PTI - Will A.J. Brown to the Patriots Actually Happen?

Episode Date: April 20, 2026

Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser recap weekend one of the NBA playoffs, a huge Buffalo Sabres game one win, and intriguing upcoming NFL trade deals. 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. The interruption, but I'm Mike Wilbon. Jimmy Garoppolo is reportedly considering retirement tone. You ever think about hanging it up?

I'm Tony Cornheiser. I thought I'd retire when I turned 90. But six years later, going strong, huh? Wow, you're in the Betty White plan, apparently. If those numbers were accurate, was there not. No. There's no Betty White plan. Not quite 90. No?

Hope to get to 90, but not quite 90 at the moment. Welcome to PTI, Boars and Girls. In today's episode, the Giants trade Dexter Lawrence to the Bengals. A.J. Brown appears to be New England bound and the Stanley Cup playoffs are underway. But we begin today with the NBA playoffs. All 16 teams

have now played one game. The teams who would expect to win big, Oklahoma City, San Antonio, Boston, they all won big. But there were two rather surprising results. The Lakers beat the Rockets, shooting 61% from the field and 53% from three. And the eight seed in the East, Orlando,

beat the one seed, Detroit, in Detroit by 11 points. Willbon, which game gave us the more surprising result? Orlando. Not close. Orlando. And Tony, it didn't start out the season with that being a surprising result if you look forward. I thought Orlando was going to be like a four-seed, maybe have home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. When you got Bancaro and Wagner, these guys are just as talented as Kate Cunningham in various ways, different ways. Bankero's overall number one. Orlando's supposed to be better. Orlando was a disappointment all season.

They woke up and beat Charlotte, beat the daylights out of Charlotte to get to face Detroit. And then they go up to Detroit where you think, okay, Kate Cunningham is back. Detroit's steering full. Detroit's going to flex on Orlando. No, Orlando now, two games in a row, has looked like a team that's a real threat in the east that most people thought were going to be a threat going in. So I don't know why they weren't what they were supposed to be in the regular season. reason. It's only a two-game sample.

That's all. But wow. Come on. That's a good game. Let me go the other way. I happen to watch both these games. I don't know how it happened. Maybe the Nats games were over. Maybe the golf was over. But I lucked into watching both these games. And I would disagree with you in this regard. I think the Lakers winning is a bigger deal. And I understand Kevin Durant didn't play. I saw that.

But I didn't think the Lakers could win any games without Don Chich and Reeves. I did not. Even with Kevin Durant. out. No, and I didn't think they could shoot like they shot. I did not. You know, the rockets last led at four, two. The Lakers from the beginning of the game did very well. People that need to realize this, you only get assists on made baskets. It's not nice passes. The basket has to be made. LeBron James had eight assists in the first quarter. He had 10 in the first half. Luke Kinnard did not miss. He went five for five from three. He had 27 points, which is more than he had in any regular

season games. So to me, you know, that was most surprising. I thought the Lakers couldn't shoot like that forever, but they did in that game shoot like that forever. I understand what you're saying about Orlando, because you were one of those guys. We've had a number of guys on this show who pointed at Bancaro specifically and said he'd not have

what we think he's supposed to have. That's right. And a lot of people said, and the coach is coaching for his job, and it's not his fault, it's Bancarro's fault, right? And I agree with it. I think it's a surprise because it's a 1-8. But I agree with you that Orlando has quite a bit of talent. Do you want to hear a short, odd fact that I think is relevant here? Sure.

Okay. The Detroit Pistons have now lost 11 straight home playoff games. This stretches back to 2008. That's over five series now. That's a lot of small sample now. No. So when it's loud, it's passionate, it's a great place to watch a game and they don't win. So now every pro team has about 12 assistant coaches, if not more.

