The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Colin Cowherd Podcast - NFL Free Agency Reaction: Malik Willis-Dolphins, Mike Evans-49ers, Walker-Chiefs

Episode Date: March 10, 2026

Colin Cowherd and '3 & Out' host John Middlekauff react to NFL Free Agency moves. They start with the Dolphins signing Malik Willis and give their takes on if they like the move for Miami. Next they discuss Mike Evans leaving the Bucs for the San Francisco 49ers, Tyler Linderbaum leaving Ravens for Las Vegas Raiders and Cowboys trading for Rashan Gary. The Chiefs add Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III, how does that impact Patrick Mahomes & Travis Kelce. Colts keep Alec Pierce but trade Michael Pittman to Steelers. They talk big picture NFL Free Agency. They talk about some other moves the Raiders made and why they will be relevant for the first time in a while. They give their takes on the under the radar moves the Bears made and lastly revisit Malik Willis signing with the Miami Dolphins. TIMELINE 03:30 Malik Willis-Dolphins 07:15 Mike Evans-49ers 09:00 Tyler Linderbaum-Raiders 12:15 Rashan Gary-Cowboys 15:00 Kenneth Walker III-Chiefs 24:30 Colts, Steelers & Aaron Rodgers 31:15 Free Agency 36:00 Raiders 39:30 Bears & Dolphins (Timestamps may vary based on advertisements.) Follow Colin and The Volume on Twitter for the latest content and updates!  #Volume See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Hey guys, it's us. The Jonas Brothers. I'm Joe. I'm Kevin. And I'm Nick. And guess what? We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas.

We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. We get to ask other people questions because we're sick and tired of being asked questions. Well, sick and tired is a strong way to put it. But, you know, tired and sick. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you.

you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the ice. Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Hey, it's Edwin Castro, also known as Castro 1021. And I'm Kunky, his best friend and business manager. And we've got a new show called The 1021 Podcast. I'm taking you behind the scenes on how I became one of Twitch's most popular streamers. We also love sports. And with the World Cup right around the corner, we'll be breaking down the biggest storylines ahead of the big tournament here in the USA. Listen to the 1021 podcast on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

The story I've told myself can then shape my behavior, and that can lead me to sabotage the possibility of connection. This Mental Health Awareness Month, tune into the podcast deeply well with Debbie Brown. If you've been searching for a soft place to land while doing the work to become whole, this podcast is for you to hear more. Listen to Deeply Well with Debbie Brown from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. The volume. Today's show is brought to you by our presenting sponsor American beverage. If you think about some of the most iconic drinks in the country, the ones you grab at a barbecue, the ones you raise to celebrate your team that have been part of your story for decades, Coke, Dr. Pepper, Pepsi, there's something people don't always think about. The companies behind those brands are starting.

still making their drinks right here in the U.S. While there's a lot of talk about bringing manufacturing back, America's beverage companies never left. They're American companies making American products with American workers in America's hometown. So 275,000 men and women across all 50 states, real jobs, good paying jobs, the kind of jobs you can raise a family on. So more than 100 years, those brands have been part of everyday lives and they're still here, still investing, still operating in communities around the country. So if you care about strong local economies and companies that walk the walk, check out the good work And what they're doing at we deliver for America.org. Well, the day didn't start well.

I backed out. I had Monday off because the World Baseball Classic. I backed out of the garage. The door wasn't all the way open. And I rammed it with Ann's car. So that was just not good for me. That was not. And we're going on vacation Saturday.

So I got to make amends really quickly. Did the garage door follow you? Or did the car get the worst of it? or what happened there? Yeah, well, the garage door stopped working and the car got dinged up, so it was terrible. So I said, all right, I'll go walk the dogs and watch the NFL Free Agency.

So I've made peace with it. Anne had to go with her sister downtown Chicago, so she had to cool off. All right, let's start with this. Okay, I know he only has six starts. NFL free agency, Malik Willis, $22 million a year,

three-year deal with the dolphins. He is not Tua. Stop saying that. He's a real athlete with a better arm. He's got a much better arm than Tua, and he's really athletic. I know he's young. I like him.

You know, John, I've said this for years. I don't know anything about music other than I like it. I can watch these musical shows. I can tell him, 30 seconds of somebody has, like, lounge act, or you could sign him to a record deal. And I don't know anything about music. I know a little about football.

When I watch that kid's escapability, arm, he's got, I mean, he's got, again, it's the, it's Green Bay, so he was well coached. But there were Packer fans saying they thought he was as good or better than Jordan Love. I think the dolphins went and found a very interesting player at quarterback. Well, the other thing is the people that just signed him know him. And it's not the offensive coach, the defensive coordinator that went against him forever. Because, you know, in the NFL, when you're the backup quarterback, you run the, you know, you run the scout team. You service the defense.

So Jeff Hathley had a front row seat for two years. And the general manager who was the right-hand guy for Goudicans, same thing, right, from an evaluation standpoint. Do you remember a guy improving this much, this fast? Because remember what Tennessee, he was pretty bad. Like, he was unplayable. And then last year when he had to play, he was basically. just a running quarterback when LaFleur, remember, because he got hurt in week one in Brazil, Love did, and then he had to play. And they started winning. She's like, okay, there's at least

something there. I gave LaFour a lot of credit. This year to me with his arm was fantastic because he proved two things. One, he could come out of the bullpen. So he played in a game when Love got hurt against the Bears that he was not planning on playing. And then, let's face it, Love was kind of hit or miss this year. In that game, he was fantastic. In the cold weather, which is a big knock on Tua and a big knock on the Miami Dolphins. Can't play in cold weather. Well, why is that the case usually? When you have a pea-shooter arm, what doesn't pierce the cold in the wind?

