The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 3 and Out - Troy Aikman ---> MNF, Rodgers Decision Time, Speak Up Russ, Deshaun Watson Buyers, Silly USC NIL $$$

Episode Date: February 25, 2022

John discusses why MNF signing Troy Aikman is such a massive get, how the threat of leaving for broadcasting gives Sean McVay leverage in his contract re-negotiation, if the Packers should read anything into Aaron Rodgers recent IG drama as far as his pending free agency decision, if Russ Wilson will ever break from character and publicly demand a trade, if teams will deal for Deshaun Watson despite pending civil cases, and why Caleb Williams huge endorsement deals show USC's giant advantage in the NIL era.Follow John and The Volume on Twitter, Instagram and YouTube for the latest content and updates and check out FanDuel for the best wagering and daily fantasy action! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The volume. 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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just download the Fandual app. To get started now, sign up with promo code Colin so they know we sent you. What is going on? On everybody, John Middokoff, Three and Out podcast. If I sound a little different,

it's because I got a head cold. The cold has come out of retirement. It's like Eric Weddle, went away from a couple years, and now it's back, and it got me good. I actually got, I went on the herd.

I called up to the big leagues, went on TV today. I almost said, like, hey, you know, can we push it back? I can barely talk. But then I'm like, you know, sometimes you've got to play injured. Talk for a living.

and it's not always going to be perfect. If I can talk, and you want me to come on television, I'm there, no matter how I sound. And I also have to do a podcast because ultimately I'm a podcaster. That's how we pay the bills here. And so we're going to do a podcast today, three and out. You guys know the drill. A lot to talk about, actually. A lot going on.

I think we'll push the Middlecoff mailbag, which is at John Middlecough, slide up in those DMs. to the weekend. We've been doing that the last couple weeks. It's had success. And I think we will just separate this mailbag on Friday and we'll add it to the weekend. A lot of you guys, because I asked, I didn't have anything to watch. You guys have inundated my DMs with things to watch. I don't even know.

I feel like I have 7 million things to watch. Now, a lot of you guys played the hits. You know, Ozarks and Yellowstone. Like, guys, I don't live under a rock. I've watched all those shows. I binge a lot of shows. So any show that is culturally irrelevant, hell, I watch Game of Thrones,

and I'm not even into that type of crap. But if everyone's watched it, I got to check it out. I mainly just watch for the violence and the nudity. The storylines and stuff, I couldn't fake pretending like all these other people that loved it. And I know some of you did, but it didn't do it for me, but I did enjoy the characters and the,

and again, the sex and the violence. But all the main shows I've watched. I actually just watched Inventing Anna. It's a trippy show on Netflix. You know, they claim it's a true story. I don't, you know, feels like I would imagine the television, Netflix version made it a pretty big stretch. Jack Reacher on Amazon Prime. I, you know, I love those type, just that type stuff.

I thought that one was a little cheesy. So I watched the Carl Icon documentary on HBO. Pretty good. Highly recommend that. highly recommend that. Carl Icon, crazy investor, kind of Gordon Gecko of Wall Street, you know, Googling it and doing some research while I was watching it because it was like, God, this has a lot of parallels. I think they made Wall Street kind of after Carl Icon and a couple other guys, but he was definitely a main fixture in that. And yeah, we probably should talk some football. So again, at John Middlecoff is the Instagram.

Also, the golf pod you guys have been listening to. had a lot going on. Greg Norman just released a statement threatening the PGA tour. Greg Norman and Phil Mickelson, two guys that are super rich are just losing their mind. It's like, you guys need to get your shit together. It's not that big of a deal. Relax, guys.

Maybe the Saudis are coming after them. But go low pod, at go low pod is by the Instagram. So check that out as well. Okay, I wanted to start with the breaking news because I think this is pretty symbolic of where we're at. I'll never forget. And I didn't really watch the show as a, a kid, even though it was probably the biggest show on TV at the time. But I vividly remember when

they came back for the last season, the cast of Friends got a million dollars an episode. One million dollars an episode. And that was a really, really big deal. And then obviously over the years, television stars made a ton of money. I was reading an article pretty recently that James Gandalfini had some knockdown dragouts over his compensation, some of the big stars over the years have made a lot of money on TV. We know now with Netflix and Amazon, like, you get paid a ton of cash when you do shows that are really big and draw a huge audience. It makes sense. If you're the main character, like, you get compensated. And this breaking news on, I guess it would have been Wednesday of this week. And it's not official as of recording this, but it sure feels

like we're headed that way, is that ESPN and Monday Night Football is going to sign Troy Aikman for $17.5 million a year. And I think that's symbolic of where the NFL's at. To call NFL games when you're a big star like Tony Romo or Troy Aikman, the going rate is $16 to $17 million a year. So basically, I guess those guys do playoffs. You know, it works out to $9,000, $900,000 a game. Pretty good gig if you get it, right?

