The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 03/16/2021 - HOUR 1 - Patriots, Newton, Washington

Episode Date: March 16, 2021

The Patriots are once again being smart in free agencyCam Newton isn't a bad QBWashington would have been better off with Alex SmithRob Gronkowski was smart to come back to Tampa BayGuest: Peter Schrager Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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This is like the legal tampering period. Whatever that means? It's not legal if it's tampering, whatever. So now all the stuff's coming out. New England's spending a lot. 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 is a jerk, give him money's a bigger jerk.

If somebody's giving in philanthropic, you give money, they're incredibly charitable. Money and alcohol just, 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 tied in. 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 Joey 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, I can't, 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 tight end 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 comply. 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, 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, you know, a new system, they're in a division with a goofy jets 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? Well, they make the playoffs. You'd be like, that's not terrible. I mean, you start looking around when the great quarterbacks leave their franchises, it's not. 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, 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 at tight end, he realizes his roster was 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 who 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 the worst team in the world. Okay. This morning. If this is how I feel this morning strongly,

the strata's 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 to vision. decision. 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.

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 15-1 season, do you remember his 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-Michel, 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. Garoppolo can't stay healthy. Mariotas is probably due 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, 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 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 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. Okay. Being involved in the Russell Wilson discussion. 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 Trubisky 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 Trubisky move. This is a ridiculous move. It's a bad fit. And you cannot get involved in Russell Wilson discussions and just let them go and probably feed them and not deny them 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. All right.

One team, I didn't like what one team did yesterday at all, spent a lot of money, and I have big questions about it. And another team, it just continues to leave me scratching my head in free agency. Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the I-Hard 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

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Within probably 10 days, I'd 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 you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the fourth. 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

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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. You know, it's funny. Somebody came up to me the other day.

They said, you like Cam Newton suddenly. I said, no, I've always been consistent. When everybody thought Cam Newton was a $50 stock, I said, no, he's about a $30 stock. Now everybody thinks he's a $10 stock, and I'm like, no, he's actually a $30 stock. I thought for years he was wildly overrated because you and the media said he's a top five quarterback. I was like, no, he's not. No, he's not. But now everybody's got him being a bum.

No, he's not. He played real good down the stretch last year with no wide receivers. I've been consistent with Cam Newton. He's a $30 stock. You guys had him at 60 and 70 and now you got him at 8. He's neither. You can win a lot of games with Cam Newton if you build a team around him, heavy tight-end use, good running game. you know, you're not going to, he's not Patrick Mahomes or Josh Allen is a thrower,

but you can win a lot of games with Cam Newton. I think I've been consistent. I never butt into the height, but I don't buy into the floor. And I think New England today is a playoff team with Cam Newton. 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 all line.

Not a shock. They went and got a stealer 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 Fitzpatrick to a one year $10 million deal I would have never 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 NFCE. 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 Darnel. You could sell Marcus Mariotta a little bit, who is talented. I don't know what they're doing because I actually like their personnel, joy with the news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. I don't know what the Seahawks are doing. They could decide to trade Russell Wilson this offseason.

And if they do, Pete Carroll has his eye on a potential replacement. He was reportedly very high on Sam Darnold and could look to make a trade with the Jets if Wilson is no longer with the Seahawks. Because obviously the Jets are not on Russell Wilson's list of teams. He's the Saints, the Bears, and the Raiders left because obviously the Cowboys signed Dak Prescott. So a source told the New York Daily News, keep an eye on Seattle for Darnold. Now, didn't we say that last week? We did. We also said that the Seattle Seahawks are out of their minds.

