The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 3 and Out -  Rodgers vs. Payton, Taylor Trade Talk, Parsons Pay Day, Camp Headlines

Episode Date: July 31, 2023

John reacts to Aaron Rodgers publicly pushing back against Sean Payton’s Nathaniel Hackett trash talk, Jonathan Taylor’s trade request following his meeting with owner Jim Irsay, Jerry Jones using Micah Parsons upcoming payday as an excuse not to pay Zach Martin. He also gives his takes on some rapid fire headlines from around NFL training camps. Follow John onTwitter, Instagram and YouTube for the latest. Check out Gametime - the fastest growing ticketing app in the US, and the official ticketing app of 3 & Out and GoLow -  for tickets to all of your favorite NFL, NBA, NHL, NCAA teams. Concert and comedy show tickets, too. Go to Gametime now to create an account, download the app and use code JOHN for $20 off your first purchase. #herd #volumeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

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Hopefully everyone had a good weekend. Enjoyed watching your teams on social media. Help, maybe you went to a training camp. Camps look packed, watched a little NFL network going practice to practice. Always a very, very enjoyable time. By the time you're listening to this, I think. every team in the league will be in pads by Monday. So that is exciting.

We got real football taking place. We also had some real kind of shit talking going back between Aaron Rogers, Sean Payton. We will dive into all that. Ursay and Jerry getting a little yappy as well with some holdouts and some trade demands. Jonathan Taylor, will he be traded? And then we'll kind of just fire around the league some stories that I've seen. Exciting times though. Football is not far away.

I actually looked on the calendar that we got a game on Thursday. We have the Hall of Fame game, which usually is not great, but it's better than nothing. It means football. Real football isn't that far away. So let's talk some ball. The game plan will be podcast today, podcast tomorrow, probably podcast Wednesday. We're just going to keep firing out content because that's what we do, and we've got a lot going on. So we might as well talk about it.

Any other housekeeping, make sure you subscribe to the podcast. We also put it on YouTube as well as I'm wearing a three-and-out, hat, a nice flex fit. If you go to thevolume.com, thevolume.com, you can search the merch and get yourself a hat. I just ordered a bunch to get out to family and friends. So I got my flex fit on right now, which, you know, when you're a bald guy, covers the back of your head if you're outside in the sun. And for those that don't know, Arizona, there's a lot of sun here.

It's very hot. You've got to protect the dome. What I need you to do, though, before we dive into football, go and grab your smartphone, and then go to your app store. and download the GameTime app. The Game Time app is the official ticketing app of this podcast, of this podcast, the official ticketing app of this podcast. I've gone to several games.

Hell, I was texting with a buddy that works for Florida State. He's like, why don't you come out Florida State, LSU, Week 1, Orlando? I'm like, not a terrible idea. And I started looking immediately on GameTime. What I needed to do is download the app and then sign up and use the promo code John. J-O-H-N. You want to go to football games this fall. You want to go to college football games.

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Trying to give back to the people, give you guys a discount, help you out to have some fun. Because sometimes you need to get out of the house and go enjoy yourself. Do it on me with the promo code. promo code John. Let's start with Aaron Rogers.

I talked with Coward last week after the news came out about his pay cut, and we discussed some of that. And then Sean Payton just took a blow torch to his, I would say, to quote Aaron, the best coach he's ever been around in Nathaniel Hackett. And Aaron came out today because the NFL network does this cool thing

where they send people to every camp, and it's fantastic. You just turn on NFL network. You never know what you're going to get. You get McCarthy, you get Tomlin, you get Rogers, just wham-bam.

the NFL knows what they're doing here from a media standpoint. And Rogers obviously blasted Sean Payton, talked a lot of shit. And I think this goes back to the pay cut. And my theory, what I told Coward was part of the reason for this pay cut. And listen, you give $30, $35 million. Doesn't matter how much you're worth. That is an enormous amount of money to give back. But when you factor in his overall worth, it's not going to change his life at all.

I'm not trying to diminish what he did. But I do think it reflects that one knock that the Packers have always had, and Mike Silver, who's covered the league for decades, has always thought that they weren't aggressive enough. And it always is intertwined, well, who's really pulling the trigger here? Right? Gutikins, Murphy, whoever's in charge, but there's not an owner. There's not one singular figure like in every other organization

that you could have a one-on-one talk with as the best player. and that ultimately signs the check. It's a very unique situation. We'll never see it again. I mean, it's never happened before. It's never happening again. But it's not like Rogers didn't benefit financially. He always got paid there.

