The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 03/16/2021 - Best of The Herd

Episode Date: March 16, 2021

Colin defends the free agency moves of the New England Patriots and why they are going to be a playoff team in 2021 after finishing below .500 last season. He also questions one NFL team for settling on this veteran quarterback to be their starter when their roster is ready to win now. NFL insider Peter Schrager joins the show to tell Colin why we should buy what the Jets have done to remake their roster in the offseason. Finally, Colin ranks his top 10 best free agency signings in the history of the NFL. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter.

Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year.

Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The story I've told myself can then shape my behavior, and that can lead me to sabotage the possibility of connection. This Mental Health Awareness Month, tune into the podcast Deeply Well with Debbie Brown. If you've been searching for a soft place to land while doing the work to become whole, this podcast is for you to hear more. Listen to deeply well with Debbie Brown from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. I'm Joey Dardano. And on my new podcast, Hope from a Hypocrite, I'll be changing lives, helping people in need with thoughtful solutions.

Sike, I'm a comedian. I'm not qualified to give good advice. Join me and my comedian friends as we riff, we riff, rant, recommend some of the most legally dubious advice known to me. This is Help from a Hypocrite, the worst advice from the dumbest people you know. Listen to Help from a Hypocrite Wednesdays on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening to The Best of Heard Podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday from 12 to 3 Eastern, 9 to noon Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and FS1. Find your local station for the herd at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Herd.

This is the best of the herd with Colin Cowher on Fox Sports Radio. Oh, on a busy, busy NFL Tuesday. Deals coming in by the minute. Live in Los Angeles, it's the herd, wherever you may be, and however you may be listening. Iheart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, and FS1. Free agency? This is like the legal team.

tampering period, whatever that means. It's not legal. It's tampering, whatever. So now all the stuff's coming out. New England's spending a fortune. I love it. You know, it's interesting. So they always say this about alcohol, and I say it about money.

Alcohol and money just make people more of what they are. Sweet people, give them a couple cocktails or even sweeter. And money's the same thing. If a guy's a jerk, give him money, he's a bigger jerk. If somebody's giving and philanthropic, you give money, they're incredibly charitable. Money and alcohol, it just makes you more of what you are. So everybody looked at New England. New England spent $232 million yesterday.

And this morning they went and got Hunter Henry. He struggles to stay healthy, but he's a very good tight end. Now a Patriot was with a Chargers. Very good player. Top 10 tight end. And the media reaction is, whoa, this is not. New England. So what has New England been with their money over the last 20 years? Disciplined. They don't go get a lot of stars. They get productive players already in the league that are schematic

fits. And so this morning everybody's, I can't believe they spent that money. Actually, all these moves are very New England. No stars, no divas. Everybody's a scheme fit. They're all young and productive. And there's very little guaranteed money. As Joy and I have talked about the last couple of days, 300 minutes. Less than half of this money will end up going to the players. That's just the way it works.

Like, you start looking at the money they gave out. These are reasonable deals to productive B&B plus players who are all young and have ability to stay healthy. That's what New England does. Now, they did admit they've also, New England's never had a problem admitting when they miss on stuff. They do. They change stuff up all the time. Bill Belichick admitted this morning and yesterday, I can't draft tight ends and wide receivers very well, so I'm going to go solve it.

So they got John Hsu Smith yesterday, a terrific tied in Hunter Henry this morning. Now they have one of the strongest tight end groups in the NFL. They moved up in the draft last year to get two tight ends. Neither can play. So New England's admitting this is what they do. They don't give you, they don't have ridiculous contracts. None of these are ridiculous. They admit when they're wrong.

They move off stuff all the time. They're admitting, listen, the tight ends we drafted can't, they're not the guys. Let's just go pay for them. And they still have the best coach in football, a top five offensive line, and they'll have a top five, six defense. This morning, they feel like a playoff team. Not a Super Bowl team, but a playoff team. and if you look at how Cam played last year in the last nine games,

if you look at what quarterbacks do in the second year of a, of a new system, they're in a division with a goofy jet, and the, you know, still kind of rebuilding Miami. The only reason this morning that we think less of New England is because Brady's been so damn successful. If I would have told you a year and a half ago, the greatest quarterback to ever play the game is going to leave a franchise. Ooh, how do they do? Well, they're a game under 500.