Yeah, we did. But in December, Pete went on and on about Sam Darnold, big throws, big talent. So you may have a third team involved. It may not be the Jets and the Seahawks. Well, Mussel Wilson has a no trade clause. So we're not talking about a direct trade. trade to the Jets for Sam Darnold, Wilson would have already been traded and then they would make another trade for Sam Darnold to replace Russell Wilson. And this is no shade to Sam

Donald, obviously. I think Sam Darnold still has a lot of potential and it ends up in the right place. But I think it's, you can comfortably say Sam Donald is not as good as Russell Wilson. Yeah. I don't, I mean, this is what I don't understand. What is so difficult about Russell Wilson that we have reached a place where we're having a conversation about Sam Donald coming in to replace Russell Wilson for the Seattle Seattle Cots. I think a lot of it is when Earl Thomas got chatty, Pete got rid of him. When Richard Sherman got loud, Pete got rid of him. Pete doesn't like a disruption of the locker room.

And when Russell calls out the O-Line and some of the coaching, Pete's like, listen, you're not on board. And we don't have to be best friends, but you're not on board with our vision. And I do believe, and I've talked to Greg CoSell and others about this. I think Pete Carroll believes that Russell Wilson runs himself into a lot of those sacks, and some of the issues with the offense are Russell. I would say Russell, in my opinion, is more the life preserver to a prehistoric scheme in the last couple years. But I think when you, it's one thing if Pete and Russell didn't see I die.

Once it goes public, there's going to be players in that locker room that buy into Russell Wilson's argument. and Pete's saying, I can lose a quarterback. I cannot lose my locker room. And if Russell's out on our vision, I've lost my locker room. I think that's his sell. You could also lose the fan base because you could trade Russell Wilson away and bring in Sam Donald and be terrible for the next 10 years. That's also an option, totally on the board.

Sure. Options. That's one of them. Here's what I don't understand. I get everything that you're saying. But at the end of the day, talents surpasses. passes all of that stuff. It does.

Especially at the quarterback position. If you're talking about a linebacker, if you're talking about a defensive end, if you're talking about a running back or a wide receiver, we're talking about the, not just a, not just a quarterback. We're talking about a future Hall of Famer who has won a Super Bowl. He'd be a hall ofamer today. Get over it. I know, yeah.

Well, it is, you know, I've seen this my whole career, is that certain companies and coaches, are comfortable with a little pushback. Bruce Ariens is very confrontational. Sure. He was just him and Brady and he was really comfortable. Pete may not be one of those guys. Aaron Rogers, by the way, is not confrontational.

Tom Brady is. He yells at teammates. Peyton Manning yelled at teammates. Troy Aikman, yell at teammates. So this could be just a Pete's not comfortable. It goes public. I'm going to lose my locker room. I'd rather lose you.

Hey, I rebuilt USC. I rebuilt the Seahawks. I'm a rebuild guy, and I can do it with Darwin. In Pete's world, everywhere I've gone, I keep rebuilding all these things. But in this world, where reality exists, Pete Carroll doesn't play quarterback. That is true. So James Winston is officially returning to the Saints. He agreed to a one-year deal worth up to $12.5 million with incentives.

He'll be in line to be the starting quarterback following Drew Breese's retirement. Obviously, Tassum Hill is there as well, also competing for the job. He had a career high in passing yards and touchdowns in 2019 his last full season with the Buccaneers, but he also had career high interceptions with 30, so 33 touchdowns, 30 interceptions. He did throw for over 5,000 yards and have a 60.7 completion percentage. I see James Winston as the starter. It feels like that to me. Day one.

I understand there's a lot of people who are very high on Taysam Hill. Maybe I can't see it because I see him more as a gadget player and not an ever. every down starting quarterback. This is one of those rare situations where I do think a quarterback battle is worthy of discussing because you do have them both under contract now and James has been in the system for a year. Obviously you pay Tays and a significant amount of money.

Most of the time when you have a quarterback competition, it's just because you did a terrible job managing that position and now you have to figure out who is better out of whatever mediocre quarterback you have on your squad. However, Drew Brie's just retired. It's very difficult to replace a legend. It's very rare that you run into a situation like Green Bay, where you have Aaron Rogers waiting in the wings.