Do they have a team psychiatrist because they need a team psychiatrist 11 in a row at home is never supposed to have. No, and that's just not very Detroit-like. So I, but going back for a second, if Kevin Durant doesn't play, and we don't know, it's a knee,

it doesn't sound like it's something that's supposed to keep them out for a whole series. If Kevin Durant doesn't play, the Lakers will win that series, plain and simple. I mean, you take away Durant. I didn't see that. I didn't see that. That cancels out, Luca, right?

It's Luca and Reeves. It's like 45 points. It's a lot of points. Man, Orlando. Can Orlando win the series? From what you saw yesterday. Don't go down. I know you always say,

Game one is the easiest game. No, the series. No, but it's three weeks away until the end of the series. It's going to go on forever. Stop. Stop. It didn't go on for that long.

Let's move to the intriguing results from opening weekend of the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Sabers were down two nothing of the Bruins with less than eight to play and then scored four. four times to get their first playoff win in 15 years. The Golden Knights kept rolling under torts, winning their opener over the mammoth. And the Canadian topped the lightning in OT.

Tone, your biggest NHL headline from the weekend was what? I want to say Tortorella. I want to give him all the credit in the world. He came to the team. They fired their coach with eight games left. He won seven. He still has not been beaten in regulation because they lost an over. overtime game. Then he gets to the playoffs and he wins the first game. And I want to say

this is all about him because they were down to one in the third period. But no, you have to say Buffalo because Buffalo was down to O in the third period. Let's go over what they did. Eight minutes to go down to O. They score at 758. They score again to tie at 416. They score again to take the lead at 324 to go. They score an empty netter with 112 to go. So they go from 02 to 4 to about six and a half minutes. And they've not been in the playoffs in 15 years. It's the first game they have won in 15 years. I don't, you know, where was, did Boston leave the ice in the third period?

How could that happen? I want to concentrate on Buffalo. Boston's had its successes in its Cup trophy. Boston's had everything. Buffalo, it's been so long. And people who were in that building say it was dead. And I have spent enough time in Buffalo with, the football team and the despair over losing

playoff games. They've gotten into playoffs and they've won some home games but they've lost the biggest games. And there's carryover. You know how small Buffalo is relative to other places and what that means those two teams in that city. And so it's just like, oh my God, I happen to turn it on. It was two nothing. I'm like, oh, poor Sabres. This is going to go the way of Buffalo. Good for them. But let me mention Edmonton because Edmonton, the headline hasn't happened yet. Edmond doesn't play yet.

They're going to play Anaheim tonight. And guess who's back after a month away? Leon Drysaintiff. Yeah, he's a great player. Leon Drysiter, who was having a great season when he got hurt and was sad to him. He's going to miss the regular season and the rest of it. He did.

But he's back for the playoffs. Can they get to the final a third consecutive time? And if they do, could they win since Florida's not around? Can I go back to Buffalo for a second? They're only the second team in the history of the NHL to win a baseball. to win a playoff game in regulation down multi-goals with eight minutes or less to go.

You know the last team was that did that? A team called the New York Americans. I don't know who they are, and I grew up in New York. In 1940, that's 86 years ago. If I was actually that old that we said at the beginning of the show, I'd have been a kid at that point. It's 86 years ago.

The original six, we know who they are. Where did the Americans do in? I honestly don't know. Oh, a small little fact, one small fact. Tampa Bay has now lost eight of their last nine games at home in the playoffs. They won the Cup recently twice, 2020, 2020. Mike, there's probably guys on that team who were on those teams. Now they can't get a game.

That's weird. Let's move to the NFL. This is not a draft story, but it has implications for the upcoming draft. The Giants traded their disgruntled pro-bowl defensive tackle, Dexter Lawrence, to defense-hungry Cincinnati for the 10th pick in the draft, giving the Giants the fifth and tenth picks. And today, Adam Schepter of ESPN is saying the Eagles will trade A.J. Brown to the Patriots after June 1st got away to lend because of cap considerations. Wilbon, which is the more intriguing NFL news?

This isn't close to me. I'm tired of A.J. Brown. I think A.J. Brown has essentially outlived his usefulness. All these people who say. Always open. Oh, yeah. And he's a number one. No, he's reading.