How about the next year? Oh, they make the playoffs. You'd be like, well, that's not terrible. I mean, you start looking around when the great quarterbacks leave their franchises. It's not a pretty picture. Is Miami ever found the replacement for Dan Marino? Is Denver, they're still trying to figure out who the next John Elway is. So the bottom line this morning, Brady's success makes it look like, you know, the Patriots are worse than they are.

Now, the schedule's not too tough. The question is, well, why is Belichick doing this? And Mike Reese, very good, wrote a very good column this morning. Now people will say, oh, he just wants to get back at Brady. Well, that's not. That's kind of petty. Well, he realizes his roster's not very good. Well, no, I think it tight end, he realizes his roster.

terrible and he upgraded. And the other places, he just added good players to order to good units. But here's the key. And this is why all these moves are very New England. Is that Reese points out correctly that because of the pandemic, the cap's coming down. And most teams are just trying to get under the cap. And New England, oh, is financially responsible, has a ton of money. So there's a bunch of really good players on the market.

You don't have to sign a four-year deals. Many you can sign a two- and three-year deals. Give them some guaranteed money, but a lot of it is incentive-based. This feels exactly like New England. No stars, scheme fits, smart contracts, most of it not guaranteed, young players. I mean, Nelson Aguilar is like, you know, 27 years old. They got a corner who's 26 years old. This feels very much like New England.

It's not crazy. And I think this is funny. So I said this yesterday to Joy. The Boston media was just going nuts this week. It's a camp day. I tear my case. It's a worst team in the world. Okay.

This morning, if this is how I feel this morning strongly, the stratas of the NFL, I feel like there's four teams that are locks to make the playoffs. Like something seismic would have to go wrong. Green Bay, Kansas City, Buffalo, Tampa. You'd have to have like an injury to the star quarterback. Those are the playoff locks. We can put them up there for our audience. The four playoff locks.

Then I think there's two teams that are close to locks, the Rams and Ravens. I want to see Matt Stafford in the system first year, but they feel like a playoff team. Ravens, tough division. Joe Burroughs getting better. And then there's three teams, I'd be surprised if they miss the playoffs. The Colts, the Seahawks, and the Patriots. All right. Brady and Belichick are both in there.

And I think what you're looking at now with New England is great coach, great O'Line, great defense, now great tight ends, and they have upgraded their primary weakness skill people by acknowledging we're not great at it. That's New England. They've never thought they had all the answers. They can be arrogant and smug, but they're constantly moving off things. And what they're basically doing is they built a team in the last 24 hours to fit Cam. When Cam had the 15 in one season, do you remember as long as long as long as long as, leading receiver? It was Greg Olson, the tight end. So what did Belichick do? He went and got

Cam Newton two great tight ends. And what else did that Carolina team do well? They ran the football. What's New England? Damian Harris, Sony Michelle, good offensive line. Probably bring back Burkhead. They'll run the ball. So Belichick is putting his arms around Cam and saying, year two, special teams defense, me, that's all good. Let's build a team around Cam. He's saying the market didn't offer us anything they liked. Garopolo can't stay healthy. Mariotas probably do expensive. Jets won't give us Darnold.

We'd like to do a deal for Deshawn Watson, but what do we got to give? So I'll go back to it. I was a proponent of signing cam, and I look at this morning, and I think I'd be surprised if they didn't make the playoffs. All right, let me segue to the Chicago Bears. I've never told this story before. This is a new Uncle Colin story. So I moved to Vegas, about 1986, 87, single, young.