So I'm looking forward to seeing what happens during camp. But, you know, the Saints are one of those teams that I will put a little bit of faith into because they do have a lot of talent still. They have a great defense, and I trust Sean Payton. Yeah, that's it. I think he'll get the best out of James. Whatever James has left, you'll see the best version of him, and that, to me, feels nine and seven-ish.

So the Chiefs are starting to piece together a new offensive line. They made some aggressive moves this off season. Their first big one is signing former Patriots Guard Joe Tuny. He agreed to a five-year, $80 million deal with Kansas City. Patrick Mahomes was very happy. He tweeted some smiling emojis in response to the report. Tunis great. He started every game of his career.

Every snap, 2016, 2018, and 99 and 97% of snaps in 2019, 2020. So very reliable. And who's a number 10 guard in the entire league last season, according to pro football focus. Yeah, I mean, listen, it's a lot of money for a guard. He's not a one or two guard in the league. But they have an issue. They have both tackles gone.

And then their center and another guard are free agents. My guess is they'll rework those deals and get them in. But let's be serious. This is not great for Mahalms to be totally rebuilding the O line in, I don't, I don't, look, Tune's a good player. That's a lot of money for Joe Tune. Bill Belichick, who's smart guys, like, I'm not paying that for Joe Tuni, and I'm happy for Joe Tune. But it's going to be really interesting to watch the Chiefs because they are rebuilding the O line with the best quarterback talent in the league.

And Aaron Rogers has never really had to have Brady and Rogers never had to have their offensive line totally rebuilt in their prime. So, listen, Brett Veach is really smart. So is Andy Reed, and this is becoming more of a three-step drop league where you can just get the ball out fast. But it's no good to have to replace both tackles who were solid in the draft. So they're either going to have to rework deals with the current guys they have, or it's going to be a little bit of a mishmash for at least a year. Well, we all watch the Super Bowl. Yeah.

And Patrick Mahomes played in that Super Bowl, which is why he's excited about this signing. You probably are overpaying for him in a matter of speaking. But he's a free agent and he's great. So that's kind of how the free agency goes. You're going to pay more for a player like that. But I'm with you. A total rebuild is kind of scary. And I would hate to see them kind of go the Seattle route

where they're like relying on Patrick Mahomes' athleticism and ability while they try and rework that. Now, I don't think it'll get that bad, obviously, but it's concerning and they're going to have to be aggressive more than just this move. Yeah, good stuff, Joy, with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping.

The Herd Lie News. All sorts of fun. Pete Schrager. We love Peter. Fox Sports Radio, Fox Sports TV Insider. NFL reporter brought to you by Mercedes-Benz, the best for 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 Patriots spend money. So let's talk about the free agency for New England. One of the things they clearly upgraded was tight 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 sign before we've been 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 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 Grunk 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 here. We have a ton of money. We don't have a ton of talent.

Let's go and acquire it. And whether you think John Hussmith 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 is 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. 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 Perryman and they, you know, Anthony Barr's coming and then Anthony Barr at the last second is 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 Leveon Bell thing was a disaster. Prasad Perryman's a free agent again. And there's countless other players that you can point to that the Jets swung and missed on. What other? There was all those offensive linemen from two years ago in the summer that they brought in. I spoke with a jet source before a 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. They're paying them. You go to Lawson. That is a good sound move.