Not a bad deal at all. and I think Troy Aikman like you just can't turn down that type money like who says no to $17.5 million. He got a five year deal. Again, not official yet, but that's basically almost $90 million. Troy Aikman made like $55 million in his playing career.

Now obviously playing in the 90s is much different now and $55 million in the 90s, especially playing in Texas, you know, was a shitload of money. But paying someone 17,000, and a half million dollars to call games. Like, it also makes sense. You need a big star on Monday night football.

I know Lewis. I worked with Lewis. I worked for Lewis, basically. But here's the problem with the Monday night booth. And the last couple have been this way. Three-way booths that they do not work, especially not for major games. I need a two-man booth.

That's the way it works. Give me a play-by-by-guy and give me an analyst. Give me Al Michaels and give me John Madden. give me Pat Somerall and give me John Madden Give me all Michaels and give me Chris Collinsworth Give me Tariko and give me John Gruden I can't have three guys We're not we're not hosting a podcast here

We're calling three hours of a primetime game And that just was not working It was not working And here's the other thing we've been saying it now for five years They've desperately wanted a big star And if you have a Monday night crew You would not just randomly put Peyton and Eli on your sister channel to take away from the rating. That was pretty telling.

And let's face it, you want to know why they did that? Because they wanted one of those two guys to have the job. But you know what those two guys don't have to do? Because unlike Troy who made $55 million, now Troy's made a ton of money the last 20 years. And Troy clearly likes doing this and this has been a huge part of his life. the manning's on the field made a combine like $550 million. Off the field, who knows? I mean, Peyton was one of the great spokesmen's for brands over his playing career.

Eli played in New York City. Those guys are worth hundreds of millions the moment they retire. Like you look in the bank, hundreds of millions of dollars. Now, like most people, you don't just leave hundreds of millions of the bank. They invest it. And what does? You know, from people, some people that I've known, I've heard Peyton has made some incredible investments.

Obviously, some of the ones we know about publicly, but ones that you don't know about publicly. Elite investor, why? Because think who he's running with. Peyton Manning plays golf at Augusta, with the most important businessmen in America. Who do you think Eli drafts off of? He's in that crew.

So money, it's not the same when Troy retired, not that he needed money, but he immediately just went back to work. Like, Peyton and Eli did not have to do this. And ESPN begged, which made sense. Because if you got Peyton or Eli as one of your announcers, I mean, Peyton would have been the biggest star in the history of television, at least on signing.

Now, whether he would have been elite, I think it's fair to say he probably would have been. Troy's good. You know, is Troy John Madden? No. Is Troy, you know, I would even say John Gruden kind of crazy personality? Of course not. But Troy is really solid.

And here's the other thing. He's really famous. One key, I think, with any league, is to keep some of your star players surrounding your league, having them involved with your league, having them call games. I mean,

sometimes I turn on the television on Sunday and we complain about these broadcasts. It's like, oh my God, who's calling this game? This is terrible. And I'm not going to try to throw anyone under the bus, but there, you know, the barbers,

there's some terrible former players to do some of these games. Now, just because you were a famous player, it was a little before my time, or at least I don't remember watching him. Joe Montana did games, Bill Walsh did games, and they weren't good.

Just because you're famous doesn't mean you're going to be good. But there are some famous guys, and I said this about Drew Breeze. I'm like, this ain't going to be Drew Breeze Lane. Like part of talking for a living, you've got to be able to be critical because you know who you're talking to?

The fan, the consumer, the guy paying for everything. The most valuable thing the NFL has right now is our attention. Because the most valuable thing any of us have in life is time. Who were willing to give time to. Can someone buy your time? Can they offer you $100,000 and go to work for them, 9 to 5?

That's pretty valuable. You spend a lot of time at work, right? Everything besides maybe your wife, someone is doing something for your time, who you pick and choose to spend time with. And one thing's clear when it comes to television, we spend a lot of freaking time with the National Football League. And I, listen, Monday Night Football, they had to get a big fish. They couldn't keep going like they were going. The three-man booth? It's like, whose idea is that? Some of these people, these executives, why the volume's having success. Colin is the guy making these decisions. He's been in it for 20, 30 years.

He's run a couple ideas off me, and I gave him a couple ideas. Like, I do this. I'm in this deep. I'm in the mud here. Some of these executives have never spoken a word for their living or, you know, for a living in their life. Now, some of them are really good, right? Whoever once gave John Madden the job.

whoever once gave, you know, John Gruden the job. But let's face it, ESPN had a circle jerk over Rex Ryan. He was going to be awesome. Rex Ryan fucking sucks. Rex Ryan is terrible. Now, I don't watch much of ESPN at all besides games, and I try to avoid pregame shows at all costs.