Weak arm strength. Look at the great quarterbacks. You know, historically in that region, Big Ben, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Breeze played in a dome. Rivers played in Southern California. Eli Manning, huge arm. Where do he play? New York.

You know, Donovan McNabb, Michael Vic, Patrick Mahomes, Cold Weather quarterbacks. Burroughs somewhat of an outlier, not a guy. great arm, but he's just, he's like Montana, just a great player. So it kind of translates. But I'm with you. I not only like it, I think it's an incredible story of just improvement. Clearly, he was always a high character, interesting human, but the play was really raw when Tennessee drafted him. But LaFleur deserves a lot of credit because that offensive staff improving the player deserves a lot of credit, an incredible story. I'm with you. I think no brainer for him.

Miami to me is more interesting than going to Arizona. So I like picking the spot and you know the guys know you and believe in you. So it wouldn't shock me at all if he, I don't think he becomes like a top seven, eight quarterback, but has just a solid career. Like what we saw last year, there is no disputing. He was a really good player in limited action, really good. Yeah, and it should be noted that Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield, you know, we, seen this before. There's more good offensive coaches. There's more sophisticated schemes. If you're a

hardworking kid, you're not gobbling up, you know, too much cap space, although they have to pay two off for two years. So I think we both like it. All right, here's another one. Mike Evans to the 49ers. So he is a big red zone target. They've, they have been hit and miss on receivers. I thought they overplayed their hand on Debo. He was good briefly, got hurt, moved him. Iyuk's a disaster. not great, but, you know, late first round pick. Mike Evans, Red Zone guy, Kiddell, McCaffrey, Trent Williams. It's, again, older player picks up the playbook with Kyle Shanahan quickly, a playmaker. It feels like Kyle Shanahan didn't have a ton of patience with young players. He likes guys. Yeah, I mean, it feels like to me, he likes veteran players. So Mike Evans to the Niners,

again, this gives Brock Purdy another weapon. Feels like it works to me. Yeah, fits their of mold, high character, high level guy, very productive, you know, Fred Warner, Christian McCaffrey, like that type human slash player. Ricky Pearsall is a good player. He just can't stay on the field. And Joanne Jennings is going to get a lot of money. So the IEU thing thing blew up in their face. Yeah, I mean, they have a major question mark at the wide receiver position. And the other thing is the Rams are loading up on their defensive backfield. So I think the 49ers had to do something offensively. Because you saw, in those last couple games against Seattle, obviously Kittle went down in the second game,

but they just had no firepower. And the one thing you have to do, the Rams proved this. If you have some firepower, this is not 1987. The rules are on your side as an offensive coach, but they were rolling out practice squad level guys. So you get Mike Evans a future Hall of Famer. Love that move. Doesn't shock me at all. I mean, the 49ers at this point in time haven't been that active the last couple years in free agency, but that's, that's a Cowshanahan-hand type guy for sure. Yeah, I mean, it's, listen, the entire team gets nicked up. I mean, there's been stories about some right next to their practice facility. Substation. There's a substation, which weakens tissues. I don't know if it's true, but to me, he feels so 49ers. All right, let me throw

another one at you. We talked about this yesterday, Tyler Lindelbaum. I'm not sure why Baltimore or didn't sign him, probably because they have a Lamar contract renegotion coming up, renegotiation coming up. Max Crosby is expensive, Kyle Hamilton. Outside of Creed Humphrey of the Chiefs, there's an argument. Tyler Lindermal is the best center in football. I thought they were going to resign him. He was a first round pick out of Iowa, tough, smart, durable, doesn't miss a lot of starts.

I love, this is an A-plus move to me by the Raiders because this is what Ben Johnson did with the Bears. You know, they went, drafted JPJ out of Oregon last year. He's more of a guard. He was a center in college. He's more of a guard. Then they bring in a Pro Bowl center for Fernando Mendoza. Now their offense, basically, they'll probably, they have so many picks. They'll probably get a receiver in the second or third round. They'll also probably draft a right tackle fourth, fifth round. I love this. To me, this is my favorite signing so far in free agency. look at all the good teams, right? The Ravens for the last four years have had one of the best centers.

The chiefs have one of the best centers. The bills just paid their center. Like, I mean, center kind of matters, especially when you have a young quarterback. And I think if you're a Raider fan, you look at it, go, we essentially traded Max Crosby for two first round picks, one being 14 and a center, who's one of the better centers in the league. I just look, he hasn't missed a snap really in the last two years. So this is a very durable, classic like Midwest center, right? The other thing is, I would say this for the Raven standpoint, he was banged up last year,

but the previous two years, when you factor in the center obviously was an excellent player and likely who accounted for 11 touchdowns in 23 and 24, was very productive in their two playoff or their two playoffs runs those two years. Like, he's not Kelsey or Kittle or anything, but he was a unique player for them and made huge plays. even the play that led to the Miss Field goal against Pittsburgh on that Sunday night game, who made the crazy catch? Isaiah likely.