That guy just rushes the passer and can get to the quarterback. He 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. It 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 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 Gallaudet 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 him 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, AJ 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 Gallauda, which still might have some question marks and

we're not sure their number one wide receivers yet. You know, Shregg's, my guess was, is that Indomac and Sue would not be retained because the Bucks have a 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 them 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 likes the 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, it's Gronk, got him. The next two names, Indomicon 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 Indomacan Su, 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 was 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 Indomacan Su 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 Schrager, Fox Sports NFL reporter, all these good stories. Good to seeing you, Shregs. Love seeing you, Colin. Thanks so much. All right. Yeah, I didn't love what the Jets did. Corey Davis to me is, it feels like a Jets move. It's a lot of talent. They paid him a lot. But the kid they drafted last year out of Baylor, he got hurt. So I got two talented guys who, aren't consistently there or perform. I don't love it. Shack Lawson's talented it, but now you made him the highest paid jet. So I'm not a huge fan of bringing somebody in and making them the highest paid person on the team. I don't love that. Now, I do think New England got trapped and just

acknowledged we're lousy at tight end. We've got to get great at tight end because that's really what Cam works well. He worked well with Greg Olson. So like New England, England's moves, to me, feel very New England. They didn't get a lot of stars. They got value. A lot of the money will not be paid. Everybody's a scheme fit. And they addressed the one area where they did pay money was tied in.

We're lousy at it. We got to pay money at it. The Jets, they keep throwing money at wide receiver and none of it clicks. And Shaq Lawson, I could stomach. But, you know, Shaq Lawson, I can stomach. You know, what, Carl Lawson, what happens basically, everybody becomes themselves with money. Money and alcohol. You're just more of yourself.

And I think the Jets have some money and they just go, they, they, they, they, they, they, they, they, they, they, they, they, they, they, they, they, they, they, they, they. That's who Belichick is. Belichick went and paid for production. And in the end, uh, uh, the Jets paid for hope. We hope Lawson can now get sacks. He gets hurries, but sacks. Corey Davis now, we, we're hoping he can be. As good at, I want production.

And at some point, I'm over-hoping you land and deliver. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. 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 sportsbook 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 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-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 which 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 players. He's the smartest players. 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 Reed. 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 Nash would get that thing. That man, hell get the flying. 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 podcast. Hey, it's Edwin Castro, also known as Castro 1021.

And I'm Kunky, 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.

Endless hot water, spa-like comfort, Navi and tankless water heater, hundreds on a new energy efficient navian tankless water heater with local rebates tankless made simple.com tankless made simple.com I moved yesterday so a little you know unraveled today there's a lot of things moving in my life new bed don't trip down the stairs can't quite find where things are I was fine there's just a lot of tripping a lot of be careful banging into boxes we're going to put you in a bubble a lot of bubble wrap at my house It is there is just walk into my house. You ended up having a nice day, though.

I was worried it was going to rain all day for you. Yeah, and it stopped raining once we started. So dogs can't figure out where they live. So Rob Grunkowski 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 not. 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 had, 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 cuts 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 them. 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. Yeah.

I also think it's interesting. Every great coach has a whole. And Belichick's is, I don't watch a ton of college football. I'm very much an NFL guy. Belichick doesn't sit around on Saturdays in his hotels watching 10 hours of college football. He has historically, have you ever noticed why New England drafts a lot of Florida gators? A lot of that was Urban Meyer. You notice he drafts Alabama guys.

A lot of that is Nick Saban. So Belichick leans on guys he knows when he drafted Nikiel Harry, who has not worked. That's a Herm Edwards. He called his buddy. So Belichick doesn't live for college football. football. He leans on buddies, Herm Edwards, Urban Meyer, Nick Saban, he knows and trusts. And sometimes, a lot of times with skill people, it simply doesn't work. So they went out and just said, listen, we can't figure out tied in on our own. Let's just go buy it. And it's the only place

they spent real big boy money. The rest of their signings, I thought, were smart and prudent and financially responsible for young players who were healthy and productive. Be guys. Brady, gone, you know, can you elevate B guys to beat? plus guys in the system. Certainly possible. All right, top of the hour. So about 33% of free agent signings work. There's a risk involved.

We all know that. But how about the 10 greatest free agent signings of all time? Some would surprise you. Some guys hadn't started a game. Get signed and become go-to glue guys. Next. 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, S&L'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. 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-Hard 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, 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.

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.