But whenever I turn that on, I go, he's the worst guy on that crew. And I bet when they signed him, everyone at ESPN was doing cartwheels. Like, we got Rex Ryan. He's been terrible. He's God-awful. So, and listen, I would hang out with the Rex, but as a TV personality, and he was a really good defensive coach, he's not good on television.

He's just not. And he'll be critical. Of course he will. I mean, he's a guy who's talking shit his whole life. That's the least of his worries. But it's just he doesn't bring me. He doesn't do anything for me. And here's the other thing, and I've been saying this for a while about Sean McVeigh, having leverage gets you more money every single time.

And I've been in positions where I have. no leverage and I got taken to the cleaners in the sense of when I worked for the Eagles and I got the West Coast job after being a pro scout, I got a $5,000 bonus. If I would have had three teams coming at me, maybe I would have got a $30,000, $40,000 bonus. We see it all the time in the NFL. When these people interview in other places and then they stay, they get huge raises. I didn't have that. I was in my 20s. I didn't know anybody. And I was happy to make $50,000 or whatever. But when I worked in radio, I started gaining some leverage and we started having success. You know, as a scout, success like only the GM and Andy knew like what my reports were.

Once you get in radio, you start hitting some rating bonuses. You're like, okay, they want to keep me. It's going to cost a little bit more. And obviously in podcast, we've had success doing this. I've had quote unquote leverage on my side. And again, like part of doing business with people, this is a unique business that I'm involved in. You know, I view it more as a partnership. So it's less about like when you work for corporations, you have to have leverage. And ultimately, I've said this about Sean McVeigh,

he is the poster guy. He is the face of the franchise. Not Aaron Donald, not Matt Stafford, not Cooper Cup. When you think the Los Angeles Rams, you think Sean McVeigh and you think SoFi Stadium now. And obviously they just won the Super Bowl and his value. He's been at two Super Bowls in four years and he's won one. Now, is he a $20 million coach?

He actually makes some mistakes in games. He's not always the most aggressive on fourth and short. And in the NFC championship game, he didn't have any timeouts in the fourth quarter. If Jimmy Garoppel wasn't playing like crap, then the 49ers should have won the game. But right now the going rate for guys like Sean McVeigh. And would Sean McVeigh be great at TV?

I don't know. He's never done it before. But if I had to bet on him, I'd bet I'd take Sean McVey ever, Drew Breeze. I take Sean McVey over Rex Ryan. I take Sean McVey over Sean Payton. But the going rate for Sean McVey who makes like $10, 11 million right now for the Rams is $16, 17 million. We've just seen the market get set by Tony Romo and Troy Eggman. So we know the guy that makes the most in the NFL is Bill Belichick. And unlike, I've gotten an argument today on social media.

Like, you know, these guys, you don't know how much, these are not public companies. and unlike players when it comes out like free agencies in a couple weeks when a guy gets paid we're going to know right away right in the monies

you know without guaranteed money it's hard to ever know when a guy immediately gets paid how much he's truly making but the agent always wants that out there

why? Because the agent wants more clients where in football coaches get very and I don't blame them insecure is probably the wrong word but they're just

they're not trying to put their business out there it doesn't behoove them it's that this isn't college sports to let, you know, Andy Reid doesn't want everyone to know he makes $16 million a year. Sean Payton and Pete Carroll aren't banging their chest. You're like, yeah, I just signed an $80 million contract, right? It's very, these are not public companies. They don't have to disclose this information.

But if I'm Sean McVeigh, I go, I want $20 million a year. Now, is he a $20 million coach? Probably not. Is he $14 or $15 million? Yeah. I mean, 100%. That's if TV didn't exist. He's the face of the franchise for a team that just won the Super Bowl.

And he's 36 years old. And he's an awesome freaking coach. Some flaws, yeah. But most coaches have flaws. Besides like Bill Belichick, they all do. Right. And I think he's going to get it. I think he's going to get it.

And I, you know, this is the type money that like if Stan offered him like $13 million, it's like, hey, Stan, I go work for $16 million in a much easier job. So part of the reason this got floated out there over the last month is because it's a leverage tool. leverages on Sean McVeigh side. He's going to make a boatload of money. And one day he's going to go do TV and make a boatload more. And it shows you the power of the league right now. You think the TNT's paying Stan Van Gundy?