And about a year into it, got a job at a TV station. So I was making for my age, making pretty good money. And I was hanging around other like single guys, you know, and it was fun guys. But, you know, it was Vegas. And you're kind of sorting out who you trust and who you don't. And I remember there was one guy I really liked. And he said, hey, I'm going to have lunch. I want to introduce you to some of my buddy.

buddies. And they want to talk about a business idea. And after about 90 seconds, I said, that's not a business idea. That's a pyramid scheme. And I said to him, that's a discussion I don't even want to be in. One, because I don't want to be part of a pyramid scheme and go to prison. And two, if I hear you're discussing it, I'm going to think less of you and you're the one guy I like. So I don't want to hear you talk about it and I'll think less of you. And then if I get asked years later about it, I want to be culpable. Hey, I want deniability. I got no idea what's I don't even want to be. Sometimes you just don't want to be in discussions. I want deniability. I'll think less of you and I don't want to go to prison. So I said, I'm out. I'm not

going to lunch. I don't even want to be part of the discussion. There's my story. You got to be careful about the discussions you allow yourself to be in. The Chicago, Bears got in the Russell Wilson discussion over the last week. They did not refute those rumors. Well, it came from Russell's side. They did not refute the rumors. The problem with that is this morning,

the Bears have interest in Andy Dalton. Being involved in the Russell Wilson discussions and then settling for Andy Dalton is promising your kids a two-week vacation in Hawaii and settling for a weekend at a state park. This isn't good. It feels like a big dud to a fan base that's worn out.

I like Andy Dalton as a backup. I've said before, I think he's the best backup in the league, potentially. And I do think in Cincinnati and Dallas, if you give him a bunch of good skill people, you can win games with him. But Chicago's not that fit. Chicago needs a playmaker at quarterback. That's why Tribisky actually won some games.

He's a little bit of a playmaker with his feet. They got one legit wide receiver, a decent young tied end. I like Tarek Cohen a running back. O-Line's okay, but this is not a fit for Andy Dalton. And increasingly, Ryan Pace, the general manager, I don't trust. I didn't like the Dravinsky move. This is a ridiculous move.

It's a bad fit. And you cannot get involved in Russell Wilson discussions and just let him go and probably feed him and not deny him and end up with Andy Dalton. Because if Andy Dalton with this offensive skill group is your quarterback in just the NFC North, start in second place and work your way down. Thank God Detroit's in that division or you'd finish potentially fourth. Sometimes you just have to step away from discussions.

Give yourself deniability. Don't set yourself up to disappoint people, but don't get involved in the Russell Wilson stuff and then come out with that. Be sure to catch live editions of The HARD weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app. Hey, this is Jason McIntyre. Join me every weekday morning on my podcast, Straight Fire with Jason McIntyre. This isn't your typical sports pod

pushing the same tired narratives down your throat every day. Straight Fire gives you honest opinions on all the biggest sports headlines, accurate stats to help you win big at the sports book, and all the best guests. Do yourself a favor and listen to Straight Fire with Jason McIntyre on the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged.

It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win.

A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated.

One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me, or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeard radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano, and our podcast Point Game is about defying the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed. And finding ways to win no matter what.

He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows. Without Luca and Austin Reeves, I got to manipulate the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs. I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nas Reid.

He has to guard Julius Randall. And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night basis on offense. And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nass would get that thing. That man, hell get to fly. Man, he running up the court, licking his fingers, why he got the ball. Like, after you go through a training camp with that, Isaiah, you figure it out real quick.

Oh, yeah. Get your ass up and down the court, and you're going to get the ball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, it's Edwin Castro, also known as Castro 1021. And I'm Conky, his best friend, and business manager. And we've got a new show called The 1021 Podcast. I'm taking you behind the scenes on how I became one of Twitch's most popular streamers. We also love sports.

And with the World Cup right around the corner, we'll be breaking down the biggest storylines ahead of the big tournament here in the USA. Listen to the 1021 podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Most of these teams I get a set. Like yesterday, the Chargers went out and got Lindley, the center from Green Bay. That was a good move.

and I knew they were going to go out and go O-line. Not a shock. They went and got a Steeler, too. Like Cleveland, by the way, went and got a John Johnson. Good safety. Good move for Cleveland. They needed that now with Grant Delpit from LSU, the rookie got hurt. Like Cleveland needed to get better in the back end.