But I think part of his pushback, and listen, I was never on board with all of his gripes with the Packers. They were consistently successful. They built good teams. But sometimes they just wouldn't buy guys when it felt like they could have. And I think part of this onboarding process with Rogers and the Jets, I'm a believer. I think they're going to be pretty good.

I'm going to pick them to make the playoffs. Depending on how close we get to the season, I might pick them to win the division. Some question marks of the tackle position, but I think defensively they're going to be really good. And as of recording this right now, Dalvin Cook was at training camp, and today on the sideline,

and last I read he's taking a physical. Wouldn't shock me if by the time you're listening to this, he's a member of the Jets. And I think that's a reflection of what this guy has been looking for. I want to be treated like Brady, once he got to the bucks. What can we do for you? And they're doing that.

And I think he can have a one-on-one conversation with, say whatever you want about Woody Johnson, got a lot of coin and can talk to Rogers like, listen, I will do X, Y, and Z with this money. Like, we will reinvest it into players. And this onboarding process, as they say in the tech industry, I think Rogers at a front row seat. One to Sala, to Joe Douglas,

to the guys on the team, just the operation. and I think he feels really, really good about where they're at. Now, in a vacuum, the comment sticking up for his guy, of course he does. That's the way sports work. When you're on a team or when you're in a family, you stick up for your people. So when Sean Payton, who we will dive into in a second, just destroys his boy, of course Rogers is going to shoot back with a comment like being insecure, keep my coach's name out of your mouth. But I also think it's a reflection that he's kind of all.

in. And that's been the major question mark with Rogers for the last couple years. Like, is he all in? Even when he was playing well, it's like, God, this is kind of weird. Ultimately, it led to Devante Adams, or at least it felt like it influenced some of that decisions of Devonte being like, I'm out. Now, Packer fans might push back, say they low balled them, whatever. But I think this is, when you get into a good headspace with a professional or personal move, it's very, very powerful. And sometimes for the Jet's standpoint, when he starts giving back $30, $35 million,

which ultimately that money means nothing to them, they just can reallocate it into other players. And to me, that is like, there's a lot of conversation I see on the interweb of like, Patrick Mahomes is really getting screwed. Seventh highest paid quarterback. That's a Florio pounding the table. Like, owners are getting really rich.

So is Mahomes. Mahomes is going cha-ching every year. He is much more valuable as a commodity on the open market with the marketing because he's winning. Guess what in America we like? Winners. Steph Curry, Tom Brady, Tiger Woods, Mahomes, right? No one cares about James Hardin besides basketball Twitter. And he makes a lot of money on the court, but he's not the most marketable individual.

Why? View him as a loser. Mahomes, viewed as a loser. a winner. Rogers. He is a winner. He's had a ton of success, but when it comes to the playoffs, it's left a little something to be desired. And the margins in the playoffs are very, very small. And there's no guarantee that Robert Sala can outcoach an Andy Reid, hell, a Doug Peterson, a Sean McDermott when it matters. We have to see him be Belichick, right? But once you get Rogers, who's mentally all in, and assuming physically last year is somewhat of an outlier, and

Garrett Wilson's battling an ankle injury. I mean, it's July 30th. We got a long time. The talent on their team, really, not just this year, but the next couple years, there's a chance they could be better in two years, right? And I know Rogers is historically, once you get 39, 40 years old, we would never be talking about this or like this with a player. But I do think Tom Brady changed the way I know that I look at it a lot,

is that I no longer look at 39 or 40 of like, God, is guys hanging on for doing it. life. I go, God, you look at some of these pictures. Now, physically, his face looks a little old. The gray in his beard, really thin, kind of his face is thinner than he used to be. But I don't see why if he can't stay healthy that he can't play at an MVP level over the next, you know, 24 months and multiple football seasons and put this team in a position to, as crazy to say, win it all. I mean, that's what the Packers had become a threat. Now, they didn't do it, but it always felt like they were right there, especially those two years when he was

was win the MVP. I mean, I picked him two years ago. I was like, they're doing it. And then they lose the fucking 49ers in the second round of the playoffs. I mean, they hosted Tampa in 2020. I guess it would have been January of 2021. And he just, he's been a little underwhelming in some of those moments. And part of that has been, I've always said this about Green Bay. Like, their two greatest assets over the last 30 years have been passing quarterbacks. And yet once they get to the playoffs, the frozen tundra, it's hard to pass. the ball. And I'm New York and all these teams, you know, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Kansas City. The AFC is a cold weather conference when it comes to the playoffs, which is not always the case in the

NFC, right? The 49ers, Dallas is inside. The Rams are inside. You know, Philly's outside, but, you know, Philly, New York is not Green Bay, Frozen Tundra in January, as we have seen time and time again. So I'm fascinated by this Rogers experiment. I think this whole thing reflects that he's really, really happy, not just with his decision, but just the entire situation. I'm bullish on the Jets. Sean Payton, I say it all the time. One thing we need more in society is just honesty, just more people saying what is actually happening. It's one thing to just talk shit to talk shit when it's like, that's not even true. There's another thing when it's just obvious.