I mean, Stan Van Gundy's terrible. But to me, it's like, well, he's probably making half a million bucks. You think anyone in baseball is making much money? Call games? Come on. I mean, geez. What are we talking about here? This is the power of the NFL.

that is now running circles. And listen, I like, I'm a sports guy. I like all these sports. But it's a top dog for a reason now. Even their television guys. Everyone's getting paid. Everyone. I mean, I've never made more money.

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

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

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

follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jett.

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If I could be you and you could be me for just one hour. If you could find a way to get inside. Each other's mind. Walk a mile in my shoes. Walk a mile in my shoes. Walk a mile in my shoes. We've all felt left out.

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Aaron Rogers. I watched the Pat McAfee thing. And listen, he's, me and him don't have much in common. And listen, there are things like, there's Tony Robbins manifest stuff that I, I think about. I don't actively like try to put it in my life all the time. I've never gone on more than like a couple day. Cleanse would be strong, but just a fast. And really I can fast for like a day and then I get too hungry.

That thing that he did, that 13 day cleanse, I honestly give him respect. for doing that because I wouldn't make it pass like day two. And I think most people listening, no matter what you think of it, could not even begin to remotely get close to accomplishing that. Now, I would say most of us would have no desire to do that. But like, he's a different cat. He's a little out there. But you know what?

Some of the greats at whatever their individual profession are are a little weird. Hell, even Tom Brady. Remember when everyone was giving him shit for pliability and eating avocado ice cream? in tomatoes and drinking drinking water would help you not get sunburned he said all those things

he doesn't he believes those things I have the TB12 book in my living room when you open it up it's what he talks about Elon Musk who I love is pretty out there he's a different cat

we've all followed Kanye you watch the Kanye doc I haven't yet but I actually might do that in the next couple days Kanye's out there like some people that are really talented when you're not that talented and stuff

and you're out there, we just think you're a whack job. Like ultimately, Aaron Rogers is a $40 million four-time MVP. Ultimately, Kanye sling a lot of albums. He just $200 an album. He sold like, what was it? Like 2000 or whatever.

I mean, made millions of dollars on his album. Elon Musk, I mean, dude's crazy. But so what? You know, sometimes I'm not normal. How many people listening do you think, are you normal? What the hell is normal? But the thing when you're a quarterback, the only thing that matters, regardless whether you do 13-day cleanses, whether you're like John Elway and you slam Corona lights, you know, whether you're Brett Fav and you're just kind of a screw-around hick from Mississippi.

Do you get along with your teammates? Do the guys in the locker room like you? That is really what matters. And say what you want, and I give Rogers credit on this, the guys in that locker room like him. Now, is he a drama queen? Of course he is. like him and Russell Wilson have become very drama-centric and whether that's ego, whether that's narcissism,

because my one pushback and I'm not big into Buddhism but like, hey, Aaron, and I know he's big into the Buddhists, do the Buddhists watch you posting all this on social media? Are Buddhists big into like public stuff on social media? Because I didn't think they were. But listen, I mean, you can make up, we all are hypocrites in some way, some form or fashion. I actually think the Green Bay Packers have a pretty good chance to retain Aaron Rogers.

And I watched Brian Gutikins. I've been sick, so I haven't really been able to sleep. I mean, the last couple nights, I've woken up at midnight and laid there until about 4 a.m. Watch TV, watch YouTube. I mean, it's been a weird couple days for me. And last night, about 2.30 in the morning, I'm just sitting there wide awake. And I watched Brian Gutikins. I didn't watch the whole thing just because I don't care about everything.

going on with the Green Bay Packers, but I was skipping around. And I, you know, where Colin was right, where Colin was wrong, I said when this happened over last summer, it was going to be very, very difficult for Brian Gutikins because they don't teach you in scout school how to manage people that you either have that or you don't. They don't teach you how to deal with people that are not like you. And listen, I like people not being like me. I like people to be different. You know, social media wants everyone to be the same.

It's why I hate the media. They're all, especially the sports media. 95% of them all say, do, and think the same way. To me, that's fucking boring. When you get predictable, I'm out. It's like, I want predictability maybe with, like, my income streams. But like, with the people I associate with, like, I like some curveballs. I like things to keep me on my toes.

I don't want to get, I get bored fast. And so dealing with unpredictability. unpredictability can be very, very difficult. And I didn't think just base, I don't know the guy, but I thought it was going to be very difficult for Gutikins to handle the situation, just like it would be for any young GM to handle the situation. But he deserves a standing applause if you're a Green Bay Packer fan. One, he gets a lot of credit for hiring the coach who Aaron Rogers clearly loves.