I kind of thought that would happen. They did. Nice move by Cleveland. Chargers needed to get better in the O line. They got a great center. But there are teams that I just can't figure out. And I don't get Washington. So they signed Ryan Fitz.

Patrick to a one-year $10 million deal. I would have never guessed it. A mistake-prone gunslinger. He's cool. He's got a great aura. But last year, 13 touchdowns, eight picks. So I would have stayed with Alex Smith just for his leadership, or I would have gone after Sam Darnold because of his athleticism and youth.

And I think you could sell both of those qualities to the locker room. Hey, we're bringing Alex back. We may draft a quarterback, but Alex's a leader. We went five and one with him. He didn't play great. But I think you can sell that to the locker room. Or you say, listen, Sam Darnold's 23, really athletic and dynamic. We think he takes us to the Promise Land.

I think you can sell that. I think Fitzmagic is a hard sell to a locker room. I mean, he's only once played more than six games. Like he's never healthy. And he does a lot of interceptions. And he's fun and he's cool. And he went to Harvard and he wears cool bowling shirts. Like all that, yes, yes, yes, yes.

But even in Miami last year, they benched him. Even in Miami last year, 13 TDs, eight picks. So I can't quite figure out, maybe it's this. And it's funny about standards. New England's 7 and 9, and they totally change their offense. Washington 7 and 9, and we'll go with Fitzmagic. Is Ron Rivera simply saying this division so bad, I can win it with Ron. I can win it with Ryan Fitzpatrick.

I don't think Bill Belichick in a division with Josh Allen thought he could win the division against Sean McDermott and Josh Allen unless he made major upgrades like tight end wide receiver. I think Rivera looks at his division and thinks I can win this thing with Fitzmagic. That feels like settling to me because Ryan's probably third to fourth best quarterback in every division in football not named the NFC. So generally, I just think it's a hard sell to a locker room. I think, hey, he's a 38-year-old guy, fun, but there's a playoff team last year.

I think you could sell Alex Smith leadership. I think you could sell Sam Darnold. You could sell Marcus Marietta a little bit, who is talented. I don't know what they're doing because I actually like their personnel. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. We love Peter. Fox Sports Radio, Fox Sports TV Insider, NFL reporter brought to you by Mercedes-Benz, the best or nothing.

So he is as plugged in as anybody. I got to tell you this, you know, when I was growing up doing this younger, the NBA was always the transaction league. The NFL has blown by it. It is now the transaction league. Even the Patriot spend money. So let's talk about the free agency for New England. One of the things they clearly upgraded was tied. end your thoughts on that. Yeah, first of all, Colin, I remember covering the league when free agencies

have to visit the teams before they sign. That is a thing in the past. Now you just signed before even meeting the guy. This is a huge deal. Hunter Henry and John Hussmith might be two of the best tight ends in football, two of the best young tight ends. The Patriots go and break the bank on both them. Here's a stat I just got. I'm looking at my phone because it's these two have combined for 25 end zone targets in the last two seasons. The Patriots have thrown to their tight ends. ends in the end zone just three times over the past two years. So you think about the height and the width and the length of these guys and their natural ability and their ages. They're going back to a two tight end system and everyone automatically thinks of Gronk and Aaron Hernandez. But remember,

there was Ben Watson and Patrick Graham for a while that they would go to. This is what the Patriots bread and butter was, the two tight end system where they can both crush you from the inside and the outside. Both these guys can block. And if they stay healthy, It's smart. I spoke to a source who said, the Patriots put all the wide receivers and tight ends and free agency in one board, and they called it pass catchers. So it's not like, we need this wide receiver and this time.