How many teams have a six-six guy? I mean, he kind of plays like a little Darren Waller, basketball player, elite athlete. You just, you don't need to be that accurate. Just throw him a 50-50 ball because it's not a 50-50 ball. So there are some injury concerns. He's not the most durable player. He is a unique player, though. So you tell me the Ravens on offense with this 29-year-old,

aging quarterback, new offensive coordinator, lose their, you know, kind of just stalwart guy at center and this unique chess piece with likely, you know, Henry still got something in the tank, but he's a little older. Zay Flowers isn't exactly Jerry Rice, good player. But, I mean, their offense has some question marks, assuming their defense will improve, which it will. But I don't know, that's, that's to me something to keep an eye on with the Ravens

who are clearly trying, you know, we talked about this last night, right? Bowl or bust, I mean, making it to the Super Bowl. They're in this little couple year window now of them and the bills. There's no, well, we made the playoffs. That's not really their standard in their organization now. Rishon Gary to Dallas, Russia off the edge. I mean, listen, Quinn and Williams, Kenny Clark and the trade for Micah Parsons, Rishon Gary. It allows them to go get a corner and maybe a Caleb Downs in the draft in the first round. I mean, that's what it feels like to me is that they're, they're going to buy, you know, they're going to spend money defensively up front. They don't want to wait for developing players.

Jerry Jones is getting older. Dax getting older. So they're going to go buy veteran players up front, which they have. And then they're going to draft on the back end. I still think they're going to draft defensive players with their picks in the first round. Yeah, I think clearly there's going to be a good defensive back there with their first pick, which is, what is it, 13? Like, they're going to get Caleb Downs, definitely, there's a chance he's there when you factor in that.

Or one of the two best corners. Yeah. So they're going to. get, and I think at pick 20 gives them a little leeway of just, they can take a great player, right, who doesn't have to be a position in need. Say this about the Cowboys. They've drafted pretty well, especially in the first round from Zach Martin, you know, Zeke was really good, obviously C.D. Lamb. Well, Tyler Smith has become a good player. Tyler, all their offensive linemen have become, you know, starters for their team. So one thing you'd say about Jerry and the

front office operation, Jerry's not the guy breaking down seven games on every player, right? Now, the guy front and center when the press conference comes. But they have a really good scouting staff. So I think the Cowboys, I was just texting somebody. I think the Giants, this NFC East, you know, the Eagles, they lose Jalen Phillips. Their pass rush when they won the Super Bowl a couple years ago was like historically great. I think they had four guys, get double-digit sacks. Well, since then, Brandon Graham, retired, came back, probably retire again.

Fletcher Cox is gone. Obviously, sweat is now on the Cardinals. They have this Jalen Carter. situation who is an elite talent, but they are very uncomfortable paying him $40, $45 million. That's, so it's like, now you look at the giants who have some stability. The Cowboys offensively have been fantastic. Schottenheimer proved, like, he's a pretty good offensive play. If their defense is just solid, they're going to be a pretty interesting team.

So you got to have the Giants and the Cowboys, like, that division is going to be to me dramatically more competitive than I would say it's been over the last 10 years when it's basically just been the Eagles or those couple years with McCarthy when the Cowboys boys were pretty loaded. But now the commanders, I think commanders still have a lot of question marks. I think they clearly wanted Linderbom, but what did the Raiders have? No state income tax. It could offer a huge amount of money. You just have a fresh slate here. Come, you get to be the team captain. So the commanders had cut their center. He's now on the Chargers. I'm sure they wanted Linderbom. They don't have that. Their roster's kind of old to begin with. So the Eagles just got a lot

of moving parts. Now, they still got a lot of talents and talent in the NFL matters. But, That division to me has gotten a lot more interesting in the last couple months, I would say. Kenneth Walker from Seattle to Kansas City. Again, he's great after contact, gets dinged up, but they have no juice. They're losing backs to free agency. They have no juice in the backfield. I also thought this made sense because they don't have a ton of draft picks, but it allows them now their first pick could be the right tackle, Pheno, from Utah.

They need a corner for McDuffie. They need an edge rusher. They have three big needs now. with Kenneth Walker, they'll probably draft another running back later in the draft. It's not a good running back draft. So, I mean, to me, Kenneth Walker is more valuable. This sounds weird to say as a Super Bowl MVP, but I think because of Charbonnet with the Seahawks as a backup, they have another couple backs in Seattle that are, you know, spot players.