We're all talking about it, but you're not allowed to say it. We see it all the time in politics. Like there were certain things in 2020 and 2021, you were just not allowed to say. We're just openly talking about it now in 2023. Last year with the Denver Broncos, no different than a year before with the Jacksonville Jags, their head coaches did not only were one and done. they did not make it through the season. It was an objective, laughing stock, failure, embarrassment, both franchises and back-to-back

years. Urban Meyer, who is much more famous than Nathaniel Hackett, was more of a polarizing story because he was so successful as a head coach in college. But they were very, very similar past. Yet when it came to Urban Meyer and the Jags, everyone, coaches, media, you name it, openly mocked, made fun of. And just stated reality. Like, God, that couldn't have gone much worse.

We all witnessed last year with the Denver Broncos. Remember, coming into the season, and I was guilty of this too, is like, is the AFC West the best division on paper we've ever seen? We were all pounding the table. Like, this division is insane, right? The Raiders get Devonte Adams. Just like, they're going to be good. Obviously, everything that happened with Denver getting Russell Wilson.

We already knew the chiefs were a powerhouse and the chargers were kind of up and coming. yet that was not the case. Raiders were a joke. Denver was even worse, and the Chiefs won the Super Bowl, but we were expecting four teams. Like, could all four teams make the playoffs? And that wasn't the case. So when Sean Payton basically just takes a blow torch to what happened, I don't understand why he has to walk it back. And I understand, like, and I've said this before about Ryan Poles with the Bears. One, he's a first time GM. And when he first gets the job, he basically says, like the NFC, is going to come through Chicago again. It's like, well, what's the point of that?

One, you don't control much as a GM relative to a coach. And two, like, there's a lot of things on the other teams that are out of your control. At the time, Rogers was in the peak of his powers. Who knows? And then he signs a contract extension. He could have been there forever. Like, you just, let's just walk before we run. But when you get a guy like Sean Payton, who is cut from the Bill Parcell's mold,

he just sees what he sees. and then he relays it out of his mouth, like all of us do about everything. And I've always struggled. This is why I'm so anti-hard knocks is because, listen, I text with a coach yesterday, talking a bunch of shit about a bunch of guys. The way coaches and executives talk when the cameras are off them

is completely different than when the cameras are on them. Now, I understand after a terrible week of practice in training camp from a second round rookie, It does not behoove you to just come out and destroy the guy's career. He's young, just let things play out. There is a time and a place for some things, right? When it comes to previous facts of what happened with Denver, I have no problem with anything Sean Payton said.

It was an embarrassment. My number one takeaway from those comments were, and I thought after the draft that George Payton would have been removed of his duties, He's like, it's kind of a reflection on you. Now, other people have said he's just kind of setting the tone for the organization, putting it all on him. As Aaron Rogers said, he's basically being insecure because he knows if it goes shitty, that they can just blame it on someone else.

I think there's a lot of different angles to it. But what he actually said was not incorrect. And I've said this last year about Russell Wilson and the special office. It's like Pete Manning at a special office. Drew Brees had an office. having an office is not uncommon when it comes to quarterbacks. What's uncommon when it comes to quarterbacks is your teammates like you? Do they think you're a weirdo?

Because when they think you're a weirdo, that's usually a red flag. You new teammates don't think is a weirdo? Mahomes, Josh Allen, Herbert, Lamar Jackson, right? Think of the top, all the top young quarterbacks. They're well-liked. Tom Brady forever. Peyton Manning was well-liked, even though he could be a hard ass on his teammates. clearly Rogers has done a lot to just kind of resonate with the team and the squad.

They seem to really like them. So part of being a quarterback when things change on you is when people don't like you, they're more likely to kind of throw you over the bus or throw you under the bus, excuse me, and have the bus go over you. And the thing got really weird. And that's all Sean Payton was stating. I hated that he walked it back and basically said that he felt like he was putting on his fox hat.

