter home run like the other guys did not. But I'm impressed with it.

I'm impressed with it. You got no electricity in your building? I never saw it before. It's a quote a famous former club reliever. I saw the last pitch of the last one, but that's all I saw. Who's reading this? Am I reading it?

It's your turn. Can you divorce? the preposterously close finish of the L.A. Marathon from the fact that the leader briefly followed a motorcycle off the course with 400 meters to go. No, I cannot divorce that. I cannot. You can't. We had this last week in a women's half marathon. We talked about it on this show. Look at that. I said to you, you would be surprised at how often this happens.

And now it happened again four days later. Look, it's a great finish. The guy wins by one one hundredth of a second. It's a flat out sprint for 150 yards. Look at that. But the other guy went off the course. Through the tape. Look at that. Here is my field.

Oh, my God. One one hundredth of a second. I think you have to tell the motorcycle driver and the bus driver and everybody else. Just go straight. You're fired. Go all the way to the tape. Because this cost this guy the race. Stepping out for even five seconds cost him the race.

I was trying to come up with some excuse for the drivers. No. I tried. And I thought, well, maybe millennials who now... Have the motorcycle break the tape. Or maybe millennials who now run races and participate in everything. Maybe they're so used to looking at their phones when they cross the street that they're not paying any attention ever when they're doing anything. And so they don't pay attention. I wanted to give the drivers an excuse and I can't. And I can't do it. No, I mean, it happens so often. You have to say to them, you guys break the

tape. Isn't there some training to do? Don't they train for this? Doesn't somebody paste them through it? I assume they turn off because they're near the finish line or something like that. But you cannot do this to a runner. Both teams get ground rule, instruction. Yes, oh, they're told.

The runners are told don't do it, but you're in the middle of the race. It's just, no, it's wrong. It's wrong. It's enough female. It's enough. Take one last break still to come. Another buzzer beater in March. Too much marathon coverage. Did all that fight? fighting. Marla Sabres' seventh win in the row. Did you see this? You watch it in this.

We are the marathon outlet on the end. That's right. You ain't getting this on get up and first take? No, it's us. We do this. I did see there was about 100 fights in a Buffalo game. It's ridiculous. I root for Buffalo. Happy time, people, happy 84th birthday bird Campanaris.

History lesson, kids. Campanaris was a short stop on the great Oakland A's teams of the 1970s that won three World Series in a row from 1972 through 1974. through 1974. Those teams had a murderers row lineup of Reggie Jackson, Sal Bando, Joe Rudy, and Dave Duncan. Not to mention Gene Tennis and Ray Foss. Their pitching staff included Catfish Hunter, Ken Holtsman, Vi to Blue, and Raleigh Fingers. Campaneros was a six-time All-Star and six-time American League leader in stolen bases, a career 259 hitter who led the AL and hits in 1968. Oakland is only the second team ever to win three World Series in a row. The other is the Yankees who have done it three times.

Remember when Burr Campanierrez was hitting the ankle in a playoff game and threw his bat at Leran LaGro Detroit pitcher? I didn't remember. You showed it to me today. You can't do that. Sure you can. By the way, by the way, Tony, you think they were going to have a bullpen day with that staff, Oakland has pretty good.

Bullpen day in the World Series? Pretty good. Happy anniversary, Jerry McNamara. On this day, 20 years ago, the point guard led Syracuse to an upset over the one-seed Yukon and the Big East tournament. This was day two of arguably the greatest four-day run in the history of the Big East. The nine-seated orange came out of nowhere to win the tournament, and McNamara was named Most Outstanding Player. McNamara joined Jim Beheim's coaching staff in 2009 and stayed until 2024. When Adrian Autry succeeded Beheim, McNamara was named Associate Head Coach. He returned for

one season and left for Sienna as head coach. After going 14 and 18 in his first year, McNamara is 22 and 11 this year. And there is talk that McNamara should replace Autry if the change is made in Syracuse, which finished its regular season 15 and 16 and 6 and 12 in the ACC. I hate to hear that. I'd like to see Autry succeed. Sure.

Because he's a grab. Yes, he is. And we know how important he is to Bayhaun. Yeah. Our friend. But Syracuse and ACC, come on. We can't get used to it. I know I can.

It's like Maryland and the Big Ten. Happy Trails to Navy, the top seat of the Patriot League Tour. is out. Austin Benini put Navy up two with a layup for three seconds to play. But the optimistically named Chance Gladden took a chance on a three-pointer at the buzzer and hit it to earn BU the U.U.S. M. Meets Lehigh in the conference final. You may remember that Lehi advanced to the semis on a buzzer beater of its own Thursday night. One update, Tarek Scouble will leave the USAWBC team after tonight's game versus Mexico and won on mission. Jeff Goodman

is reporting that Bobby Hurley is out after Lerlin. 11 seasons at Arizona State. What a good week for the Hurley's, really, is it? Hmm? Not a good week for the Hurley's in this is going on. No. And he's got you at the top of the profession. And their dad is one of the very few actual

Hall of Fame coaches in a high school circumstance. And they learned everything about baseball. By the way, on that three-pointer that wins a game, can't you hear all your favorite coaches ever saying, stop ball, son, stop ball? It doesn't really happen. Let's go to the big finish if we could. Ryan Blaney won at Phoenix Raceway,

thus ending Tyler Reddick's question. for four in a row. Your thoughts? That's true, but Jordan had two cars. Two drivers finished in the top 10, six and eighth. Still a pretty good week for Jordan. I know he wants to win, but Okshay Batia. Topped Daniel Burger in a playoff at Bay Hill.

I know you watched it. I watched four days of it. I watched four days of it. Daniel Burger at the end of the last four or five holes could not get his tee shot in a good situation, even though he made a great putt on 18 to force the playoff. Batia on the back. had four birdies and an eagle.

As much as Daniel Berger may have lost the tournaments, but team won the tournament. The Sabres beat the Lightning 8 to 7 for their seven straight winning. You're impressed? Yes, I was impressed. The game was unbelievable, but you need 100 penalty minutes for fighting, really?

Binghamton women's hoops at Maine versus Maine in the America East semis tonight. Who you got? Who do I got? I got the Binghamton Bearcats. Okay? Of course I got it. There we go.

Best one, Shea Gilgius Alexander can tie Wilts' record of 126 straight games of 20 plus points tonight against a nugget. You like his chances? I do. He ain't. And I don't like any time you go in the book. And the only guy in there is Wilt. Huh? Wilt's in the book for everything.

Everything. We're out of time. We'll try to do better the next time. I'm Tony Kornhiker. I'm Mike Lil'Bahn. Same time tomorrow, Knucklehead.