They don't play a ton. But I think Kenneth Walker of the Chiefs feels incredibly valuable. And with Seattle, not that he was disposable, but they have such a staff. roster, it feels like if they drafted another running back in the fourth round, one of the, Penn State running back in the third round, you're like, they're fine. I think Kansas City had to do this. Yeah, I don't think they had a choice either. I think it's pretty clear to them too. I don't think they would have taken Jeremiah Love. But at this point in time, you're weighing all your options. I think they understand that that wasn't even going to be an option at pick nine. So you go,

quote unquote, overpay. I mean, they gave them a substantial amount of money. Three years, $45 million, almost guaranteeing them 30. Remember a couple years ago, that was essentially what Harry Roseman gave Sakewood Barkley. So these running backs, they've been on Zoom calls, always bitching a moan and they don't get any money. Like, this has been a lot better the last couple of years. You know, the money has gravitated

toward them. Listen, the chiefs, they weren't going to let Baltimore and Buffalo have all the fun. Like Andy Reid, they don't plan on I know a lot of people talk about this. I'll just have an off year and they ain't mailing anything in. Their game plan is Mahomes starting week one. They

plan on winning. They get a plug and play running back. Now, one thing that he's going to have to prove he can do, Andy likes throwing the ball to the back, right? Shady McCoy, Brian Westbrook, Jamal Charles when he first got to Kansas City. That's not what Walker does. So it's like, now could they maybe want to adapt a little bit to take some pressure who they bring back? Eric B. Enemy, what's he, a running back guy? Right. So maybe they want to take a little pressure off, coming off an injury, right? Coming off an ACL, they're not going to want him to throw 40, 15, times a game like he did earlier in his career. So could they maybe try to lean on Kenneth Walker a little bit more? Now, that would be very opposite of Andy's history. But listen, what do

talented people in any industry do? They adapt, they change. Andy's changed how many times his offense. His offense now, ask anyone, is dramatically different than it was 10 years ago, 20 years ago. So what if you tell everyone, I don't think many people in the league would believe you, they're a rushing team this year, right? They got a good guard. They got a good center. They got a young stud left tackle. Like you said, what if they draft a right tackle? And if they go, you know what? Why don't we do some Kyle Shanahan and just run the ball, take a little pressure off our quarterback, build up our young defense with our stud coordinator? So what if the chiefs are, their game plan this year is to be one of the better rushing teams? Look at, you know, the bills

with Cook. Now, Cook's a better player than Walker. But what if the chiefs are about to throw a little curveball here and become a running offense? Do you think Travis Kelsey signs with them or somebody else. Well, I thought he was going to go to the Giants and then they signed likely. Well, that's not happening. I mean, by all accounts, maybe there are just as a tie that I undervalue a little bit. This is a unique player with a unique connection to Andy and the chiefs and for the right price. I mean, at this point in time, he's so wealthy on and off the field that maybe he's just cool with like, hey, man, I understand. I'm not a $15 million year player anymore. Could we go like five and incentivize that up if I give you 10 touchdowns? But this is

where I want to be. These are my people, which I value. I think I do understand from a player standpoint of seeing some Kobe Bryant types, like this is the only franchise I ever played with, even though historically, that's not really how the NFL work. So I am a little surprised if it does work out. But I think the reason that we haven't seen it yet is the chiefs aren't just going to, well, Travis, here's the check. You fill it in. Like those days are kind of over because he wasn't great last year, Colin. I mean, the drops. He definitely looked his age. So I think he's got to be very careful.

And Andy has been over the course of his career of kind of, you know, separating the emotional connection to the human in the past. Right. But this might just be a really tough one given that, I mean, Andy says, well, I might owe some Super Bowls to this guy, right? I mean, he's, so I do, listen, we're all human beings. So this is probably really tough internally for Veach and Andy. This is most players, they'd say, hey, see you.

Godspeed, good luck, get what you can. Because this is a little abnormal to what good teams do in the NFL, right? But maybe there is just a connection that unless you really in that building with these guys every day, that I even undervalue you from the outside. Today's show brought to you by our presenting sponsor Hard Rock Bet, Florida Sportsbook. So it's March, baby, college basketball center stage. Stakes are high. And now is the time to hit it with Hard Rock Bet.

If you sign up today, double your winnings in your first 10 bets, max 50 bucks. So your winnings are doubled in your first 10 bets. So if you've won 100 bucks in your bet, make it 200. That's how you start March hot. The welcome offer is just a tip-off, all tournament long, hard rock bet rolling out daily dance and boosts, featuring live profit boost, parlay profit boost, every single day. So it's just more ways to shoot your shot, more ways to cash in with boosted odds. Don't sit on the bench.

Download the hard rock bet app today. It's great. And let the party get started. Payable and bonus bets, not a cash offer, offered by the Seminole Tribe of Florida in Florida, offered by Seminole Hard Rock Digital LLC and Alder States. Must be 21 plus and physically present in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, New Jersey, or Virginia to play. Terms and conditions apply.

Concern about gambling in Florida, call 1888. Admit it. In Indiana, if you or somebody you know has a problem, wants help, call 1-800-9 with it. Gambling problem. Call 1-800 gambler, Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia. Hey, it's us, the Jonas Brothers. And guess what? We have some big news. What's the news, name? Huge news. We created our own podcast called Hey Jonas.

We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts throughout there. But this one's extra special. So how do we actually come up with a name Hey Jonas, guys? I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it. And we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band before Jonas Brothers. This is how you guys remember it going down?

Yes. I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast, where people could call in and say, hey, Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey Jonas, and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel

and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano, and our podcast, Point Game is about defying the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed. And finding ways to win no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before.

And he knows, without Luca and Austin Reeves, I got to manipulate the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs. I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nas Reid. He has to guard Julius Randall. And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night basis on offense.