You know, you were just being a normal person. The reason you had success in your short stint in the media is because you could just be honest, the way we all talk. And us people that watch a game on the couch don't talk that much differently than a coach or an exec. They just have decision-making power on the team. But they say the same shit. You can't hide anything in football.

The eye in the sky does not lie. You are what your record says you are. Right? This is, it's the, it's the most bottom line business of any of them. Because I say this all the time about most private sector industries. Like, you can make a ton of money. You could make a million dollars in revenue, a hundred million dollars in revenue, a billion dollars in revenue. It can always grow. It can always be more. You can always, like it's not, there's not like a tangible number besides like earnings based on the quarters when it comes to public companies that it doesn't truly matter. Like you can have. success, but you could always have more success. Like in football, it doesn't matter whether you score 80 points a game or 10 points a game. Did you win the game? What was your record at the end of the season? Did you go to the playoffs? It's very, you know, there is no gray area when it comes to sports. It's why I think it resonates so much with so many people. Most of our lives, like I had, let's say, 100,000 people listened to the last podcast. What, could have been 90

or could have been 105. What actually does it change that much? But when the Denver Broncos play week five against the Jets, they're either going to win or they're going to lose, right? They can score 50 points or they can score 10 points. The only thing that's going to matter when the death settles, like, who wins the game and who loses the game? And let's face it, they've added some more juice.

I say this all the time about the NFL. One thing the NBA has lost a lot of people, right, they have a lot of drama. There's always people requesting trades. there's always coaches getting fired. There's always a lot of shit that really works on like Twitter and social media. That's why Woj is so big because it's perfect for that type stuff. Yet when we get to the games for six months of the year, the regular season,

the coaches, the GMs, and the players have told us the consumer, we don't really care. Well, if you guys don't really care, why are we going to care? Newsflash, we don't. The ratings are really low in the regular season now. for the most part, right? Because no one really cares. Not us the consumer, not them, the players, or the organizations.

It just doesn't matter. Yet in football, one point, and I say this all the time in baseball, I'm recording this on Sunday. Every team in Major League Baseball is playing today. There's not one game the day that will matter. Not one, because there was a game yesterday, and there'll be a game tomorrow, and there'll be a game the next day. Like, if you lose the day, whatever, go win tomorrow.

Right? It's like, this is game after game after game. Yet in football, not only does every game matter, every game when it comes to players and coaches means everything. You only get a small number of them. And we always know they try, right? When you go to the stadium, if you're a season ticket holder, if you go to one game a year, you know for a fact, if Josh Allen, if Patrick Mahomes or Joe Burrough, you name the player, Aaron Donald, whatever team you're going to see, if that guy can physically run and move, he's playing. And not only is he going to play, he'll give it everything he has. That's all you can ask

is a consumer. And that's what we get out of football. While we get kind of the NBA level off the court, off the field level drama, Sean Payton, Aaron Rogers, one of the most famous coaches, I think the highest paid or one of the highest paid coaches now, and easily one of the most famous quarterbacks are just openly talking shit back and forth. Love it. We need more of that, need more authenticity out of these guys. Say what you think. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque.

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

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Let's get to Jim Ursay and Jerry Jones. Jim Ursay, let's start with him. And just overall, I don't think it's great business. As I just said, I'm all for saying what you think. And right now, if you talk to GMs and coaches off the record, they would tell you the reason we're not paying running backs is because we can think we can find them pretty easily. It's supply, demand.

basic economics. The other thing is like, just pay them more. If you're listening to this right now and you're looking for a home, would you pay $1.5 million for a home that had an exact comp a month ago sell for $900,000? Of course not, right? Football contracts are all based on comps. And your comps are your positions. The reason quarterbacks keep making more or safe keep making more or wide receivers or any other positions is because it's based on the previous contract for that position. When it comes to running backs, one, I would say the last four or five years hasn't exactly been the greatest era of running backs. This isn't exactly Marshall Falk, L.T. and Adrian Peterson walking through this door. Good players. Derek Henry, awesome little run.

McCaffrey looked like a star before he got injured. But there was a little period for two or three years where it just felt like it slowed down. While all the other positions, every year or every other year, it felt like improving at those positions. And there are a lot of different variables, a lot of factors. College isn't producing as many. But it's just based on the comps in the league.