If Aaron Rogers does stay and doesn't ask for a trade, a big reason he'd be doing that is because of Matt LaFleur. And the other thing, Roger said this on McAfee's show, he said this on his MVP speech. And Gutikins was like, yeah, we've done a lot to, quote unquote, improve our relationship. We've spent a lot of times talking. Because let's face it, relationships, whether they're personal or they're professional, you know, if you care about that relationship, it takes some work. And sometimes we all can live in our own little bubble and not realize the way other people are thinking. And Gutikens was forced into it.

But once he was forced into it, some people might have screwed that up. And not only did he not screw it up, he put Aaron in a position, the team in a position with everything he did around him. And Aaron's very happy with him right now. So it's going to come down to money and maybe just the drama of Aaron likes this. But I give a lot of credit to Gutikins for figuring this situation out. And I think everyone's, you know, Aaron's easy to make fun of when he started talking about 13-day cleanse and puking and, you know, eating dinner with the Buddhists. You know, why? Because most people don't do that.

And listen, that's not my cup of tea. You won't find me, and I've been to imagine many people listening to this, eating with Buddhists. But Aaron's into that. You know, some people are just into different things. And honestly, that makes, you know, this country kind of cool. Not everyone has to think the same. Another big guy that's just, you know, just a little bit of a drama queen.

I know he changed his Instagram and put a picture of him, I think when he was in high school. He's from the Virginia area is Russell Wilson. And unlike Aaron Rogers, they kind of laid it on the table was like, we got to figure it out this year or I'm gone. I'm going to demand a trade. I'm going to go.

Like we all kind of know where Aaron's going. He's either going to say, I'm coming back to Green Bay or you guys have to trade me. And even when you watch Kudokin stock, like if he demands a trade, they're going to trade them. They would be kind of screwed because Jordan Love's not that good. They'd have to get another quarterback.

But that's a situation they're in. This other guy is obsessed. Like here's the one thing I give Aaron Rogers, at this point in time, he's not really obsessed with his image. I mean, he's talking about some pretty outrageous things. And I'm not talking about the COVID stuff. Honestly, it didn't bother me at all like it did the media. They're like, oh my God.

It's like, yeah, whatever. But I'm more talking about the stuff that he just told McAfee. Even Pat McAfee's face when he told him about eating dinner with the Buddhists and the cleanse. I mean, it was just, he gave a reaction like we all would have. It was hard to comprehend. But Russell Wilson is obsessed with being liked. All he cares about is everyone, his personal image. Honestly, I think, I know Colin loves him.

Fraud's the wrong word. I just think he's like a caricature. Like, I don't even know if he's a real human. I often think this about politicians. Like, are they even real humans? When the camera goes off and they just go home and they're sitting there with their wife or like their brother, do they go, God, I'm fooling these fucking idiots? These guys don't have any clue coming.

or do they stay in character? Because if they stay in character, that's insane. Are you guys different species than us? Does Russell talk like that 24-7-365? But if Russell wants to get traded, and it's kind of out there, he's going to have to demand to trade.

Because under no circumstances are John Schneider and Pete Carroll going to just randomly trade Russell? That is not going to happen. John Snyder is not going to trade the best draft pick he's ever made, the best player in the history of the franchise, just because he can get some picks back.

Picks don't mean anything when you trade your starting quarterback who's a pro-ball level guy. Now, if Russell has the stones, if he has the balls to not worry about the massaging his social media image, if he tweeted out or just put out a statement through Seattle,

like, I want to get traded. I went through Schefter, went through Rapsheet. Russell Wilson has told the Seahawks, he's demanding a trade. Then, yeah. He can put their feet to the fire. He can make things uncomfortable. But is he going to do that?

Because last year he wanted to do it, but he didn't have the stones to do it. He kind of dipped his foot into the shallow end. He's like, well, you know, I don't really want to go. But if they were going to get rid of me, they could trade me to these four places. Like, who talks like that? Like, just say you want to trade or say you want to stay. And he played this political standpoint all season long on all these topics. And I think it's going to be.

be the same thing. It's just going to be kind of cloudy. It's not going to be black and white. It's going to be in this gray area. It's like, yeah, I kind of want to stay, but I'll see what they do. Then maybe I'll push it. And that, say this for Aaron Rogers, at least he's been pretty direct. Last year, he's like, I want more input. Boom, got more input. This year, it's like, I'm going to tell you if I'm going to stay or go. Russell's, you know, as we used to say in the radio business, sitting on the fence, pick a side. You're 32, 33 years old. If you want to stay, they'll go all in on you. If you want to force your way out,

go force your way out. Because you can. Ultimately, these NFL quarterbacks, kind of like NBA players. If Russell Wilson told John Snyder and Pete Carroll, and he never would, because his image,

I'm never going to play another down for this franchise. I'm never going to play another down. They would trade them. Because think of what they get. They get like Jalen Hertz and four ones. And just kind of reset their franchise. Now, they don't want to do that. I don't blame them.