And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nash would get that thing. That man, hell get the flying. He running up the court, licking his fingers, why he got the bar like, after you go through a training camp with that, I said, you figure it out,

quick. Get your ass up and down the court and you're going to get the bomb. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Agency. The ability to know that we're the experts in our own body. On the podcast, cultivating her space, Dr. Dom and Terry Lomax create a space where black women can show up fully and be heard. I wholeheartedly think, you know, you hit 30. You shouldn't have to share one with anybody. Mm-hmm. From navigating friendships and heal. to setting boundaries and prioritizing your mental health. These are real, honest conversations.

We don't always get to have out loud. Totally unreasonable with different parts of life, right? Like, oh, have all three meals and make sure you're mindful during all of them? Absolutely not. During one meal, I'm standing. I'm standing and handing my children food. Because healing, empowerment, and resilience aren't just ideas, their practices. And this Mental Health Awareness Month, there's no better to tell.

to pour back into yourself. Listen to cultivating her space on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. So Alex Pierce, one of the moves, I think Alex Pierce is, Alex Pierce is very good out of Cincinnati. 29 million a year is a lot for him. Jeez. That's a little steep. And the sauce Gardner, two first round picks for Sauce Gardner, people thought that was too

much. So suddenly Chris Ballard is hyper aggressive. the Steelers get Michael Pittman, which they needed a number two receiver. You know what that feels like to me? The Michael Pittman of the Steelers from the Colts, first of all, it frees up room for Pierce, who's a better downfield receiver. I think he's a faster guy. Pittman's a big, strong.

Pittman almost felt like a great two. Pierce feels like a middle one. I mean, that's my interpretation that they really like Pierce. And he can really move. Pittman's a very tough, durable, you know, his dad was a running back for Tampa. Pittman was a great player at USC, tough, motivated, self-starter, always liked him. But that feels like a Mike McCarthy bang the table. So the Steelers are paying D.K. Metcalf and Michael Pittman.

Suddenly Pittsburgh now has got an offensive staff that you've heard of them before. Now they've got two expensive wide receivers. I don't know. It feels like that's a Mike McCarthy bang the table move, that Pittsburgh has been the highest spending defense for, I think, four years in a row. and I've argued for years, just move your money to offense. That's what teams like the Rams are doing. So Pittman to the Steelers, to me, it's sort of a changing of the, not only the guard, but changing of the tide where they're moving offensive money over.

I'm with you on Pittman, like you have followed him since USC, it feels like a mature version of juju, just that physical nature. I had a scout in kind of a personnel executive last year that thought he regressed a little, bit. Look at it in 22 and 23, he was 99 catches and 109 catches. I mean, he had become a big time player. And then last year he was banged up, but also you saw the emergence of Tyler Warren. They draft him. Alex Pierce shot like a rocket ship. Obviously, Jonathan Taylor is an excellent guy. And he, I don't want to say phased out because he was still productive in the games he played, but it was like, we don't need, we're going to go with Pierce's speed and Tyler Warren now.

again, for the Steelers, you don't have a quarterback. So I get building up your team, but who's throwing these two guys the ball? Does this tell us that Aaron Rogers is coming back? Because Aaron doesn't like dealing. Brady didn't either. Aaron doesn't like young receivers. That's not Aaron's jam. So is this telling you that behind the scenes, Aaron said, all come back.

So they get him, D.K. Metcalfe, Michael Pittman, Friermuth feels like a veteran now. And all of a sudden, you're like, okay, that's an offense. that Aaron can navigate. And the big tight end that broke his leg late in the season from Georgia. They have some real pieces. Now, they're running back position's a major question mark. I think Gainwell went to the bucks.

I saw. The kid they drafted from Iowa in the third round was a disaster. Right. So to me, that position's going to be key for them. Maybe they could draft the backup from Notre Dame or something and get, you know, a real running back. But if you don't have a quarterback, I don't care if you got Jerry Rice and Randy Moss out there.

Because Pittman and D.K. You got a real one, two, wide receiver. Yeah. Where it ranks in the league. But those are real NFL veteran wide receivers. Physical wide receivers. Win some big games with in the cold. But to me, it just comes down to the quarterback position. So does Aaron come back with McCarthy?

Is that what you feel? Like, if you were a betting man, would you say Aaron Rogers back this fall? I would because I think he said twice. He's been quoted saying, I had a great time. And I will defend Aaron Rogers. You know, I think he's been prickly and moody, and I've got, I had three different Packers at one point, say you never knew what kind of moody was shown up with. I think that's pretty clear. I thought he was excellent last year.

He got dinged by PFF because he didn't throw the ball down the field. Well, they didn't have downfield receivers. And, I mean, to me, they're a, they're a tight end. I mean, Pittman, D.K., Washington, Friermouth, Jalen Warren, I mean, kind of a power team. So, and Aaron, by the way, they were atrocious in the red zone before Aaron. They were pretty good in the red zone last year. They cut down on interceptions. They cut down on penalties.