And right now the comps in the league speak for themselves. This isn't some collusion of teams not wanting to pay these players. If you want to extend a running back, the cost is the cost. $11, $12 million. But why would I extend the player? I said this the other day about safeties. And someone came back to me like, Derwin James makes $20 million a year.

One, he got, I think, a little over $40 million guaranteed. And two, Derwin James went healthy is dramatically better than basically every safety in the league beside, I don't know, Minga Fitzpatrick, right? I mean, it's a very, very small list. He is a guy that every team in the league would want because he does everything. and he makes whatever $19, $20 million a year. But to me, I always say this. The average per year is a little overrated.

What guaranteed money are you getting? What guaranteed dollars? And when you look at the safeties, for example, the overwhelming majority are between $25 and $35 million guaranteed, which is nothing in this day and age. When you look at Devante Adams and Tyree Kill, like those guys are over 70. When you look at what Bosa is about to get,

and then Michael Parsons is going to get and Joey Bosa got, we're talking about Miles Garrett. We're talking $100 plus million. dollars. The guarantee, because when you can make nine, 15, 20 million dollars a year, when you have no more guaranteed, this is Zach Martin's issue, you can just get rid of me at any time. I have no, I don't actually have job security. As we see in the NFL, job security is based on guaranteed dollars. Because if you don't have the guarantee dollars, you can cut me, throw me to the side and just move on. And so Jim Mersey right now, but back to the owners. One just,

Before we dive in specifically to Jim Mersey, I don't think it's productive to have your owners talking about contract situations. I know technically Jerry is the GM, but ultimately he's the guy that signs the check. You have Will McVeigh, I think his name is, and McCarthy. Like when it comes to your football team, once the season starts, just let them do it. Now, that's not Jerry's deal.

He talks all the time. And Jim Mersey does too. And I think it can make business very difficult. Like, would it help the 49ers if, Jed York just tweeted like, yeah, we think Nick's asking for a little much. We know he's an all-time great player and we definitely are not going to trade them and we are willing to pay them, but we kind of have a number in mind. That would just create a controversy and a story that doesn't need to be had.

So when Jim, Ursay, one, like, Jim clearly has some demons in his life. I mean, just several years ago, he was caught with pills and a bunch of cash. And sometimes when you hear him talk, you're like, is this guy back on the sauce? Listen, we all deal with different things. I'm not trying to shit on the guy. But I would say Jim Ursay doesn't feel like the most stable individual all the time. So yesterday, when it was reported that Jonathan Taylor, who is demanded a trade, we'll get into in a second, but a high character, really, really good player going into year four of this professional career.

Was not a first round pick. So this is technically the last year of his deal. They don't have a fifth year option to pick up and wants to get paid. The problem is he wants $16 million, like we said, contracts are all based on comps. Who are we comparing like $16 million based on what? Some just arbitrary number. That's not the way it works. So Ursa had snap back on social media, saying basically there was a CBA negotiated.

Now these running backs and their agents are kind of going rogue. They're operating in bad faith. So then Jonathan Taylor, who wants the contract, goes to Ursay, which I can't even imagine being Chris Ballard or being a member on the coaching staff, knowing that a guy that's very, very important to this team's success is walking into that guy's office. Here's the other variable on the team. They have a young quarterback who I'm sure you probably saw the throw that he made on the run across his body go viral.

Part of the reason he was drafted number four overall based on his limited college success, very, very talented guy. He's also a rookie. And there's a lot of moving part. as a rookie. So to have this going on with a guy that in theory should help him out a lot is not ideal. Like this is a little bit of a chaotic situation. And I would say post-Paeton Manning, they have been just kind of very chaotic despite having some success. And I think one common theme with the chaos and indie is Ursa. And I don't even disagree with Ursay. Like Jonathan,

we're not paying you $16 million a year. We're also not trading you because he came out and said, we're not trading you. But when he says that if Jonathan Taylor disappeared from the league and I died, no one would notice, he's not even wrong. If Jonathan Taylor never played another snap, besides Colts fans, like most people wouldn't notice. The league would go on. Hell, the Colts might have some random undrafted free agent run for 1,200 yards. Welcome to football. The problem is him dealing with this situation is just not needed. There's a reason you pay a GM $5 million. There's a reason you pay a coach, eight to 15 million. This is why you pay them.

When you start meddling, when you start micromanaging these situations, you just make it worse. These scenarios, especially with running backs, emotions are really high. And anytime emotions are really high when it comes to business, what's the number one thing they tell you about business? Remove the emotion. Isn't that something Uncle Colin has said for a decade plus? Take the emotion out of it.

