The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 3 and Out - Darnold Trade Dissection, Defending Justin Fields; Headlines; Mailbag

Episode Date: April 6, 2021

In this episode, John dissects all the sides of the Jets trading Sam Darnold to the Panthers for both teams and defends increasingly polarizing Ohio State QB Justin Fields as the NFL Draft approaches. He also gives his takes on the top headlines from around the league and answers listener questions in the Middlekauff Mailbag. Follow John on Twitter and SUBSCRIBE now to get all the latest content!! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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lie. When the day started, I was like, you know, like I usually do on a Monday in the offseason. You kind of start digging for some stories, some angles and some stuff. Not nothing happened this weekend. And then all of a sudden this gets dropped on your lap and when I'm eating lunch and I rejoiced. And I can't wait to talk about this trade. As well as some thoughts on Justin Fields. Just kind of an overall take. Of course, anyone that's listening through Collins' feed would greatly appreciate it. Subscribe to my separate feed, Three and Out with John Middlethoff. That's the show. Has a separate feed from Collins.

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For you guys, long-time listeners, you know the drill. Okay, let's dive into the trade. And let's start with the New York Jets. Start from their angle. They received a six-round pick, a second and a fourth round pick in 2022 for Sam Darnold, a guy that they drafted third overall.

Obviously, Joe Douglas, the man in charge, someone who makes, I think, $35 million contract over six years, makes a lot of coin, had nothing to do with drafting. Obviously, he just hired Robert Sala, and he brought his offensive coordinator with him from the San Francisco Go 49ers, LaFleur, whose brother is the head coach of the Green Bay Packers. And I found this tweet interesting, because I think this trade, we're all just waiting. Like, is the Domino going to fall, or are they just going to roll with Sam Darnold?

Diana Rossini, who works for ESPN, who used to cover the Washington football team forever, I think for a local affiliate, very connected with a lot of people. Was obviously around those Washington teams, knows all the Kyle Shanahan people. Here's what she tweeted. Here's what's interesting about Darnold to the Panthers.

Carolina will have to make, excuse me, wrong tweet. Here's a better tweet. I just scroll down far enough. Here's the tweet I was looking for. They did pick up his fifth-year option, but we'll dive into that here in a second. From my understanding, there are many inside the Jets building

who want and wanted to keep Darnold on this roster as their starter. That obviously doesn't matter now. Well, here's the thing. LaFleur and Sala are used to the 49ers, a coach run operation, which is kind of in vogue now, right? Most coaches in the NFL,

all the high price guys, all pull all the strings. Kyle does. Pete Carroll does. Andy Reid's unique because he just gave it up because he trusts Veach. But if he wanted it, he could have it. Obviously, Sean Payton has a ton of juice. Matt Ruhl and Carolina, in charge.

And I think those guys were used to, like, their input battering. Gruden's a good example. His coaches make all the decisions. Is that, like, hey, we can win with Sam Darnold. And Joe Douglas said, hey, thanks for your input. I don't care. He's gone. Now, I talked about last week about drafting these guys really high

and we know it's hit or miss. And I think the number one thing for this to work in modern day football, because it's never been easier to play quarterback, but to nail a high pick with a quarterback, or at least give yourself the opportunity to nail the pick. The general manager and the head coach have to be on the same page. So if the assistant sought that, whatever,

as long as Robert Sala and Joe Douglas are on the same page, they're okay. Because Joe Douglas now, his entire career, because as a GM in the NFL, This is not baseball. You do not get to dictate the lineup every day. It's not basketball. You don't tell the coach what to do.

Even as a GM with all the juice like Joe Douglas, ultimately you just get to pick the players. You don't have anything to do with the scheme. You don't have anything to do with the roster. I mean, technically you put guys on the roster. But you know what I'm saying? Like, once the game starts, you are powerless. In baseball, they are petrified

to not do exactly what the GM in the front office says when it's time to yank a pitcher. That is not the way football works. and now Joe Douglas' entire career rests in the hands of two humans. Robert Sala, can he or can he not coach? We know he's a good defensive coordinator. Can he be a good head coach?

Because now the second most important person, you could argue the most, is going to be this quarterback they drafted number two. And that guy is going to be influenced by his head coach. And the head coach, let's face it, is not an offensive guy. So they're just in a pretty risky situation. And I've been saying over and over and over,

and over again. I think everyone thinks that Zach Wilson to the Jets is just a done deal. I'd push back on that. I'm not saying it won't happen, but I could see, from a scout perspective, Justin Fields and Trey Lance having a higher upside than that guy.

Now, that doesn't mean that they're better right now because Zach Wilson, based on the BYU film, kicking a bunch of butt against random teams, he looked awesome. How many NFL players was he playing against? How many NFL players was he playing with? Like, is that just going to translate? leaving Provo, Utah, coming to New York?

Like, that's pretty risky. So you're going to take Robert Sala in an offensive league, make a defensive guy your head coach, and then go with Zach Wilson? It might work. The division's clearly better. The bills are now a powerhouse. The Patriots just bought every free agent.

And the Miami Dolphins are just well-run now. So, like, you better get this right. And clearly they believed, whoever, whether it's Zach Wilson, whether it's Justin Fields, whether it's Trey Lance, hell, maybe it's Mac Jones, that guy is better than Sam Darnold. he better be dramatically better

because this team had a ton of holes they don't have much talent that is not Joe Douglas's fault I'm not blaming him I think one of the reasons this took a long time I would imagine Joe Douglas has been having a month of meetings

with his close confidants and Robert Solah trying to figure this out because this move is going to define his career not trading Sam Donald but whoever he picks now it wasn't a guarantee that if he kept Sam Donald

it was going to work but he clearly they made a decision and they're going with it and now I think it's going to be very, very difficult. The pressure on this player is going to be immense. And if it does go well, the thing with having a defensive head coach is you lose coordinators.

If this offense all of a sudden, like let's say they went 8 and 8 and 8 and they draft Zach Wilson and he's the offensive rookie of the year, you know who's going to be a head coach next year? LaFour! Because his brother's kicking ass in Green Bay. This guy worked for Kyle

and like, he'd be a head coach a year. And then what do they do? So it's just, I'm just thinking big picture, because this decision is not just based on 2021 and 22, right? It's based on the next five, it's based on the next decade. Clearly, Joe Douglas thinks that this quarterback, whoever he's picked, because I think he has his guy in mind, is dramatically better than Sam Donald. Now, the only, does Robert Sala believe that? Because I don't know if it's a guarantee that he does, because that's not the way the Jets work.