They said pass catchers. And John Hussmith was on the top of that list, and Hunter Henry was high as well. Patriots are zinging when everyone else is zagging. I respect the heck out of it. They looked at their 7-19 last year. Belichick saw they had money to spend, unlike other years. And in the past, the Patriots would sit back, smoke a cigar and laugh.

when everyone would spend crazy money on players that they let go, their free agents. And then they would get these compensatory picks in the draft on the back end. They would get a third or a fourth round pick. And they'd say, oh, that's because this guy left and signed for crazy money with the dolphins or the jaguars. We don't do that. They were honest with themselves. They were brutally honest with themselves.

They said, while the rest of the league is trying to be fiscally sound and efficient because the salary caps down, this is the one year. We have a ton of money. We don't have a ton of talent. Let's go and acquire it. And whether you think Jonu Smith and Hunter Henry make a big deal or a big change, Belichick knows what he's doing and he knows what his roster needs. He's not sitting around.

I respect it. Aggressive. You know, a team that has not historically had a great deal of fiscal discipline is the Jets. So it's interesting. Carl Lawson doesn't get a lot of sacks, but he does get pressures. The analytic guys do like him, but now he's the highest paid jet. So they're paying him like a star. Then they bring in Corey Davis, who's so talented.

but they pay him like a star, and he's wildly inconsistent. I could certainly make the argument. These are the opposite of New England moves. They pay a ton of money, star money for guys who have kind of been inconsistent. But is there a greater message in what they're doing here? There is. So two years ago, they broke the bank on Levion Bell and Breshaad Perriman. And they, you know, Anthony Barr is coming.

and then Anthony Barr at the last second, like, what am I doing going with the Jets? I'm going to be a Viking where I belong. And it was embarrassing. And I think two years later, we can say the Levion Bell thing was a disaster. Prashad Perriman's a free agent again. And there's countless other players that you can point to that the Jets swung and missed on. What are there's all those offensive linemen from two years ago in the summer that they brought in.

I spoke with a jet source before free agency. And I'm not kidding, Colin, what this source told me was, we want players who eat, breathe, and crap football. Sorry for that detail at 9 a.m. on the West Coast. Crap football. And guess what? Corey Davis, from everyone I talked to with the Titans, that guy eats, breeds, craps football, loves football.

These are guys who love the game. Now, you can't win just on culture and just on character. These guys have to play. But remember, at a college, Corey Davis was a top five pick. Not a top five wide receiver. He went fifth overall to the Tennessee Titans. They think he's going to be fantastic.

Obviously, they view him that way. You go to Lawson, that is a good sound move. That guy just rushes the passer and can get to the quarterback. Didn't have all the sack numbers, but if you watch, he can. And then the sneaky one they did, Jared Davis, who's a linebacker, who's going to make about $6 million next year, was the 21st overall pick in the draft in 2017, drafted by the Lions, was kind of lost in what Matt Patricia was doing. Love's football was a captain at Florida.

They believe that he can be the voice of a defense as a young player. I don't think the Jets are done. I think they're getting speed today. In the next couple hours, you'll might see some signings either at wide receiver or corner, but speed is their key. But from Joe Douglas to Sala to the owner, they want players who love football and want to be New York Jets because Robert Sala signed on to be the Jets coach because he wanted to be a New York Jet. That is the message.

Who wants to be a jet and who's going to be about football first and everything else second? And a couple of those wide receivers that they didn't sign, I think he could point to that as one of the reasons why. they went with Corey Davis as opposed to those players. Yeah, I don't know. I just don't love it. Wide receivers, actually, there's a bunch still available. So, I mean, is, what is that telling us?