If I was them, I wouldn't want to do that either. either. But if he ultimately wants to go, I'm just tired of talking about Russell Wilson's trade potential. He has to ask for a trade. And when he truly does, then we can talk about it. But until he does, we're just going to talk about, I mean, he's the ultimate hypothetical. Some other stories. Shefter said on the PFF podcast, that Jimmy Garoppel, could not get traded. Jimmy Garapolo is getting traded. And if he doesn't get traded,

the 49ers deserve to get destroyed. They traded three first round picks for Trey Lance. They gave him a red shirt year. Now, Jimmy Garoppolo is set to make $27 million. You need that money to use to build up your team. And the only way for Trey Lance to get better is to play football. You have entire offseason, you have an entire training camp, go sign a cheap veteran like a Marcus Marriota,

and start the Tray Lance era. Now, I understand Kyle Shanahan going, well, we can only get a fifth for Jimmy Garoppolo. Why wouldn't we just keep them? And the reason you keep them, or I mean, trade them, is because you need that money. Having that money allows your cap space to be bigger

and allows you to sign more players. So I don't, and Adam Schaeffer just said, he could see it. I cannot see it. Jimmy Garoppolo will be traded in the next 10 days would be my guess. I'm recording this at 24th, maybe a little longer, maybe the next 14 days.

He will be traded. It'll be unofficial before the league year starts. Florio, Mike Florio runs pro football talk. You ever heard of him? He can be kind of annoying on social media, said that teams are willing to trade for Deshaun Watson even before his civil cases

and the way that I've heard other people talk about this, not a lawyer, even though I've watched some lawyer shows. Actually, inventing Anna's kind of a lawyer show. 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, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show.

This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me, or you're just chasing down a dream,

this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross

double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast.

I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent, episode with Mark Lamont Hill waxing all about crack in the 80s.

To be clear, 84 is big to me not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so you all know. At this point, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack, so I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now, so...

Thank you for finishing that sentence. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me,

your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase

that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing and we're still chasing it and we don't know when we've done enough because people scoreboard watch life becomes about wins and losses Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth or are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust.

I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, is we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. Is that I guess he has to settle or each individual civil case, it's on its own merit.

Like, he can't just make all of them go away in one thing. Everyone is an individual case. So it's going to be a pain in his ass. I mean, clearly is. And again, I'm not assuming guilt or innocence. I have no clue. I'm not trying to stick up for him. not to get up for him. I just know that he has to figure out on a case-by-case basis.

I know me personally, if I was a GM or I was a coach, there's no way to know for sure that not one of these cases is going to stick. I couldn't do it. But I've said before in this podcast, I'm not naive enough. This is pro sports. They're not taking moral high horse stances. And the NFL is not the NBA. They're not faking anything. They're trying to win football games and print money. So someone will trade. for this guy. And I think it's fair to say that like Jimmy Garoppolo, this guy is going to get traded for in before free agency. Now, you know, if you're Casario, the problem is, I do think he loses a little leverage with these cases hanging over him. If he was just a high character, never been in trouble.

Like ultimately, even if he's completely innocent on this, I do red flag him moving forward. he made a terrible decision. And it's one thing to like, you know, your massage therapist, you start hooking up, you start dating him on the side. He was banging every massage therapist in town. Like, that's, I'd like my quarterback to have some common sense. Like, you know, there's a balancing act in everything. And to me, Deshaun Watson got a little out of pocket on this.

That's assuming he did nothing wrong, which I know people in the NFL think that he didn't. I've talked to people in the NFL who have done their due diligence that believes he just used this basically to get laid. Now, back to what I said, how could you as a GM, they're like, hey, three ones and a two, pull the trigger? Well, what if one of these went a little haywire

and it's not going to go away? And that hangs over your hat, your head. And once you get into the situation of OTAs and training camp, ultimately something comes out. And you've already traded for them. To me, that'd be pretty devastating. But I expect him to get traded. Are you looking for the hottest gambling advice out there?

Check out the Moneyline Monaco podcast powered by Fandul every weekday. Our guy Alex Monaco will give you his best bets, including game picks, props, same game parlays, and much more. Monaco is in another groove and has won nearly 60% of his bets all time. So don't miss your chance to make some money by downloading the Moneyline Monaco wherever you get your podcast, only on the volumes podcast network. Look through your children's eyes to see the true magic of a forest. It's a storybook world for them.

You look and see a tree. They see the wrinkled face of a wizard with arms outstretched to the sky. They see treasure and pebbles. They see a windy path that could lead to adventure. And they see you. Their fearless guide is this fascinating world. Find a forest near you and start exploring at discovertheforest.org. Brought to you by the United States Forest Service

and the Ad Council. Look through your children's eyes to see the true magic of a forest. It's a storybook world for them. You look and see a tree. They see the wrinkled face of a wizard with arms outstretched to the sky. They see treasure and pebbles.