That's what Robert Solis used to when Kyle won something, he got it. When he worked for Pete, when Pete wants something, he got it. When you work for the Jets, when Joe Douglas wants something, he gets it. Let's go to the Panthers. They're extremely desperate. Their team is extremely boring. They were unwatchable last year. Teddy Bridgewater, fantastic guy, fantastic backup, average to below starter.

Now, I don't know if Sam Donald is in above ever. starter. We're about to find out. But I would take my chance on his physical attributes and skills over Teddy Bridgewater any day of the week. And it's irrelevant what you or me think. Matt Rule, the Carolina Panthers just admitted so. They agree with me. They think Sam Donald is way better than Teddy Bridgewater. They don't want to watch Teddy Bridgewater play anymore. Don't totally blame them. Good backup, not a very good starter. They do have offensive weapons. Because one thing, if you want to defend Sam Donald, you go, look what he was playing with the last couple years. I mean, hell, his starting running back this year was Frank Gore.

And I love Frank Gore. I have nothing but respect for him. But if you are starting him in 2020, you got problems. And clearly the Jets did. And Adam Gase is just, I mean, was a train wreck. Was an absolute dumpster fire. So the Panthers are basically betting on. We think Sam Darnold, 23, 24 years old.

We'll pick up his fifth year option, basically give him a two-year run. we put him with Christian McCaffrey Robbie Anderson we reunite him they have DJ Moore we have Curtis Samuel maybe we could draft a an offensive lineman in the second round could we do that or I mean with the eighth

overall pick and start building up you know the trenches we got to improve the defense but we're paying a coach $70 million dollars we got an owner that paid $2.5 billion cash for the franchise like we need some juice I don't want to watch this anymore

the problem is they're desperate because they wanted Matt Stafford. Hell, they thought they had him. Then the Rams came in and got him. They wanted Deshawn Watson. They were going to be willing to spend whatever it took, a ton of picks. Then it turns out Deshawn Watson is connected in a good or a bad way,

depending on what side you're reading, to like 700 masseuses. And they're like, yeah, this is probably not going to work right now. Because Deshaun Watson, as of April 5th of recording this, is an untouchable player. You couldn't touch him with $100. foot pole to all this stuff is figured out. In my opinion has changed on that.

I would have said three or four weeks ago. I'm like, yeah, I don't know. Where we're at now, I don't think that anymore. Untouchable. So they go, we can't get Watson. We obviously missed out on Stafford. Russell Wilson didn't put us on his list. He ain't coming here.

The moment the 49ers traded up to three, we go, well, they're going to get a quarterback. Lawrence is going to go one. The Jets are clearly they're open-minded to, trading Sam Darnold, they're going to take a quarterback. Three of the top five quarterbacks are going to be gone. And who's to say we like the other two? The Atlanta Falcons drafting at four are not going to do a deal with us

because they're in our division. They don't want to help us out to get a quarterback who might be good and then in turn beat them. That's not good business unless we give them an absolute haul. And that doesn't make sense for the fourth quarterback in this draft, at least until we know who it is. So sometimes when you're desperate, you just got to take the best. deal. And that's kind of what they did. They took a deal that I think they can justify in their mind,

has some high upside, because it does. They immediately pick up his fifth year option. They get a guy that was viewed as a potential number one overall pick just three years ago. His career has been derailed by a disastrous franchise, a head coach that was a joke, a general manager that was a laughing stock. And that's how you justify it. And, you know, speaking of Sam Darnold, I've been at places when I've been wanted. It's awesome. I've also been at places when management changed in football and the radio when I didn't feel wanted. It sucked.

Do you know where you'd always rather be where you're wanted? And the moment the Panthers pull the trigger on this, you go, hey, they want me. They believe in me. Even if it is just for a two-year tryout or whatever, they're all in on me. They don't have any other options. So if you're Sam Darnold, pretty sweet landing spot. You go from the pressure cooker of New York where we're just constantly talking about every single angle. is he good enough, is he bad enough?

Can he handle the stardom? Mono, making out with chicks. What's his deal? Why is he throwing all these picks? Is it Adam Gays? Is it, you know, Johnson and Johnson? What's the problem? To go to Carolina,

where it's easily one of the most under the radar franchises in the league. And it's in a division where the Falcons are in shambles. They're drafting fourth overall. Tampa is absolutely loaded, but their quarterback is 50 years old. Now, he shows no signs of slowing down, but still, I mean,

in all seriousness, he's 44 years old. He's going to be 44 years old. 44. So that's, it's going to end one day. And then the Saints have major question marks, though they are way better than the Carolina Panthers right now. The owner is just tired to me when, if you spend that type money, you just want some juice. And one thing Sam Donald immediately does is gives them some juice.

And Sam, you get weapons, you get a franchise where the bar is low. Because even when you get drafted in New York, whether the teams are good or bad, the bar is high. They expect you to be really good. And if you're not, it's a massive, massive problem. It's why to me, of all these people, you know who by far has the most pressure on them of the group? It's Joe Douglas.

He's the guy putting his kind of stake down on whoever he ends up drafting. Like, he went all in on Robert Sala and quarterback X. Like, that is a pretty bold move. And it might work. I've always heard great things about Joe Douglas. I think he's good at his job. But the moment you take that quarterback, that quarterback success, and really your coach is somewhat out of your hands.

Now, obviously, you can help him by drafting good offensive linemen and wide receivers. I know you can add weaponry and facilitate a strong kind of base around him, but you have nothing to do with the coaching. You have nothing to do with the development besides just kind of sitting there and kind of rooting them on. I've been at these practices as a scout next to the GM. You just stand there and watch. It's all out of your control the moment you pick this. And I think the key is, and you saw this with Sam, like, Sam's a good guy, high character guy, hard worker.

He just might not be good enough. Whoever you pick, and they're very talented guys at the top of the draft, you better get the right character. You better get the right mentality. Because you're not going to go to New York and have success with not being really mentally tough, with not being able to like have laser focus. I mean, it is a very tough position, especially. when everyone's going to consider you like the savior of the franchise. The Panthers, an easy, low risk.

Give a second and a fourth next year. That's basically, that's considered a third and a fifth in the league. Like, that's a good trait. You get to keep all your picks this year, when your picks are really high, you worry about next year and next year. And for Sam Donald, like, you finally get away from that mess. And you get with some people that like you. And you get with immediately a star player in Christian McCaffrey.

They have good weapons. They have high picks. They could draft well and, get some offensive linemen in front of you. All of a sudden, you're with Joe Brady. You know a guy who has a lot to gain in this whole trade? Joe Brady. Because he went from really, really relevant, right?