There's some really good players out there. Mark it. This is interesting, right? So Kenny Galladay, everyone was doing flips over. What's Kenny Galladay worth? He's 28 years old. He's had injuries. And if the Detroit Lions, who have a giant void at wide receiver, are letting him walk out the door

and he's this wonderful number one wide receiver, what does that, tell you, is there a red flag there? Teams are a little gun shy on Kenny Gallaudet right now. I'm not sure he gets the money everyone expected he was going to get before this thing. Juju Smith-Schuster, we laugh about the TikTok and all the extracurricular stuff. Well, I can tell you that maybe it does come into play. And it's nothing about a criminal background or anything that he's done nefariously. It's about whether I'm going to pay this player number one wide receiver money, despite the fact that maybe he's not a number one wide receiver. So there's this weird upper class of the wide receiver position. And Curtis Samuel is included where I think we typically think, all right,

wide receiver, well, you just pay them the big money. The draft is loaded with wide receiver talent this year. And there's a really good second tier of free agents. And that's the Corey Davis is who you saw got signed. I think T.Y. Hilton, A.J. Green, players that teams know can come in and be professionals, they might not want to break the bank in a year where everyone's salary cap is way down and they've got to be fiscally efficient on guys like a juju or Kenny Gallauday, which still might have some question marks and we're not sure their number one wide receivers yet. You know, Shrakes, my guess was that Indomac and Sue would not be retained because the Bucks have an end of the first round pick and there's some good interior linemen down there, but that

they'd kind of make it, they'd kind of figure out a way to make it work and it does look like they're keeping the band back together, right? Yeah, look, Bruce Ariens had a few pops in him at the parade and he's like, this guy's coming back and this guy's coming back and this guy's coming back and we kind of like, all right, it's nice two days after the Super Bowl. Let's see if all those guys are coming back. I could tell you, they had a plan, and it's crazy. They had a PowerPoint, basically. And it's Jason Light and Mikey Greenberg, who is a salary cap guru, and Jason Lights to GM. It was like, priority one, let's figure out a way to bring Godwin and Barrett back somehow. They got them both back. Godwin on the franchise.

Barrett on a deal yesterday. Somehow get Levante David to not even hit free agency and come back. They got him. And now it's Gronk, got him. The next two names, Indomac and Sue and Ryan suck up the kicker for years they've had kicker woes in Tampa Bay going back to roberto aguayo being traded up for and drafted in the second round but with endomic and sue i don't know the market for sue they really want them back it's interesting he's got twins on the way his first kids and he's negotiating the contract himself so it's the first time he's going at it where he's like i'm going to handle this myself i'm not paying an agent and the team has already said that he's a priority i'm curious to see how these negotiations go because indomican sue has always been the type of player that has

made big money and has been very savvy with his contracts. I'm curious to see if he's going to try to get them for every last dime or if he's willing to come back for a little bit less to go back to where he was a champion. Good stuff. Peter Schreger, Fox Sports NFL reporter, all these good stories. Good to seeing you, Shregs. Love seeing you, Colin. Thanks so much. All right. Do you like NFL free agency? Well, you're in luck. I have you covered on the three and out podcast with me, John Middellcock. I used to scout in the NFL. Now I'd talk about it for a living on that podcast. Go check it out. Coming up this week, Bill Belichick went all out. Russell Wilson, Sam Darnel, Tua, are these guys going to get traded?

All this money after the cap went down, didn't phase teams, and more. Three and out podcast. Go subscribe. Rob Grinkowski is returning to the box, and he should. He said he was going to test the free agent market, but he's back. First of all, I lived in Tampa for a couple years. It's a really nice place to live, it's cheap. It's one of the few big markets in America where it's still reasonably priced homes, no state tax. It doesn't have for a family. It's quieter than Miami or New York.

It's not as angry as Boston or Philly. You don't, you know, it's just the expectations aren't as high as like a Chicago or Dallas. It's an easy place to play. And for years and years, they had everything right except quarterback. They always had good coaches. They always had good players. But here's the thing about Brady.

Go look at Tom Brady's career. Find me the player that left him and became more relevant and one more. I'll wait for your answer. Like, in our business, it's the three R's. If you go to a network, you got to be relevant. You got to get some revenue for the company and get some ratings. Find me the players, ratings being wins in the NFL. Find me the players that left Brady and became more relevant and one more.