Always open. He's reading. He's reading a book where he's on a, you know, Peloton. Always open. move him over here. This trade the Giants made with the Bengals is intriguing to me. The Bengals are having to almost audition. Their front office has to audition to keep Joe Burrow.

And Joe Burrow, if we believe that Joe Burrow, it really is this tough a guy. He's looking to see what kind of effort is being put forth by his front office to bring some players, and particularly on the defensive side, Cincinnati's got offensive players and particularly the receiving corps to win the Super Bowl

if Joe Burrow, by the way, can be healthy. He's got to be upright. But I don't know Dexter Lawrence has as much left as he appeared to have two and three years ago. What is he just shy of 30 still? He should have a lot left. I think he does. Okay, but you can, with the five and the ten,

if you're the Giants in this draft, you can get two linemen, an edge and a tackle who can really turn it around. If you're the Giants, I'm not saying it's a bad thing for the Giants. I'm saying it's a good thing for since. And I'm also saying it's more important than AJ Brown because it has actually happened. AJ Brown may or may not be traded.

It sounds like it's not. Okay, fine. That's fine. You're right. Joe Burrow called them out. So we've got to stop doing this. We've got to get better than this. They had already given him great wide receivers.

Now they go out in free agency. They sign two defensive linemen and a safety. And now they bring in Dexter Lawrence. Because the last person you want to say out loud, we got to change things. It's a pro bowl quarterback because you don't want to lose a pro-bole quarterback. Because you don't want to lose a pro- bowl quarterback. So it appears to me that Cincinnati is actually trying hard. When you say

you don't know what he has left, they get 40 a game with Burrow. They only have to hold somebody to 38. They don't have to have the best defense. He's got to be better. He didn't have a terrific 2025 season. And he was hurt, and he just wasn't in 2025, what he had been in, you know, 22,

3, 4. I would bet on him. You would think there'd be a bounce back season in him, a guy who can literally anchor that defensive line in a way that they had. We are talking. about two teams right now, New England, because that's where A.J. Brown is headed. New England and Cincinnati, that could be Super Bowl contenders right now. New England went to the Super Bowl.

That Great May is very happy about this because they went to Super Bowl without a great wide receiver. My understanding is Mike Rable coached him in Tennessee. Maybe they have a... He's going to fall in line now, we all think. Well, you know, well, I don't know about that. Because I tend to agree with you that A.J. Brown is problematic. But overstated at this point.

Always open. Let's take a break. Coming up, our thoughts on David Robinson and Tim Duncan, turning out to watch Victor Wemba Nama's first playoff game. And Maddie Fitzpatrick and Scotty Sheffler battle down to the wire at Harbottown. I watched that. You did too because we were on the phone. We're the only two people on this network that watched that. That made me very happy yesterday. And you were terrified.

I was. Terrified. Time to validate the viewers in mail time. I'm going to get the first one and read it to you. Validation homes. Need some glasses. What's your word for seeing David Robinson and Tim Duncan turn out to watch Wemby score 35 in game one? This was great.

They couldn't put the two of them on the screen enough for me. Somebody who covered the entire careers of both Tim Duncan and, yes, David Robinson from the time he was in high school in Northern Virginia, right around the corner from where we sit. And I love seeing them on the screen. Old goats. That's my word. Old goats. Old goats.

And by the way, that's a Billy goat right there on the screen now. And he is, we talked about this on your podcast this morning, you can't turn away. If Victor Wimba, he's playing, the moves he makes, the defense he plays, he's got at some point, was Drew Holiday, it looks like he's shooting over a small building. Because when he extends from 7-4 to whatever he, the reach is, you can't get the ball over, like getting the ball over the sun. So defensively, he changes the game. Offensively, he's pulling up hitting threes, turnaround threes, like,

Larry Bird. It's unbelievable. He is going to be in the goat discussion in a minute and a half. But those are old goats that were watching. So a couple of months ago, you started acting like his press agent and you're back there. So it makes me happy. Even though I was saying to you, they were the best team in the league at that point. You said, oh, no, no, no, no. I believe they are the best team. I just don't think they came out. So my word is lineage as in, you know, ancestral lineage. Because you start with David Robinson. He plays there eight years. Tim Duncan joins him. He and Robinson win two together and Duncan wins three more.