So, I mean, I thought Aaron played the hand he was dealt. It was not a very good receiving court late in the year. D.K. Metcalf misses two games because of the incident with a Lions fan. I mean, they had nobody to throw to. So I think, I think Pittman tells me, a veteran receiver tells me that there's a better than 50% chance that Aaron has told them, listen, I'm going to come back. So there, and Aaron's watching all this. And if you're Aaron watching this and you're pretty sure you're coming back,

does this motivate you to come back? That's a pretty good signing. Yeah, definitely. Listen, if he does, I have, he, not that I didn't respect, to me, he's one of the greatest players I've ever watched. But to play through a broken hand like he did last year was on a team that was pretty average, right? And if you look at the course of the last couple years, the torn Achilles,

the broken hand. Like, age is kind of catching up to him. So if he does come back after dealing with some of these injuries on a team that, I mean, ultimately, what's the Steelers ceiling next year? It's kind of the same thing. Maybe compete to be a 9-10 win team. You just got to say the guy just loves playing football because he's not doing it for the money at this point in time.

That's right. And it's not like he's got, well, he's playing on the KD Warriors, right? Or the Steinbrenner Yankees. He doesn't have the best team even in his own division. So if Joe Burrell just stays on the field, like it is going to, to be difficult for them to be second in the division. So, yeah, I mean, I think McCarthy is better than he gets credit for. The branding on him is just atrocious, right? I mean, we've talked about this. His resume next to John Harbaugh is essentially the same thing. Well, he and Mike Tomlin

are very similar. The difference is the league's an offensive league, and he has an offensive touch. And Tomlin's a defensive guy. They're both, they're both motivators, they're both well-liked by players. One's an offensive guy. And if I'm trying to split it up on who I like more. I thought Tomlin's time. I thought that he was, I mean, their offense was a wreck for seven years. Aaron actually healed a lot of the wounds. So I think, I don't think McCarthy's, he's more than capable.

And go look at Cooper Rush and Dak, both highly productive. Okay. So, you know, one of the things that jumps out to me between Mike Evan to the Niners, Rishon Gary to Dallas, DeMario Davis, who's like, his older player goes back to the Jets, very, very good player. Two-year deal, $22 million. I think he's a tremendous player, but he's an older player. Michael Pittman, an older player, is he regressing?

You know, Kenneth Walker had injuries. Kansas City rolls the dice. Maybe it's because the gambling money and the TV money, people just have more lettuce to play with. But some of these signings are older players, regressing players, injured players. I mean, Lindelbaum, to me, to the Raiders, that is an A-plus signing.

Malik Willis could be, but we don't know. Alec Pierce, I think they spent too much money, but again, he's in-house. Chris loves him with Daniel Jones, Warren, Jonathan Taylor. I mean, not many teams in the league can say back, tight-end, number one receiver are better than the Colts.

I guess my kind of takeaway on this free agent period is a lot of GMs, if you liked a guy, even if he was older, out of his prime, a little dinged up, a lot of GMs just went for it. It's aggressive GMing. Well, the money has dramatically changed a short period of time. I would just say in the last five years with the cap space. So the old, even you said Alex Pierce, 29 million, that's like the old 16 million. Linderbobbub, the center, the highest paid center before him, he got 27 a year was like $17, 18 million. So when you factor in the flush of new cap space, the flush of money to these owners,

part of the reason NFL free agency, even in its early kind of iterations back in the 90s and early 2000s, half the owners didn't have cash on hand, let alone. So even the cap space, so like Jerry and Eddie de Bartolo, you know, the Packers when they signed Reggie White, like there would be the occasional here and there. But up until the last 10 years, if the Bengals want, they could break someone off. So look at the Raiders. Part of the reason Jamarcus Russell didn't play for like the first four games, his rookie season is because Al didn't have the money to give him a signing bonus.

That is not 1987. That's like 2007, Colin. So in a 20-year span, you got the Raiders. Hey, center, 60 million guaranteed. I'm sure his bonus is like $30 or $40 million. No problem. Here you go. They just got rid of Gino Smith.

So they're taking a hit. They just gave him a ton of money. So you have teams that didn't have money now that have money. And then you have teams. Like I also think it is difficult for some of these GMs. Like John Snyder, they say he has a bunch of money. He's probably looking around going like, I have a hard time paying premiums for non-premium players. Because ultimately in free agency, you are paying a premium on top of the rate.

So if a guy is a normally for you, if you were giving him extension, after a couple years on your team, he costs, let's say, $15 million. That guy on the open market becomes $24 million. So now, if you get it right, look at the last year with the Patriots. They signed Milton Williams, and people are like, God, they gave him $25 million a year. He was fantastic. He's never even played 50% of the snaps, and then a year later, you feel good about it. But there are a lot of Milton Williams types.

I would imagine Linderbom will be the same thing. Did the Raiders overpay? Of course they did. They've made the playoffs twice and 23 years. You think people just want to come to play for them? Yeah. This guy's coming from the Raven. So, yeah, sometimes you have to overpay.

You just better overpay. You don't even, Milton Williams doesn't need to be Reggie White or Aaron Donald. But if he is a borderline pro baller or full-time starter for four years, you're going to, yeah, I overpaid a little, who cares? So I think that's what you got to be. That's why the Alec Pierce deal, I thought Daniel Jones was going to derail them and lose Alec Pierce, which would have been a problem. So Chris Bauer goes, yeah, I have to give them a little bit more than I'm comfortable with. I know this guy. I think he's a sending player

and we feel comfortable already with him in the building. I think they're way less comfortable with the Daniel Jones situation and like, is this going to work? He's coming up the Achilles, how much eventually we're going to have to give him, then they are giving Alex Pierce

probably more money than you would want. But the receivers, I would have a hard time, Colin. It's what Justin Jefferson, Jamar Chase, Cidie Lamb, a guy that's no doubt about it, Hall of Fame talent. But that next tier of guy, I saw it with the Niners with, with Brandon Ayyuk.