Like they don't exist. So, I mean, and the other thing, Brady, because he's the best player ever in the sport, not just his position, and he takes pay cuts, if you leave him, there is a little stigma, oh, that's a money guy. He's just in it for money. So when Brady's taking pay cuts and Tim Duncan's taking pay cuts, everybody kind of feels like, well, I want to win. So you just look at Tom's career. List the players who are more relevant and win more when they leave Tom. Now, Chandler Jones was good. They don't win more.

Wes Welker's career didn't last too long after it. He's the one you could argue. Oh, Wes Welker, he bounced around after that. So, I mean, there is no Wes Welker without Brady. Nobody knew who he was. So Trent Dilfer talks about it. There's just, there's layers to Tom. He is like now, he's supposed to be talking Leonard Fernett into staying.

So Leonard Fernett is a go-either-way guy. Apparently Brady's leaning on him. Hey, we're all taking bits and cusses. and pay cuts come back in. And Trent Dilfer sort of talks about what Tom brings that nobody else can really duplicate. There's nobody like him. And I don't think you can properly articulate the impact he has

until he's there in your organization, in your system. He's going to demand excellence every second of every day. And if you don't join him, you're going to be out of there. You're not going to be playing much. Nobody changes the culture like Tom Brady. Want more heard? The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week within the IHeart radio app. Search Herd to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like.

Hey, this is Jason McIntyre. Join me every weekday morning on my podcast, Straight Fire with Jason McIntyre. This isn't your typical sports pod pushing the same tired narratives down your throat every day. Straightfire gives you honest opinions on all the biggest sports headlines, accurate stats to help you win big at the sports book, and all the best guests. Do yourself a favor and listen to Straight Fire with Jason McIntyre on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged.

It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard radio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media.

Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, the Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a

space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me, or you're just chasing down a dream, This is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas.

And I'm C.J. Toledano, and our podcast Point Game is about defining the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed. And finding ways to win no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows without Luke. Luca and Austin Reeves, I got to manipulate the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs.

I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nas Reid. He has to guard Julius Randall. And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night basis on offense. And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nass would get that thing. That man, hell get the flying. man, he running up the court,

licking his fingers while he got the ball, like, after you go through a training camp with that, Isaiah, you figure it out real quick. Oh, yeah. Get your ass up and down the court, and you're going to get the ball.

So listen to Point Game on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The story I've told myself about love or relationships can then shake my behavior, and that can lead me to sabotage the possibility of connection. This mental health awareness, month, tune into the podcast deeply well with Debbie Brown and explore the journey of healing, self-discovery, and returning to yourself. We explore higher consciousness, emotional well-being,

and the practices that help you find clarity, peace, and self-mastery in a world that can feel overwhelming. The world is becoming lonelier. We're not becoming more social and connected. We're becoming more individualized, but we actually meet people in connection. If you've been searching for a soft place to land while doing the work to become whole. This podcast is for you to hear more. Listen to deeply well with Debbie Brown from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. For different reasons, the 10 best free agent signings in the history of the national football league.

Number 10. Mike Rable to the Patriots 20 years ago. He'd never started an NFL game. game before signing with New England. He was the perfect fit. They won three Super Bowls in four years. He became the glue guy and the IQ and the vocal leader. They even used him in the red zone on offense.

He's the greatest value free agent ever. He'd never started a game. He went and became really a key component, a leadership, a Brady on defense, and didn't have him anything. Like, he's the greatest value free agent ever, Mike Frable. Number nine. Kurt Warner Cardinals, total culture changer. Losing franchise, he made him a winner.

They had not won their division since the mid-70s. And then Kurt Warner showed up for Arizona and changed everything. And he got him to a Super Bowl, and it was their first Super Bowl appearance. So he really changed the culture. Didn't win the Super Bowl. But, I mean, Arizona, from that point forward, we think of them as a competent franchise. guys. Number eight. Charles Woods into the Packers. It was much riskier than you think. Now, it turned out great, but Green Bay was the only team that bid on him because he had not played,

believe it or not, he had not played a full season in the previous four with injuries. So you look at it now and think, oh, it's brilliant. Nobody else offered it. Now, he went on to become the defensive player of the year. A couple years later, had nine interceptions returned for a touchdown, while a Packer, which was most in the league. But it was riskier at the time than you think. Number seven. Warren Moon, 80s to the Oilers, a stabilizer. Here was this great quarterback who had to play in the CFL for years.