And so they go to see if this kid is the real deal. The same as us. We all want to see the same thing. There is something going on now in basketball and baseball, where it is possible with Wembenyama and Shohayatani that we're watching the greatest players of all time. It's possible. We're going to down the line.

We're going to look back and say, okay. Wemba Niyama was asked if the weight of their presence was intimidating, in any way. And this is his quote. I wouldn't say wait, no. I would say I feel safe. It feels like if you trip, there are a lot of hands ready to catch you. That is such a great quote and makes those guys feel so good. Yeah, it's really amazing. It's really amazing. He is amazing. Am I reading this? Yes, you read. Is it another Wimbun Banjama email? No. Okay. Are you more focused on Matt Fitzpatrick winning at Harbortown or Scotty Schaeffler nearly chasing him down? Well, Scottie Sheffler did chase him down.

He did. Because on the 18th hole, Matt Fitzpatrick bogeed causing a playoff. I was on the phone with you. You were distraught. You thought Northwestern Purple was going to go down in a heap in that playoff. And I had to talk you out of all of this screaming nonsense because what happened in that playoff is Mattie Fitz. A four iron. Right.

A four iron, 202 yards to 13 feet. And Sheffler must have, may not say must have been rattled. Because his shot came up short, so he was not going to birdie that hole. Maddie Fitz knocks it in in the way that he had that par saving putt on 11, and he wins, and he's having a great. He's now number three in the world. Yes. Matt Fitzpatrick.

So you should feel, and by the way, Scotty Sheffler finished second in the Masters, finished second in that Harbor Town. He's always, you have to always put your head on and swivel. You have to look at him. You do. And that's what Mattie Fitz might have looked away at some point and flubbed that chip that wound up about 22 feet short. But it was important to point out is Matt Fitzpatrick has now won one more tournament than Scottie Sheffield.

This year. This year. Two to one. And he lost one in a playoff. Maddie Fitz did. I mean, he's having a great summer. He mentioned he's number three now. Hasn't cost Scotty yet.

And Scottie's still number one. You know what? He's won something called the U.S. Open. Okay. So Matt Fitzpatrick's not his first row. This summer. It's not his first rodeo. Right.

That's right. And it's the second time he's won at Harboretown. Yep. And I just think that this sets up pretty well. If you want to look at something that could be budding, a matchup, I'm not going to say a rivalry for the coming weeks. We got the PGA and then some tournaments. And then we got the open. You know, Rory's going to play in these two.

I mean, you know that. He's number two. A distant two. Rory is going to play. A distant two. Isn't Harbortown where they give you that plaid jacket? Yes. That's the plaid jacket.

Would you wear that on the air? No. No, I would. I'd wear it. I'd wear it on the air. Some of you play a jacket from Harvard Times if I won. That's enough email, 42 long. Let's take one last break. Still to come, the Mets losing streak. The Mets of your youth, it reaches 11. And was this hug, the last one?

Steve Kerr, Steff Curry, and Jemond Green are going to share during the game. That's one of the greatest playoff shots I've ever seen. Mattie Fitz's second shot on 18. It was amazing that shot. But, I mean, there's not that many playoffs, so you're not judging it against. that many things. You wonder if Scotty Sheppler got rattled. Does he get rattled?

I don't think so. Happy time, people. Happy 81st birthday, Steve Spurrier, a great college football player and a great college football coach. Spurier won the Heisman as a quarterback at Florida and later won a national championship coaching the Gators. He won 72% of his games

at Duke, Florida, and South Carolina. He won six SEC titles at Florida and an ACC title at Duke. The old ball coach was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a player and a coach, one of only four people to be so honored. He briefly coached the Washington football team in the NFL.