It's like you have to give these guys just a large sum of money and they are just not near the number one tier. So as long as you feel Alex Pierce can keep maintaining and being an exclusive player, you can live with it. But if you get it wrong, given the amount of money you're paying a wide receiver,

it can blow up in your face pretty quick. Let me throw another Raider move. This is very under the radar between Tyler Lindervalm moving off Max Crosby, number one pick Fernando Mendoza. This signing will not get a lot of play. But the Raiders signed former Viking receiver Jalen Naylor,

who I actually think, I think he's a really interesting, like number two or three receiver. Now they have Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison and Minnesota, so they're going to move off him. I thought Jalen Naylor was a nice player. I don't have, do you have the numbers in front of you of what he's done?

but the Vikings Patriots and Broncos were all interested in him. He hasn't been the most productive player because like you said, he's played there. So he's got 28 and 29 balls the last two years. But so basically in 60. And by the way, that's with J.J. McCarthy this year. So 57 catches. Colin, he has 10 touchdowns the last two years. So he's, I felt like that when you watched the Vikings, explosive plays. Here's the other thing.

Average yards per catch. His rookie year, he only had caught nine catches, but he averaged 20, yards of catch. Last couple of years, basically 15 yards of catch. Explosive speed guy, right? So maybe he's, he'll get more targets, right, with the Raiders. But even if he gives you 45, 50 catches with Fernando, you give him a deep threat. I'm with Brock Bowers, Genty. How about this? Sean Payton wanted him. Josh McDaniels and New England wanted him. And Clint Kubiak for the Raiders got him. Those are pretty smart offensive guys. They all liked him. Ran a four, five at the Combine. feels like he plays a lot faster than that, doesn't he? Yeah. Yeah. I would have guessed like a high

4-3 guy, low 4-4 guy. So he can fly. That could be, you know, there's going to be free agent signings that we, that don't get any play. To me, I got to tell you, John SpyTech with the Raiders, this is the first time in 20 years. I've been excited about the Raiders. And they have a boat load of picks. If they nail that 14th pick and just get, get, you know, a future core, you know, their version of Patrick Chetan, a Kelsey. How about this? They could really change the franchise. They could literally get Fernando Mendoza and the 14th pick is interesting.

They could move off that and get Omar Cooper, Fernando Mendoza's favorite receiver who's viewed as a late first round receiver. They could move down and still get, I mean, how great would that be? You can tell, you can tell right now the Raiders are trying to make and this is what the Bears did and Ben Johnson. They're trying to make Fernando Mendoza super comfortable, right? They want that interior line to be good. They're going to draft another receiver. Boy, I really like what the Raiders are doing. I think you could get Cooper. I talk to a lot of different coaches and personnel people at the top line about him. He's an interesting guy. You know, you could ask one guy,

I think he ends up in the late 20s. You could ask another guy that think he's like the 50th pick. if you were comfortable with doing that, I think you could take them in the beginning of the second round because you draft really high. To me, 14th pick. I do think it's going to be harder this year to trade with some of these picks because the draft is viewed as not a lot of impact guys.

Yeah, so I would try to get Cooper if that's who I was going to take in the second go round, then I would in the first round. So, John, if you're a Bears fan as they clean up their defense, here's some more good news. They play the NFC South, which is a bit of a mess, and the AFC East. So they're going to get the Jets. They're going to get, you know, Falcons, Saints, Carolina, Tampa.

So if you look at the Bears' schedule, you look at the Bears' elevation, free agency of defense, I'll stick with it. It feels like a top five or six team going into next year. Yeah, I mean, I Seattle and the Rams are going to be really good. But I would say the rest of the NFC, a lot of question marks with the Eagles that they were one of the top seeds. A lot of question marks internally in that division. So, you know, the NFC South, I might like the Saints.

They just signed ETN. They got this young quarterback who they like. Tampa's going to go through kind of, you know, Mike Evans was kind of important for Baker Mayfield. So, I mean, you remove. I mean, that's that kind of matter. Now, that's part of the NFL who they draft last year, the Ohio Statewide receiver. Like, you got to let guys go. Usually guys don't stay forever.

49ers, they sign Mike Evans, but they're going to have older players coming off injuries. I think they're going to be solid. But you saw them in the Bears this year playing a game that was like 75 to 70. One of the great games in the year. So, yeah, I'm very, their coach is a star. It just comes down to, you know, if Caleb can just make an incremental improvement. Like at this point in time, they don't need him to take some huge jump, right? No.