He went from a quality control guy to LSU to changing his career, winning the national championship with Joe Burrell, getting an NFL offensive coordinator job to being completely irrelevant. We didn't mention Joe Brady last year one time. Why? Because his offense was terrible. I think at one point in time,

they lost like 10 straight games. The team was a train wreck. even though, I mean, they played hard or whatever, but they didn't have any talent. And you're not going to get a head coaching job coaching Teddy Bridgewater. That's not going to happen. But you get Sam Darnold and you make him just a solid above-average starter and your team's competing for the seventh seat. Okay, now we're talking.

Is Joe Brady in the hiring cycle next year? He's definitely going to be a coordinator we talk a lot about. He's already got some built-in equity. He just kind of flew under the radar this year. Because most guys would coaching Teddy Bridgewater on a bad team. You're going to lose. Now he gets a chance to kind of resurrecting himself. And Matt Ruhle kind of gets a chance to get his juice back.

But it's just a pretty wild trade. And now I think the other thing is it gives us clarity. There hasn't been three straight quarterbacks go in the draft one, two, three since 1999. Tim Couch, Donovan McNabb, and Achilles Smith. It's clear, set in stone, 100% lock. We're getting three quarterbacks. I think the cool part about this is after Trevor Lawrence, There is a little uncertainty.

Are we sure Joe Douglas is going to take the kid from BYU? He was around Carson Wentz forever with the Eagles, a guy from a smaller school with huge upside. Well, there's a guy like that in this draft named Trey Lance. And then Joe Douglas, being the general manager of the New York Jets, has had the opportunity to have a front row seat with Josh Allen. What was Justin Fields? An elite physical prospect, right?

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He's got a huge arm. A little raw. Need some work, but I think you can go in a number of directions. I think it's just some lock that he's going with the BYU guy feels a little strong. But it makes his draft really, really interesting. Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in the nation. Catch all of our shows at Fox SportsRadio.com. And within the IHeard Radio app, search FSR to listen live.

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And if you look at rivals in 2018, Justin Fields was the number two overall prospect in the country behind a guy named Trevor Lawrence. And Trevor Lawrence, that first season, won the national championship and was basically solidified himself as the number one overall pick. Lived up to it, he'll be the number one overall pick in 24 days as of recording this. If you listen on Tuesday, 23 days until the NFL draft. Justin Fields went to Georgia, who recruits their ass off. They went with Jake Fromm.

He ultimately transferred, as we all know, and went on to have two really good seasons at Ohio State. I looked up his numbers a day. basically 67% is first year 60 or 70% this year it averages out to about 68% because they played way more in 2019 here was one number that really jumped out to me 63 touchdowns in two years 63 and 9 that's pretty good man so he's basically got

better than 6 to 1 touchdown interception ratio I guess my point what I'm saying here is this guy was productive so he's a blue chip guy played at Ohio State was productive and wants some big freaking games. Now, you don't like Trevor Lawrence, but probably on a much higher level, has some flaws, has some things you'd like to see get worked out. Guess what? He's a college football player.

That doesn't bother me. And right now he's going through the ringer. I know the Orlovsky thing last week. I have heard nothing bad about his character. But part of when we dive into a quarterback's character, it gets nitpicked. Like, we've shit on a lot of guys over the years for little things and definitely guys for big things, right? But you get knocked as a quarterback like Justin Herbert, is he loud enough in the huddle? Marcus Marriota, does he have a big enough personality?

As much as Johnny Mansell, can he, you know, avoid partying? Baker Mayfield, is he mature enough? Right? We've seen all these different issues over the years to football issues, Tim Tebow. Is his throwing motion too loopy? Right? Is this guy's arm good enough? I can go through every, Carson Wentz, is he coming from big enough school?

James Winston, does he have maturity issues? Marcus Marriota. I didn't think his arm was that great coming out. People thought he was Steve Young. I never did. And clearly, I was right. But my point is, you can go back basically every quarterback besides like luck, and we're nitpicking them.

That's part of the deal. We don't nitpick wide receivers. That's a calling rant forever. It's true. Pittsburgh played a, with Antonio Brown for six years at his peak and kicked everyone's ass. I can deal with it. I can deal with personalities on defense.

Earl Thomas in his prime. You think he was easy to deal with? No, who cares? He's kicking ass and taking names. Other positions, it doesn't matter. At quarterback, we nitpick you. You are the CEO of the franchise. You are the face of the franchise.

And if you are good, you will change the franchise. You will make yourself an unlimited amount of money. You will make everyone around you a ton of money. you will change just the trajectory of your franchise. C.C. Mahomes. Right? C.C. Josh Allen. C.C. Lamar Jackson saved the Ravens.

The Ravens were a clown show. John Harbaugh was about to get fired. They were screwed. Boom. Draft Lamar Jackson. Winning the division basically every year. I guess they didn't win it this year, but made the playoffs. They win a playoff game? Yeah, they won a playoff game. Beat the Titans.

You know? That was the first playoff win. But my point, and I'm a Lamar critic. But look, I mean, he saved their franchise. He saved John Harbaugh's career. Now, if John Harbaugh was fired, he probably would have been hired somewhere else. But, I mean, he saved his Baltimore career. So, Justin Fields, here's what I know. I've seen a lot of different comps.

Do you know what I think is best comp is? And he's actually a more accurate version. Now, I do think accuracy in 2021 is a little inflated. I actually like the Donovan McNabb comparison. Donovan was a big-time athlete, played basketball at Syracuse, had elite physical tools, right, and did not go first in his draft. Tim Couch did, who was the more, quote-unquote, prototypical pocket quarterback. Here's what I know if I'm Justin Fields. Now, Justin Fields more than likely won't go second either.

His best chance would be to go three to the Niners. Like Donovan McNabb, who I looked today was a six-time pro bowler and changed Andy Reed's career. They drafted them in Philadelphia. That team competed for Super Bowls for like seven straight years. I think they went to four AFC championship games in like six years. They went to, or maybe it was five. They went to four straight, right? And they went to the one Super Bowl.

But if you're going to AFC Championship every year, like, you're in the fucking mix. That's all you can ask for, right? Obviously, you would love to be the Patriots and win six Super Bowls in 20 years. Most teams, you win one, you're in pretty good shape, right? The Packers have won one Super Bowl in a decade. They've had a pretty good run. Seattle, one Super Bowl in a decade. Pretty good run.

If I get you a guy that takes you the AFC championship game every year, I'll take my chances. And that's what Donovan did. But do you know the key with Donovan? Because when you really kind of dove in and you found out the nitty-gritty, like, he had some flaws. He wasn't Peyton Manning or Tom Brady picking you apart the defense. Now it got better as he got older.