They see a windy path that could lead to adventure. And they see you. Their fearless guide through this fascinating world. Find a forest near you and start exploring at discovertheforest.org. Brought to you by the United States Forest

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. 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. Caleb Williams, the NIL's pretty crazy. USC, I've come around.

USC is going to have such a huge advantage come just moving forward with the NIL. Caleb Williams making over $5 million. I saw on my Instagram feed today that this real estate like venture capitalist firm in Southern California is one of his NILs. What does that even mean? They're just funneling him cash. Now, Caleb Williams is unique. I don't think a guy coming out of high school would have made $5 million.

We saw him play at Oklahoma. He's a star quarterback. He'll be an NFL star. That'd be strong. He's got a ways to go. But he's an NFL level prospect. Me, he's a big time college player. He's got to improve.

I mean, he's young, but part of his values he's already played. But that's pretty nuts. And a couple of people have hit me. What do you think about these guys in NIA? they start getting paid and once they get to the draft if I'm going to go like top five and I don't want to go to a team

and I've already made five, ten million dollars do I have a little juice? Do I say, you know what, Jacks? Don't draft me. I ain't coming there. We're going to see how this all shakes out because once our quarterbacks are getting five, six million dollars.

You know, USC, Texas, we saw Texas A&M, Ohio State, some of these programs, like it was always a big deal and you heard on the underground, you know, the big programs back when you brown bagged you, and you still get brown bagged. I think you get double, you get brown bagged, and you get the stuff that's above board. You know, a top flight guy would get $400,000 or $500,000 in basketball or football. I'm talking to an elite guy in football because football, there's so many, like a basketball guy.

There's a big difference between $5 million and $400,000 in cash. You know, hell, I'll pay taxes on $5 million. Right. So it's a lot of money. It's going to be interesting. some of these guys have the same drive and determination when they're, I can't imagine at 19, 20 years old, still being in college, just having, I mean, do the math, having that type cash come in. Are they paying you quarterly?

I mean, are they paying you lump sums of a million dollars? You just get a million dollars in your account? That'd be pretty nuts. I give a lot, these kids a lot of credit if they're able to stay straight, narrow, stay focused, stay work hard, go to class, you know, lead a somewhat normal life. because I don't care who you are. You give a 19-year-old $5 million. Things get weird fast.

At least in the pros, like in the NBA when a 19-year-old, he's around other pros. Ultimately, in college, Caleb Williams around a lot of other guys that have no money. So at least when you're drafted the number one overall pick, like Anthony Edwards, one and done. Well, Carl Anthony Towns, a ton of money. DeAngelo Russell, ton of money.

Like, other guys on his team have more money than him. In college, it's like, this guy's made. making $5 million, the next highest guy might be making like $300,000. And there's a lot of guys making zero. It's like, hey, Caleb, you want to go to dinner? On you, buddy? I'm there. Jordan Love, Goudicons talked about this.

I just don't think there's a market for Jordan Love. Because if you're the Packers, it makes no sense to give Jordan Love away. If someone's like, hey, I'll give you a six-round pick for Jordan Love. Because to me, that's kind of his value. We saw Gardner Minchu, who's put much better tape, go for a six-round pick. or Jordan Love, I mean, in the couple games that we've seen him play, I guess last year we just saw him play the game.

I guess it was just the game. He just looks like a backup quarterback. And there's nothing wrong with that. Now, ideally, you don't want to draft in the first round backup quarterbacks. But if you're the Packers and you have a backup quarterback making a couple million dollars, like, it's a pretty good deal. You know them, you like them. Just keep him around. Like to me, there's a decent chance that Jordan Love just stays on the team for like four or five years.

Probably not the fifth year because you're not going to pick up his fifth year. because you're not going to pick up his fifth year option. But it's just on your team for four years. Now, ultimately, it's not the greatest draft pick of all time. Actually, pretty shitty. But you got a backup quarterback for four years. You just use your first round pick on it. But I do not expect Jordan Love to get traded.

I couldn't see any team trading anything of value. And if you're the Packers, unless you've got something value, like I know my backup quarterback. And I like them. And ultimately, if Aaron goes down, I'm probably screwed either way. But at least I have this guy that we can keep hopefully building up. It has some talent. So the USFL had a draft.