And at the end of one season, Spurrier said, quote, well, we finished five and 11, not very good, but there were some teams that were worse than us. I guess that's one positive way to look at it. We aren't the worst team, unquote. Love the quote, love Spurrier. There's another quote on the way into town that Steve Spurrier gave you.

You want to remind people what he said? My goal in life is to have Michael Wilbon say I'm a good football. football coach Wilbin. Michael Wilbin. And you know, despite that, you know how much I loved Steve Spurray. We both did. It was so much fun to have him around, and we wish he'd been around longer. Longer. Happy anniversary, Michael Jordan, on this day 40 years ago.

Jordan scored a still NBA playoff record 63 points in a double overtime loss to Larry Bird and the Celtics at the garden. After the game, Bird said, quote, I couldn't believe anybody could do that against the Boston Celtics. Jordan's 63 overshadowed Byrd's 36 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists. Jordan got 49 in game one. He got 63 in game two, which led people to wonder if he'd get 77 in game three. Bird, who called Jordan the greatest player he'd ever seen, said, quote, he won't get 77. I'll retire if he does.

Indeed, Jordan got 19 in game three as the Celtic swept Chicago, went on to win the NBA championship by beating Houston, 4 to 2 in the finals. You can say that the legend of Michael Jordan starts in North Carolina beating George Sam with that last late jump shot. It really starts there. Because when he did that to the Celtics, like Larry Bird said, you thought, I know I thought, watching it at home in my parents' basement. Oh my God, this dude is different. Happy Trails saw 11 in a row for the Mets. The Mets were so close to snapping your losing streak on Sunday. But closer, Devin Williams blew a 1-0 lead in the 9th, and the Cubs went on to win.

two to one and a 10th. The Mets held baseball's highest opening day payroll at just over $350 million. But during this swoon, they have been outscored 62 to 19. Wow. Wow. Juan Soto has been out since April 3rd, but he's expected to return from his calf strain during the team's nine game homestine that begins tomorrow. And in Wilbon news, Sunday was the Cubs fifth straight win. And happy to get that, but I'll transition sadly to melancholy trails. The death of Rod Martin, the former Raiders linebacker, 72 years. was part of two Raiders Super Bowl championship teams and quite a player at linebacker. Sorry to hear that news.

Let us go to the big finish if we could. Let's do it. Audie Crooks is leaving Iowa State for Oklahoma State. Do you find that significant? Well, you're that good. There's significance. And she's like the second leading school. But the transfer news, doesn't it just overwhelm you?

Can you differentiate everybody has to go through the portal? I just want to say this. Michigan 1 starting five transfers. I know. So it's important. It is. It's important. You're right.

Cowboys made Brandon Aubrey the highest-paid kicker in the NFL in 28 mil over four years with 20 guaranteed your thoughts. He had six kicks of 60 yards or more that went through. If at either, there's no part of the field almost that he can't get three points. I do think it's significant. I do. I think it's a big deal, especially if they go to four points on a new rule from 60 and out. Man City beat Arsenal, two to one, break it down.

Look, these two have been battling. This game was played at an incredibly high level. I was going to try to get you to watch. I would not. I just been wasting my time. Fabulously entertaining game. Steve Kerr shared a hug with Steph and Dre Friday night. Say anything to you?

Says he loves those guys. It does not tell me automatically he's retiring. It does not. Last one, Tyler Redick won his fifth NASCAR race in the year and nine tries. Big deal, right? Yeah, we can go back to Michael Jeffrey Jordan. All right? And this is a different chapter.

But Tyler Redd, how about that? Five wins and nine tries. You don't do that often. We're out of time. We'll try to do better the next time. I'm Tony Cornhuy. And I'm Mike Wilbon. Same time tomorrow, knuckleheads.

Shout out to the Northwestern women's lacrosse team. Another Big Ten championship domination home.