But his physical attributes were so elite, he went to a team with a good defense, and with a special head coach. Can you imagine Donovan Mcnav he had gone to Cleveland or Cincinnati. Now, I don't think he would have been as bad as Achilles Smith. I don't, you Browns fans have a better idea what happened to Tim Couch. I was young. I wasn't paying attention to Cleveland Browns then. Feels like he had a Trent Dilfer vibe. Like, he had a lot of talent, just went to the wrong

spot, and then it just got derailed. I think he also got hurt. But Donovan went to the perfect spot. Now, the difference is the Niners have been good a year before. The Eagles had been really bad. But you're telling me, Justin Fields, a five-star guy who's 6-3-plus, who weighs 227 pounds. Donovan ran a 4-6. This guy's running a 4-1. He has a massive arm. He's been productive.

You know, I don't think Donovan you'd call like elite character, but he wasn't a bad guy. People liked him, fun. You got along with his teammates. Same with this guy. I don't know if this guy's Peyton Manning. But shit, there's only one Peyton Manning. I can live with, oh, he's a good guy,

he stays out of trouble, he works hard, he tries hard, that's everything I've heard. Like, not everyone's a rah-rah guy. Justin Herbert's not a rah-rah guy. he just broke all the rookie records. You know, not every guy is Tom Brady in the huddle or Drew Brees in the huddle. I'd argue Drew Brees had to be that guy

because he didn't have the physical characteristics. I can live with a little more reserved. That's Kyle's job. To me, Justin Fields with the Niners, I mean, that to me has the chance to be a powder keg of greatness. That to me has a chance to be by far the highest upside. So you're taking the guy that was the clear top two quarterbacks, and this rarely happens.

Guy, there were one two in the country. I'm talking any position. And both of them potentially go first and third in the draft. Like that usually happens like the NBA. Not in football. But these guys have lived up to the hype. How Justin Fields just by far outplayed the guy in the playoffs. We all witnessed it.

What do you throw six touchdowns in that game? Just throwing beautiful bombs? No one disputes the physical attributes. And part of the draft, part of having a quote unquote high ceiling, you can't have a high ceiling if you don't have high-level athletic ability and physical tools. Part of having a lower ceiling and a high floor is because your tools aren't that crazy. Mack Jones doesn't have great tools.

His best tool is probably his height. He's not fast. He doesn't have a great arm. He's not a good athlete relative to high-end athletes in the NFL, so he's not running away from anybody else. If anything, to me, he's Jared Goughy, which Jared's fine if he's on a great team. And Mac Jones for a couple years would probably be first. fine on the Niners because their team's good.

But could he handle it for a decade? Like that was the problem with Jared Goff. Eventually, as you pay the quarterback, harder to build your team. Then what happens? You have to carry you. Who can usually carry people? High talent guys. Younger Donovan McNabb.

Look at the league now. Lamar, Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes. Like, those guys' physical attributes are elite. And they can do things that other people can't. It's the reason Rogers has dominated for a decade plus. he has the best physical skill set. It's the reason Russell Wilson pulls things out of his, you know what? He's an incredible run-around athlete.

Part of what made Deshaun Watson so special before his masseuse issues, which are still in question, is he was a great freelancer. Like, that's, to me, Justin Fields is very polarizing. Because I almost think it's like too easy. It's like, can you guys not see what the guy's working with here? So you get a guy that's over 6'3, the weighs 225 pounds, built like a brick shit house,

who runs a 40. Just think about this. Devante Smith did not run a 40, the Heisman Trophy winner-wide receiver. And he's not going to run a 40. You know why? He's not that fast. He ran a 40 last year for Alabama.

He ran a 4-5-0. Now, if he had trained, he's probably like a 4-4-6 guy. Justin Fields is faster than DeFonte Smith. I will promise you that. You were talking about an elite athlete in fields who has a huge arm and is proven to be accurate in college. Now, like, reading defense, does he need some work?

Of course he does. Peyton Manning threw 28 interceptions as a rookie. He needed some work. We forget that. Like, it's okay. Aaron Rogers was on the bench. Like, sometimes guys need work. But if I'm a GM, if I'm Joe Douglas,

I'm leaning Justin Fields over Zach Wilson. I want the chance of the guy to give me the highest upside. I want to hit a home run. I'm not looking to hit a double. It'd be one thing if you're making $100,000 a year and you get fired, your career's over, and it's like how are you going to make money in this industry? That ain't the case.

These guys are multi-millionaires, all of them. Urban Myers got unlimited cash, he's got Trevor Lawrence. But Joe Douglas, Kyle Shanahan, money ain't an issue for either of them. If I'm both those guys, I'm at Justin Fields. I want the guy with the highest upside. I want the guy that has the chance to be a super,

Superstar. It's the whole point of this draft, trying to get guys to be superstars. Now, in the second, third round, you want plug-in-play starters, I get it. You need a right guard, take a guy in a third round

that has a, you know, lower ceiling. Okay. But you're up in the second or third pick in the draft. You better be up there taking a swing. And I go back to Andy Reid.

He's king of taking swings. Because you know why deep down he knows I can coach this guy up. Did it with Donovan McNab. Did it again with Mahomes. Hell, when I was there, he kind of did it with Michael Vick. part of, and this is back to Kyle, part of being a great offensive coach,

you control everything with the quarterback. Like, you're in full control of the play calls, of knowing what he's comfortable doing, knowing what he's not comfortable doing. You're the artist. It's like, you know, you're molding the clay. Well, it's your hands on the clay. I want the best ability to have the highest upside of a player. I don't even think it's close.

Like, Zach Wilson's just his pure talent relative to, to Justin Fields, like, I'm sorry. Justin Fields is a better prospect. Now, Zach Wilson today, today might be a quote-unquote better quarterback, but you put one guy with elite coach, the guy with more talent, in three or four years, I know who I'm betting on. Right? Not every horse in the Kentucky Derby flies out of the stalls.

Some guys take them a little bit to build up. They turn that corner, they fucking hit the Jets, and all of a sudden you win the Kentucky Derby. You know, so it's just like you got to have a big pick You've got to understand that it's not about what the guy's doing right now. What can I coach them to do? And a lot of coaches struggle to see this. It's why a lot of coaches are bad evaluators.

But to me, it's not even a question mark that Justin Fields, beside Trevor Lawrence, has by far the highest upside of the group. Okay, let's just fire through a couple stories that are out there. You know, it really, today's kind of an indictment on Adam Gase. you know, the guy turned the Miami disaster into the Jets job and that, he just became a train wreck.