Take a deep breath. That's the way you're supposed to do business. Now, I understand it's easier said than done when the business is yourself, right? Hell, I'm in business. I'm the business, right? I mean, this is, so it is a little more emotional. It's not like some company that's just producing widgets and you don't actually have, like, there's an assembly line.

That's not the way this works. Jonathan Taylor is a human. He thinks he's undervalued. He knows the team needs him for them to have success. But to me, Urs is just making it worse. even if factually and objectively he's not totally wrong about a lot of the things that he's saying. But him, he's almost like throwing kerosene on the fire and making it more difficult for his rookie quarterback, chaos, rookie coach, chaos. Ballard's seen it all, but how are you supposed to do business in this

environment? And this is why he clearly, it feels like post-Paeton Manning got like cocky, the wrong word, more arrogant, just more his self-worth in terms of the organization has for whatever reason gone up and thinks that he needs to dabble in things that he probably shouldn't be dabbling it. Now to Jerry Jones. Jerry Jones, who just, he's a trip, man. He's funny.

You can see clips of Jerry all over the internet. You got like the keys to the city or some trophy from the Oxnard governor. or mayor because the Cowboys they don't do training camp in Texas they come out

to Southern California which is genius gross fan base and Jerry held it up pretended it was the Lombardi trophy started kissing it I mean it was funny

it made me laugh I'm not gonna lie and part of Jerry and part of Ursa ultimately football is a reality television show and it happens to be the number one television show

in America right now so having these different characters does make the entire thing more entertaining. But if you are a cowboy fan or if you are a Colts fan, I understand being somewhat frustrated with always feeling you're fighting an uphill battle when in theory, you know, the Cowboys are having a lot of success. And Jerry Jones said yesterday, basically, they can't pay Zach Martin, who's one of the better players, I would say of the Cowboys over the last 20 years, DeMarcus Ware, Des Bryant, Tony Romo. I mean, he's on the short list of Zik had a couple

year stretch, but an elite player, Hall of Fame level player. He's a better player in Zieg because he's done it longer. But basically he said, we're not paying him. We've paid him a shit load over his career. From the moment he got here to the extensions, he's not getting a race. The contract is the contract. Then he kind of

added on at the end, we need that money to pay Micah Parsons, which Michael Parsons does not get paid this year. So it's a little weird. You wouldn't think, I guess technically contract eligible, because this is his third C. He's, or I mean, is he going into his fourth season? Last year was a second.

No, he's going into his third season. So he's not even contract. He's not eligible for a contract extension. So he was 2021, 2021. Yeah, so he's going into his third season. So he's not even contract eligible until 2024 next year's season. I'm sure he'll get broken off in the off season. But here's the thing.

Like, why do you even need to talk? Because clearly you're having discussions and Jerry admitted to off the field. Like they are talking. You just piss these guys off. because like I said, you can remove the emotion, but the players are their business, so it becomes very emotional. And now you're saying, we're not going to give you, it's one thing, because Zach Martin's heard this. Jerry clearly has told his agent, Jerry is, I'm sure, or Mike reiterated this to him personally and specifically. But when you say this publicly, that now you know exactly what they're saying, to me, it makes it, like I said with the Colts, much more chaotic and kind of unnecessary.

And I think sometimes we've talked a lot about the wealth of the owners, the amount of money they've made, the amount in sports like look at baseball, every contract that's signed with a player worth of shit always has opt-outs like the players run it. Basketball, the players are in full control. Football is still a sport where management runs it. And clearly it's the healthiest thing for us, the consumer. But I think sometimes these owners can just, I struggle with this, but just keep your mouth shut. It's just unnecessary. And I do wonder if Jerry just kind of made the situation a little messier unnecessarily. On the Jonathan Taylor trade talk, and this speaks to what Jim Mersey said, like, your market, your market. No one's paying you $60 million guaranteed. no one would pay you $45 million guaranteed.

And when he demands a trade, it's a double whammy. As Jim Ursay said, we're not trading Jonathan Taylor. Not now, not in October, not ever. The problem is what, and I saw a lot of people like social media accounts, what is Jonathan Taylor's market? Doesn't exist? Not because he's not an elite player, but what team is trading a high pick for a running back?

and then extending them. That's the entire thing that we have been discussing, is teams now know that they can get starting running backs in the middle of the draft. What happens when you do that? They're cheap. No one is trading a second round pick, which is arguably the most valuable pick you have

because you get them on a, not just a cost-controlled contract, but a much cheaper contract than a first-round pick, and usually you get a starter, or Jonathan Taylor, and then giving them a huge extension. The reason it happens with Jalen Ramsey or with Khalil Mack or with Devante Adams, those guys play in the league considered premium positions. And that's not the case with a running back.