When you see the first seven picks of the USFL and they're all the quarterbacks, you realize why normal people are never going to watch the AAF, the XFL, the USFL. The reason we watch Alabama and Texas and USC is star players and star coaches. The reason we watch Bill's Chiefs, second round of the playoffs, is Josh Allen and Mahomes. the reason we watched Justin Herbert play Patrick Mahomes. Tom Brady play Matt Stafford. You need Star Power. These leagues, Kyle Luleta, who was terrible in the pros,

who's not a pro quarterback, got drafted number one overall. So once I see the list of guys like that and half of them I don't even know, I go, this league's doomed. It's also why the Rock, when the Rock did that, I don't even know what he did for the Super Bowl, right? He's screaming to the microphone. with his like burgundy, red. And it made sense when a couple days later,

he's a part owner in the XFL, and they're merging with the NFL. I bet the NFL is going to try to pump them some practice squad type guys and try to help with, and maybe some young coaches. It's a business partnership. That's why the Rock was on the Super Bowl

because it was like, you scratch my back, I'll scratch your back. We're business partners. I bet the NFL didn't even need to pay them to do that. They paid him through partnering with the XFL in which he bought a couple of years ago. And I give the Rock credit on this one. Buying the XFL doesn't make much sense on its own merit.

But it does make sense if you're going to partner with the NFL. And ultimately, can you start getting some of their practice squad quarterbacks? Can you go, hey, the Packers are playing the 49ers in terms of the XFL teams? Let's watch their two quarterbacks. They both drafted in the sixth round. Might get some eyeballs. Hey, the 49ers backup running back, who's been on the practice squad a couple years, is playing the Cowboys, you know, Star middle linebacker who's been a year on the practice squad.

Star would be strong. But you know what I'm saying? All these teams, you start associating with the, it's like, oh, this XFL team has a guy from Seattle, has a guy from the 49ers, has a guy from the ramps, get some eyeballs. That's what you have to do to have any of these leagues have a chance. The reason the USFL once upon a time had a glimmer of hope is that guys, like Reggie White, Steve Young, and Herschel Walker. They attempted to have the star power.

With no star power, you have nothing. With no star power, you have golf pre-Tiger Woods. You know what I mean? That's what 2022 moving forward is all about and it's really been about in the internet age. How are you going to draw people's attention? When you draw people's attention, you're never going to get the best players in these second fiddle leagues.

But if you can get people associated with the star franchises, the Steelers guy, the Eagles guy, the Cowboys guy. You got a puncher's chance. And you had to partner with the NFL, and The Rock clearly is a good businessman. He's making a ton of money in every avenue of his life. And interested to see kind of how that whole thing shakes out.

I guess last but not at least, J.C. Jackson star would be strong, but really, really good cornerback for the New England Patriots is acting like the Patriots aren't going to pay him. Like, yeah, bro, you've been watching the Patriots for the last couple decades, they usually don't pay a premium for non-premiums. You're a good player, but I couldn't pay J.C. Jackson $22 million a year. And the reality is, is when you hit free agency, you typically get more.

Because you get multiple bidding on you and you have a little leverage. J.C. Jackson is an above-average corner. He has great ball skills. But I couldn't pay them. Belichick knows this. Several years ago, he paid Stefan Gilmore. Peak money. And it worked out.

Why? Because Gilmore was an elite talent. J.C. Jackson is not. But J.C. Jackson, you watch, if Bill lets him truly walk, is going to get paid. And he's going to get a lot of money. Just like, you know, some random guard who's probably a $4 million player is going to hit free agency. And some of these teams with terrible offensive lines are going to give them $9 million. If you're a player, you want to hit free agency.

If you're like a legitimate starter, obviously if you're a star, you know, DeVante Adams would love to hit free agency. never going to happen. But if you're just a high, you know, an above average starter and you hit free agency, you get paid like a pro ball player. Especially this year. The cap's going back up. A bunch of teams need help in a bunch of different spots.

I think a stupid amount of money is going to be given out to players that aren't worth it. But that happens every single year in free agency and this year is definitely going to be no different. Appreciate everyone battling through with me. I tried my best. Gave it all. Gave it all I had.

Hope you guys have a good weekend. I need to rest and recover. And talk soon. Adios. The volume. What grows in the forest? Our imagination and our family bonds. The forest is closer than you think.

Find a forest near you at Discovertheforest.org. Brought to you by the United States Forest Service and the Ad Council. You may think the NFL season is over, but now it's tapehead's draft season. And this NFL podcast gives you the insight. slant on all the top prospects. Hi, I'm Bob Wusheson. Starting March 1st, I'll be joined by NFL films Greg Kosell, who studies the tape and provides the real story on which prospects fit which system

and which are likely to make the most impact in the National Football League. Listen to Tape Heads draft season, premiering March 1st on the IHeart Radio app on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smigel and Friends. me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter.

Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque.

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

Guaranteed Human.