I mean, he's a classic example of, I bet if you were just in a room with him on a whiteboard or with the clicker and film, he would know as much as anybody. Like, I think just football, intellectual, football intelligence,

like just what he has up in his brain and his ability to articulate football, just probably one-on-one and understanding concepts. I bet our elite. I bet he's, you know, Peyton Manning swore by him. I bet just his ability to talk football, talk defenses, talk strategy, like how are you going to attack the defense? It's probably high-end.

But being a head football coach, like you've got to lead people. You've got to lead men. You have to lead a franchise. You have to have people believe in you. And it's just, the guy was just, I don't even know. I mean, a train wreck of a human being. really is kind of crazy how his career went from like, God, this guy's got a chance to, you know,

be one of the best young coaches in the league to, he'll never be a head coach in the NFL again. I see under no circumstances would that take place. Aaron Rogers is clearly kind of poking the bear, and I will defend him on this. I'll never blame him for doing this, because while he did have an up and down season, and there were some questions like,

he going to head the wrong direction in terms of his career, LaFleur's first year. They basically, without telling him, right, drafted a quarterback to replace him, to Wally Pippen, to boot him out eventually. And he went back and he won the MVP, and they had home field advantage in the playoffs. So if you think a year later, he's just going to like kiss their ass, be like, I want to be a Packer, I want to be with LaFleur, I want to be with Gutikins. I'm a Packer for life. They literally just did to him what the organization once did with him too far. He knows.

So he doesn't necessarily say anything specific, but he went a McAfee show today. He made some comments. I can't even forget. Somewhere last week, oh, he was getting ready for Jeopardy. Like, he knows what he's doing, and I don't blame him. I will support him on this. Because he's got LaFleur and Gutikins by the balls.

What are they going to do? They can't trade the MVP of the league. Like, he carries the franchise. and love, you know, just might not be any good. They're in a tough spot. He knows it. And if I was him, I'd keep messing with him. What does it hurt?

I was reading today about the NFL. They were pretty dead set on going to London. And I think over the last couple years, definitely after Corona, they've kind of pulled back. I've always said this. I've never been to London or the UK. I've been to Spain. I've been to Italy.

So, you know, general area, I probably have to pull out a map. But just my question has always been logistically. Part of football, like on paper, like doing business, right? The world is flat now. If I was doing this podcast, I easily could do it from the UK. Right? I could consume all the football games.

I could record a podcast a couple times a week. Nothing would change. I literally could pack all of my stuff up, move to London, without the NFL, even if they never came over there and do my NFL podcast. And if I never told you I was in London, unless you followed me on social media and even if I didn't post anything, you would never know. Especially if I kept the same times.

But to put a team over there, you could play the games. The problem is every year, guys get hurt every week. So you bring in guys to work out, to train on Mondays and Tuesdays. Well, the farthest you can go in America is five hours. If I'm in New York, I've got to bring in a guy from L.A.

It's a five-hour flight. But I usually figure that out either late Sunday night or early Monday morning. and have them there at the latest by Tuesday. Everything's within a five-hour flight. And most times, you know, if you're Midwest, two or three-hour flights. Well, imagine you've got a fly guy from L.A. to London.

Is it like 14, 15 hours? It would be logistically very difficult. I think they're doing the right thing is just continue to build over there. And basically four games a year for the next eight years. All 32 teams will host a game across the pond. And then I just think you have years, years of data and understand if it's worth pulling the trigger.

Because I do believe it would be tough logistically to run a franchise over there and just do business with the other teams here in America. I think you would be at a disadvantage doing it. Now, financially, could it handle? I know I get DMs from people in the UK. You guys know better than me. Clearly, over the next eight years, they keep selling out these games, the interest there. I think it would have a chance to succeed.

The other key would be is like, you can't send a bad franchise there. You need something that's just good. You need to send good football. Now, I don't necessarily need, like, the Green Day Packers to be there. But I can't send, like, the Jags, the way they're constructed and have been for the last decade, that would be a disaster. You can't have a team winning three, four games every year over there. So I don't know if they do expansion.

I don't know exactly. 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. The story I've told myself about love or relationships 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 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 social. connected. We're becoming more individualized, but we actually need 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. Hey, I'm Jared Adano. You might know me as that loud guy who yells out, help on the internet. Help somebody, please!

But there's so much more to me than that. I'm an actor, I'm a comedian, and recently I've become quite the helper myself. And on my new podcast, Hope I'm a Hypocrite, I'll be changing lives, helping people in need with my sage advice and 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 man. If I'm calling you, even if you're on your phone,

let it ring twice. One ring is too scary. Oh, cream of chicken suit. Hey, cream a chicken suit. This is Help from a Hypocrite, the worst advice from the dumbest people you know. Listen to Help from Hypocrite as part of the Mike Cultura Podcast Network available on the IHart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcasts. 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 Reed. He has to guard Julius.

random. 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. He running up the court, licking his fingers, why he got the ball.

Like, you go through a training camp with that, IZAD, you figure it out real quick. 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 Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts. what they do, but reading, I think it was either Peter King or Albert Breer, basically the guy that's in charge of it, oh, is Albert Breer, said that it's probably very unlikely for the time being.

We'll just kind of do this rotation for the next decade and kind of go from there. And I think that's the right decision. You can kind of have your cake and eat it to. You don't have to have a team there to profit. You can profit, you can do sponsors there, and just kind of rotate within the league. That to me is the safest bet to put yourself in a position where you do a move and then you regret it or it wasn't as smooth. Never forget, the charges shouldn't be in L.A. Makes no sense.

Obviously, Dean Spanos right now there was that report, I think on Friday or over the weekend. His sister with the trust. Obviously, trust gets very complicated when you have more than two kids. Because when you get three or four and there's a business associated with it, everyone has ulterior motives. Some people have more money than others. some people don't care about whatever the business is. When you have that many siblings, I don't necessarily think Dean Spanos is going to have to sell,

but it could get very complicated. Unlike Dan Snyder that has an unlimited amount of money, Dean is not a big money guy. They don't have all these other businesses producing them a bunch of cash. Now, they have owner money, and they have NFL team money, but their team never made any money in San Diego in terms of the stadium. Now, in L.A., they don't own it, and they don't profit from it, really. They just get a place to play.

They should have left him in San Diego. That was a disaster. And back to the London thing, I think they kind of learned from that. If they could do it over again, they would have told Dean, keep your ass in San Diego, Cronky, you go to L.A., Mark, you go to Vegas. It basically worked out perfectly except Dean piggybacking off Cronkey and him paying for everything. It just, it's not ideal, not ideal. So the London thing, I think, has kind of got, you know, it's slowing down.