The last time a running back was traded for a really high pick, it was an utter disaster. Goes by the name of Trent Richardson, which ironically happened to be the Colts. But I don't think he has any market. Not because teams in the league don't think he's good. Not because teams in the league wouldn't want them on their team, right? You don't think putting them on the bills or the chargers or some of these teams that lack a true, like, physical running back between the tackles wouldn't immediately improve themselves. But it's just bad business. So he could demand a trade all he wants.

And if it was another position, I'd say, God, this could get really dicey. Not only regardless of what Jim Mersey said, I just don't think teams around the league would be willing to give them anything of value. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year.

Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me.

Cliver 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 your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life. mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast.

It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Okay, let's fire around the league really quick. The 49ers. Kyle Shanahan said today that Nick Bosa has no clue where they're at. I've said this over and over. The 49ers are pretty consistent with this. They will play hardball when it comes to the last 10-ish million dollars of a contract.

They're not just going to give it away. They're not Jerry Jones when he signs these contracts. They will make you fight for it a little bit. But they'll pay you. He's not going anywhere. He will be paid. but I could see the negotiation getting a little weird for, you know, a week or two. Sam Darnold had an excellent day of practice by all accounts and reports.

I saw Chris Sim say a couple of days ago. Chris Sims, remember, here's a tattoo with Kyle Shanahan. He's the number two quarterback. There aren't competitions going on in San Francisco, regardless what is said. Brock Purdy is the starter. Sam Darnold is the number two. the question is, are the 49ers going to go into week one with a nine to nine and a half million dollar third string quarterback?

Now, Trey Lance, a lot like Jonathan Taylor, there's not really a market. So would they just trade them? They'd have to eat some money for like a six round pick or do they just kind of keep, because he is a really high character guy. They like him a lot. I would imagine and hope he's better than Brandon Allen. But he's a third tree quarterback. Frank Gore, I love when football guys that were retains.

tired from football as a player are just so addicted to the game. They can't stay awake or stay away. And Frank Gore, Luke Keeckley did that. Remember, he had to retire early with all the concussions. Then boom, he went right to work for the Carolina Panthers. You kind of see that with Frank Gore. I mean, the dude just got an itch, played forever as a running back, just refused to quit. And now was just an advisor to the front office. He has aspirations of being a scout, being a GM. Frank Gore's the man. And last on the 49ers is Brandon Ayyuk. He's just kicking ass and taking names of practice. I mean, the guy's a big time player. And I think the 49ers are kind of in a tough situation. The Bengals are going to find themselves in this situation over the next couple of years.

It's really hard to build a good team, regardless of your quarterback situation, when you have two highly paid wide receivers. Now, Jamar Chase is going to make more than T. Higgins, but T. Higgins is going to get paid, right? Just like Brandon Ayuk. Can you have two wide receivers making over 18 to 20 million dollars and one guy making 25 to 30. It's hard to build a team that way. So it does. There was a reason the 49ers picked up his fifth year option the last possible second. They really liked the guy, right? But I do think they thought about trading him, not because they don't want them on their team. This is a business. This is not Madden. This is not fantasy football. You actually have to build a salary cap around 53 guys and make it all work. And when you have

highly paid guys being paid a premium, it can be kind of complicated. A couple tight end stories. Jimmy Graham resigning with the Saints, kind of cool. Hasn't been in the league for a little bit. Not sure what to expect. I'm not necessarily expecting much. But always like when kind of a famous player reunites with a franchise, even if he ends up not making it to week one.

Just cool little story. And one thing to keep an eye on, and people, if you've listened to for a while, know that I'm not the most bullish guy in the New York Giants. I don't know if I'm going to pick him to make the playoffs, right? But if you tell me this guy play 16, 17 games, all reports are that Darren Waller, who they traded for this offseason,

is dominating a train again. When Darren Waller is on the field and he's healthy, he's an elite player. He's uncoverable. He moves like an outside wide receiver, but he's a tight end. And he's like Travis Kelsey. The problem has been the last couple of years is injuries.

And that was before he got paid and after he got paid, he was just not reliable. I saw a headline by the Action Network. Their statistics or analytics have the Raiders, a Jimmy Garoppolo injury away from being the worst team in the league. Like if Jimmy Garoppel is missing on a given week, they're just viewed as a terrible team. It's like, well, Jimmy Garoppel gets hurt a lot.