And he really changed everything about Hute. They became an offensive juggernaut with Warren Moon. He stabilized the franchise. And they always had talent, but they just never felt like put together right. And he ended all the chaos in Houston. Number six. The flashiest free agent signing of all time.

Oh, you guys have, oh, that's my bad. Rod Woodson Ravens back in 98. So he changed positions. So he became a safety and became a defensive playmaker. He was always a great player, great speed.

But again, a little bit of a risk. I'm going to change positions. but he really added an aggressiveness to the Ravens defense where they became a playmaking defense. Some guys just get interceptions. Ed Reed, Rod Woodson become offensive players once they get those interceptions. And he had five defensive touchdowns during his Ravens career, most of any player in the NFL during that span. Number five. Okay, this is the flashiest free agent signing of all time.

It was the Dion's sweepstakes. Eagles, Raiders, Dolphin, Saints, Niners, Cowboys. Cowboys won their third title in four years. Dion was fantastic. It was the biggest, flashiest, most outspoken star to the biggest flashiest brand. Certainly one of the most talked about free agent signings, prime time to the number one primetime television show in the NFL.

Number four. Reggie White to the Packers. Not a high risk. He was a dominating player. It was the first offseason that featured free agency. in the NFL, and he was the first big free agent to change teams. He went to Green Bay, not a lot of risk. He was dominant.

Six playoffs, six Pro Bowls, three division titles, defensive player of the year. You know, this was one. Everybody saw it coming. He was great. First big star to switch teams, and he completely utterly delivered. Number three. Brady and the Buccaneers. Now, it's only a year old and it got him a Super Bowl.

They've always had talent and they've always had decent coaching. But they had the worst winning percentage of any major American pro sports franchise. 17 years without a playoff win. So like Kurt Warner, he's a culture changer. Now guys are taking pay cuts to stay with Tampa. I would put that at two. Number two. Peyton Manning, because he did it longer.

He got to two Super Bowls. And it was interesting. And this is why I give Peyton credit. He replaced a popular quarterback. People in Tampa were kind of done with James and his interceptions. Tim Tebow, especially conservative, the GOP, I mean, people, Denver can get conservative. They loved Tim Tebow. And Elway was trapped.

So he had to get a bigger star than Tebow to kind of save the franchise from what they viewed as a niche college quarterback who'd gotten on a hot streak in the NFL. So Peyton number two. Number one. Drew Breeze. I mean, end of story. Not only did he change the culture from a losing culture. He overcame Katrina. He's been huge for the community.

He was seemingly there forever. It's one of the winning his franchises. Listen, of all the free agent signings this year, don't take it personally. None of you are going to get Drew Brees. Like, there will not be a free agent signing as good as Drew Brees this year. Best of luck to Corey Davis and the Jets, fine player, it's not going to be Drew Breeze, the greatest free agent signing, and frankly,

easily of all time. Another podcast from some SNL, late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends, me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day

and head writer Streeter Seidel help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to Humor Me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games.

Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Joey Dardano, and on my new podcast, Hope From a Hypocrite,

I'll be changing lives, helping people in need with thoughtful solutions. Sike, I'm a comedian. I'm not qualified to give good advice. Join me and my comedian friends as we riff rant and recommend some of the most legally dubious advice known to me. This is Help from a Hypocrite, the worst advice from the dumbest people. people you know. Listen to Help from Hippocrat Wednesdays on the Iheart radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The story I've told myself can then shape my behavior,

and that can lead me to sabotage the possibility of connection. This Mental Health Awareness Month, tune into the podcast Deeply Well with Debbie Brown if you've been searching for a soft place to land while doing the work to become whole. This podcast is for you to hear more. Listen to deeply well with Debbie Brown from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.