We've pumped the brakes on that a little bit. Aaron Rogers clearly going nowhere, but he's kind of king of needling right now, which I find very, very enjoyable. Funderstruck, adjective. Shocked and amazed by the power of fun on Carnival. Riding Bolt, the world's first roller coaster at sea. Brian got Funderstruck so hard, his 93-year-old grandmother felt it 3,000 miles away in Nebraska, and immediately booked a cruise. Hooray! Get Funderstruck starting at 289.

Carnival. Choose fun. Cruise is running U.S. dollars per person double occupancy. Taxes fees and poor expenses additional restrictions apply. Full details on carnal.com, ships registered by Hamas, Panama. Adoption of teens from foster care is a topic not enough people know about, and we're here to change that. I'm April Dinwiddy host of the new podcast, Navigating Adoption, presented by Adopt U.S. Kids. Each episode brings you compelling real-life adoption stories told by the families that live them with commentary from experts.

Visit Adoptuskids.org slash podcast or subscribe to navigating adoption presented by Adopt U.S. Kids. Brought to you by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families and the Ad Council. What grows in the forest? Trees? Sure. Know what else grows in the forest? Our imagination, our sense of wonder, and our family bonds grow too. Because when we disconnect from this and connect with this, we reconnect with each other. We reconnect with each other. The forest is closer than you think. Find a forest near you and start exploring at Discovertheforest.org. Brought to you by the United States Forest Service and the ad council.

Okay, at John Middilkoff, the Instagram handle, DM's wide open. I'm recording this right before the Natty. So I'm going to go finish this. I'm going to go make a little dinner. And then I'm going to watch Jalen Suggs was the high school football and basketball player of the year in Minnesota. He was a phenomenal quarterback. Absolute freak athlete offers to Ohio State, Georgia, Bama. I mean, could have gone anywhere in the country if he would have chose basketball.

His teammate, high school teammate, this like basically Kevin Durant, but he's white in Minnesota, is also going to Gonzaga next year. His name's like Chet. It's just incredible. I was at dinner. The G League, one of the best players in the country, Jalen Green. He's here for the G. League, because they paid him $500,000 to skip college.

I don't, Google his highlights. He's an incredible athlete. He's like 6-6. He's like Russell Westbrook. He can dunk, but he's a better shooter. Just a freak. And I met up with this guy who's associated with the G-League team, and we were just talking.

He's like, bro, I've seen all these cats. Obviously, Jalen, Suggs, this guy next year that's going to Gonzaga. Again, he's like seven feet white guy, shooter. but can dunk, he's like Kevin Durant in high school, it's just, it's stupid, his Google his highlights, Chet's something. It's crazy, Gonzaga is a powerhouse right now. It's cool to see.

And for a West Coast guy, I never claim them. I've been thinking a lot about this. Like, we claim all the schools when they're doing well out here, like Oregon football's doing well, UCLA hoops. We never claim Gonzaga. Like, Gonzaga's ours out here. Okay, Trent, love the pod. I live in Baltimore, but I've been a Titans fan since high school.

I'd like you to look into something if possible. Am I crazy to say that our GM just isn't that good? It seems like after Malarkey firing, we've lost all of our first round picks he's drafted, spent millions on free agent bus, Lewis, Clowny, Beasley, and Wake, let Conklin go, but kept the dory only to cut him before his $10 million option is due.

And yes, we've had winning records since he's been hired, but here's the kicker. It's because of the Andrew Luck retirement. Every year he was the star, we've been swept. Easy turning 9 and 7 to 7 and 9. What are your thoughts? You know, I'm biased on this one.

I know John, he's actually been on this podcast a couple years ago when I went out to a bachelor party in Tennessee. I made it a week trip so I could write that bad boy off and I went to his office and I went to a practice. You deserve credit for hiring Mike Vrable. He fired Malarkey and went out and landed Vrable. And Vrable, to me, is clearly the best young defensive coach in the league. Like Robert Sala hopes to be that good.

I'm with you. Andrew Luck retiring helped, but he also got Ryan Tannyhill. Like Marieto wasn't his guy, and he wasn't good enough. So what did he do? He went out and traded for Tanyhill or sign him? Do you trade for him or sign him? I think he traded for him.

Did they sign him to a contract? Like, you've been in the playoffs twice, Ryan Tannhill is your starter. He drafted Derek Henry, who's one of the best players in the league. You deserve credit for that. He drafted A.J. Brown in the second round. Like, I get what you're saying,

but I do think you're nitpicking a little bit. the team has been good. I mean, last year, they hosted a playoff game. They won the division. Two years ago, they went to the AFC championship game. Beat the Patriots?

Who else they beat? And the Ravens? That's a good little run. My name is Connor. Longtime listener, first time messenger. Found you on Collins' feed. College student in Vegas, but was raised a Bay Area fan.

Niners, Giants, Warriors, Sharks. Also, much of my family went to Cal Poly. My question for you is for the love of God, why is no one talking about Justin Fields at number three? It seems like all the big heads can talk about is the interest Niners have in Mac Jones. Have you heard any explicit interest for Jones from the Niners organization outside of Kyle and John attending Max Pro Day? The answer is no. Justin Fields seems like the obvious choice in number three if the Jets take Zach Wilson.

Kyle also said himself, you pick the stronger, faster guy head to head. something would seriously bother me as a fan knowing they gave the number three the three number ones to move up to get Mac Jones. Not to mention he would sit the bench for a year anyways. According to what Kyle said at the press conference, I hope that common sense prevails and the Niners have just been trying to keep a low profile about their interest in fields. I completely agree. Also, could we be talking about John being in the hot seat if a year from now this doesn't pan out? I believe Kyle has a little more slack in the situation since he's just the coach and his offense has seemed to work as well, given the credit,

he's had a healthy starting quarterback. Yeah, I mean, John Lynch is never in charge. I like John. I have nothing but respect for John. John's a high-level guy. Kyle Shanahan is the boss. On the hierarchy of the 49ers, Kyle Shanahan's at the top of the pyramid. He makes every decision.

It's ultimately his decision. Now, John Lynch tries to influence those decisions, but he's not the boss. So if this fails, this is on Kyle Shanahan. This is Kyle Shanahan's defining move. as a young coach. Now he's so young, if this fails, and as someone who's built the business around the 49ers, I pray to God, not only does it not fail, I hope he turns this team into a dynasty. But I'm biased. I want a profit. But I'm also been realistic. This might not work. For every Patrick Mahomes, there's James Winston's, Marcus Marriott's, hell, Carson Wences, and Jared

Gough's. Now, I take Carson Wins and Jared Gough, that means you get to another Super Bowl, but you know what I'm saying. If this does not work, is 100, let me repeat, 100% on Kyle Shanahan. I can't put any of it on John Lynch. Something that deserves a shot out on ham or three and out. We talk about John Wood, Nick Saban, and Belichick as the best coach is ever. Gino Oriama at Yukon has been a 14 straight final fours. I don't even follow basketball.