They just need maybe a 5% 7% improvement on basic things. Hit a wheel route instead of overthrowing it. Because that's the difference of punting and keeping a drive alive that maybe leads to a field goal. And instead of having to come back, we have a six point lead in the fourth quarter instead of down three. So, yeah, I'm really, really high on the Bears. I'm with you, polls. He's being a GM's hard. You know, and being a GM for a dysfunctional franchise is,

really difficult. Being a GM when your coach isn't good is very difficult. Being a GM when your owners a little cheap can be difficult. Over the last course of what 18-ish months, especially once Ben's got there, they have been, they feel very on the same page and rowing in the right direction, which is kind of the NFL, where whatever the Jets are, the Bears feel somewhat on the opposite end of the spectrum. And that's the Raiders used to kind of be by the Jets. They feel like they're heading towards the other smart teams. So things change. It's hiring the right people, giving them the resources to do the right things.

I watched the press conference when Halfley and the GM was hired. One thing Halfley said over and over, Stephen Ross, he said, he just kept looking to me in the eye and said, you will not lose for lack of resources here. You will not lose because of the checkbook. We might make the wrong moves. You coach poorly or signed the wrong guy, but you will not ever lose because, oh, my owner wouldn't give the signing bonus. And now more and more of those owners, if you get the Howie Roseman or Les Sneed or John Schneider in that role,

you're basically guaranteed to be a double-digit win team every year, right? If you got the right GM with an owner cutting the checks. My takeaway today is Malik Willis for the Dolphins. He is a totally different player. He may be smaller than ideal height, but he's an electric athlete with a really good arm and wildly dynamic off script and, and, and, as you said, you can inject him into games. He's not even scheduled to play. I think Malik, some people are saying, oh, it feels, you know, a little undersized guy. That's not Malik Willis.

He is not to him. If he had a comp, I'd argue, I don't even know what his comp, a bigger Kyler Murray, where he throws a beautiful ball. Kyler's got a good arm. Kyler moves, but Malik is really engaged. They loved him in Green Bay. And your point on Hathley, who watched him, coached against him for two years. and the assistant GM now in Miami, I think that's the best point today made in the last 35 minutes is guys that knew him went all in on Malik Willis from Green Bay to Miami. I'll give you a cop. To me, he's like a 2016-17 big-armed Dak Prescott,

because remember, Dak could move back then. And Dak could really move, remember, and coming out of Mississippi State. So that to me, some of the Malik Willis highlights on keepers watching, I was like, damn, this guy, you forget because we get so removed from the football season. To me, his accuracy, honestly, there are some parallels to Dak Prescott. Yeah. Never in a million years, I watched Dak Prescott in Mississippi State because remember Dan Mullen was there. They were really good.

I never thought he'd be a good NFL quarterback. Some guys improved. That's the thing about the NFL. Not everyone's just ready to go. This is, you know, in the NBA, you kind of know, like the three guys are going to get drafted really high. They're going to be stars or high-level guys. In the NFL, how many times it is like this fourth-rounder or this six-rounder? all of a sudden 10 years later, it's Richard Sherman or Jason Kelsey or George Kittle.

It happens with quarterbacks too. And now we're on this quarterback renaissance of we have some high picks that resurrect their career. But we have seen over the course of the last more in my lifetime of these mid-round picks from DAC to Russell Wilson to Kirk Cousins go on to make hundreds of millions of dollars in lead playoff teams year after year. So to me, Malik Willis kind of fits that high character, smart. Now he's an accurate passer. we know he can move.

He's good. The other thing is like, well, what kind of offense he ran? I don't know. He ran the Shanahan offense, you know, and hybrid version for himself in Green Bay. So it's not like he's running some Rinky Dink high school offense. Like this year when he was thrown into that game against the Bears, he just ran the Jordan Love offense and did excellent.

I remember watching thinking, is this really happening? He looks fantastic. He looked so good in that game coming out of the bullpen. Oh, I mean, Packer fans were all like, We're paying the wrong quarterback. Yeah. Volume. Shoot your shot, get paid double, only on Hard Rock Bet.

Hard Rock Bet is Florida's only legal way to bet the NBA, teams, players, points, and more. He shifts, he scores. And when you sign up for Hard Rock Bet, your bets paid double winnings. Don't just count the basket. Count it twice. He's on fire now.

Yes, new customers get paid double on your first 10 bets. Try Hard Rock Bet today. Max bet of $50 per bet, offered by the Seminole Tribe of Florida. Must be 21 plus and physically present in Florida to wager. Terms and conditions apply. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, please call 1-833 Playwise. Hey, guys, it's us. The Jonas Brothers.

I'm Joe. I'm Kevin. And I'm Nick. And guess what? We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas. Nice. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it.

We just contributed to it. We get to ask other people to do podcasts. We get to ask other people questions because we're sick and tired of being asked questions. Well, sick and tired is a strong way to put it. But, you know, tired and sick. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL, late night comedy guy, not quite.

Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

The story I've told myself can then shape my behavior, and that can lead me to sabotage the possibility of connection. This Mental Health Awareness Month, tune into the podcast deeply well with Debbie Brown. If you've been searching for a soft place to land while doing the work to become whole, this podcast is for you. to hear more. Listen to deeply well with Debbie Brown from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

Hey, it's Edwin Castro, also known as Castro 1021. And I'm Kunky, his best friend and business manager. And we've got a new show called the 1021 podcast. I'm taking you behind the scenes on how I became one of Twitch's most popular streamers. We also love sports. And with the World Cup right around the. corner, we'll be breaking down the biggest

storylines ahead of the big tournament here in the USA. Listen to the 1021 podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.