So get ready. He's going to be injured. Same thing with Darren Waller. It's just hard for me to rely or at least, I would say, project that he's just going to be around. Now, if he is around to go around with Saquan Barclay, I would expect more out of Daniel Jones this year for sure. This story's kind of cool. I love it when the game has changed so much just in general with players, right? All the player podcasts, like they're more relevant than a lot of the local

radio shows on said team, right? Everything. The Kelsey's have just some, Jason Kelsey is just a natural. He has some hilarious stories. He told a story the other day. about a joke that was made by the rookies in the rookie talent show. It was fucking hilarious. I highly recommend just

search their social stuff. It's funny. But some guys are just like building businesses off the field. Most famously, Brady tried to do it with TB12, but then it started getting weird. It was like, are the crafts paying for,

you know, because they owned the building where TB12 was in? It was like, are they circumventing the salary cap by giving them money? the table, which doesn't bother me at all. But Tyler Lockett, who has a real estate company, just that real estate company became the official realtor of the Seattle Seahawks. If you are

in business as a player, you are insane to not try to do direct business with the team that you're associated with. And Floreo wrote this thing, how it's kind of shady. And Tyler Lockett said, we went through all the right channels. I went through the business. We followed all the rules. I'm paying for whatever X number it costs to get this on my organization. I think that's really cool. And any player that has any sort of business in said community where they play would be crazy to not try to do something like this. The Patriots brought in Ezekiel Elliott.

Clearly, they've been sniffing around when it comes to some sort of physical short yardage running back, like they were all over Delvin Cook. Now I saw Mack Jones, took Zeke out to. either after dinner or they were eating together in the cafeteria. Bill's sniffing around. You know, Bill is, Bill feels like he's got his feet to the fire a little bit. There's some urgency in that organization.

He ain't trying to lose. I don't know if Zeke would be a great, like, a swing piece to add, but it would be fascinating to watch Zeke-Hell with the Patriots. I always love in professional sports when someone gets in trouble at practice, especially in football at training camp, and they make you run like gasser's.

Right? It's like there was a fight with the Browns who Mary Kay Cabot had on her Twitter account. I mean, he's like a linebacker, hit one of the offensive linemen. And then he ran away. And the offensive lineman just trailed them. And they ended up fighting. And then Stefanski made him run gassers. Like, I always love the thought of making like Deshaun Watson or Amari Cooper or Nick Chubb run gasserers.

It's like, guys, what a waste of energy for those guys, especially. You think Amari Cooper is going to struggle to get up and down the field? And you're just going to tire out. you know, your big heavies who, it just, it's kind of stupid. But I always find it, it's very, it, you all, we all do it in high school or peewee football, right? When you get in trouble, you run or eighth grade basketball. When you see professionals, I mean, you're talking some of these guys, your quarterback's making 48 million dollars. You get some defensive linemen making 28 million dollars. You got wide receivers and running backs on your team making 15,

$20 million. And you're making them run gasters over a fight that they had nothing to do with. Always find hilarious. And then Travis Kelsey, who, who, caught a touchdown in practice. I don't exactly know who the defensive player was. Hit the ball or try to do one of those. He got his foot down. It's a touchdown. Tries to hit the ball out like to create a fumble,

even though it wouldn't be a fumble. And then Kelsey slugs him back. Kelsey comes out on social media. Apologizes, say he has to be a better leader. Clearly coming from the head man because as Andy said, it's such a waste to fight in practice. We have a limited amount of reps. We have a limited amount of energy with the heat,

the humidity. And in games, when you do that, you get thrown out. Like if Travis Kelsey closed his fist and swung it at a defender, he would get tossed out of the game. So it doesn't, it's not a productive thing to do. And last but not least, there were a lot of rumblings. Would Buddha Baker be traded? And I think a lot of teams would be very, very interested.

It felt like, you know, he was holding out in the offseason. Was it over money? Was it over because the team was going to suck? well, they kind of redid his contract. They gave him a little signing bonus up front. They incentivized some more money. And it feels like he's all in. Now, to me, I got him circled as a guy right around the trade deadline who's got being on another team written all over them.

Like, I would imagine if I was a, if I had to take a guess July 30th, Buda Baker will be on a different team post trade deadline. The volume. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite on humor. 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 only legal, but encouraging. 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 IHart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Thank you.