That's insane. No question about it. Gino Oriema is an elite coach. Gino Oriama could coach the guys or the girls. He's big time. Like, he's just a stud. Now, in women's college basketball, you know, there are less elite players than even in college basketball. And he typically gets the best.

As someone texted me the other day, actually Mike, the producer of his pod, was like, bro, I had Yukon on the background. You should see this freshman chick they have. She's dominant. Like, he usually gets those. Just like Pat did forever at Tennessee. Like, if you get the Candace Parker every year, your team's going to be fucking good. you know there are only so many

like in college in men's they're probably again this feels like I'm talking out of my ass here but

way more at least you know double the amount of true impact people right like how many

elite women's college basketball players are coming out every year it doesn't feel like the same amount as men's

and in men's there aren't that many but he's good I mean he's no doubt about it it seems like the chiefs have made

some big swing and free agency and come up short. The only one that really bothered me was losing out on the big time tackle. That being said, here's a thing, though. Trent Williams didn't want to go there. He wanted to stay with the Niners. He just wanted his money.

So the Chiefs tried. They did everything humanly possible. Like, if your side girl want you to come merrier, but ultimately you want to stay with your wife, like you can stay with your wife. And that's kind of what Trent Williams did. Now, his side girl's really good looking.

You could argue better looking than his wife because the Niners, he played one season, they won six games, the Chiefs just went to the Super Bowl. So I wouldn't have blamed him if he would have left. But clearly he has a soft spot for Kyle, for Kyle. I mean, it's really that simple. That being said, it seemed like the Patriots a few years back were able to swing players on discounts to go get a ring,

and the Chiefs are in the mix every year going forward with Mahomes. So what gives with the Chiefs, when they have a class organization great? I just think it's hard, you know? I mean, they're on the right guys. You just, I don't know what to say. You know, the Patriots were not getting Trent Williams. They were getting guys who were a distressed asset, meaning we're in shambles, and they could buy low.

The only elite player they ever got that they also paid a premium was Gilmore. And they made them the highest pay corn in the league. Every other player, it was like, Revis, one-year deal. You know, all their type players were just kind of in and out. Not all of them worked. So I do not think The Trent Williams comparable to anything

The Patriots never got a Trent Williams Beside Gilmore when he was a free agent And they just gave him the highest contract He wanted to leave the bills My biggest dream is to work in the NFL And I'm going through internships and programs To help me get there Any way you can connect me to scouts

Or just give me tips to make my way there And beyond would be beyond helpful Well when I got involved in football I didn't know anybody my cousin Kenny was a long snapper for Fresno State. That's, I kind of went one day to Fresno State and I got involved. But when I worked at Fresno State, before that, I sent out basically letters and called every NFL franchise.

And basically was offered like marketing internships. And I did one. My senior year in college at Cal Poly, I went to the Kansas City Chiefs when Herm Edwards was there. I had an unpaid internship for three months in the marketing advertising department. At night, I remember sneaking up to Herm Edwards guy, and I introduced myself to his right-hand guy. And, you know, he just kind of helped put me on the right path.

Then I started reaching out. I got denied a bunch of graduate assistant jobs at Stanford at UCLA. In Fresno State, I was lucky enough to get my in as a assistant recruiting coordinator. And then through there, I got to meet scouts and I did everything possible to network. You just have to find a way to get in front of people. I didn't know one NFL person. The first time I ever went to an NFL game

was when I worked in the NFL. If I can pull it off, my dad was a farmer. My mom was a secretary at the capital in Sacramento. No one in football. Beside again, my cousin who was a long snapper at Fresnel State. And I got lucky that they needed a GA job. I don't know what I would have done. Probably be selling insurance somewhere.

I'd probably be like unemployed. I'd probably, who knows? I might be digging ditches. As an Eagles fan, Eagles Nation was a, and is up in arms about trading out of the sixth spot. After whiffing and missing on the skill positions, we were locked in on getting chase or pits. As someone who knows how our organization operates,

can you tell us what the Eagles are thinking? It's really simple. Five quarterbacks are going to go in the top ten. So if you're at six and you're not taking a quarterback, which they weren't, you get to 12, you're going to get a top six or seven player in this draft. A skill position, they need lines. They need a pass rusher. They need more offensive linemen.

They do not need skill guys. You can find skill guys historically in that organization. Deshawn Jackson, second round. Jeremy Macklin, I think was pick 18. Shady McCoy, second round. Selleck, fifth round. Ertz, second round. You don't need to take guys in the top 10.

We're not going to take Kyle Pitts at pick six. It's not how he operates. They also got a first-round pick out of it. So what if I tell you they get one of the top Offensive linemen in this draft, or defensive lineman? Let's say Micah Parsons, the sweet linebacker from Penn State. They got an extra first-round pick. So you get a sweet player at 12.

You still have your good second-round pick, and then you get next year's the Miami Dolphins' first-round pick. So next year, if Wents is good, you have three first-round picks. For a team that wasn't going to be that good, you're kind of resetting the franchise. I like it. You and Colin talk about how the league wants

the big names in the NFL to succeed because of the fan base. This seems counterproductive to me. Doesn't it make sense to throw the smaller guys a bone and help grow the fan base, i.e. bringing in more fans and more money? Example. The Arizona Cardinals were unwatchable

until Kurt Warner took them to the Super Bowl. Now the fan base has grown. They have become a must watch. I agree. if you get Kurt Warner or Carson Palmer I'll put the Cardinals on five times a year on prime time if you have a shitty team with Josh Rosen

you ain't getting prime time it's very simple if you're good or bad Dallas Cowboys the Giants some of the big markets are going to get shown they just have a large fan base the New York Giants have more fans probably than the Cardinals the Jags

and like the Titans combined right just it's just based on numbers of people in history that's not i'm not taking shots but when your team is good like the colts were nothing most of my life they get paid manning they became a household brand and now their fan base is big because they went from peat manning their fan base is huge but they won for two decades right so if you win you get shown and then your fan base grows but some of these fan bases are just built-in massive, just have enormous amounts of people. So if like the 49ers are good and the Cardinals are good and they're both playing two separate teams, if I'm the league that week, I'd rather have the Niners in prime time than the Cardinals.

Because the Niners just have more fans. Now if the Niners suck and the Cardinals are good, the Niners don't get shown, even though they have more fans than the Cardinals and the Cardinals do. I think the NFL does a really good job of that. if you're good, you play in prime time. And they flex you. So I actually disagree with that. I think the NFL is kind of very equitable in terms of being unbiased.

You just got to win. If you win, you get shown. You know, it really is that simple. If the Vikings are a 15 or 16 win team, they will get more eyeballs than the Packers if they're a 7 win team. But they'll just get shown in more big time games. just the way the league operates. But they are a business,

and they do make their money based on how many people watch these games. It's why all these networks give all this money. So when you get $113 billion from somebody, you've got to do what they want a little bit. So if CBS wants to show the Steelers more than the Titans, like you just, you got to play the game, right? Part of this is business.

You got to work together. So this is partly the league and also their partners. It's a big reason why Monday night football now is flex scheduling Because ESPN and ABC were like, Why are we paying you all this money and you're giving us the worst games? I'm like, okay, we'll play, so what did they do? They placated. They gave them better games the last couple years.

They now flex the end of the season. It's a give and take. Like the NFL is king, but they still answer, like they still need the networks, right? They need their money. That is the lifeblood of their business. So if I need your money, even if what I have is more important than what you have, even though I think the networks will say, we're pretty important too. We're going to listen

to some of the things you say. And it's why CBS, ABC, NBC, they have a lot of influence. You know, it's just, let's not be naive about this. It's a team effort. I'm a lifetime Bronco fan and I'm tired of them getting crushed. They're not good right now, but they are a top five franchise. You're very proud. They've been to eight Super Bowls. They're bad because they lost bowling, a half, a Hall of Fame owner. Do you know what they're the status is. His kids were fighting over the team for a while and I heard they were going to sell. We need another bowling. It really is powerful when you have a great owner. When you have a great owner, your franchise is never down long. Completely honest, I don't know much about the ownership

besides reading headlines every once a while. We're going through courts and clearly Elway kind of basically taking a step back, putting the new GM in place. No, I think it's, it's It's up in the air. If the Denver Broncos get sold and just go to the open market, I think they would fetch $3.5.4 billion. Denver, one of the America's best cities. Like you said, I mean, they are an elite franchise in an elite division. You got the Chiefs, you got the L.A. market.

You got the Vegas market. So you got Mahomes, Vegas and L.A. That's a badass in a ton of history with all four teams. Yeah. I mean, I think if that, if I had $5 billion and that team became open, I would put $5 billion on it. That's a lot. But I would love to live in like Cherry Hills, play golf with Peyton, eat at Elway Steakhouse, snow ski in the winter, watch football, play some golf in the summer.

I'd like to be the president, not even the GM. I think their GM that George Peyton guy's pretty good. Just let him make all the moves. I just chime in, come to the draft. I'd be on the golf course. just text him some of my ideas every once in a while. I'd let him run the show. I'd be a great owner.

I'd be a great... We need an athletic quarterback. I'd be done with True Locke. I'd just tell him, go land me an elite dude. You have one job. Go land me an elite dude. I like Fangio. I would sit down with Vic and I'd say this.

I think you're the best defensive coordinator in the league. What I want to do is I want to go hot fine to Sean McVey at Kyle Shanahan, and I want to make you the defensive coordinator. He wouldn't like that. He might be very angry. But I'd pay him a premium. I say, Vic, I'm a billionaire. I'll pay you how much you're making right now.

I'll just pay you whatever you're making as the head coach. $5 million? That's what we'll pay you as a defensive coordinator. I just want a young hot shot head coach. My offensive play goaler. I want you to run the defense and I'll pay you a premium. Keen life, you just pay people premium, they'll be happy. Vic, Vick, though, I don't know.

He ain't driven by money. He would not be happy. John, with the quarterback price tags going up, Mahomes, DAC, and teams having to pay big soon, Cleveland, Buffalo, Baltimore. Where do you see this going? You like my acting voice? Teams are committed big chunks of cap to one player potentially hurting the team. Why don't they just draw a line and say, we can't pay Baker-Mayfield $35 million, or Lamar Jackson $40 million? I understand the cap will rise, but we don't know paying so much for one position limits the team's ability at some point.

Thus, we see teams trying to win with quarterbacks on friendly deals. I understand the league can't collude against player pay, but it just seems like it's a vicious cycle. Why, you even have an elite quarterback. Well, because if you have Mahomes, Russell Wilson, or Aaron Rogers, you win every year. The key is, here's the key. Don't pay a guy who's not an elite guy.

If Josh Allen plays like he did last year for the next five years, he'll be worth every penny what they give him. Lamar Jackson. To me, that's a question mark. What does Lamar Jackson, Lamar makes like $2 million. Lamar wasn't the fifth overall pick. He was the 32nd. Lamar doesn't make much money.

Think how they've been able to stack their team. I'm going to pull up Lamar Jackson's contract as I'm speaking. I bet there's a decent chance his cap hit this year is like $1.2 million. Like, it's pretty easy when that's the case. What happens when Lamar makes his cap hits $35 or $40 million? Like, and you can't stack the team with linemen and running backs. It becomes a little more difficult. Here's some food for thought.

Lamar Jackson, 2019. Cap it, $2 million. Cap it last year, $2.5 million. Cap hit this year. Gone up, $3 million. They pay them in actual cash, $1.7 million. Lamar Jackson last year,

once Mahomes got extended, and because Josh Allen still makes way more money than he does because he was the seventh pick of the draft, was easily the best contract in the league. having a pro bowl level quarterback making under $1.5 million.

How do you beat that? I don't know what you can do. You just got to pay the elite guys. If you're not a top five quarterback, I can't pay you $40 million. And I know, like, Middilkov, what are you going to do then?

I don't know. I'll franchise or something, but I can't give, I can't give the huge contract to a guy who's not a top, maybe seven guy, but I can't have my guy making $30 million.

and looks like Jared Goff. Makes me want to puke, even thinking about it. Like, that's a disaster. Carson Wentz last year. Playing like that, with that type salary, disaster. You need your guide to play with Patrick Mahomes. You need your guy to play with Russell Wilson.

If they don't, and they're making $30, $30, $40 million, now, Dak. If Dak is not a lock NFC Pro Bowler, it's a problem. The Cowboys are in trouble. Period, point, blank, end of story. If Dak's elite, they'll be okay. If he's not, they got issues.

Appreciate everyone listening. Have a great week. Talk to you guys soon. Peace. If you love to be remembered as the person who gives the best birthday gifts, I'm here to tell you that 1-800flowers.com is your ultimate birthday gifting destination. 1-800 flowers has thoughtful and artfully created options

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